Internet, Education, and Colleges
The internet offers a wealth of information. Much of the information is valuable to the student, researcher, consumer, or web surfer: current events, dissertations, merchandise catalogs and places of interest, for examples. Also, the internet acts as educator and entertainer; it puts little known facts at a mouse click's distance and wows us with bright pictures, audio and moving images. We will focus on education resources on the internet by and for colleges.
David Stauth, http://osu.orst.edu/dept/ncs/newsarch/1999/Jun99/teach.htm , writes that continuing education with a web-based program, used by Oregon primary and secondary teachers, is potentially the wave of the future in professional development, according to the program's Oregon State University creators. Offering individually tailored education to far and near students via the web, the program utilizes a marvelous relational database. Also, the program learns the student's likes and dislikes in learning and individualizes the teaching approach to accomodate them.
Jeff Rosen and Karen Williams, http://dizzy.library.arizona.edu/users/brewerj/edweb.html , cover nine areas of educational resources, but only six will be discussed: Organizations, Education Mega-Sites, College links, Psychology Testing, and Publications. Their site is with the University of Arizona Library. They have a very interesting collection of links that address the University's students as well as their community.
Organizations listed are Educause and NCSS. Educause, http://www.educause.edu/ , helps mold and transform change in post-secondary education through the introduction and implementation of new technologies in the teaching field. Not surprisingly, their membership includes academia, but also, intriguingly, corporations. Further, they offer awards in leadership, information technology in undergraduate education, campus networks, solutions in information technology, sharing experiences, fellowships to EDUCAUSE events, and the Paul Evan Peters Award for prominent accomplishments in making and using information resources that advance research via electronic communication.
Also, The National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS), http://www.socialstudies.org/about/home.html , provides leadership and aid for social studies professionals. Their membership draws from educators from all 50 states. Plus, they award outstanding teachers and creative social studies programs. Interestingly, their Spirit of America Award 1999 went to Fred Rogers of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. Past award winners were Ralph Nader, President Jimmy Carter, Rosa Parks, Senator Barry Goldwater, and Senator George McGovern. In addition, their conferences are national and international.
The Education Mega-Sites listed are Education World, AskERIC, Kathy Schrock's Guide for Educators, and InSITE. Education World, http://www.education-world.com , is an extensive database of internet education links, boasting over 100,000 URL's. It has Search, a Topic List, and an Awards Section, containing in-depth monthly reviews of popular education web pages. The Topic List categorizes the links into Arts & Humanities, History, Mathematics, PE & Health, Sciences, Social Studies, Administrators, Continuing Ed, Distance Ed, Ed Organizations, Internet, K12 Schools, Parents, Regional, Research, Special Ed, Teachers, Universities, Univ. Depts., and Vocational.
Also, AskERIC, http://ericir.syr.edu/ , is a list of education listservs, usenets, and web information. It is meant for the education professionals and parents; it is associated with Syracuse University. It offers a Question & Answer (Q&A) Service, its Virtual Library, a searchable database, FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions), and the AskERIC Slide Show. The Virtual Library offers many useful items such as Education Sites, Library Sites, Government Information, and Internet-Related Sites.
In addition, Kathy Schrock's Guide for Educators, http://school.discovery.com/schrockguide/ , features classified internet sites for aiding curriculums and teacher professional growth. The popular classifications are in a handy drop-down box. The classifications are Ancient History, Animals, Astronomy, Earth Science, Economics, Human Body, Life Science, Literature, Oceans, Physical Science, Professional Development, Space Science, Technology, US History and World History. Plus, a subjects list contains 51 items.
And finally, InSITE, http://curry.edschool.virginia.edu/insite/ , is The Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education's information network for exploring the internet in aiding teacher education worldwide. It contains listings to Schools of Education, Electronic Publications, Internet Resources, and Professional Organizations. The Schools of Education link alphabetically lists the names of many colleges.
Of the college links, College Source Online, http://www.collegesource.org/home.asp , is like a snapshot of every page from 6,500 college catalogs but is available only to University of Arizona faculty, students and staff. Its College Search option enables searching via Alpha Search, an alphabetical listing. Also, there is Criteria Search, using tuition, enrollment, affiliation, major and other points. Plus, Geographic Search and Keyword Search are options. Finally, the PDF Keyword Search searches and indexes all the text in the PDF catalogs.
In addition, College Board Online, http://www.collegeboard.org/ , finds colleges, financial aid information, SAT registration instructions, Advanced Placement courses and more. It has links for Students & Parents, Admission & Enrollment Staff, Financial Aid Staff, Counselors, High School & College Faculty, and College Board Members. Interestingly, the Students & Parents section allows you to search for scholarships and careers. Also, the High School & College Faculty section offers the SAT Learning Center, which offers tutorials for the Scholastic Aptitude Test.
Further, CollegeLink, http://www.collegelink.com/ , is a computer program that enables you to apply to multiple colleges all at once. Nothing gets sent to the colleges until you give the final approval; the first set of applications is free. They even provide College Search, Financial Aid, Get Recruited, Scholarship Search, and Success in College. Also, Get Recruited utilizes the Online Scouting Network, charging $69, enabling high school coaches to put their student athletes' athletic, academic and geographic statistics in a database for college coaches. In addition, Success in College helps the student plan for success through academics, extracurricular activities, and work experience.
In addition, FinAid: The Financial Aid Information Page, http://www.cs.cmu.edu/%7Efinaid/finaid.html , is a complete, free financial aid resource offering scholarship search, financial aid calculators, definitions, information on loans, and military aid. Also, scholarship search is done through free databases like Fastweb and others, while warning against scams that charge fees for scholarship searching. These for fee scholarship searches do not provide any more information than the free databases.
Further, CollegeNET, http://www.collegenet.com/ , lists 2500 colleges, their admissions policies, a search engine and regional categories. Also, there is the Graduate School Guide. The topics addressed are About CollegNet, College Search, CollegeBot Crawler, Financial Aid, Scholarship Search, College Recruiting, College Resources, Virtual Bookstore, and Apply. Plus, College Search lists colleges by regions. Also, CollegeBot Crawler is the search engine. In addition, Financial Aid has access to Mach25, a free filtering program that narrows your search of over 600,000 awards by finding gender, age, year in college, and school matches. Plus, there is Peterson's Education Center, http://www.collegenet.com/ , which offers a consistent source of educational opportunites, access to Peterson's databases and allows requests for more information.
The Educational Psychology and Testing category lists the ERIC/AE Test Locator, the ERIC Clearinghouse on Assessment and Evaluation, Buros Institute of Mental Measurements, FAQ's on Psychological Tests, and School Pyschology Resources Online.
The ERIC/AE Test Locator, http://ericae.net/testcol.htm , provides links for finding psychological and educational tests, Standards, test-picking tips, a searchable file of tests (10,000), test publisher addresses, and the Mental Measurements Yearbook and Pro-Ed Test Reviews tables of contents. Also, Test Selection Tips suggests that you know what you want a test to measure and how you are going to use it. Also, recommendations are to get a specimen set from the publisher and ensure it includes technical documentation. Plus, read reviews prepared by others; the Buros/ERIC database finds existing reviews. Finally, read the materials; determine for yourself whether the test convinces you that it is true and useful for you.
Also, the ERIC Clearinghouse on Assessment and Evaluation, http://ericae.net/, provides fair sources on educational reviews and links encouraging responsibility in test use. The topics are Search ERIC, Test Locator, Assessment FAQ's, Bookstore, PARE(an e-journal), and the Full-text Library. Further, the FAQ's are subdivided into Educational Assessment, Intelligence and Learning Theory, and Research Methodology. Plus, the Bookstore is broken down into Special Books, Books by Audience, Books by Topic Teaching, Testing, Research & Statistics, Reform, and Links. Also, PARE, Practical Assessment, Research & Evaluation is a professional journal. In addition, the free Full-text Library is subdivided into Educational Quality, Learning Theory, Evaluation, Student Evaluation, Test & Testing, Professional Standards, Research, and Statistical Analysis.
In addition, the Buros Institute of Mental Measurements, http://www.unl.edu/buros/ , helps to find tests or assessments on tests used in education. Their Tools offers Test, Publisher, and Review Locators. Plus, their Articles include The Code of Fair Testing Practices in Education , Code of Professional Responsibilities in Educational Measurement , and Competency Standards in Student Assessment for Educational Administrators .
Further, "Finding Information About Psychological Tests: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)" by the American Psychological Association, http://www.apa.org/science/test.html , describes psychological tests given by the Science Directorate of the American Psychological Association. They break it down into published and unpublished psychological tests. For their published tests, the most asked questions ask where to find tests to measure self-concept, to send a copy of certain tests, and whether they are qualified to administer tests. Also, it has an archive on psychological tests.
Lastly, School Pyschology Resources Online, http://www.bcpl.net/~sandyste/school_psych.html , provides good links for the psychology field, other professionals, and parents. Plus, the site features a Bookstore, Cholent Corner, and Daily Cartoon. However, the Bookstore only recommends titles. Plus, Cholent Corner is a sporadic column by Webmaster Sandra Koser Steingart. Also, they have the category called "Specific Conditions, Disorders, and Disabilities," which is further divided into Anxiety Disorder, Attention Deficit Disorder, Autism, Behavior/Conduct Disorders, Deaf/Hard of Hearing, Dissociative Disorders, Eating Disorders, Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, Gifted and Talented, Learning Disabilities, Medical Conditions, Mental Retardation, Mood Disorders, Substance Abuse, Suicide, and Tourette's Disorder.
The Publications category lists Women in Higher Education, Education Policy Analysis, Archive, From Now On, and Horizon.
Women in Higher Education, http://www.wihe.com/ , is a monthly newsletter for college women administrators, faculty and staff. Access to the information is limited until you subscribe, $66/year. Job listings are included. The topics are Featured Articles, Career Connections, Subscriptions Services, and Stats/Links & Conferences. Also, the Featured Articles are full-text, with an archive dating back to January 1996. Plus, Career Connections allows you to choose between Job Title or Region.
Also, The Education Policy Analysis Archive, http://olam.ed.asu.edu/epaa/ , is a trade journal, available electronically only. It is from the College of Education of Arizona State University. Also, it can be sent for free via email directly to subscribers by joining their listserv. Their main topics are Enter the Archives, Browse the Abstracts, Visit the Editors, Visit the Edit Board, Submit an Article, Submit Commentary, Subscribe to EPAA, and Search in EPAA. Also, their Archives dates back to 1993.
In addition, From Now On, http://www.fno.org/ , is the free journal on educational technology. It is also available via email. The journal's features are Free EBooks, Technology Books, Videos, Search FNO, and Arts, Poems and Photography. The Free EBooks category is a collection written by the journal's webmaster, Mr. Jamie McKenzie. The titles are Parenting for an Age of Information, Net Profit in a Post Modern World, Site-Based Decision-Making, and Cold Creek Rebellion. Also offered are his published works. Plus, Videos highlights several instructional videos that may be purchased. Also, Arts, Poems and Photography contains original sketches, written works and photography by Mr. McKenzie, including an interesting collection from Rodin's Sculpture Garden. Other photographs are of France, Australia, Singapore, Stockholm, New Zealand, and New York.
Plus, Horizon, http://www.horizon.unc.edu/ , informs teachers about challenges and solutions. Its topics include Projects, Technology Source, On the Horizon, Courses, Conferences, and On-Ramp. Projects include "Challenges in Implementing Distance Learning Programs," "Intellectual Property, Copyright, and Distance Learning," "Instructional Resources Available on the Web," and "Issues Challenging Education." Also, Past Projects listed are "Technology Tools for Today's Campuses," "Essays on the Future of Secondary Education," and "Integrating Productivity Tools in Primary and Secondary Education." Plus, On-Ramp covers Social, Technological, Economic, Environmental, and Political aspects. For instance, Technological has links to articles on educational technology and Socratic discourse, The National Data Super Highway, and the future of information technology for Australia. Also, Journals has links to full-text journals such as Computer-Mediated Communications Magazine, First Monday, From Now on, NewScientist, Online User, Scientific American, TCWorld, Technology Review Home Page, The Monitor, The Network Observer, The Teacher's Internet Pages, The Technology Source, Upside Magazine, and Web-Vantage. Plus, Listservs, Technology Futures articles, Technology Tools, and Web Sites of the Month are available.
Further, "How to Find World Wide Web Distance Education Resources," by Michele M. Jacques, http://www.uwex.edu/disted/resources.html , lists 18 resources, but only four will be discussed. First, Athabasca University, Resources in Distance Education (RIDE), http://ccism.pc.athabascau.ca/html/ccism/deresrce/de.htm , offers internet sources of higher education. Topics include About this Database, Learning About the Internet, Searching the WEB, Distance Ed & WWW Design, Educational Technology Resources, Theory & Practice, Distance Education Issues, Associations / Conferences / Special Events, Distance Education Organizations, and AU and Staff / Student Papers and Projects. Further, Distance Ed & WWW Design covers WWW Design, Distance Education & the Web, Instructional Design, HTML, and Software. Also, Distance Education & the Web links to the articles and web sites "How to Find World Wide Web Distance Education Resources," "Web Based Courses," "Tools for Developing Web Courses," "World Wide Web for Instruction," "EastWest Project," "The World Wide Web: Gateway to Effective Learning," and many others.
Also, AT&T/Lucent Technologies, Center for Excellence in Distance Learning, http://www.lucent.com/cedl/index.html , aims to improve the technology side of distance education. Under Resources, they list Published Articles, Case Studies, External Links, Glossary, Newsletters, Research Abstracts, Brochures, Presentations, and News Releases. Among their published articles is "Are We the Tin Man's Children?" Also, there is "Distance Education and Partnerships: Tools for the Future." Plus, "Distance Learning Solutions" and "It's Time We Change the Way We Train!" are offered.
In addition, Commonwealth of Learning (COL), http://www.col.org/ , creates and broadens access to learning. It is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada, comprised of 50 former British colonies, but openly shares it information with the world. Offerings include the journal TechKnowLogia, The Caribbean & Technology-Enhanced Learning, New Publications and Studies, COL International, Award Winners, COL's Library Service, and Commonwealth Schools Network. The New Publications and Studies include The Development of Virtual Education: A Global Perspective, Higher Education through Open and Distance Learning, and The Facilitation of the Transfer of Learning Materials.
Plus, Distance Education Clearinghouse, http://www.uwex.edu/disted/home.html , provides great access to electronic learning. It provides a Currents section, Highlights, Program Resources, Technologies, a New to Distance Education tool kit, and Services. Further, the Program Resources offers the University of Wisconsin Distance Learning Catalog, Certificate Programs, Collaborative Nursing Program, Learning Innovations, and Additional Program Information.
So, we have covered some web sites from all over the world dealing with the internet, education and colleges. They ranged from personally maintained web sites to organizations comprising of 50 member nations. All have extensive links to a wealth of internet information. Some are free, while others require payment. But all are good sources for leads to a better understanding of the complex, myriad of information on education from the internet. Indeed, the internet can be a very lonely and frustrating place without some guidance.
Works Cited
Jacques, Michele M. "How to Find World Wide Web Distance Education Resources." Distance Education Clearinghouse. May 15, 1997. http://www.uwex.edu/disted/resources.html
Rosen, Jeff and Karen Williams. "Education Resources on the Internet." The University of Arizona Library. July 22, 1999. http://dizzy.library.arizona.edu/users/brewerj/edweb.html
Stauth, David. "New System Major Advance in Web Education." Oregon State University News. 06-10-99. http://osu.orst.edu/dept/ncs/newsarch/1999/Jun99/teach.htm