Stevens Institute of Technology

WEB Workshops

For Mathematics and Science Teachers

Overview

Over the past decade computers have increasingly found their way into high schools. Presently there is a concerted effort to connect these machines to the Internet. Indeed, there is a vast array of information available on the Internet and a good deal of it can be used by teachers and students to enrich learning experiences. However, while a number of teachers have now become somewhat adept at using computers, most of them do not possess the skills to find appropriate WEB sites or to incorporate the information available from these sites into their classrooms. As the September 1996 E-mail edition of Infobits (http://www.iat.unc.edu/infobits/infobits.html) sent out by the Institute for Academic Technology states, "Training how to use the technology by itself is NOT sufficient. Teachers will only begin to use it when they are shown how to incorporate the technology into their curriculum and lessons."

Stevens Institute of Technology in collaboration with Passaic High School will offer a workshop during the summer of 1998 which will prepare high school mathematics and science teachers to utilize the WEB as an educational tool within the existing curriculum. Topics will be chosen from mathematics, physics, biology, earth science, and chemistry. Where relevant, related environmental issues will be explored. The  workshop will be for 20 high school mathematics and science teachers and will meet at Stevens during the week of July 6.

Each workshop participant will be expected to identify another teacher at his/her school to work with in implementing the use of the WEB in their teaching. In this way the skills acquired during the workshop will be transmitted to others. Participants will be required to report via e-mail periodically to one of the workshop leaders during the academic year. These periodic reports will be distributed to all participants. The computer classroom materials developed by each participant will be distributed electronically to all teachers involved in the project so that where appropriate they can incorporate these into their teaching.

There will be two follow-up meetings at Passaic High School where the participants will report on their progress in implementing the use of the WEB into their teaching. They will be asked to demonstrate what they have developed to the entire group. In this way each teacher will end up with a "package" of WEB material suitable for classroom use. One follow-up meeting will be held in October 1998 and the other in May 1999. In this way everyone involved will be kept abreast of what others are doing.

Workshops will meet daily from 8:30 am till 3:30 pm with a one-hour break for lunch. The activities of each day are given below.
 

Day

Topics

 

 

1

Introductions 

E-mail overview

Practical applications of e-mail 

Introduction to the Internet

Introduction to search engines

Introduction to Netscape 

 

 

 

2

 Checking E-mail

Review of Netscape Browser

Internet scavenger hunt

NJ Core Curriculum Standards

M&Ms statistics project

Microsoft Excel

Formation of  Web project groups

Location of URLs related to lessons 

 

 

 

3

Checking  E-mail

Creating HTML files using Microsoft Word

Guest presentation: the Eratosthenes Project

Creating HTML files using Netscape

Using WS_FTP to upload files to the Stevens server

Further work on Web page lesson plans in groups

 

 

 

4

Checking  E-mail

Continued work on Web page lessons

Searches for appropriate URLs

Further use of the Netscape html editor

Use of WS_FTP to publish documents produced

 

 

 

5

Checking E-mail

More work on Web page lessons

Closing Luncheon

Presentation of individual group WEB pages to all participants

Presentation of Certificates of Completion

 

 

Faculty

The workshops will be directed by Dr. Lawrence E. Levine, Professor of Mathematical Sciences at Stevens Institute of Technology. Professor Levine directed the Certificate Program in Computer Mathematics that ran for more than a decade at Stevens. He has been involved in the integration of computer technology into teaching for many years. Teachers from Passaic High School will assist Dr. Levine in leading the workshops. In addition, two computer assistants will help provide individual hands-on learning.

Cost

Partial funding for these workshops has been obtained from the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation. As a result, participants will be charged the nominal fee of $150. Appropriate software and course materials will be distributed to the participants. Participants will also be provided with lunch at no additional cost.

Credit

Participants may receive two Continuing Education Units from Stevens upon successful completion of a workshop. Those who complete the 1998-99 academic year follow-up work may receive an additional CEU. The cost for this is $150 per unit.

Admission

No previous knowledge of computers is required for participation in the workshops. However, those mathematics and science teachers who do apply should be interested in utilizing the WEB in their teaching during the academic year 1997-98. Their schools must provide access to the Internet for them and for at least some of their students.

Enrollment is limited to twenty science teachers. The enclosed application should be completed and received no later than May 22, 1998. All candidates will be notified of their acceptance by June 5. Admission will be based upon interest and motivation, teaching experience, educational background, and a letter of recommendation. A statement of commitment by the applicant's school that it will provide the necessary computing environment and up to two days of release time as well as assist the applicant in implementing the use of the WEB into his/her teaching must also be included. For further information please call 201-216-5448 or send E-mail to llevine@stevens-tech.edu.