This course will explore uses of the Internet to support, enhance and deliver curriculum in grades K-12. The concepts and tools are appropriate for teachers at other levels, but the examples will be drawn from K-12.

Participants will use a variety of tools including the World Wide Web, File Transfer Protocol (FTP), Listservs, Newsgroups, and E-mail to access and utilize Internet resources in education and related disciplines. Individuals or small groups will create units of instruction appropriate to their teaching and subject matter level which utilize Internet tools and resources.

Students are expected to be able to send and receive email and to navigate the World Wide Web. All students must have a working University of Delaware e-mail address to use for this class. UD e-mail addresses can be set up prior to the start of class by visiting www.udel.edu/network.

This course on using the Internet in the curriculum is both guided by and serves the University of Delaware's conceptual framework for teacher education. The overarching goal of our teacher education program is to assist you in becoming a reflective practitioner who will be able to serve diverse communities of learners as a scholar, problem-solver, and partner. Aspects of this framework are integrated throughout this course -- in class content, assignments, and evaluation of your work. For example:

• Reflective practice: In this course, you will learn not just the tools and resources of the Internet, but also how these can be used to further curricular goals throughout the K-16 curriculum. In particular, you will be asked to bring your own classroom experiences and challenges to class and look at them in new ways based on the tools and resources that are available.
   
• Diverse communities of learners: The Internet provides a new and expanding opportunity to work closely with people of all ages, from vastly different cultural backgrounds, and from any place on the globe. We will explore ways to bring all of these resources to bear within the curriculum. In addition, projects will focus on providing students with opportunities to take advantage of both physical and human resources to achieve their goals.
   
• Scholar: Among the dispositions that you will adopt are the scholarly ones of wanting to know how other professionals have addressed the challenges that your students display, critical reading of their written accounts, and adaptation of their methods to suit your needs. Your required readings include articles both from classroom practitioners and scholars who have critically reviewed the field. In addition, you will locate and read articles on topics of specific relevance to shape your own curriculum projects. 
  
  
• Problem solver: The primary focus of this course is on applying the tools and resources of the Internet to K-12 classrooms. The Internet is both growing and changing rapidly and strongly focused on commercial endeavors. You will need to develop strategies to stay current with tools and resources; to develop management practices for your classroom to deal with limited technology resources and time for your students, virtually unlimited resources on the Internet, and potentially harmful encounters or information; and develop a critical eye to apply these tools and resources to the content standards across the curriculum.
   
• Partner: The Internet provides greatly expanded opportunities for teachers and students to develop partnerships. Within the class, we will emphasize the need to draw on each other to meet the goals of the course. Beyond the class, we will explore ways to use Internet tools to tap into the network of individuals around the globe who are willing to help either by personal involvement with classes or individuals or by the resources they regularly make available. The required curriculum project should reflect this same kind of partnership to achieve a common goal.