Techtactics

This concise and practical text describes the major educational computer applications and provides methods for using computer tools effectively in the teaching and learning process. New to This Edition Updated research. Research about technology (as opposed to testimonials and individual experiences) has increased significantly in recent years. This edition ofTechTacticsdirects the reader to a sampling of the solid, thoughtfully prepared studies that are now available. Revised and expanded information on copyright. In-depth discussion of teaching and learning on the Internet, including names and addresses of online Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs) that students can access and use for building online lessons. Pointers to help students recognize and avoid worms, viruses, and Trojan horses. Revised list of top search engines for adults and children. In-depth discussion of instant messagingpros and cons. Information on web authoring from simple to complex, including addresses for current free web building tools, discussions of web authoring tools, and guidance for building web sites from code. Benefits and pitfalls of each approach are discussed in detail. Detailed guidelines for constructing e-mails. Not just for teachers wanting to improve the effectiveness of their communications, these tips also show students how to write e-mail for a business or other professional environment. Greatly expanded discussion of PDA's and how they are used in the classroom. An all new Field Trip is included plus reflections on the teaching methods used in the field trip. Additional information on this topic is available in the annotated references section of Chapter 13. Links to hundreds of new databases. The majority of the databases are formatted for Excel so there is no need to format the data and import it into a spreadsheet. These databases cover topics in science, history, government, business, health, education, geography, demographics, transportation, natural resources, information and communications, environment, nutrition, energy, comparative international statistics, art, entertainment, recreation, and more! What your colleagues are saying about this book… "This is one of the best textbooks on technology integration that I have come across. It is designed around a set of standard computer tools available to all classrooms across the nation. It is filled with practical and replicable suggestions for integration of all the standard tools that engage both teachers and students. It is solidly based on a model of higher order thinking skill development." Dorothy P. Fuller, Black Hills State University "I looked at other texts before picking this one…None were close to this. I was looking for a practical text to help teachers apply these applications in their classes. This text did just that." Jonathan Weber, Northern State UniversityThorsen, Carolyn is the author of 'Techtactics', published 2008 under ISBN 9780205578450 and ISBN 0205578454.