Proposal:
I propose that a license be purchased for netTrekker to be used at all Elementary, Middle and Jr. High Schools within the Calgary Board of Education to allow for the identification of and access to safe and reliable resources.
Tool Overview:
netTrekker, developed by Thinkronize, Inc. is a educational search tool that allows educators, students and parents access to teacher-reviewed and teacher-rated websites and online resources (including information, activities, and lesson plans). More than just a simple search engine, netTrekker uses advanced sorting technologies to allow users to search by subject or topic, as well as by a five-point rating scale provided by accredited teachers from Canada and the US. Further options allow sorting into categories that include multimedia components, or sorting on a five-point readability scale. Teachers also have the additional ability to search by General and Specific outcomes from the Alberta Curriculum.
Scope:
All Elementary, Middle and Jr. High Schools within the CBE.
154 Schools
71 305 Students
7624 Staff
Goals:
To allow students to identify and access safe online resources.
To allow parents access to reliable online resources.
To allow teachers access to online resources in alignment with Alberta’s Program of Studies.
Support:
Although there are help documents and tutorials available on the netTrekker website (http://www.nettrekker.com/), in order to fully understand the tool and use it to its full potential, some support needs to come from the Curriculum and Learning Technologies department of the CBE. Therefore, one individual will be named as the netTrekker designate, and will be available to provide:
- initial and on-going communication
- teacher training
- maintenance of online Professional Development resources
- helpdesk support for teachers and administrators
- liaison between the CBE and Thinkronize, Inc.
Background Research
Allowing all CBE K-9 students and teachers access to this tool would permit the identification of and access to safe and reliable resources. Internet safety is of paramount concern to educators and families. Resources need to be vetted and reliable if they are to be of any educational merit. Students need to identify when resources are appropriate through the use of adequate media literacy skills when researching online sources. These three points will be discussed in further detail.
Safety:
Educators were some of the earliest adopters of using the Internet for research and communication. Early in the Internet’s wide-spread usage, K-12 teachers were the first to see the potential for exploration and opportunity. However, unrestricted access to an entire society’s breadth of knowledge and culture has inherent pitfalls. Johnson (2005), points out the criticisms of using the Internet, when he refers to it as a resource that “allows second graders to view graphic sexual acts accidentally while searching for innocuous information, communication by anorexic teens with supportive fellow anorexics, or access by seventh graders to “Build Your Own Computer Virus” Web sites” (p. 39). He includes these provocative references to potentially damaging activities to highlight some of the common criticisms of using the Internet for classroom study.
netTrekker doesn’t contain any resources, but it provides a summary, review, ranking and link to the resource located at a different site on the Internet. Because of this, it can be considered a discriminate search engine, or portal. Rather than searching the entire contents of the Internet, as many search engines purport to do, a portal gives the user access to specific, directed resources. Furthermore, Bacon, Blood, Ault and Adms (2008) indicate that a major focus of an internet portal or search engine is “to encourage access to the many safe, interesting, and educationally valuable sites so that youth and their families would become analytical and knowledgeable users of the Internet” (p. 46).
Like Johnson (2005), Bacon et al (2008) continue to explore the challenges of using the Internet safely in the classroom environment: “From hidden advertisements to inappropriate content just a few links away, many websites that purport to be for children fail to provide a safe, secure environment, and while access to the Internet is certainly an asset to teaching and learning, it is necessary to be aware of potential risks” (p. 46).
Schools have recognized these drawbacks from the inception of Internet inclusion in education and have attempted to protect students from potentially inappropriate content or communities. In many jurisdictions, this involves strict and absolute filtering of specific sites, social networks and key search terms. However, restricting access to the Internet does not always have the desired effect. Schools that install strict filtering technology with restrictive settings potentially “block up to 70% of search results based on state-mandated curriculum topics” (Johnson, 2005, p. 40).
It is apparent that students need a safe and secure online learning environment where they are able to access material and resources appropriate to their age and curricular requirements. Teachers and parents need to continually monitor computer and Internet usage to help guide students toward making ethical, responsible choices. Through its use as an educational portal, netTrekker offers these solutions.
Reliability:
Although calculating the size of the Internet, and estimating the amount of information available is a daunting, ever-changing task, Netcraft has attempted to track this information. According to their study, there were approximately 2.1 million more websites in June 2009 than in May 2009 (2009). Every month, the number of available resources grows in an unmanageable manner. Without ways to sift through these newly created sites, any user would quickly become overwhelmed. New sites are continually being added into netTrekker’s directory, but not at a rate of 2.1 million per month. Each of the new additions is recommended, tested and approved by an educator within Canada or the United States.
Although not discussing netTrekker specifically, Chamberlain (2005) provides a concise definition of similar educational services: “Educational portals put together links to sites and resources educators would be interested in viewing. They eliminate the hours of searching that might be invested if typical search engines were used. Educational portals feature lessons, units, printable resources, creative ideas, and more” (p. 25). Because the extensive resources available via netTrekker have all been tested, recommended and vetted by educators, users can begin their own exploration, knowing these materials have already been used successfully by other classroom teachers.
Highlighting one of the key features when choosing or creating a collection of online resources, Chamberlain (2005) stresses the importance of making a clear connection to the mandated curriculum. These tools should allow users “to view the curriculum essential to all learners at each grade level. By creating a virtual spot for teachers, students, and parents to view the curriculum, we are creating a road map for the instructional journey” (p. 25). netTrekker includes this information – specific to the Alberta curriculum. Users are able to filter and search results in netTrekker results by specific learning outcomes of the Alberta curriculum.
One of the designated user groups of netTrekker is parents. Having educator-suggested resources, including a five-point rating scale, would assist parents in making thoughtful and sound decisions about materials to use with their children for at-home study, as well as for teacher-supported homeschooling. Although the sites are not necessarily endorsed or specifically recommended by the Calgary Board of Education, netTrekker offers a starting point for parents when searching for valuable materials online. Upon initiation of this project, communication to parents would be drafted indicating the use of netTrekker as a tool, and indicating the Board’s stance and scope of responsibility.
Darrow (2005) discussed the importance of students finding and using “reliable and useful information”, and indicates that “students need guidance each step of the way in their initial choices of search terms and ultimately their choice of Web sites” (p. 36). For students, netTrekker serves this purpose. By identifying sites linked through netTrekker, students can begin to understand the characteristic features of reliable online resources.
Literacy:
As highlighted and referenced by Coiro & Dobler (2007), there is an established body of work (Lankshear &Knobel, 2003; Leu et al., 2004; Reinking, McKenna, Labbo, & Kieffer, 1998) that argues new technologies are transforming the nature of reading, writing, and communicating (p. 244). Allowing access to netTrekker, where the resources are vetted by educators will allow students to recognize high quality research and accurate and unbiased information. Essentially, using netTrekker will give students the chance to learn more appropriate research techniques, and help foster their emerging media literacy skills.
Through their qualitative study, Coiro & Dobler (2007) extrapolate that successful online reading experiences require more sophisticated uses of prior knowledge, inferential reasoning strategies, and self-regulated reading processes than traditional textbook-based research (p.215). Reading and accessing information from Internet sources is a complex application that encourages students to make quick judgements about the validity and relevance of the materials they are in contact with. By using the services of netTrekker, students will be exposed to higher-quality, academically-appropriate sources, and will be able to base continued research on the examples they have been exposed to.
To emphasize some of the criteria for online literacy, Coiro & Dobler (2007) were able to observe and report on “readers actively anticipating and monitoring the relevancy of each new text unit, while quickly deciding whether to continue to add that text to their own external text” (p.241). Students in this study were making quick judgements to decide if they should follow deeper into the subject by accessing links within the page, or if they should discount that text, and search elsewhere by returning to the previous screen (p. 241). Using netTrekker to proving a solid foundational background by providing exposure to quality materials will allow students a frame of reference when exploring other online resources.
The American Library Association stresses that importance needs to be placed on student education as “the key to safe use of the Internet. Libraries and schools are where kids learn essential information literacy skills that go far beyond computer instruction and web searching" (Kranich, 2007, p. 36). However, this doesn’t mean schools or districts should have stringent regulations blocking or filtering out content. Johnson (2005) points out one of the inherent pitfalls of simply filtering out searches, and blocking sites entirely: “by installing a filter, teachers would abandon their role as guide and supervisor when students were online” (p. 39). Teacher involvement in this process is absolutely critical, and netTrekker needs to be utilized as one tool in a teacher’s pedagogical cache rather than the primary means and method of instructing students in these skills.
Bacon et all (2008) contend that “there continues to be a need for youth to exercise caution in their searching, build skills needed to recognize objectionable sites, and seek information on safe, commercial-free sites in order to become proficient consumers of information” (p. 46). The development of these skills is facilitated by the classroom teacher who can use netTrekker to exemplify and emphasize high-quality, accurate and reliable digital information.
Conclusion:
Although there are clear advantages for teachers and parents, our sustained focus must be on continual student learning. Purchasing a license for netTrekker to be used in all Elementary, Middle and Junior High Schools within the CBE would permit students to identify and access safe and reliable online resources. A student using netTrekker to search for safe and reliable information is simultaneously obtaining critical literacy skills that will become increasingly valuable as they continue through K-12, and leave high school with a “foundation of learning to function effectively in life, work and continuing education” (Calgary Board of Education, Ends Statements, 2009).
References
Bacon, M., Blood, L., Ault, M., & Adams, D. (2008, March 1). 4Kids.org: Topical, Searchable, and Safe Internet-Based Resource for Children and Youth. Education Libraries, 31(1), 46-50. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. EJ824778) Retrieved July 9, 2009, from ERIC database.
Calgary Board of Education (2009). Ends Statements. Retrieved July 9, 2009, from http://www.cbe.ab.ca/aboutus/ends.asp.
Calgary Board of Education. (2009). Quick Facts. Retrieved July 9, 2009, from http://www.cbe.ab.ca/media/facts.asp.
Chamberlain, C. (2005, May 1). The Power in the Portal. Learning and Leading with Technology, 32(8), 25-27. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. EJ697377) Retrieved July 9, 2009, from ERIC database.
Coiro, J., & Dobler, E. (2007, April 1). Exploring the Online Reading Comprehension Strategies Used by Sixth-Grade Skilled Readers to Search for and Locate Information on the Internet. Reading Research Quarterly, 42(2), 214-257. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. EJ760264) Retrieved July 10, 2009, from ERIC database.
Darrow, R. (2005, March 1). Finding the Right Search Engine for High School Students: Information Seeking Strategies and the LMC Connection. Library Media Connection, 23(6), 36. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. EJ717623) Retrieved July 10, 2009, from ERIC database.
Johnson, D. (2005, May 1). Maintaining Intellectual Freedom in a Filtered World. Learning and Leading with Technology, 32(8), 39-41. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. EJ697382) Retrieved July 9, 2009, from ERIC database.
Kranich, N. (2007, January 1). Librarians and Teen Privacy in the Age of Social Networking. Knowledge Quest, 36, 34-37. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. EJ826939) Retrieved July 9, 2009, from ERIC database.
Netcraft. June 2009 Web Server Survey. Retrieved July 11, 2009, from http://news.netcraft.com/archives/2009/06/17/june_2009_web_server_survey.html
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