1. USING THE INTERNET
FOR INSTRUCTION
Janice Bezanson
EdTech 541 - Spring 2011
Image Courtesy Flickr Creative Commons

2. OVERVIEW
This lesson is designed as a culminating activity for a regular-
education fifth grade classroom following the completion of a
unit on the colonies. Students will be assigned to work in small
collaborative groups while utilizing internet resources
including:
•Xtimeline
•Google Earth
•Google Docs
•ToonDoo
•Delicious
Image courtesy Flickr Creative Commons

3. OBJECTIVES
✦Using Xtimeline students will complete a timeline showing the settlement
dates of the 13 colonies.
✦Using Google Earth students will locate the relative location of where the
colonies were established. This activity will help them understand the
importance geography played in their economy.
✦Using Delicious students will save the websites used during their searches for
pertinent information.
✦Using Google Docs students will write collaboratively answering questions
about the colonies.
✦Using ToonDoo students will write and create a comic strip that will tell the
story about their colony region.

4. LESSON
Time Allotment - This lesson will take place over one month. Students will be given time during class to work collaboratively.
They can also access the online sites at home to facilitate the conclusion of this assignment.
Group Assignment - Each group will be assigned one section of colonies to research: New England Colonies, Middle
Colonies, or Southern Colonies.
Research
Each section will have the following identical steps to complete this web-based lesson.
•Students will conduct internet searches to complete the following list of required information. Students will save important
websites to a delicious account.
•Students will identify which colonies are located within their assigned region.
•Students will determine the year each colony was established
•Students will identify the important people of each colony and why they are significant to the colony.
•Students will describe how religion affected life in the colonies.
•Students will understand how geography effected the economy in the different colony regions.
Tasks
•Students will create a timeline using Xtimeline.
•Students will keep notes and share information using Google Docs.
•Students will collaboratively write a historical fiction cartoon story to share with the class that includes all the necessary
information described above.

5. RUBRIC
The rubric shown on this page
was created using Rubistar.
It can be used interactively over
the internet or can be printed out.

6. XTIMELINE
This is a screenshot of the page set up for the Settling of the 13 Colonies.

7. GOOGLE EARTH
This is a screen shot of Google Earth.

8. GOOGLE DOCS
This is a screen shot of Google Docs.

9. TOONDOO
This is a screen shot of ToonDoo.

10. DELICIOUS
This is a screen shot of Delicious.

11. STANDARDS
The following content standards are covered in this web-based lesson.
English-Language Arts Content Standards for CA Public Schools
1.0 Writing Strategies
Research and Technology
1.3 Use organizational features of printed text to locate relevant information
1.4 Create simple documents by using electronic media and employing organizational features.
Evaluation and Revision
1.6 Edit and revise manuscripts to improve the meaning and focus of writing b adding, deleting, consolidating, clarifying, and rearranging
words and sentences.
2.0 Writing Applications
2.1 Write narratives:
a. Establish a plot, point of view, setting, and conflict
b. Show, rather than tell, the events of the story.
History-Social Science Content Standards for California Public Schools
5.4 Students understand the political, religious social, and economic institutions that evolved in the colonial era.
1. Understand the influence of location and physical setting on the founding of the original 13 colonies, and identify on a map the locations
of the colonies and of the American Indian nations already inhabiting these areas.
2. Identify the major individuals and groups responsible for the founding of the various colonies and the reasons for their founding.
3. Describe the religious aspects of the earliest colonies.

12. The following NETS standards were used in this web-based lesson:
1. Creativity and Innovation
Students demonstrate creative thinking, construct knowledge, and develop innovative products and processes using technology. Students:
a. apply existing knowledge to generate new ideas, products, or processes.
b. create original works as a means of personal or group expression.
c. use models and simulations to explore complex systems and issues.
2. Communication and Collaboration
Students use digital media and environments to communicate and work collaboratively, including at a distance, to support individual learning and contribute to the learning of others.
Students:
a. interact, collaborate, and publish with peers, experts, or others employing a variety of digital environments and media.
b. communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences using a variety of media and formats.
3. Research and Information Fluency
Students apply digital tools to gather, evaluate, and use information. Students:
a. plan strategies to guide inquiry.
b. locate, organize, analyze, evaluate, synthesize, and ethically use information from a variety of sources and media.
c. evaluate and select information sources and digital tools based on the appropriateness to specific tasks.
4. Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Decision Making
Students use critical thinking skills to plan and conduct research, manage projects, solve problems, and make informed decisions using appropriate digital tools and resources.
Students:
a. identify and define authentic problems and significant questions for investigation.
b. plan and manage activities to develop a solution or complete a project.
c. collect and analyze data to identify solutions and/or make informed decisions.
5.Digital Citizenship
Students understand human, cultural, and societal issues related to technology and practice legal and ethical behavior. Students:
a. advocate and practice safe, legal, and responsible use of information and technology.
b. exhibit a positive attitude toward using technology that supports collaboration, learning, and productivity.
c. demonstrate personal responsibility for lifelong learning.
d. exhibit leadership for digital citizenship.
6. Technology Operations and Concepts
Students demonstrate a sound understanding of technology concepts, systems, and operations. Students:
a. understand and use technology systems. for be seen in their entirety on their homepage.
NETS Standards for students
b. select and use applications effectively and productively.
c. troubleshoot systems and applications.
d. transfer current knowledge to learning of new technologies.

13. SUMMARY
Julene Reed wrote an article for EdTech Magazine titled How to create a world of success without leaving your classroom. She begins the
article by stating “Today’s students face a future where boundaries are abstract and global learning is critical. Tomorrow’s citizens must
be global communicators, must be able to participate successfully in project-based activities, and must have collaborative skills.”
We are living in a world where technology tools and their uses seem to be growing exponentially. As a teacher I feel the responsibility of
arming my students with the tools necessary to be successful in this technology driven world.
I used a quote by Al Gore in an earlier blog that succinctly states the importance of preparing our students for the twenty-first century.
He states “Access to the basic tools of the information society is no longer a luxury for our children. It is a necessity…We must give our
children…the chance to succeed in the information age, and that means giving them access to the tools that are shaping the world in
which they live” (Tumulty & Dickerson, 1998. p.55).
Using the internet for instruction by incorporating web-based lessons can help ensure that today’s students are prepared to face a world
where technology has taken root in every aspect of our living. Web-based lesson can be used for:
•
electronic pen pals
•
electronic mentoring
•
virtual field trips
•
electronic publishing
•
group product development and collaboration
•
problem-based learning
•
social action projects
•
and more (Doering & Roblyer, 2010, p. 242)
It is a new day. They way we teach needs to reflect the global changes that have taken place. The way children learn has changed. As
educators we need to embrace today’s technology and equip our students with the skills necessary to succeed in the twenty-first century.
References
Dickerson, J. , & Tumulty, K.. (1998). Gore’s costly high-wire act. Time, (151)20, 52 – 55
Doering, A. H., & Roblyer, M. D. (2010). Integrating educational technology into teaching (5th ed.), United States of America: Pearson
Education Inc.
EdTech Magazine