Students rushed to the computer lab, went to their computers and sat down. The teacher quickly blurted out his directions. “Okay. Let’s go voices. We don’t have much time here. Go to the portal, type in my name, then go to Social Studies, then Living History.
What is that idea? It means the teacher helps the class use the internet safely, as well as using the class’s limited amount of computer time wisely.
Computer technology, including the use of the World Wide Web, is now an important part of a child’s education, from preschool to kindergarten. Students progress from learning how to use a mouse, to keyboarding, to researching topics on the Internet.
But as we know, the text is not always a safe place for children. When they search for information about about the human body , they easily stumble upon porn sites. Or, if using the Internet without excuse, they can wander into chat rooms where they meet sexual predators.
Schools have security policies and procedures for students who use the internet. In the school where I work, students using the internet must have a specific purpose to be on the internet. A random search is not allowed. Chat rooms, email, and instant messaging are not allowed. Games OK only in indoor recess or special “free times” are given by authorized teachers, and games pages are pre-selected. Students use these times.
When it comes to research and other online activities, teachers often look at sites before students do their own research. This keeps the students in the designated areas, safe, and also saves time for the students.
Each teacher’s portal provides a place to maintain their links, so that any student can access them at the computer or even at home. It’s a free service and anyone can use it to keep notes, although it’s best suited for teaching.
The teacher simply creates an account at www.portaportal.com, and creates links to sites that he wants students to be able to access (or links that he would like to use). Links can also be generated under the material.
Students can then use any computer to access the portal login page, and login using the teacher’s username. They will see the entire list of links that the teacher has provided for their use and simply click on the links. The Google search box is also on the page if needed, although most of our teachers with Yahoo Kids! are connected, and we use that place to search.
The design of the site is purely for utility; It is not pleasant or even very attractive, although users can change the color scheme on pages . It’s fine for our purposes – we’re not running a site business in running a site, just some information to students
The portal has been a useful and effective resource for teachers and students in our school, and has helped us to expand our use of technology. to education. Any teacher or school could easily make use of this website. Users can sign up for free at http://www.portaportal.com.
