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Strawberry Point School
117 East Strawberry Drive
Mill Valley, California • 94941
Phone 415 • 380 • 2490
Fax 415 • 380 • 2499
Effective Internet Practices

This section was designed to help Strawberry Point School teachers utilize the internet more effectively in both a classroom and library setting.

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In 1995 and 1996, Dr. Judy Harris from the University of Texas at Austin wrote a column called Mining the Internet in The Computing Teacher (currently called Learning and Leading with Technology) magazine. She stated that telecommunication activities could be classified by using Activity Structures or Genres.

She began by reviewing and categorizing hundreds of types of Internet based curriculum integration projects being conducted. After careful analysis, she stated that there were three types of activity structures: Interpersonal Exchanges; Information Collection and Analysis; and Problem Solving.

Harris postulates that by understanding the basic structures, teachers can design and implement new projects that meet the needs of their students and curriculum. Research has shown that teachers planning for instruction is greatly facilitated by taking a model approach to instructional design.(Harris) By using the activity structures "model" put forth by Harris, teachers can develop or design projects that will work in that teachers' classroom meeting specific needs of the students and curriculum. This is from Creating Online Projects, which helps K-12 teachers use the Internet as an effective instructional tool.

Types of Internet Projects

  • Activity Structures -- Based on the work of Judy Harris, an Activity Structure is "NOT a model, a lesson plan, a set of step-by-step directions, a prescription, ... An activity structure is a "thinking tool" which helps teachers become Instructional Designers." This is an EXCELLENT site!
  • Activity Structures Articles -- This is a selection of Judi Harris' columns from The Computing Teacher and Learning and Leading with Technology.
  • Interpersonal Exchanges -- Activities in which individuals communicate electronically with other individuals, individuals communicate with groups or groups communicate with other groups; These are from from Judi Harris',Virtual Architectures.
  • Interpersonal Exchanges -- Another site with Judi Harris' activities...There are currently six types of learning activity structures that are based on interpersonal exchanges.
  • Information Collection and Analysis -- Actitivities which involve students collecting, compiling, and comparing different types of interesting information. These are from from Judi Harris', Virtual Architectures.
  • Information Collection and Analysis -- Another site with Judi Harris' activities...With Information Collections, students collect, compile, and compare different types of interesting information.
  • Problem Solving -- Activities that promote critical thinking, collaboration, and problem-based learning. These are from from Judi Harris', Virtual Architectures.
  • Problem Solving -- Another site with Judi Harris' activities... Problem Solving projects may be the most interesting and challenging type of activities for our students. But they are, as yet, the least common type of telecollaborative activity.

Integrating the Internet into Curriculum

Internet Skills/Training

Internet Projects and WebQuests

Online Project and Web Page Evaluation



Questions, comments, or suggestions about Strawberry Point School or Web should be directed to:
Leslie Thornton, Principal

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