Online Tools in a Content-Based Course:
Civil Rights and Diversity in the U.S.
Presented for the TESOL EVOnline 2005 Session: Becoming a Webhead

Michael Krauss
Academic English Studies, Lewis & Clark College

http://tinyurl.com/5gb2r

This Web page was created to support a one hour chat held at Tapped In on February 17, 2005.
A transcript of the chat is available here.

The objective of this Web page is to demonstrate the use of several free online Web-based tools within the context of a content-based course, "Civil Rights and Diversity in the U.S.," offered to upper intermediate and advanced level ESL students at Lewis & Clark College. Before proceeding, please read the Civil Rights and Diversity Course Overview.

  1. Introducing Content with Subject Samplers
  2. Posting Student Work to the Web
  3. Supplementing Texts with Online Activities (To Kill A Mockingbird)
  4. Facilitating Writing and Group Exploration with Web-based Bulletin Boards
  5. Additional Resources

1. Introducing Content with Subject Samplers - This is one of the Web-based activity formats developed by Pacific Bell Fellows in the 90's (Hotlists, Treasure Hunts and WebQuests are others). This is discussed in depth in Tom March's article (on your reading list). Samplers can be created with a free click 'n build resource, Filamentality. You need no Web skills, no Web editor, and no server.

Have a look at the Prejudice Subject Sampler (made with Filamentality) used to introduce the Civil Rights and Diversity course. (Warning: This activity is somewhat of a "downer." However, it is essential to get the students thinking about prejudice and just what it means. )

For those who know how to build their own Web pages, here is a jazzed up version of the same Sampler.

To explore later:

  • Explore how Filamentality works. Read an Introduction. Then take a tour.
    NOTE: Do *not* click on any links or in any boxes on the Filamentality Web pages during the tour. Just skim the pages and at the bottom click on "Continue the tour."
  • You can search Filamentality to make use of the 1000's of activities created by other teachers.
  • You can get a flow chart of the Filamentality process to help you understand it.
  • You can get started with Filamentality when you're ready.
  • You can find top WebQuests and get templates to create your own at the WebQuest Page.
  • Filamentality is showing its age. Tom March has created Web and Flow (in his words, "Filamentality on steroids or after a load of lattés. "); $25 per year.


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2. Posting Student Work to the Web - The poem and essay below were written after the students watched the 1977 video "Roots," based on the novel by Alex Haley. They were posted using Web Worksheet Wizard (teacher resource) and Project Poster (student resource). Both took less than fifteen minutes from start to finish (including the registration process) and required no Web building skills. This resource is from 4Teachers.org.

Have a look at a Diamond Poem by Mayu (Web Worksheet Wizard 56768) and Diamond Poem lesson plan from Pizzaz.

Have a look at a Narrative Essay by Kei (Project Poster 72503).

Explore Project Poster. Just scan the page to learn how to easily build your project.

To explore later:

  • Here is an image to use if you want to practice posting a page with a graphic at Project Poster. Click to open it. Once it opens, right-click it to download it to your computer. (Mac users, hold "control" key down and click the image"). Follow the instructions at Project Poster to upload your image.
  • Other high quality, free resources from HPR*Tec include TrackStar (create Web-based activities by collecting and annotating related sites), and QuizStar (create quizzes for students to take and review online).
  • Assessing student work? Online evaluation checklist creators are a great time saver.
  • More copyable writing assignments from Pizzaz.

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3. Supplementing Texts with Online Activities (To Kill A Mockingbird) - Quia allows you to create class pages, online activities (16 formats to choose from), quizzes (self-correcting with 8 question types), and online surveys. Costs $49 per year to create materials, but several teachers (and/or students) can share one account (that's what I have done). You may also try Quia for free for 30 days. Quia also includes a free "Shared Activities" area with 100's of activities and quizzes you can use at no charge.

Check out these activities that support the study of the novel To Kill A Mockingbird. These come from the free "Shared Activities" section of Quia:

To explore later:

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4. Facilitating Writing and Group Exploration with Web-based Bulletin Boards - An excellent bulletin board to use is Nicenet. Students share ideas in the "Conferencing" section. Files and Web Links can be shared in the "Documents" and "Links Sharing" sections. Assignments can be posted using the "Class Schedule" section.

Have a look at a Bulletin Board collaboration that facilitated pre-writing. The assignment from To Kill A Mockingbird was based on this quote: "Until I feared I would lose it, I never loved to read. One does not love breathing."

Have a look at a Bulletin Board collaboration that clarified the ending of To Kill a Mockingbird.

To explore later:

  • Create a "class" in Nicenet. You'll be ready to use it with your students when you return to the classroom. Go to Nicenet. On the right side of the page, click the "create a class" link. Complete the online form and you're ready to go. Distribute the "class key" to your students. They go to Nicenet, click on "join a class," register, enter the "class key," and everything is set.
  • Here is a handout you can use with your students to get started with Nicenet.

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5. Additional Resources

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Return to Michael Krauss Home Page.


Images on this page used with the permission of
Discoveryschool.com from their ClipArt Gallery.
Martin Luther King image from www.powerpointart.com/ powerpoint-backgrounds
©2005 Michael Krauss
All Rights Reserved

Created by: krauss@lclark.edu
Updated: 2/17/05