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Welcome to the International Schools Educational Technology
Services (I.S.E.T.S.) enewsletter BEYOND DIGITAL for
December.

Who are we? http://isets.org/aboutus/About_Us.htm

Search Engines for Kids: Find out about the hot kid’s
search engines and search engine tutorial sites geared to
helping kids understand searching strategies.

IT Standards for Administrators: This month ISETS looks at
the development of IT standards for administrators and
provides resource sites on this topic.

Handhelds: ISETS takes a closer look at resources available
to schools and teachers wanting to integrate handheld
technology into their teaching day.

Surf Byte of the month: Our monthly pick of two great sites
for you to use in your class today!


Search Engines:
http://isets.org/eCurriculum/currlink/search_sites.htm In
this age of information it can be a real challenge for kids
to be able to digest the large amounts of information
available to them. The internet is a double-edged sword,
rich and vast in its information potential, but often
overwhelming for children. It can be difficult for them to
choose relevant and accurate information. In an effort to
provide students with a more concrete platform to work from
we’ve highlighted the following six search engine tools.
These site are less commonly known, and provide an
excellent vehicle for students to find information
successfully.

The World of Search: http://www.rcls.org/wows/ Learn the
tricks of searching on the web with this comprehensive set
of resources and lessons. Geared for students, this site
does an excellent job of explaining-through interactive
examples-effective ways to search. It is set up with 9
separate lessons each one breaking down the dynamics of
finding information. Excellent examples are provided and
users can actually try things out with the site. A must see
site for any teacher about to introduce Internet searching
strategies or reviewing the key components of this
important information literacy skill.

The Search Engine for Little Kids called Little Explorers:
http://www.EnchantedLearning.com/Dictionary.html Click on a
letter of the alphabet and connect to, not one, but many
pictures of words with that letter and hot links to web
sites about that word. This site is geared to young readers
and elementary school students. The text is user friendly,
with larger lettering and colourful graphics and images.
The text is simple, but accurate and contains the
essentials to any topic. Within the site there are a whole
host of excellent features such as quizzes which supplement
the various topics found in the picture dictionary. This
site is an excellent tool to use with younger students to
introduce the concept of searching, and finding information
using keywords. There is a member’s corner with extras
which you can join for a nominal fee. Well worth it.

Ramapo Catskill Internet Guides:
http://www.rcls.org/ksearch.htm This site contains two
sections one is databases and the second is a catalogue of
screened reference sites. A useful tool once students have
grasped the basics of searching. More appropriate for upper
elementary or middle school students.

Non BBC Web Guide: http://www.bbc.co.uk/webguide/ This is
the BBC's extensive compilation of carefully selected
annotated listings of useful non-BBC Websites. The entire
collection may be searched by keyword, or users may browse
by category. This portal by the BBC acts as a stepping
stone to a rich collection of resources. This is an
excellent tool for high school students to use.

Noodle Quest: http://www.noodletools.com/noodlequest/ This
unique internet-based tool allows the user to answer online
a series of simple questions regarding what type of
information they are searching for, and what kind of search
results they are looking for. Then with one click Noodle
Quest will list search engines which best match their
specific search style or request. This is a very useful
tool for students to have when not sure about the best
resources to use on the internet.

The Awesome Library: http://www.awesomelibrary.org/
Organizes the Web with 17,000 carefully reviewed resources
for children grades K-12. There is a teacher, kid, parent,
librarian and college student section. It also features hot
topics as special features. The sites are previewed and
provide an excellent alternative to the big search engines.

Teoma.com: http://teoma.com This search engine using new
technology and an interesting interface provides power
users an alternative tool to http://google.com They divide
their search options into three categories providing you
with an interesting set of returns on your search. The
first is called Results which lists relevant search results
for your query. Refine then provides their suggestions on
how to narrow your search. The last Resources links you
with collections from experts and enthusiasts on your
search query. This is a great tool for high school
students.

IT Standards for Administrators:
http://isets.org/eAdministrator/it_standards.htm Today for
administrators it is impossible to ignore the growth of
technology in schools and the day to day dependence of
schools on technology. Keeping up with the skills and
technologies one should be modeling to the school community
is often a huge challenge in an already busy day. ISETS
provides administrators with 3 links to resource for IT
standards specific to administration.

NETS Standards for Administrators:
http://cnets.iste.org/tssa/ Developed by http://iste.org
and a large consortium of schools and IT industry leaders
this site provides a rich set of links and resources to the
National Education Technology Standards (NETS). These
standards work in conjunction with NETS for teachers and
students. This delineates the essential skill set
administrators should have and provides resources for
administrative teams to work with. This is the definitive
resource on this topic.

Technology Standards for School Administrators:
http://www.ncrtec.org/pd/tssa/ Developed by the Consortium
for Technology Standards for School Administrators. This
document is very similar to the NETS for Administrators and
covers many of the same issues, and provides similar
resources and skill sets. There is a full online version of
the report at this site. It includes two interesting
scenarios incorporating technology one for a superintendent
and one for a principal.

Article about the creation of these standards:
http://www.education-world.com/a_admin/admin247.shtml

School Examples: Here we feature examples from two school
district’s technology standards for administrators as
samples of what some schools have adopted.

•Bozeman Montana:
http://www.bozeman.k12.mt.us/techprofiles/PDF/TechStandards

•Mississippi Technology Standards for Administrators:
http://teacherexchange.mde.k12.ms.us/new/Announcements

Handhelds: http://isets.org/eEducator/handhelds.htm
Handhelds or Personal Digital Assistants (PDA’S) are
becoming more prominent in schools. Their relatively low
cost, flexibility and power provide schools with an
affordable solution to integrating an Education Technology
tool into the classroom. Nowadays with the Palm OS and
Windows CE models, handhelds provide a lot of diversity.
Many come with a full wireless option connecting students
to the internet providing unique opportunity for educators
to incorporate this tool into daily lessons. This month we
look at four sites that provide resources, links and
information for schools about how to use PDAs in the
classroom. Also we feature some excellent articles on the
topic.

What to do before introducing handhelds in the classroom:
http://www.electronic-school.com/2001/06/0601handhelds.html
This excellent article covers some of the issues one should
consider before introducing handhelds in the classroom

A Report Card on Handheld Computing: In this article by
Techlearning.com the author does an excellent overview of
the state of affairs with handhelds in schools.
http://www.techlearning.com/db_area/archives/TL/2002/02/handheld.html



The Educators Hotlist on Handhelds:
http://www.rcdaschools.org/listhandhelds.html This site
acts as a web portal and central link area for information
about handhelds in schools. This site is extremely
comprehensive and an excellent launch pad to find
information, resources and links when exploring this
option.

Handheld Solutions of Educators:
http://www.k12handhelds.com/101list.php This site provides
a wealth of information, lesson plan ideas, and integration
suggestions. It has a handheld application section,
information on professional development, classroom
solutions, and a link to handheld devices like keyboards,
wireless etc... It is nicely laid out and is an excellent
resource for the novice or expert.

Software for Handhelds:
http://www.handheld.hicedev.org/download.htm This site
features a rich selection for Palm users of free software
downloads for educators. It includes lessons ideas, a
discussion board, and the opportunity to beta test new
applications. It also provides some excellent advice on
compatibility issues.

Handheld Education: http://www.handheldeducation.com/ This
site is broken into four sections and acts as an up to date
resource for any educator interested in using handhelds in
the classroom. The first section Getting Started, talks
about why you might want to use a handheld, and is
supplemented with resources. Teacher Talk is a online forum
for people to share their handheld experiences. Student
Stuff is a forum for students to share how they use
handhelds in their lives. What is New Covers the latest
innovations, software and hardware. Excellent resource!


Surf Byte of the Month The Multi Cultural Calendar
http://www.kidlink.org/KIDPROJ/MCC/ This site is a rich
source of information if you are interested in finding out
the unique cultural traditions attached to calendar dates
in different countries. Examples of features are, recipes,
how kids celebrate their customs, and anecdotes by kids
from these countries. A lovely site.

OnlineNewspapers.com http://www.onlinenewspapers.com From
Webwombat in Australia, this site allows you to search
newspapers from all around the globe. This is an excellent
way to get information from multiple perspectives. The site
is set up with an easy interface to use.