Explore Your Own Interests Online
What holds true for your students holds for you: Use your hobbies and passions as points of entry to the World Wide Web. There is no better way to familiarize yourself with this resource. Do you love auctions? Check out eBay*, the online auction house, and bid on that old Brownie Hawkeye* camera you've been longing for. Have you been meaning to join a book-discussion group but haven't gotten around to it? Join other literary-minded folks at Salon* to discuss the classics or the latest best-sellers online. One of the easiest ways to begin exploring your interests online is to use search engines like Google*, Yahoo*, or MSN Search*. Each of these Web sites contains a directory of groups with shared interests that categorize Web sites and resources.

Develop an Acceptable Use Policy (AUP)
The best way to keep Internet access safe and appropriate for children is to teach and monitor responsible use. Make compliance with your Acceptable Use Policy the student’s ticket for going online. Begin by teaching basic Internet safety rules and discuss the importance of observing them. Rules to include in your policy:

• Never give out your address or phone number
• Never upload your photograph without adult consent

Put your AUP in writing and print it in the form of a contract. Have students, parents, and your principal commit to these rules by signing the contract. Be sure to post a copy of your AUP near each computer and on your school or class Web site.

Consider Using a Filter
Although there is no substitute for having a teacher or parent on hand any time students are online, filtering devices can function as a useful safety net. Filtering software typically blocks access to undesirable content and keeps a log that tracks where students have been on the Web.

Teach Students to Navigate a Web Site Effectively
Model for students how they can get the most out of a Web site. If you have access to an LCD panel or other projection device, conduct a class lesson about a popular site. Discuss how you would be selective about clicking on the site links, opting for ones that are most relevant to your interests. Demonstrate how you would determine who the authors are and whether the site offers a reliable source for information. Do the authors have a particular bias or point of view? Modeling these kinds of questions will help engage student’s higher-order thinking to analyze sources, and also build their information literacy skills.

Use the Web as a Professional Development Tool
Go online for opportunities to network with other teachers, exchange ideas, and learn about the latest research findings in your field. For example, Reading Online*, an electronic journal developed by the International Reading Association, offers the latest research findings in literacy as well as news about professional conferences and literacy-related events.

You can use the Internet to find out about many other professional development opportunities. For example, the Intel® Teach to the Future program helps to foster effective technology integration in education. Both in-service and pre-service models exist. Each is designed to help you as an educator incorporate the best technology tools, resources, and plans for effective learning and teaching.

For More Advanced Users: Create Online Portfolios for Your Students
If you already have a class Web site, consider using it to extend your portfolio management system. By hyperlinking individual Web pages for each of your students to your class site, you can offer a far-reaching forum in which to discuss their progress as writers and to display their final products. By using this electronic medium, you'll add a new dimension to traditional student portfolios, one that can have a profound impact on students’ motivation to develop their writing skills and become published authors.