Using the Web-Based Version of the Timeline
by Diana Satin (for The Change Agent Issue 19, Women & Literacy)
Preparing for the lessonPreviewing the website:
Look at the websites linked to the timeline, and evaluate them for your class:
• Is the language level is appropriate for your students? Will they be able to manage with some aids, such as a dictionary?
• Will your students be able to navigate the websites to find relevant information themselves, or is it best you find the areas of the websites that are most useful to them, and direct them to those areas?Think of prerequisite computer skills students will need:
Turning the computer on, connecting to the Internet, navigating to the web page, clicking, scrolling, and using browser buttons. If you have some students who already have these skills, they can be paired or grouped with those who need to learn, so they can teach each other as the lesson progresses. If most of your students don’t have most of these skills, plan on extra time so students can become comfortable using the computers. Another alternative to minimize the time spent on learning new computer skills is to have the timeline website up and ready on students’ computers.
Prepare the computers:
Check to make sure the computers are functioning the Internet connection is working, and the website is up. (An alternative to using the Internet is using software like WebWhacker by Blue Squirrel which allows you to download websites to a disk or a computer and interact with them while offline. You can then load the websites onto numerous computers. Check to make sure it works with these particular websites!) The activity will run much more smoothly if you have a computer projection device you can use to help students navigate. Make sure the projection device is functioning and set so all can see.
Go to: Timeline Lesson Plan