The web page is one of three to visit within the area of web site reviews. The other two web site review pages are Resources for K-12 Teachers from the World Wide Web, and a Directory of K-12 District Home Pages.
The page begins with hot links to web sites for educational researchers. After you scroll down past the hot links and their brief narrative descriptions/evaluations, an essay regarding the 'Business Manager's Perspective of the Relative Value of the Internet' follows.
The first hot link is for a site which details answers to questions most commonly asked by educators about the Internet. Because the site is geared toward educators, I think it is worthwhile visiting even if you are an educator who is somewhat comfortable working with the Internet. If you are new to Internet research, you could pick up some important information very quickly that would save you time in the long run.
After the Q & A hot link, there are hot links to four sites which detail information regarding professional organizations that educational researchers might be interested in. The value of this collection of web sites is that they are mini search engines in themselves, and instead of seeking these organizations directly through hot bot, yahoo, et al, you have effective preliminary search results already done for you. If you're seeking an educational professional organization for whichever discipline, these links are for you.
The next is a link to the Michigan Department of Education Gopher. This can be likened to a specific, powerful search engine with the broad topic of Michigan State Government Department of Education. There aren't a lot of eye-catching graphics at this site, but there is much valuable information as the description here would indicate.
The hot links conclude with a site which will provide you with eloquent and powerful arguments if you are a teacher or administrator who is attempting to sell the Internet to your school or district. This site is titled Trends in Education Reform, and it focuses on the role of instructional technology in tomorrow's classroom.
The final information on the web page is the Business Manager's essay regarding the Internet. In the essay, benefits of the Internet for a school district's non-instructional and instructional operations are discussed.
The non-instructional service that benefits most is finance. Because there is a huge volume of financial data on the web, by using book marks of favorite web sites the time spent on financial research by management can reduced. In these days of limited funding for education and the downsizing of many school districts' financial, clerical and support staff, a minute saved is a minute earned. However, the case can be made that Internet research turns minutes saved into hours saved very quickly.
There is also a discussion of the merits of e-mail, and how this asynchronous form of communication can be both a money and a time saver for a school district business office. Find out why e-mail is less expensive and more effective than voice mail, the asynchronous form of communication that most of us practice now.
Benefits seen by the instructional operations of the school district range from teacher innovative ideas and enthusiasm to increased parental involvement which benefits the educational experience of students. There are also comments regarding the Internet's potential to aid in a collaborative teacher professional development project.
Go to the web page Resource Web Sites for Educational Researchers
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