| Internet Resources for Administrators |
Now that you have completed the Internet Tutorial, you have the information you need to start using the Internet for your school administration. The links below are selected resources that are on the Internet. These links can be examined on your own, or in a class setting. Remember, to return to this page, just click on the "back" button until you see this page.
When to Use the Internet in the Classroom was written to propose eight examples of when the Internet is a useful, appropriate tool for teachers and students.
Association of Independent Schools in New England (AISNE) Accreditation program for elementary schools.
Associations This is collection of associations with webpages, including the three major Christian school organizations.
ACSI School Accreditation. the largest Christian school association in the world, has an excellent school accreditation program as a benefit for members.
Best of the Christian Web. These are the people who awarded CSRnet the "Best of the Christian Web 1996." Christian Live Radio, software, chat room, and a review of the best Christian websites are featured. An alphabetical listing of all their reviewed sites with links is http://www.botcw.com/browse.shtml
Carrying Out The Great Commission: A Christian Teacher’s Imperative by Dr. Mills Matthew 28:18-20 (NIV) What is the emphasis of this text? It has been called "The Great Commission" ... "The Official Commissioning." How does that verse apply to teachers and administrators?
Christian Publisher’s Outlet More than just an on line catalog for Christian publications. It is still under construction, but there are great plans for this site.
Christian School Webpages. CSRnet has the largest collection of International and U.S. Christian school websites. Check out the webpages to see what other schools do and how they use cyberspace.
Christian Colleges & Universities. CSRnet collected the websites from the Christian College Coalition. Schools find it convenient to use this resource in advising their college-bound students.
The Christian Connection. These pages are designed to be a nice, neat "launching pad" for further exploration of Christian resources accessible through the Web. You will find everything from music to contemporary issues. Every possible Christian resource available can be found here. Students will love this site too.
Christian Educator Forum. Need a place to share a prayer request or get help in locating some information? Develop a sense of Christian fellowship on the Internet. The interface is easy to post your message or to respond to another interesting epistle. Here is your opportunity to stand up on your "electronic soapbox" and tell others what is on your heart.
Christian Legal Society helps members defend religious liberty, promote peacemaking and reconciliation, assist law students and provide justice and mercy for the poor. CLS members are in over 1100 cities, in all 50 states and 10 countries, specializing in all legal practice areas and have all signed CLS' Statement of Faith. CLS is a member in good standing of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability.
Classrooms of the 21st Century. As active participants in the ongoing effort to change the course of science education in schools. This teaching and learning forum provides a place to reflect on new ideas and the effects they have on our students' understanding of science.
The Commission on Elementary Schools of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools is one of three accreditation units of this regional accrediting body. Other units include the Commission on Higher Education and the Commission on Secondary Schools. CES/MSA works with public and private schools that serve an elementary-age population in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands. CES/MSA also works with schools in the mid-East, near-East, Africa, and Europe.
CSRnet Administrator Resources. CSRnet is continually "surfing" the net to find resources that will assist you as an administrator in a Christian school. Presently, most of the sites are not Christian in emphasis, but contain important information. This site contains links to: Legal, Associations, Curricula, Accreditation, Certification, Continuing Ed, Administration, Funding, Classroom Management, and Special Needs.
CSRnet's Lesson Plan Center. Need an idea for a lesson in science, math, social studies, language arts, foreign languages, or library? CSRnet has a good collection of lesson plans.
Curriculum Development Program Links to World Wide Web Resources Michigan Department of Education provides links to national standards and State Curriculum Standards.
Develop Policies or Ulcers by Dr. Mills Next to the Bible, a policy and procedures manual is the most important book in giving direction to the board and administration on the daily operation of the school. A well-developed, written policy manual will assist the administrator in making decisions that reflect the board’s thinking. A school that is concerned about reducing potential litigation, should have a good policy and procedures manual in place!
Discipline In the Classroom by Dr. A.C. Fortosis When this article first appeared in Keys to Christian School Administration, Anthony C. Fortosis, Ed.D, was a professor at Columbia Bible College, Columbia, South Carolina. For many years, he also served God as the headmaster of the Ben Lippen School in Asheville, North Carolina. Permission to publish this article by CSRnet was granted by Dr. Roy W. Lowrie’s daughter, Dr. Janet Lowrie Nason.
EDUCATION WEEK On the Web (A good online source for education articles)
Educational Software Institute Online! WORLD'S LARGEST EDUCATIONAL SOFTWARE CATALOG ESI Online is the world's largest and finest collection of K-12 educational software - more than 8,000 titles from over 350 publishers. If you're a parent, educator or student, you can use this easy-to-search online catalog to find just the right programs for your needs.
Educom. Edupage has short pithy articles that are excellent for keeping up with the fast paced changes that are taking place in the world of Information Technology. Published three times a week, this is a must see! Many subscribers find it convenient to scan the headlines and read only those articles that are of interest.
Effective Student Outreach Programs by Dr. Mills Christian schools students have a great amount of Bible content, but often without the reality of putting Bible content into practice. They have it in their heads, but we need to think of creative ways to move it from their heads down into their hearts where it becomes a lifestyle evangelism.
EFFECTIVE USE OF THE WEB FOR EDUCATION: Design Principles and Pedagogy. The World Wide Web can be used to improve communication, increase collaboration, and promote active learning. This workshop explores the WWW as used in education, with the goal of identifying elements and contexts that promote its effective use. Hands-on exercises demonstrate one method for developing effective Web pages.
FedEx Standard Tracking Competition is great! You can track the status of your package any time of day, anywhere in the world. You'll be able to follow your package's journey even while it is still in transit.
Five Reasons To Send Children To Christian Schools by Dr. Mills Need some quick answers on why parents should send their children to your school? Dr. Mills presents five reasons he has used.
From Now On -The Educational Technology Journal. This is one site that every administrator should regularly visit to keep up with the issues of technology and education. Jamie McKenzie writes very well and stimulates us.
Foundations on the Web - Dr. Mills' Collection The World Wide Web is a good source for prospecting for foundation grant money. A number of private foundations have their own webpage with very useful information. This site is a collection of foundation webpages.
The George Lucas Educational Foundation You will find a great publication their called Edutopia dealing featuring articles that relate to the successful integration of technology with teaching and learning. I thought this would be of interest since we have just seen a new release of Star Wars.
Grants Web of The Research Administrators Resources Network. The SRA GrantsWeb brings viewers the merged resources of the National Research Administrators Resources Network developed by Robert Killoren of Penn State and GrantsWeb developed by Bill Kirby of the National Science Foundation
Hayes Software Systems Software and Services for Education Administration and Management. Providing schools and school administration with quality software and services since 1990. Software Demos are available
Hiring the Right Person Right - The Hiring Process by Dr. Mills There are three things that kill schools: (1) no mission statement; (2) no written policies & procedures; and, (3) no understanding of how to hire the right person. The primary focus of this paper is on the process of hiring the right person for the right position in a Christian school.
INJOY Online Forum. This forum is designed to encourage discussion on leadership. INJOY's discussion groups are a gathering of business people, pastors, and lay leaders who discuss leadership issues and growth. Get on the cutting edge of leadership -- join the discussion!
Intercristo. Intercristo is a not-for-profit, information service connecting God's human resources to Christian service opportunities in the United States and Overseas.
Internet for Christians Newsletter Dr. Quentin J. Schultze, author of the book: "Internet for Christians" also maintains this website.
The Internet - an Imperative for the Christian School by Dr. Mills Eavesdrop on conversations in the faculty room. Just try to make it through one day anywhere without hearing the word: "Internet!" The Internet, or more specifically, the World-Wide-Web, is re-defining how people learn and access information. 40+ million users are on the Internet and by some estimates 60,000 new people join each day!
Journal of Educational Administration -This important journal presents international knowledge and initiatives designed to help educational administrators deal with the powerful social, political and economic factors affecting education today.
K-12 Education on the Internet. This site is about using the Internet in the education process. It covers such topics as: Using the Internet, Education and the Internet, Educational Materials on the Internet, Schools on the Internet, Schools on the World Wide Web and much more. A great resource for every Christian School.
"Keys To Integration In The Faith-Learning Process" by Dr. Mills Integration in the faith-learning process refers to "the teaching of all subjects as part of the total truth of God, thereby enabling the student to see the unity of natural and special revelation."
Legal Resource Collection - Dr. Mills Everything from Americans with Disabilities Act to Workers Compensation are linked on this webpage.
Learning Styles Unlimited - A web page maintained by Cynthia Ulrich Tobias, a contemporary Christian learning styles expert. She is backed by Dr. James Dobson’s "Focus on the Family." Every Christian educator ought to be abreast of the latest in teaching to students learning styles. Cindy's credentials and honors include author of THE WAY THEY LEARN, a best-seller from Focus on the Family - - - THE WAY WE WORK, a practical approach for dealing with people on the job.
Learning Style Links - Dr. Mills I have assembled several links on the hot topic of learning styles. One site allows you to take an online learning style assessment test and immediately find out your preferred learning style.
Learning Styles on the Web by Karen Ristuccia Many administrators are trying to incorporate insights about individualized learning into the classroom. The Web has various resources that could help in formulating training in individualized learning. Below are sites detailing with learning styles, multiple intelligences, and other topics related to individualized learning.
Library Resource List: Library Sites This page includes sites that list libraries on the Net and library OPACs. Most are Meta lists but several, like the Library of Congress, point to specific libraries.
A National Network of Regional Educational Laboratories The Regional Educational Laboratories are educational research and development organizations supported by contracts with the U.S. Education Department, Office of Educational Research and Improvement (OERI).
NCIP national Center to Improve Practice in Special Education Through Technology, Media and Materials. The National Center to Improve Practice (NCIP) promotes the effective use of technology to enhance educational outcomes for students with sensory, cognitive, physical and social/emotional disabilities.
Network of International Christian (and Community) Schools, This is the the organization through which one of our '96 graduates received a teaching appointment in Korea.
Pointing the Way: A Guide to Christian Literature on the Internet. This is a Great resource for finding good Christian reading materials on-line. This is a hypertext page that links you to all related areas of Christian literature. You will find Bibles, Sermons, Books and much more.
Project ASSIST Institute (PAI) helps children, who have specific reading disabilities, unlock the written word. PAI will continue to exist as long as these children's needs are not being adequately met. Learn about our origin and our educational foundation.
Purolator Courier Another source sending and tracking the status of your package.
Reverend Fun. Great place to get Christian cartoons for publications. A very generous opportunity to download them from the internet.
Search ERIC Research in Education and Current Index to Journals in Education. This is a list of known, publicly-available web, gopher, telnet, and TN3270 sites for searching ERIC databases. This is the same resource that you used in college and university libraries for your education research classes. Now you can do it on the Internet.
Stand to Reason is a website that focuses on the place of Christianity in the work place. Well-written, thoughtful essays and other pertinent materials to challenge Christians.
The Center for Law and Religious Freedom, the religious advocacy and information arm of Christian Legal Society, defends the religious liberty of people of all faiths. Founded in 1975, the Center has advocated for the preservation of, and universal respect for, religious liberty in the courts, legislatures and governmental agencies throughout the nation. It has submitted legal briefs in virtually every church-state issue before the U.S. Supreme Court during the last two decades and been involved at the trial court level in several pivotal cases.
The Rutherford Institute is an organization that provides legal support for religion in public life, often fighting for the rights of Christian teachers and parents.
The Transformation Of Society And Its Consequences For The Future Of Learning. Computers, especially when they are linked in networks, have the potential to change every day classroom practice dramatically. This is an article about those changes and its impact on the institutional infrastructure. It is very lengthy and detailed.
U.S. Department of Education Learn about the Department, its mission and goals for American education.
UPS Package Tracking That's right, now you can track a package on the Internet!
Per Scholas Headquarters and Worksite Per Scholas is a 501 (c)(3) tax exempt non-profit corporation that acquires personal computers and related equipment from corporations, to recondition them in its own facilities, and to provide them to schools with a one year warranty at the lowest possible price. It has been funded by a consortium of 12 major foundations and corporations. It will provide training as computer technicians to indigenous young people.
Perilous Times for Churches and Christian Schools by Dr. Mills Today, our children receive conflicting values-laden messages from school, television, radio stations, music, and friends. Our children need to be in an educational environment in which their teachers are deeply committed to Jesus Christ and to a Christian philosophy of education.
School Accreditation by Dr. Roy W. Lowrie, Jr. Note: Roy W. Lowrie, Jr., Ed.D. is now with the Lord. His life impacted many teachers and administrators in the Christian school movement. He was the Executive Director of the National Christian School Education Association at the time he wrote this article in 1974. His daughter, Dr. Janet Lowrie Nason, gave permission to CSRnet to publish this article online as a tribute to her father.
SchoolPro Deluxe is a comprehensive school administration software package which offers all the functionality of packages costing far more yet provides a friendly, easy-to-use Windows interface. Optional modules include Tuition & Billing, Fund Accounting, Admissions, Fundraising, and Teacher's Gradebook. Demos are available.
The Big Six Skills. The Big Six Skills provide a systematic approach to information problem-solving that relies upon critical thinking skills. The Big Six Skills can be used by librarians,teachers and information specialists to help learners attain information literacy and provide a full understanding beyond merely being able to locate resources within a library.
The Center for Law and Religious Freedom the religious advocacy and information arm of Christian Legal Society, defends the religious liberty of people of all faiths. Founded in 1975, the Center has advocated for the preservation of, and universal respect for, religious liberty in the courts, legislatures and governmental agencies throughout the nation. It has submitted legal briefs in virtually every church-state issue before the U.S. Supreme Court during the last two decades and been involved at the trial court level in several pivotal cases.
The Riggs Institute: Discover - then teach what has not been taught about the English language at the teacher training level in America for 60 years!
U. S. Foundations and Fundraising Coalitions Resources. Need funding for projects at your school? The Internet can help you. This site features links to numerous foundations that must give 5% of their assets away every year. Don't know how to write a grant proposal? This site even features tutorials on writing grants!
Virtual Reference Sites. These Sites contain over 2,000 of the most popular information reference locations and tools on the Web. The tools include Calculators, Dictionaries, Directories, Facts, Zip Codes, Maps, Books, Languages, Calendars, Sports, Jobs, Weather, Music, Autos, Travel, Populations, Events, White & Yellow Pages, Health, Humor, - plus many more helpful tools to assist you.
Word Enterprises Ltd. Administrative Software tailored to manage the unique needs of Christian Organizations! Software used by many Christian Schools on the East Coast.
Word Wise Word Wise is a proven diagnostic, prescriptive, direct, intensive, systematic phonics and word attack program. WORD WISE is designed to teach students of all ages to read English words correctly. This successful program provides the assessment tools to first diagnose each student's sight vocabulary, word recognition skills.
World Wide Web Courseware Developers Listserv Home Page The World Wide Web Courseware Developers Home Page contains information of interest to persons developing courseware that is to be delivered in part or totally over the WWW.
Workshop in Educational Administration: Internet as a Research Tool Another on line technology Course from Illinois State University. The course deals with many pertinent Internet Resources.
1995 Digest of Education Statistics The primary purpose of the Digest is to provide a compilation of statistical information covering the broad field of American education from kindergarten through graduate school. The Digest includes a selection of data from many sources, both government and private, and draws especialy on the results of surveys and activities carried out by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES).
| Making the Internet Safe |
Many schools are developing online guidelines to handle such issues. The guidelines often include rules for the types of online materials that can be downloaded into classrooms, as well as how that material should be presented to students.
If your school has an online policy, make sure you and your students understand it thoroughly before connecting your classroom computer to the Internet or any online service.If your school doesn’t have online policies in place, help develop them. Make sure parents and other members of the community are involved, as well. The best policies are ones drafted with input from all aspects of the school community. CSRnet has developed a model suggested parent/student release form. Many other "Acceptable Use Policies" can be found online by searching, using the words: Acceptable Use Policies.
Once your class goes online, keep track of what your students do when they are on the computer. While they are getting accustomed to using the machine, you might want to stick to detailed lesson plans.
But be sure to allow some unstructured time to allow your students to do some computer exploring on their own. This is how they will really learn to use the machine and software. Remember, though, "unstructured" does not mean "unsupervised." You or another adult should always be close by in case a student stumbles onto something inappropriate.
Some schools install site blocking software, such as Rated-PG, Cyber Patrol, Net Nanny, and Surf Watch on each computer.
The following suggestions for online safety have been compiled from computer experts, educators and law enforcement officials.
1. Instruct your students never to send their full names and addresses or phone numbers to other online users. Because computer communications are anonymous, you never really know who is on the other end of your online conversations.
2. Discuss computer rules and online safety precautions before allowing your students to log on. Make sure parents know that appropriate online behavior is expected of their children. Many schools require students and parents to read and sign acceptable use agreements before students are allowed to go online.
3. Keep computers in public areas in classrooms and schools. Machines that are tucked away out of sight are harder to monitor.
4. Periodically check the computer’s hard disk for unacceptable files or material. Look for files that end in extensions such as .gif, .tiff or .jpg. Those are binary picture files that could contain inappropriate content.
5. Don’t allow students to load their own software or programs onto the school computer without you checking it first.
6. Inform parents about precautions they can take to guard against inappropriate computer use at home. Things to look for: inappropriate binary picture files (see #4 above), large phone bills (indicating downloading of large binary files) and secretive computer behavior.
7. Whenever possible, spend time online with your students. You’ll not only be able to monitor their online time, you’ll learn a lot - from them.
8. Regularly scan your computer for viruses. Text files cannot harm your computer, but if you download pictures or programs, you run the risk of computer virus infection.
9. Save any inappropriate messages, pictures or files you find on the school computer. Often, computer experts can trace the origin of the offending material.
10. Educate yourself. Become familiar with the options available to limit your students’ access to information you might find objectionable. For example, America Online allows parents and teachers to block children from certain discussion groups that may contain adult topics.
"Your School" Computer Resources Handbook This document is intended to be a guidebook in helping you make informed and appropriate decisions about the best use of "Your School's" computer resources. If you need an "Acceptable Use Policy" (AUP), this is the place to go.
Copyright © 1998 Dennis W. Mills, Ph.D.
This publication may be reprinted in any format without expressed written permission, but
notification is appreciated. mailto:dmills@csrnet.org
This page was last updated on: March 19, 2001