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Internet-Literacy Activities
A World of Support
The Internet gives us a global window. It lets human beings see one another, and interact and assist one another, in ways never before possible. From microlending to crowd funding to citizen journalism, we are offered an “ambient awareness” of the rest of the world and a chance to invest ourselves in its ongoing development.
Your Turn
- Investigate the concepts of microlending and crowd funding.
- Summarize in a journal entry how the two are alike and different.
- Choose a microlending or crowd-funded project that you would like to support.
- Prepare a presentation for your classmates to introduce your chosen project and suggest that they support it as well.
- Use Internet resources for media to enhance your presentation.
- Remember to credit your sources.
- Make your presentation in class.
- Consider posting your presentation online as well. (See pages 269–290.)
- When the microlending or crowd-funded project ends, report back to your classmates about its success or failure.
- Reflect on what you have learned from the experience.
When’s the Webinar?
Countless experts (scientists, business leaders, political figures, and authors, among others) host webinars, either to spread information or to receive feedback about a project or policy. Usually these webinars are recorded and archived for later viewing by people who could not attend the live event. You can learn a lot both from the main part of a webinar and the question-and-answer session that most conclude with.
Your Turn
- Choose a topic that you are studying in one of your classes or something else that you find interesting.
- Search the Web for webinars on that topic.
- Review the description of any archived webinars to focus on ones most likely to fill in your knowledge of your topic and to address any questions you may have.
- Also schedule time to watch any upcoming webinars on the subject. Follow the registration procedure to attend those webinars.
- Take notes during each webinar, and make a separate list of any questions you have.
- If you are watching an archived webinar, listen during the Q&A period to see if your questions are answered.
- In a live webinar, politely ask your question during the Q&A period.
- Share with your classmates what you learned from your webinar experiences.
