week 8

In the reading “The World Wide Web: Interfaces, Databases and Applications of Education”, the article discusses the evolving use of software to be able to allow easier interaction through web sites. The article discusses how web forms allow users to submit files or text in forms on websites. The information is processed through hypertext markup language and enters into the websites database through Common Gateway Interface Script. I liked learning how to do an anonymous feedback on the teacher and classroom using the Web interface design. I think being able to let students speak freely without the threat of consequences helps the teacher and learn and lets the student feel more empowered. The article also offers the pros and cons for using web interfaces and HTML interfaces.

In the second article discussing how one teacher used databases to organize the Presidents reassessed how teachers should now start thinking about what their students need to learn. Students now have to be able to analyze, compute and organize all the information presented to them from the vast array of sources. The database is great as a collaboration tool between students and a way to be able to search all of their collaborative information at the end of the project. Using the database as a forum for collaboration will help to keep kids involved in the classroom. Having teachers learn technology and employ it in the classroom seems to be a great way to learn old curriculum in a new light.

With the third article on databases it goes over again, that students define fields or categories and have to use a higher level of thinking. This article went further than the other two by discussing popup menus, value lists and check boxes. Popup menus seem to be a great way to distribute and classify information in a different category than just yes or no. The value list is a good combination of being able to have different categories, leaving something blank or putting yes/no. The idea of having a check box to keep information simple is another good tool to utilize in the database. Like the article states, simply allowing for someone to search by a picture or no picture can be time saving. Also, I like the idea of designing a rating system on how they feel about that particular source or allowing for a comments part in the database. Being able to search for a source with more user friendly wording that comes directly from the students might make that information even more useful.