Teaching and Technology: Tricks and Tips Using the World Wide Web in Class: The WorldWideWeb and the Internet offer a wealth of information that is relevant to biopsychology. For example, check out BIOPSYCHOLOGY's Online Study Guide mentioned above; it contains an annotated list of links to over 300 websites full of information that will help you to provide more stimulating, well-informed lectures. A word to the wise, however; do not base a whole lecture or lab around a particular website without having an acceptable Plan B in place. Almost anyone who uses the web with any regularity has a horror story about the lecture or lab that never happened because a particular site was down or slow on game day. I learned this lesson first-hand when I was teaching at an East Coast college, using a West-Coast site as the basis for the lab portion of a neuroanatomy course. I spent much of one Christmas holiday writing labs based upon this website and did not experience a single problem. When the semester started in January, I had as many as 20 students logging into the site at the same time. The website worked very well for my early morning lab sections, which occurred while most folks on the West Coast were sipping their first Starbucks of the day and folks on the East Coast were just pulling into the parking lot at work. However, the same site provided absolutely wretched service for the early afternoon lab sections, when people on the West Coast were at work and on-line and the computer traffic peaked at my own institution. How bad was the afternoon section? Well, it is not a lie to say that you could almost watch pixel-by-pixel as the images formed on the computer monitors, and 2-3 hour labs became 2-3 day labs. I was not a happy camper, nor were my students very impressed with the "power of the web" to enlighten their learning experience! A Checklist for Using a Website in Class or Lab: If you do nothing else, confirm the address of the site before class. The annotated list of links provided at the BIOPSYCHOLOGY website will be checked and updated on a regular basis. However, web addresses do change (sometimes with amazing frequency) and you should make sure that the site you want actually exists at the address you have for it. Be familiar with each website that you will use in your class; know what information it offers, where the information is located, and be familiar with any links to other websites that might enhance (or detract from) your presentation. If you need to download a special program to utilize the information available at the site (for example, the Quicktime movie viewer), make sure it is downloaded and working before your class. Make sure that the room that you will be teaching in has access to the web. Sometimes a lecture hall or room will have a dedicated computer installed that will provide you with access to the web; make sure that any software you need for your presentation is available. In many cases, though, a port will be available for web access but you will have to bring you own computer to the room. In such cases, it is best to make sure you know what connects to what, and how, so that your introduction of the web to your class is seamless the first time out! Make sure that the website you want to use is actually useable where you want to use it. A figure or animation that looks great when viewed up close on your 21" computer monitor in your dimly lit office might appear washed out, too small, or otherwise useless when viewed on the TV monitors or projection screen of a lecture hall. Make sure that the website you want to use is actually useable when you want to use it. Changes in computer traffic at your own institution or the site that you want to use in your lecture or lab can make the most informative website ineffective for teaching purposes. This is especially true when the website involves animations or pages that are otherwise very graphics-intensive. Have a Plan B in place! If all else fails, and your server has crashed or your computer is acting up, make sure the support material is in place to allow you to complete the class. These support materials can include things like models and figures (which are always useful anyway), a video, or more detailed lecture material. If you are sly, and the class is important enough, you might even print key images or text from the websites you were going to use onto overheads so that you can still get their message across even if the technology fails you! ab_webmaster@abacon.com ©1999 Allyn & Bacon A Pearson Education Company Legal Notice