America Online for Teachers Book

Introduction

About This Book

How to Use This Book

Foolish Assumptions

How This Book Is Organized

Part I: AOL Primer

Part II: AOL Educator's Tour

Part III: AOL in Your Classroom

Part IV: Online Projects by the Tens

Part V: Appendixes

Icons Used in This Book

What Are You Waiting For?

Feedback, Please!

Chapter 1: Over 6 Million Sold!

The Incredible Shrinking World

The Power behind AOL

One huge computer?

The world's best plumbing

Powerful software

Deep and Wide: AOL Opportunities

Internet access

Content and organization

CyberSynergy

The Bigger Picture

Chapter 2: The Right Choice: Why AOL?

Decisions, Decisions

Finding the Right On-Ramp

Online service versus ISP: The good, the bad, and the ugly

AOL or another online service?

Pipelines are everything

The Bottom Line

Part II: AOL Educator's Tour

Chapter 3: Getting Up and Running in Ten Minutes

Your Pre-Flight Checklist

A computer

A telephone line

A modem

Your America Online For Teachers CD

Installing the Software

Logging On: The Maiden Voyage

AOL by Modem or Network

Connecting to AOL with a modem

Finding local access numbers

Connecting via TCP/IP from Your Schoolwide or Districtwide Network

Connecting to America Online via TCP/IP (Windows)

Connecting to America Online via TCP/IP (Macintosh)

The Big Finish

Chapter 4: Starting Points

The Big Picture

Channel Surfing

Computers & Software (Keyword: SOFTWARE)

Digital City (Keyword: DIGITAL CITY)

Entertainment (Keyword: ENTERTAINMENT)

Games (Keyword: GAMES)

Health & Fitness (Keyword: HEALTH AND FITNESS)

The Hub (Keyword: HUB)

International (Keyword: INTERNATIONAL)

Internet Connection (Keyword: INTERNET)

Kids Only (Keyword: KIDS)

Learning & Culture (Keyword: LEARNING)

Life, Styles & Interests (Keyword: LSI)

Marketplace (Keyword: MARKET)

MusicSpace (Keyword: MUSIC)

Newsstand (Keyword: NEWSSTAND)

Today's News (Keyword: NEWS)

People Connection (Keyword: PEOPLE CONNECTION)

Personal Finance (Keyword: FINANCE)

Reference Desk (Keyword: REFERENCE)

Sports (Keyword: SPORTS)

Style (Keyword: STYLE)

Travel (Keyword: TRAVEL)

Searching in the Lost and Found

Searching the subjects

Tab time

Browsing the channels

Tour Summary

Chapter 5: Getting Around on AOL

Passing the Bar

Menu Madness

Shortcuts Everywhere!

Chapter 6: AOL Graduate School: Getting Organized

Getting Around

Go keyword crazy!

Go To the head of the class

Cutting it short

Creating New Screen Names

Using Parental Controls

Chapter 7: Talking to the World through E-Mail

What Is E-Mail?

Sending E-Mail on AOL

On the Menu

E-Mail Do's and Don'ts

Do create a custom electronic signature message for yourself or your school

Don't send anything through e-mail that you wouldn't write on your classroom chalkboard

Don't flame

Do talk to your students about what's appropriate to send via e-mail

Don't type in all CAPITAL letters

Do format your messages

Reading Your Mail

Your little black (address) book

AOL . . . Automatically!

Sending an Instant Message

Blocking Instant Messages

Managing Communications Central

Chapter 8: Ups and Downs

What's a Download?

Downloading a File from AOL

What Do I Do After I Download a Program or File?

Virus, Virus, Who's Got the Virus?

Contributing to the Body of Human Knowledge

How Do I Upload a File?

Save Time -- Use the Download Manager

Pretty Pictures

Giving to the Learning Community

Chapter 9: Writing Your Name on the (Message) Board

Getting Board

Visiting a message board

Reading between (and among) the lines

RSVPing

Tacking One Up Yourself

Summing It All Up

Chapter 10: The Virtual Classroom: Live Chat!

Chats: The Big Picture

Visiting the Lobby

Your Seat at the Conference Table

Setting chat preferences

Saying your first hello

Visiting other chat rooms

What's on the Chat Room Menu?

Attending a Main Event

Finding Out about Other Chat Room Visitors

For the Keyboard-Challenged

Chatting for Teachers

Chapter 11: Nothin' but Net

Surfing the Internet Connection Channel

Sending E-Mail the Internet Way

Nosing through the Newsgroups

About Newsgroups and Binary Files

Go(ing)pher Broke

FTP

What can I do with FTP?

Using FTP on AOL

Web City

Navigating the Web

Creating your own Web page on AOL

Chapter 12: Help's on the Way

Help with Getting Help

Getting Help with AOL

Getting Help with Your Computer

Getting Help with Online Projects

Chapter 13: Becoming a Guide on the Side

Making the Big Shift

Building a Community of Learners

Being a Good Netizen

Ethics for Kids?

Chapter 14: Managing AOL in Your Classroom

Managing Students

Set the stage for telecommunications

Plan, plan, plan

Terms of Service and your students

Reporting violations

Managing Content

Creating an Acceptable Use Policy (AUP)

Intelligence inside

Parental (and Teacher!) Control

Controlling access to newsgroups

Managing Instruction

The Final Word

Chapter 15: Funding Your Online Adventures

Shuttle Diplomacy?

How Much Will This Cost?

Finding Funding

Exploring Your School's Payment Options

Marketing 101 for Teachers

Part IV: Online Projects by the Tens

Chapter 16: Ten Tips for Online Project Success

Tips from ESH Tooter

Minimize risk and maximize comfort

What's your story?

Set up a classroom post office

Use different screen names to create ownership

Worried about your cyber-addiction?

Share!

The big content swap

Get an LCD panel

Enter and sign in, please!

Tips from EDUBard

Next Steps

Chapter 17: Ten Online Projects for the Elementary Classroom

Seasonal Observations

Hands Across the Land

State to State Guidelines

Flash Card Frenzy (Grades 3­6)

Read It Aloud (Grades K­4)

Where's Bozo? (Grades K­4)

Hearing-Impaired Exchange

Tinker-Town

The Seuss Is Loose

Hat's Off

Chapter 18: Ten Online Projects for the Middle School Classroom

Geography Detectives (Grades 4­8)

Egg-a-thon

Deep Science 9

Math Online Games

Postcard Geography (Grades 4­8)

Space Island

Where in the World Are Joe and Arlo?

SWOOPE Acid Rain Study

Online Academic Quiz Bowl

ESP (Extra Special People)

Chapter 19: Ten Online Projects for the High School Classroom

Taking Stock!

The Bering Bridge

Foreign Language Word Web

Lost Civilizations

Poetry Folder

Classroom on Ice: A Virtual Field Trip to Antarctica

United States Mystery Destination Project

Underground Railroad Mystery Trip to Freedom

Auntie's HyperGallery

Mind Your Own Business (MYOB)

Chapter 20: Ten Online Projects for Any K­12 Classroom

Pennies for Hope

Westward HO!

Authors-in-Residence (A-I-R)

BookShare

Online Chess Challenge

The Schoolhouse News Bureau

Scrapbook USA

Paperless School Day

Going International

Music Makes the World Go 'Round

Part V: Appendixes

Appendix A: Glossary

Appendix B: AOL Keywords

Appendix C: Troubleshooting

I Can't Find an Access Number!

I Have Line Noise!

I Get the "Host Failed to Respond" Message

The Silly System Is SOOOOO SLOOOOWWWW!

Getting Help with Downloaded Files

I've Been Punted!

My Mail Keeps Getting Returned Undelivered

The Silly Computer Just Freezes

Appendix D: About the America Online For Teachers CD

System Requirements

Installing America Online

Restoring Your Network Preferences

Index

End-User License Agreement

Installation Instructions

Reader Response Card