An instructional website on Internet literacy for teachers

Newsgroups USENET, users groups, newsgroups, bulletin boards, discussion groups, forums, special interest groups -- whatever name they are called, these make up the hundreds of thousands of virtual communities that make the Internet a real global village. People in newsgroups interact with fellow Netizens who share their common interest in similar manner we interact in group gatherings, that is converse, joke, exchange stories, swap tips, and so on.  USENET was first established in 1979. All original groups were under the .net hierarchy. Newsgroups are organized in heirarchies and named according to the category and topic they belong. The major categories are as follows: comp - computer and related topics news - network news and software rec - recreation, hobbies, games sci - science soc - social issues, discussions, arguments talk - politics misc - miscellaneous These original categories were peopled by techies, and thus, news actually pertains to Internet. As the newgroups grew in numbers you will find the groups under alt for alternative because they are not related to computer issues.  To keep things from getting too free-spirited there are many rules and guidelinesto bear in mind, and these may vary from one group to another. The Netiquette addresses most of these. If you remember Rinaldi and O'Shea's tips, many of these guidelines originated in newsgroup situations. Another good rule if you are a newbie ("beginner") is to read the FAQ (Frequently Asked Question) first. People are tolerant of newbies making mistakes but you will also do everybody a big favor if you spare them from repeating themselves over the most common questions. Lurking, is another Netiquette that is recommended. It means you quietly observe the discussions to get a feel on the topics and participants before you jump right in and make your presence known.  Teachers benefit from newsgroups when they can exchange teaching practices with peers worldwide. Dr. Steve Yuen at the University of Southern Mississippi recommends these outstanding newsgroups: alt.education.distance, Learning from teachers who are far way news:bit.listserv.aera, American Educational Research Association news:bit.listserv.edtech, Educational technology comp.edu, Computer science education comp.internet.net-happenings, Net-Happenings k12.chat.junior, For high school juniors k12.chat.senior, For high school seniors k12.chat.teacher, For K-12 teachers k12.ed.business, Business education curricula in grades k-12 k12.ed.comp.literacy, Computer literacy k12.ed.life-skills, Home economics, career education, and school counseling k12.ed.health-pe, Health and physical education curricula in grades k-12 k12.ed.science, Science curriculum in K-12 education k12.library, School library misc.education, Discussion of the educational system misc.education.adult, Adult education and adult literacy practice/research misc.education.multimedia, Multimedia for education net.education.general, Miscellaneous education discussion school.teachers, School teachers thelinq.high.lesson-plans, Lesson plans While many teachers have benefited from participating in newsgroups, this service is not highly recommended to young students as many newsgroups are not appropriate for minors.
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