Frequently Asked Questions

How do I get to ...? (Links)

• How do I get to the WIT calendar?
• How do I get to the web mail page?
• How do I get to the listserv management page?
• How do I get to sample curriculum webs?
• How do I get to sample webquests?

What is a ...? (Definitions)

• What is a host name?
• What is a login?
• Where can I go for more definitions?

How do I ...? (Technical questions)

• How do I connect to the WIT curriculum modules from home?

What about education? (Content questions)

• Does everyone have to do a teaching guide?
• What is an implementation plan?
• How do I begin my webquest?
• Can a webquest include too little or too much information?
• What are the best known passion motivators for high school kids?

What does CPS expect? (Policy questions)

• What do I need to do to get lane credit?
• What do I need to do to get re certification credit?
• How do I submit my COSA results?
• What do I need to do to get my stipend?
• What happens if I miss a day?
• What happens if I'm late?
• Where can I find more policy information?

(Miscellaneous questions)

• How long will our finished web pages be accessible from the webinstintuteforteachers server?
• How should I organize my files?
• How does one become a WIT mentor during the summer?
• Would WIT need mentors during the academic school year?

How do I get to ...? (Links)

• How do I get to the WIT calendar?

The general WIT calendar is at http://webinstituteforteachers.org/2003/about/schedule.php

In addition, each homeroom has its own calendar which can be reached from the homeroom's main page.

• How do I get to the webmail page?

If you are using the webmail address that WIT provided you, you can log into your mail at webmail.cuip.net.

• How do I get to the listserv management page?

You can add yourself to, remove yourself from, or change your personal setting (e.g. batch or non-batched mails) for the wit2003-l list electronic mailing list, as well as the one that your homeroom is using, by going to http://cuip.uchicago.edu/mailman/listinfo and selecting the list you want to change your settings on.

• How do I get to sample curriculum webs?

You have a number of choices, but http://www.curriculumwebs.com has a few examples to get you started.

• How do I get to sample webquests?

There are lots of webquests on the internet. Some are excellent, and others are rather poor. http://www.webquest.org/ is one place where you can find a wide range of sample webquests.

What is a ...? (Definitions)

• What is a host name?

Host name (or server name) is the name of remote computer that are connecting to. In our case Webinstituteforteachers.org is the host name, because that is the name of the computer that will be holding our web pages.

• What is a login?

Login is a synonym for userid or username. It is the name you type in to tell the computer or program who you are.

• Where can I go for more definitions?

If the definition you are looking for isn't here, try the glossary in the back of Curriculum Webs.

How do I ...? (Technical questions)

• How do I connect to the WIT curriculum modules from home?

If you try to connect to the WIT curriculum module from home you will be asked for a login and a password. This is not It's not your personal login for the WIT server; rather, it's a generic username and password (same for everyone) that was given at orientation. If you don't know what it is, ask your mentor or lab assistant!

What about education? (Content questions)

• Does everyone have to do a teaching guide?

Yes, all WebQuest and Curriculum Webs produced in WIT 2003 must have teaching guides to be considered "complete". See http://webinstituteforteachers.org/2003/modules/teachingGuide/index.php for more on teaching guides.

• What is an implementation plan?

See this page.

• How do I begin my webquest?

There are a number of ways to begin a webquest. You should definitely start with the big picture. Outline a basic idea of what concept(s) or information you're trying to teach. Think of a ways that your topic could be made interesting to the kids. These are the sorts of things that will feed into your introduction and your conclusion. Then you can think about the standards that this activity can/should be meeting. Finally, you can select and design activities that meet those standards.

• Can a webquest include too little or too much information?

There is no hard fast answer. There should be enough information that the students can complete their tasks but not so much that they feel overwhelmed. Looking at some sample webquests might help you decide how much that is. See http://webinstituteforteachers.org/2003/modules/webquests/index.php for some samples.

• What are the best known passion motivators for high school kids?

The short answer is, it varies, by demographic, and by individual student. That said, there isn't a lot of research on what high school student are passionate about. If you want to integrate passion into your curriculum (and I know you do) then you should probably start by getting the students to tell you what they're interested in. Diana Joseph would be a good resource for this sort of project. If you would like to discuss some of your ideas with her, she can be reached at djoseph@mail.consortium-chicago.org .

What does CPS expect? (Policies)

• What do I need to do to get lane credit?

CPS Lane Promotional Credit will be granted to any CPS full-time certified teacher who successfully completes WIT 2003, who misses no more than two days of WIT, who has submitted complete paperwork (by August 1) for lane credit along with a money order for $20 payable to the CPS Teachers Academy for Professional Development, and who already possesses a masters degree. The form necessary for lane credit is available from the Director. The "course title" is Web Institute for Teachers: Using the Web in the Classroom or Web Institute for Teachers: Creating a Curriculum Web; "semester hours" is 3; the "course hours" is 80; the dates are July 7 - August 1, 2003; the course number is CMP382S03.

• What do I need to do to get re certification credit?

In order to get re certification credits you must meet expectations for Using the Web in the Classroom or Creating a Curriculum Web. CEUs will be granted at a rate of 1 CEU per 5 hours completed.

• How do I submit my COSA results?

Submitting your COSA is required if you expect CPS to pay your tuiton for WIT 2003. You can find out more information here.

• What do I need to do to get my stipend?

CPS will pay a $1000 stipend to full-time certified teachers in teacher positions who successfully complete WIT and a required follow-up. 70% of the stipend will be paid after WIT; 30% after implementation

• What happens if I miss a day of WIT?

If you miss only 1 or 2 days of WIT, then you're fine. If you miss more than 2 days (8 hours), you are no longer eligible for CPS Lane Promotion Credit and your stipend will be cut. If you miss 6 or more days, you will no longer be eligible for the stipend.

• What happens if I'm late?

You can be late twice without penalty. After the first 2, any additional tardies of more than 30 minutes will count as ½ day missed (2 hours absence). In addition, you may not leave early. If you leave more than 30 minutes early on any day during WIT, you will be penalized ½ day missed (2 hours absence).

• Where can I find more policy information?

For more details see http://webinstituteforteachers.org/2003/about/orientation.php

Miscellaneous questions

• How long will our finished web pages be access able from the webinstintuteforteachers server?

The information you save on the webinstituteforteachers.org server should be available for at least one year from the end of WIT 2003. We will contact you if we need to shut down the server after that time for funding reasons.

• How should I organise my files?

Each homeroom has slightly different procedures for file organization, but you should probably have 1 folder/directory for images, and one for other multimedia (sound, video, etc.). In addition, if you use flash buttons, a folder will be created for each of these automatically.

• How does one become a WIT mentor during the summer?

WIT mentors are generally selected from a pool of previous participants who were recommended by their mentors. If you are interested in becoming a with mentor next year, contact craig cunningham at c-cunningham@uchicago.edu .

• Would WIT need mentors during the academic school year?

WIT mentor is a summer position, though the mentors are responsible for a small about of follow-up during the year.

If your question isn't answered here, contact the Director at c-cunningham@uchicago.edu or 773-702-4885.