Major Project

I have constructed a website that will augment the success of my Chemistry students, help their parents understand the requirements of the course, and serve as a timesaver for myself. I am often asked questions about different aspects of the course and now can refer my students and their parents to the website for detailed information. Our administrators may also be interested in this project as a basis of links from the current school site that other teachers may wish to replicate.

I teach five Regular Chemistry classes, totalling 137 enrolled students. The students are approximately 95% African-American.

The method of development and structure in HTML will be discussed for each page. For specific coding the View Source should be used in your browser.

1. classroom assignments;
2. course description;
3. links to on-line calculators;
4. links to periodic tables of the elements;
5. links chemistry sites for research and problem solving; and

6) links to sites that offer Chemistry games.

The index file consists of a wall paper background and two animated gifs. The index is in a two-column table. Each table entry has a colored background and is linked to one of the six files above. In addition a java program 'scroller' has been added so that special messages of importance can be relayed to the students in an eye-catching manner. This is updated weekly. At the bottom of the page is another animated gif linked to my e-mail address.

The first area (Assignments) has been created by using MSWord and the Chicago Public Schools lesson plan format (which is a table in HTML). After filling it out in MSWord, it is converted to a HTML document. In order to place the last four weeks of lesson plans in one scrolling document, it is necessary to copy only the body of the lesson plan from <table> to the </table> tags and then paste it into the file at the bottom of the HTML document (I use a HTML editor called Arachnophilia 4.0 which is freeware). The first entry is deleted at this time. All of the classroom work and homework assignments are listed for the last four weeks of school. I am often asked for this information from students who have been sick, as well as from parents who are monitoring their child's homework. Along with this is the reference number for the applicable State and CPS academic standards. The file includes an amusing gif and some 'words of wisdom'.

The Course Description is a separate index which includes the Course Syllabus, Course Requirements, Laboratory Safety rules, and a copy of the CASE (Chicago Academic Standards Examinations) requirements, which innumerates the Chemistry topics covered during each of the semester exams.

The links to on-line Calculators are listed, ranging from standard scientific calculators to calculators which determine the molar mass of formulas, percent composition, the molarity of solutions, and other specific chemistry functions. These will be integrated into lessons when the appropriate units are studied.

The links to Periodic Tables will list sites which have periodic tables and information on the physical & chemical properties of the elements, their history, physical and chemical data, industrial statistics, including annual consumption, hazards, and environmental impact. These web sites will be used as a source of lessons in the future, requiring students to research and write descriptions of the properties of various elements, or examine the environmental impact of different aspects of the Chemical Industry. .

I have found Chemistry Links to many useful instructional sites that are designed for high school level chemistry students, and have listed these as a portal for independent student projects, self tutoring, as well as assigned study. It is important to help students to find appropriate and useful sites without having them spend an exorbitant amount of time searching the web. Some of these sites include good Java and JavaScript based problem-solving exercises for many of the topics addressed in the Chemistry curriculum.

The Games file will list sites that use games to help students memorize and utilize important information such as the names and formulas of cations, anions, polyatomic ions, compound formulas, common names of chemicals, names and uses of laboratory equipment, and organic chemistry. These sites act as an electronic tutor for students who take the time and effort to improve their understanding.

Prior to the final report on this Major Project, I will conduct a Student Survey to gather information relevant to an evaluation of the use of a web site as an adjunct to standard instructional methodologies.

The survey requests information about:

• frequency of use
• the use of the Internet in other classes
• location of Internet connection
• parental use of the web site
• the areas most frequently visited by students
• the clarity of the Homework Assignment, and other areas
• students' favorite area of the web site
• least liked thing about the website
• student ideas and suggestions

Finally, I learned from doing this project that sometimes what appears as fomidable difficulties can be surmounted with patience and the expenditure of sufficient time. As I continued along in this project, I found it easier to do because many things are learned along the way and much of the structure is repeatable.
It would be interesting to see more teachers create a web site for their classes and evaluate the result in improved student interest and achievement. There are certainly many more possiblilities than I have even begun to explore. The use of sound files, videos, and interactivity are just three technologies that have not been attempted here.