Portal Simplifies Internet Usage in Schools
Designed for teachers with any level of technological proficiency, BASCOM’s K-12 Internet Communications Server (ICS) 3.0 simplifies and expands Internet-enriched curriculum with a number of features. Its Learning Zones are online resources grouped into four categories (Lesson Zone, School Zone, Research Zone and Internet Zone) to provide teachers with options for effective Internet usage. Lesson Zone routes students to resources made available by their teacher for particular lessons, and School Zone gives students access to an education community categorized by subject. Research Zone allows students to use the Internet for scholarly work without accessing non-productive sites, while Internet Zone provides unrestricted access to the whole Web.
In addition to these features, the server offers a profiling option, which enables teachers to pre-configure a Learning Zone and capture a range of pre-selected resources pertinent to a specific lesson plan. Teachers can create hundreds of profiles as a way to update existing lesson plans with dynamic online resources. An automatic start page option will bring students straight from log-in to a page specified by the teacher. The page can provide links to lesson-focused Web resources selected by the teacher. BASCOM Global Internet Services, Inc., Hauppauge, NY, www.bascom.com.
This article originally appeared in the 05/01/2001 issue of THE Journal.