Differentiating
Instruction Using
Nettrekker
Joe Kulbacki
Technology Integration Mentor
Lebanon Middle School
Ways To Differentiate
Instruction
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Interest
Ability level
Learning Style
Logging On to
netTrekker.com
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Open web browser (prefer
Firefox)
Once on the site click on the
orange logo near the bottom left
QuickTime™ and a
TIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
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On the next page login using the
username: herm_first_last
Password: 123456
Overview of netTrekker d.i.
Search engine developed by
teachers for teachers!
•Why netTrekker d.i. over generic search
engines like Google or Yahoo?
•Put same keyword in Google and
netTrekker d.i. and compare search
results
•netTrekker d.i. Websites are
academically relevant, educator
reviewed and evaluated, aligned to state
standards, rated by Readability Level.
All Learners Searching
You may search by specific grade levels
Orange denotes elementary resources for K-5
Purple denotes middle school content 6-8
Blue denotes high school level content 9-12
and higher
All Learners Searching
When you are searching the All Learners channel you
will have the ability to choose from three grade
levels, elementary, middle and high school
The features box which includes access to the Timeline,
Famous Person, Image Search , References and
Teacher Tools is specific to the grade level that you
are searching.
All Learners Searching
Keyword Searching
The channel that you are searching in will appear highlighted at the
top of the page
Using the Keyword box at the top of the page, type in a keyword to
find what you are searching for.
To search for Famous Person, Images or State standards click on th
appropriate link.
Image Search
Provides quick lists of image results that have been approved by educators. You
may search for images through the Search View option or through grade level
“Features” box
•Many of the images in the Image Search area may be subject to
Copyright protection. If you are looking for Copyright-free images
and clip art check the Reference section under Features.
Current Events-Middle/High
To access current events through middle or high school
scroll to the bottom of the main search page.
You will see World News and U.S News. You may drill
down to access updated world news, local news and
current event news by subject area.
Subject Search
Searching within a subject area is a great way for students to
locate specific resources with a specific context or focus.
Use this taxonomy string to re-direct your search or find
contextual information as it relates to a subject area.
As you “drill down” through a subject each, parenthesis
represents the number of websites for that topic.
Searching
Use netTrekker d.i. to find resources aligned to
your States Standards or Performance
objectives.
You may access the State Standards search from
the State standards tab at the top of the page.
Choose a subject and “drill down” until you
reach the performance objective or standard.
You may select a keyword from the Web
Resource list or enter a user defined keyword.
State Standards
Click on the State standards tab at the top of the
page.
You may enter any keyword and have netTrekker
d.i. automatically provide the list of performance
objectives related to that keyword. Select from
elementary, middle and high school standards.
State Standards
After entering a keyword you can click on the
State standards tab to immediately access your
state standards. netTrekker d.i. will
automatically locate all of the curriculum areas
that relate to your keyword. You may choose
elementary, middle or high school standards.
Once you choose your standard, click on the gray
shaded area at the bottom of the box to access
the keyword search page.
State Standards drill down
Using netTrekker.com
to Target Standards
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Login to netTrekker.com
Click on subject area
Scroll down to bottom of page where it will
say “standards”
If PA is not selected, select it now
Once PA is selected click on “Assessment
Anchors” or “Academic Standards”
Click on your subject area
Click on grade level
Click on strand
Click on link you want to focus on under
“Web resources in netTrekker:”
Once on this page, you can navigate and
select the specific resources you would
like to use
Understanding a Search result
The search results page will display the
number of resources available based
on your search entry.
Refinement Tabs allow you to quickly
access lesson plans, learning
exercises, learning games, pictures,
maps and charts.
You can also refine your search using the
buttons at the top of the search
results for Cross-Curricular & State
Standards
•The “+” allows you expand and view additional types of web
resources such as primary source documents, audio, video,
quotations, bibliographies, biographies, examples and
software.
Understanding a Search result
Understanding the neTrekker Icons.
Website content helps identify the types of resources available within a website
Website Ratings are based on the website’s academic credibility, subject depth, writing
style, visual appeal and relevant content.
Languages that can be searched in netTrekker.
Controversial Content allows users to filter controversial resources from a search
results page
Timeline Icon
Readability
Use Readability to find grade level
content at appropriate reading
levels.
A reading score is a measure of the
relative difficulty of reading written
text.
Websites rated with low readability
level are more graphical, have more
pictures , have shorter sentences,
less difficult words and text.
Websites with higher readability level
have more complex words and
longer sentences. They may also
have less pictures.
Expanded Refine Search
To refine your search
results, click on
refine at the top of the
page.
You can refine your
search to include
words,
phrases,specific
subjects or topics,
website resources,
readability,
multimedia, language
and controversial
material.
Dictionary Hot Key
Enable the Dictionary Hot Key by clicking on the
Dictionary button.
The Dictionary Hot Key, hotlinks the words on the page.
By clicking on the word, you get an instant dictionary
definition/translation
The Preference page offers several language choices for
definitions or translations.
English Learners Channel
Once you have
accessed the English
Learners Channel,
you may search by
keyword or there are
other areas that you
may utilize. Note
that when you are in
the English Learners
Channel, it will
appear highlighted at
the top of the page.
English Learners
ELL Skill Development
Use this section
to locate resources to
assist English language
learners with listening
skills, speaking skills,
reading skills and
writing skills.
English Learners
ELL Reference Tools
Use this reference
section to locate
language dictionaries
and translation tools for
over 15 different
languages.
Famous People Search
Famous People Search
•Allows you to create a list of
famous people based on the
criteria you choose.
Access search views above the Keyword box on any
netTrekker d.i. page.
The four Search Views are: Web, Person, Image, Standards
Web Search View is the normal view of netTrekker d.i. It is the view of
your homepage or search results page. To access the Web Search View,
click on “Web” above the keyword box.
Person Search View is a different way to access the netTrekker d.i. Famous
Person Search. To access the Person search view, click on “person”
above the keyword box on any page.
Image Search View allows you to access the netTrekker d.i. Image search.
To access the Image Search View click on “Image” above the keyword
box on any page.
Standards Search View is a different way to access the netTrekker d.i. State
Standards. To access the State Standards Search view, click on
“Standards” above the Keyword box on any page.
References
•Handy reference tools available
to assist learners with finding
valuable information
•Access through the Features box
Teacher Tools
•Available resources for integrating
technology in the classroom, grant
writing, assessment and much more!
•Access through the Features box
For More Information
and Tutorials
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http://www.thinkronize.com/training/pde_train_resource.html
Refrences
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http://www.thinkronize.com/training/pde_train_resource.ht
ml
http://school.nettrekker.com