5. Прочтите и переведите текст письменно. Выполните задание № 6, 7 к данному тексту. Educational Technology: Not Just Computers

How do American schools use educational technology? There is not a simple answer. It depends on the subject and level of students, of course. But it also depends on the interest and training of the teachers, and the goals and budgets of the schools. Schools are almost all connected to the The Internet. But some have more technology, and use it more, than others. For example, some schools use computers for activities like video conferencing, to bring the world into the classroom. And some classrooms are equipped with things like a Smart Board, a kind of interactive whiteboard. Interactive whiteboards are large displays for presentations. They connect to a computer and can operate by touch. They can be used for documents or writing or to project video. Some teachers are trying creative new ways to teach with devices like iPods and mobile phones. But educators say the most important thing, as always, is the content.

6. Соедините слова из левой колонки с их определениями из правой колонки.

a Smart Board	what is important in something, its real meaning
content	supply or provide with what is necessary for an undertaking or for a special purpose
a device	a kind of interactive whiteboard
to equip	an invention, something made for a special purpose

7. Ответьте на вопросы к тексту письменно.

1. What does the usage of information technologies at school depend on?

2. Why do some teachers use such an activity as “video conferencing”? How do you understand the phrase “to bring the world into the classroom”?

3. What is the most important thing in the educational process?

8. Прочтите и переведите текст устно. Выполните задание № 9,10,11 к данному тексту. Not all websites are created equal

Using websites is like talking to friends. While we all have friends that are truly knowledgeable and can be very helpful, we all also have friends who are often wrong, but never in doubt. Some of our friends may tell us things that have mixtures of truth and fiction at the same time. Most people know to be skeptical of what some of their friends tell them and we should hold websites to the same standards. However, there are a few guidelines that can help you to separate the informative from the misleading.

Commercial websites that are trying to sell a product cannot be trusted to tell you the truth about issues related to that product. You may be able to gain understanding of a product and be able to compare products using these sites, but any claims should be highly suspect. Never forget they are trying to sell you something. Selling you something is the website’s goal, not educating you.

Websites sponsored by particular commercial, political, or other entities should be viewed with suspicion as well. Like commercial websites, these sites also have a goal of “selling” you something, it just may be a particular belief rather than a physical product. Check the “about us” page to see who sponsors the website. You are more likely to get high-quality information from websites affiliated with universities, government agencies, and some news organizations or non-profit associations devoted to public education.

Beyond these categories, we enter realm of news and magazine websites, blogs, and Wikipedia. All of these reporting platforms are valuable and can be trustworthy. Many respectable news and magazine websites now employ bloggers, hired because they are good journalists, with editors in some cases reviewing blog posts prior to publication. So blogs may be of equal or higher quality than many paper publications.