More Websites

Here are a few other websites to check out.

http://www.timeforkids.com/TFK/

http://www.softschools.com/

http://www.superteacherworksheets.com/

Website to check out!

Just thought that I would share this site, it's especially good for primary grades. There are so many things for teachers and for students on this website and it's free.

http://www.primarygames.com/

If you click on a subject area at the top of the page and then the curriculum guide on the bottom of the page there are activities the students in your grade level can participate in. This is a good way to incorporate technology in the classroom and maybe it could be used as a reward for the students...some free computer time. Hey it's a reward for the teacher as well ;-) students are staying on task academically while having fun!

Explore the website further, there are many resources for teachers to use.

WebQuests

I was a little overwhelmed by it all when I was reading all of the articles about webquests. After viewing the videos about webquests, I must say that I have a little more direction now. It does seem like it takes great time to create one, but once it is done, you have it for years to come to use with your future classes. And whose lesson plans didn’t feel like it took them forever their first year doing them? Now you have them and can just modify when needed. Well, it seems the same for the webquest. I like the fact that webquests involve technology, research, cooperative groups, and various multiple intelligences based on the final project completed. It involves many facets all rolled into one. I really think that a webquest is what you put into it. You can make it plain and simple, without involving higher order thinking skills or much student participation in their cooperative groups. But then what is the point of creating one? On the other hand, you can take your time and put some effort into making a fun and informative webquest that requires higher order thinking skills on the students’ part.

website evaluation

http://school.discoveryeducation.com/ Discovery Education


I feel it is student-friendly because it is an appropriate reading level and it is interesting. Students can click on the home resources link and then see thumbnail pictures of different areas of study. It is also interesting on the students’ level. There are videos students can watch to further help them with lessons they may be learning in school.

It is teacher friendly because it is very easy to navigate. There are many units of study that can be used by teachers at different grade levels in different subject areas.

I feel that the reading level is appropriate for most grade levels. Parents can navigate the site with children at a lower reading level. From certain areas there are thumbnail pictures that can be easily distinguishable by all grade levels.

The screen loads in a reasonable amount of time. Most of the videos begin to play as soon as the play button is clicked. There was just one video took a while to play because it was buffering.

No, the site does not contain pop-ups. It does however contain advertisement banners which pertain to various things on the site to acquire student involvement in certain types of challenges.

It seems that all the links work.

I do feel comfortable navigating around this site. They have areas for students, teachers and new teachers. All of the information is relevant and helpful.

I found the Home Resources section useful. I would present this site to my students’ parents in order to further their child’s education in a fun and interactive way. I also found the Classroom Resources useful. I particularly like the lesson plan library and the worksheets to go section.

I found the contests and grants banners that were on the website confusing. It was very busy and hard to read so I did not know what it was for.

It does seem to be updated. The copyright on the bottom of the site reads 2008.

It is not required that students use a password or log in to use this site.

Students will not be asked any personal information. If they choose to enter into any of the contests and grants, they may then be asked about personal information.

I would suggest putting an end to the banners of the contests and grants. They are already listed on a dropdown box entitled contests and grants.

National Teachers of the Year Panel

Here is a Charlie Rose episode entitled National Teachers of the Year Panel. It was very interesting and dealt with topics like what an 'ideal' school would look like and improving relations within schools. I found a link to this episode in case anyone might be interested in it.

http://www.charlierose.com/view/interview/9167

Internet Safety

I think internet safety is an important issue concerning children of all ages. When I was younger we had to worry about answering the phone and the door to a stranger. I was told never to tell a stranger that I was home alone. Along those same aspects, children now need to be aware of strangers on the internet. In viewing the internet safety video for young children, I feel that this would be an appropriate video to show to my students since I am a first grade teacher. Sometimes a person can forget that this 6 year old may be at home “chatting” with people on the internet because it was not something I did when I was 6 years old. I do think that parents should be with a young child while they are “surfing the web.” But of course that is not always possible and therefore it is very important that we educate children about the dangers of the internet. When I say “we” of course I mean parents and teachers alike. So I feel this video is geared appropriately towards young children both visually, with its clip art pictures and cognitively, with the teacher explaining in a detailed, slow, calm manner.

Internet safety video (young children)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MuaJcjxBK3U

NETS & NJCCCS

NETS:
I definitely think it’s necessary to teach students, at an early age, about basic skills on the computer and provide them with awareness about the internet and its uses. Of course as students get older, their needs of technology increase, therefore they would benefit from learning more in depth skills and tools for presenting projects and such. I believe it’s a necessity to learn the basic skills, social aspects, and technology’s role in research and information access because technology is such a prominent issue in the world, and it will only get larger and more advanced. Because students are learning technology in schools it is wise to have the NETS. I actually was not aware of these standards, but in reading them, it makes sense to have. In order to provide beneficial education in technology, a teacher needs to know what a student should understand by certain grade levels. The NETS, of course, provides this framework. I also like the fact that the NETS address the nature and impact of technology because it provides the students with an understanding of the benefits and trade-offs of technology.


NJCCCS:
As I stated about the NETS, I think the New Jersey standards also provide a framework for teachers to know what the student should be familiar with and knowledgeable about in each subject area. I feel that the New Jersey standards comprise in detail what students should know at the end of each grade level. This is a tremendous benefit to me because I can look at them throughout the school year and be sure that I am covering or have dealt with certain areas with my students. At my school we need to provide the standards that we are encompassing in our plan books. We are also required to display the standards on our bulletin boards next to the students’ work.