Taking this course definitely opened my eyes to the "new" Web around me that I never considered. I never would have imagined I would have my own Blog, or be tagging my own websites for other educators to look at. There were many different skills that I learned to use that I never would have thought about and am lucky I do now. Using delicious for example, what a great tool for educators! I've shown it to many of my friends (who are educators) and they love it. The way that we can all look at and share different educational websites is a tremendous asset. Sometimes when working on lessons, or looking for new ideas the Internet is like a messy cupboard in your house. You may find things that interest you or seem useful at some point in the future, but not at this moment. Those are the web pages that eat you up as an educator when you are looking for new ideas and have a fading memory of a website you stumbled across but can't find now. With delicious I can save those webpages and it does not become a large list that defeats the purpose of saving them to start with.
Another interesting part to this journey is now how cognizant I am of the intricacies that go into Web Design. For only a few hours a week I became a Web Designer and I was not what I would call "gifted". It only then gives me an appreciation for large scale websites that have loads of information but are still easy to navigate. There is an unsaid art to that ease of access that until you try your hand at it, you don't appreciate.
Many of my life-long goals were altered in this course because I want to be a technology savvy teacher. I really thought that simply knowing how to use Microsoft Excell, or Powerpoint meant I had the tools I need to bring technology into the classroom. I was completely in over-my-head and wrong when thinking that's all it takes to know how to bring technology to a room full of students. I will have to make a conscious effort to continue to blog, make site lists, and safe bookmarks for my students and learn how to guide my students along the "Information Superhighway".
A huge outcome from this course that I did not expect to have was a critical view of the Internet. I simply viewed the Internet as a means for recreation and did not take seriously it's educational implications. The many ways that teachers are using the Internet now to bring course material to life is absolutely amazing. Seeing websites like GoogleScholar, or TeacherTube really sends this message home. The many different ways that the Internet can be used to increase education not limit it, is astounding. I remember when I first heard people talking about using the Internet in classrooms I was skeptical and apprehensive. All I envisioned was a room full of teenage boys searching for things that they shouldn't be and me receiving an Inbox full of furious parents. However, using some of the tools we have discussed in this course those fears and apprehensions I was had a rapidly disappearing.
There are always many great positives in a course but also negatives. I think the layout of this course runs fine aside form the discussion forum. The discussion forum through Angel seems so primitive and lackluster when compared to all the exciting new tools we research and use in the course. It is like reading about the Internet and all the great things we can do and then being assigned to write an essay on it with a pen and paper. I feel like the discussion aspect really bridles our creativity and the means of expression that we can use for something as fun and new as the content of this course. Perhaps an entire classroom blog or something would be better, but it seems so fragmented when our only interaction with our peers are through writing prompts on a discussion board. There is not a definitive answer to this problem however, or at least I don't know it, but it is the only glaring downside to such an exciting course.
If another exploratory course such as this was created, I would like to be a part of it. I think it is fun and exciting to explore new forms of thinking or tools and see how we can modify that to work within the educational field. The ability to pioneer new pedagogical approaches and insights is always something I enjoy being a part of and hope I get to do again.
Monday, August 16, 2010
Monday, July 19, 2010
Webliography of Social Studies Grades 7-12
1. The War- located at www.pbs.org/thewar/
This resource is an online tool to accompany a PBS series on World War II. As it describes on the web page, it is a series that goes into depth the effect World War II had on lives of those who took part in it. The audience can range and it's intentions are to be purely educational. Through capturing the catastrophic events that took place in the War and how it changed the lives of millions, the viewer can appreciate the sacrifices many made during this conflict. Would be ideal for a Social Studies classroom. Has in depth toolbars that would make this a great supplemental tool for any unit plan. The site is vivid and would allow for students to explore at their leisure the different aspects of World War II.
Selling Points: The different ethnicities and backgrounds of people that this site focuses on allows for all students to get behind the course content. There is a teacher section which provides links to lesson plans, and snapshot activities.
Downside: There are some sections which are wordy and may be difficult for some readers who struggle. The lack of "Flash" and media may leave some students disinterested.
2. Asia for Educators - located http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/tps/1900.htm
This website courtesy of Columbia University provides an in-depth educational resource for Asian history. The site is a trove of resources on all Asian history through many nations. It has links to all aspects of lives for each nation which could be extremely useful for teachers at all levels. Would be ideal for brushing up on some specifics before lessons or providing gifted students with a site for in-depth further reading.
Selling Points: Great timeline that can illustrate visually the different levels and events that took place in the different nations. Great links. The site is well broken down into different genres within the histories of each nation.
Downside: Some of the material can be quite in-depth and may be over the head of some readers. The site may be best used in accordance with specific pages bookmarked and not in a free search. Too much information may frustrate and confuse some students and actually detract from their curiousity not increase it.
3. SCORE: The Great War and Popular Culture - Teachers Edition -www.sdcoe.k12.ca.us/score/wwivm/wwivmtg.htm
Great resource developed by California educators for World War I. Many different sections that are intended to immerse students into the time period from a variety of ways. This site offers a great student vocabulary glossary which could be extremely useful for review and also, an art exhibit. The sound and music piece of the site can appeal to the cultural side of students and give them a more non-traditional view of the conflict.
Selling Point: Many different cultural links to pieces from the World War I time era. Good student glossary and could be great for student vocabulary building. Has tools for lesson plans and could work well with readings.
Downside: The layout of the website is not the most visually appeasing. It can be hard to navigate and not all the links work. Some of the songs are not censored and you do need to be cautious.
4. U.S. Enters the Korean Conflict: located at www.achives.gov/education/lessons/korean-conflict/
Great site that shows ways to teach a lesson on the Korean War with primary documents. The site is not made to be visually appealling, but rather has an ample supply of information. There are numerous links to other lessons and sources to aid in the teaching of the Korean War.
Selling Point: Does a great job of showing the best way to use primary source documents in a lesson. A big selling point for this site is that it includes state standards. The main audience for this site is teachers for secondary education. Does a great job breaking down the conflict in the introduction.
Downside: Not for students and exclusively for teachers. Not many primary documents for the Korean War on the site. Does not have many pictures or visual tools to incorporate with the lesson.
5. Teachers.tv - Lesson idea for Apartheid and Nazi Germany: www.teachers.tv/videos/great-secondary-lesson-ideas-apartheid-and-nazi-germany
An exceptional site that presents new and exciting lesson plan ideas. This site is great because it shows the new way to do the lessons through videos. The site is intended for pre-service and practicing teachers. Working from this specific site are many other jumping points for different lessons.
Selling Point- Great tools that are downloadable. Many classroom resources that are physical and great for student use. The video makes the ideas very clear and easy to understand.
Downside: The site really does an exceptional job of everything it sets out to accomplish. There are very little downsides for this site except that it does not apply standards to the lessons.
6. Discovey Education - Lesson Plans for Teachers Grades 9-12: Located at http://school.discoveryeducation.com/lessonplans/9-12.html
An exceptional website that has many great resources for teachers. It is an overview of the different subjects and different grade levels with lesson plans. What separates this from many other sites is the vast array of media to accompany each lesson and information.
Selling point: Great site aimed at all levels of education. Provides links to many lesson plans with different approaches and standards. The media that accompanies the lesson plans really allows for these lessons to come alive. Breaks down lessons well with materials and a direct approach.
Downside: The information on this website is aimed at teacher's so there is little room for student involvement in many of the pages. There are other pages and sites through discovery education for students however.
7. Teaching Grade 6-12 Economics Concepts - located at http://ecedweb.unomaha.edu/K-12/6-12concepts.cfm
This site does a great job breaking down different concepts through Economics and how they correspond with State Standards. This site is unfortunately for Nebraska but it does have standards for the United States. Breaks down the concepts alphabetically and the years at which they should be taught. Provides lessons and ways that each concept can be worked into a days teaching.
Selling Point: The site is extremely well broken down through different standards. It is quite easy for teachers to read which standards they are teaching to and the natural progression of each concept.
Downside: Obviously for any educator outside of Nebraska the standards will need to be re-evaluated but the U.S. standards will apply. Can be difficult to navigate with some dead links. Sometimes can be hard to return to previous pages. Not the best site but does help with economics lessons.
8. Communism and Containment - Located at http://score.rims.k12.ca.us./activity/communism
Site that provides an interesting activity for students when learning about Communism and Containment. Provides many different activities for students and concepts surrounding the difficult time in American history. Good lesson because it makes students more familiar with using primary documents and their analysis. It also shows the ways that government orders can have long lasting effects.
Selling Point - Gives many different options for student activities. All students should be able to find an avenue of excitement and curiousity through the many different ways for assessment. Breaks down the issues in the lesson well and presents the students with clear objectives. Glossary can be helpful to the student.
Downside - Not many visuals for students and little to navigate through the site. There are not many examples of the standards met by doing this activity. Not many photos or visual examples.
9. Richard Nixon - For Teachers - located at http://www.nixonlibrary.gov/forteachers/index.php
Interesting website that has links to a variety of different sources such as photos, tapes, and lesson plans. The detail that this website goes into throughout Richard Nixon's term as President is quite impressive. The website provides everything that a teacher could look for with assessments, worksheets, and timelines. This website is aimed at teachers specifically, but students could benefit from the different medias available to get a different view of Nixon and some of the conflicts of the time.
Selling Points: Great links to lessons that include standards, media, and primary documents. The site is short and to the point, but easy to navigate. The different historical eras that the site covers makes the many lessons extremely useful. The speeches offered give great potential for primary document analysis.
Downside: Not ideal for students, and mainly for teachers. There is a limited selection of the lessons available on the selection and other media.
10. American Educational History Timeline - located at http://www.cloudnet.com/~edrbsass/educationhistorytimeline.html
This site is simply a detailed timeline illustrating pivotal events through American History. It is the main supplemental piece for a lesson that is linked in the main toolbar. Divided through hundred year increments the many events are easy to sift through. Both teachers and students can benefit from using this site. Should be used strictly as a review piece and not a focal part of a lesson. The reading level could be subject and something to be cautioned with if assigning this as a review source.
Selling Point: Well broken down and short listings. The information is extremely easy to pass through quickly and skim over. The glossary is intricate and aids in comprehension greatly. Has a lesson plan to work with the timeline. This site does a great job staying strictly focused on American history.
Downside: Very little media to keep the reader's attention. The quick entries make it hard to go into depth on any real subject and limit this timeline to strictly review pieces. The lesson and timeline is aimed at high school students so it is of no use to those in lower levels.
This resource is an online tool to accompany a PBS series on World War II. As it describes on the web page, it is a series that goes into depth the effect World War II had on lives of those who took part in it. The audience can range and it's intentions are to be purely educational. Through capturing the catastrophic events that took place in the War and how it changed the lives of millions, the viewer can appreciate the sacrifices many made during this conflict. Would be ideal for a Social Studies classroom. Has in depth toolbars that would make this a great supplemental tool for any unit plan. The site is vivid and would allow for students to explore at their leisure the different aspects of World War II.
Selling Points: The different ethnicities and backgrounds of people that this site focuses on allows for all students to get behind the course content. There is a teacher section which provides links to lesson plans, and snapshot activities.
Downside: There are some sections which are wordy and may be difficult for some readers who struggle. The lack of "Flash" and media may leave some students disinterested.
2. Asia for Educators - located http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/tps/1900.htm
This website courtesy of Columbia University provides an in-depth educational resource for Asian history. The site is a trove of resources on all Asian history through many nations. It has links to all aspects of lives for each nation which could be extremely useful for teachers at all levels. Would be ideal for brushing up on some specifics before lessons or providing gifted students with a site for in-depth further reading.
Selling Points: Great timeline that can illustrate visually the different levels and events that took place in the different nations. Great links. The site is well broken down into different genres within the histories of each nation.
Downside: Some of the material can be quite in-depth and may be over the head of some readers. The site may be best used in accordance with specific pages bookmarked and not in a free search. Too much information may frustrate and confuse some students and actually detract from their curiousity not increase it.
3. SCORE: The Great War and Popular Culture - Teachers Edition -www.sdcoe.k12.ca.us/score/wwivm/wwivmtg.htm
Great resource developed by California educators for World War I. Many different sections that are intended to immerse students into the time period from a variety of ways. This site offers a great student vocabulary glossary which could be extremely useful for review and also, an art exhibit. The sound and music piece of the site can appeal to the cultural side of students and give them a more non-traditional view of the conflict.
Selling Point: Many different cultural links to pieces from the World War I time era. Good student glossary and could be great for student vocabulary building. Has tools for lesson plans and could work well with readings.
Downside: The layout of the website is not the most visually appeasing. It can be hard to navigate and not all the links work. Some of the songs are not censored and you do need to be cautious.
4. U.S. Enters the Korean Conflict: located at www.achives.gov/education/lessons/korean-conflict/
Great site that shows ways to teach a lesson on the Korean War with primary documents. The site is not made to be visually appealling, but rather has an ample supply of information. There are numerous links to other lessons and sources to aid in the teaching of the Korean War.
Selling Point: Does a great job of showing the best way to use primary source documents in a lesson. A big selling point for this site is that it includes state standards. The main audience for this site is teachers for secondary education. Does a great job breaking down the conflict in the introduction.
Downside: Not for students and exclusively for teachers. Not many primary documents for the Korean War on the site. Does not have many pictures or visual tools to incorporate with the lesson.
5. Teachers.tv - Lesson idea for Apartheid and Nazi Germany: www.teachers.tv/videos/great-secondary-lesson-ideas-apartheid-and-nazi-germany
An exceptional site that presents new and exciting lesson plan ideas. This site is great because it shows the new way to do the lessons through videos. The site is intended for pre-service and practicing teachers. Working from this specific site are many other jumping points for different lessons.
Selling Point- Great tools that are downloadable. Many classroom resources that are physical and great for student use. The video makes the ideas very clear and easy to understand.
Downside: The site really does an exceptional job of everything it sets out to accomplish. There are very little downsides for this site except that it does not apply standards to the lessons.
6. Discovey Education - Lesson Plans for Teachers Grades 9-12: Located at http://school.discoveryeducation.com/lessonplans/9-12.html
An exceptional website that has many great resources for teachers. It is an overview of the different subjects and different grade levels with lesson plans. What separates this from many other sites is the vast array of media to accompany each lesson and information.
Selling point: Great site aimed at all levels of education. Provides links to many lesson plans with different approaches and standards. The media that accompanies the lesson plans really allows for these lessons to come alive. Breaks down lessons well with materials and a direct approach.
Downside: The information on this website is aimed at teacher's so there is little room for student involvement in many of the pages. There are other pages and sites through discovery education for students however.
7. Teaching Grade 6-12 Economics Concepts - located at http://ecedweb.unomaha.edu/K-12/6-12concepts.cfm
This site does a great job breaking down different concepts through Economics and how they correspond with State Standards. This site is unfortunately for Nebraska but it does have standards for the United States. Breaks down the concepts alphabetically and the years at which they should be taught. Provides lessons and ways that each concept can be worked into a days teaching.
Selling Point: The site is extremely well broken down through different standards. It is quite easy for teachers to read which standards they are teaching to and the natural progression of each concept.
Downside: Obviously for any educator outside of Nebraska the standards will need to be re-evaluated but the U.S. standards will apply. Can be difficult to navigate with some dead links. Sometimes can be hard to return to previous pages. Not the best site but does help with economics lessons.
8. Communism and Containment - Located at http://score.rims.k12.ca.us./activity/communism
Site that provides an interesting activity for students when learning about Communism and Containment. Provides many different activities for students and concepts surrounding the difficult time in American history. Good lesson because it makes students more familiar with using primary documents and their analysis. It also shows the ways that government orders can have long lasting effects.
Selling Point - Gives many different options for student activities. All students should be able to find an avenue of excitement and curiousity through the many different ways for assessment. Breaks down the issues in the lesson well and presents the students with clear objectives. Glossary can be helpful to the student.
Downside - Not many visuals for students and little to navigate through the site. There are not many examples of the standards met by doing this activity. Not many photos or visual examples.
9. Richard Nixon - For Teachers - located at http://www.nixonlibrary.gov/forteachers/index.php
Interesting website that has links to a variety of different sources such as photos, tapes, and lesson plans. The detail that this website goes into throughout Richard Nixon's term as President is quite impressive. The website provides everything that a teacher could look for with assessments, worksheets, and timelines. This website is aimed at teachers specifically, but students could benefit from the different medias available to get a different view of Nixon and some of the conflicts of the time.
Selling Points: Great links to lessons that include standards, media, and primary documents. The site is short and to the point, but easy to navigate. The different historical eras that the site covers makes the many lessons extremely useful. The speeches offered give great potential for primary document analysis.
Downside: Not ideal for students, and mainly for teachers. There is a limited selection of the lessons available on the selection and other media.
10. American Educational History Timeline - located at http://www.cloudnet.com/~edrbsass/educationhistorytimeline.html
This site is simply a detailed timeline illustrating pivotal events through American History. It is the main supplemental piece for a lesson that is linked in the main toolbar. Divided through hundred year increments the many events are easy to sift through. Both teachers and students can benefit from using this site. Should be used strictly as a review piece and not a focal part of a lesson. The reading level could be subject and something to be cautioned with if assigning this as a review source.
Selling Point: Well broken down and short listings. The information is extremely easy to pass through quickly and skim over. The glossary is intricate and aids in comprehension greatly. Has a lesson plan to work with the timeline. This site does a great job staying strictly focused on American history.
Downside: Very little media to keep the reader's attention. The quick entries make it hard to go into depth on any real subject and limit this timeline to strictly review pieces. The lesson and timeline is aimed at high school students so it is of no use to those in lower levels.
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