My last post discussed the Illinois eLearning initiative. In this post, I would like to discuss the response I received from Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach regarding my first post.
To review, my first post discussed what schools and states do in regard to the changing technology standards and teacher preparation. I examined an article posted on Education World, regarding Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach’s experience training students and teachers alike in technology. After posting my analysis on my blog, Ms. Beach responded by telling me about two more websites that detailed her work with preservice teachers.
The first site directed me to the 21st Century Collaborative page, found at Preservice Class Wiki for a course entitled Edu 330, Tech Enhanced Learning, which essentially trained teachers in various technology and Internet based tools, much like are offered in our class. Clicking on the main home link brought me back to the same page, but, Ms. Nussbaum-Beach offered me, as her second link, a link to her homepage on the 21st Century Collaborative, found at Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach. I wanted to discover more about this 21st Century Collaborative, so I followed a link I found on her webpage marked 21st Century Learning, which lead me to a whitepaper, which described the work that described an organization called the Alabama Best Practices Center, or ABPC. They work with schools in order to train teachers from schools in how to become more technologically oriented. Nussbaum-Beach developed the curriculum, and the teams established a virtual community. ABPC has been offered assistance by Microsoft, and ABPC works with selected schools throughout Alabama.
To switch gears, I wanted to complete this posting with what I discovered about what specifically Illinois does to make sure its teachers are technologically savvy. Perusing the Illinois State Board of Education website, under Curriculum and Instruction, one will find a link to the National Educational Technology Standards, published by the International Society for Technology in Education. Interestingly enough, under this link on the ISBE website, one can find the link to the Illinois Content Area Standards for Teachers. This document contains eight specific standards for all teachers, regardless of content area. They are:
1) Basic Computer/Technology Operations and Concepts
2) Personal and Professional Use of Technology
3) Application of Technology In Instruction
4) Social, Ethical, and Human Issues
5) Productivity Tools
6) Telecommunications and Information Access
7) Research, Problem Solving, and Product Development
8) Information Literacy Skills
These standards closely mirror the National Educational Technology Standards for both teachers and students. It seems like Illinois is trying to figure out a good way to integrate these standards, thus borrowing heavily from ISTE. However, in terms of new teachers, I skimmed the Certification section of the ISBE website, only to find no mention of technology. It seems, as stated earlier, that Illinois is trying to get up to the level set by states like Virginia, but we are not quite there yet.
So what does this mean? Essentially, because education is a state-specific entity, states will largely determine what they feel is “sufficient” for teachers in terms of technology. While Illinois does not mandate an assessment test or the creation of a technology portfolio, this does not preclude the fact that one day this may be a requirement. With the ever changing nature of the teacher certification process, this may not be that unrealistic of a situation. Right now, Illinois simply refers to the NETS standards, and seems to be creating Illinois teacher standards out of them. It will be interesting to see how this continues to develop.
21st Century Collaborative. (2007). Blog. In ABPC 21st Century Collaborative. Retrieved May 28, 2007,
from http://21stcenturylearning.typepad.com/blog/
21st Century Collaborative. (2007). Course Description. In Tech Enhanced Learning. Retrieved May 28,
2007, from http://techenhancedlearning.wikispaces.com/
Illinois State Board of Education. (n.d.). Illinois Content Area Technology Standards for All Teachers
[Data file]. Retrieved May 28, 2007, from
http://isbe.net/profprep/CASCDvr/pdfs/24120_coretechnology.pdf
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Thursday, May 24, 2007
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Site of the week #4
http://www.architectstudio3d.org/AS3d/index.html: Architect’s Studio is a fun website that many students enjoy. Created by the Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Society, this is an interactive website that contains biographical information on Wright as well as a very fascinating interactive game that allows students to build homes for specific clients’ needs. It allows students to save their drawings, which they can retrieve by password. After the student has completed the home, they can then look at it using a variety of perspectives. It also possesses a page for teachers and librarians. Learning Standards: Technology: Technology productivity tools. Students use technology tools to enhance learning, increase productivity, and promote creativity. Students use productivity tools to collaborate in constructing technology-enhanced models, prepare publications, and produce other creative works. Technology problem-solving and decision-making tools: Students use technology resources for solving problems and making informed decisions. Students employ technology in the development of strategies for solving problems in the real world. Fine Arts: 26: Through creating and performing, understand how works of art are produced.
Site of the Week #3 - Emailed 5/9/07
http://myhero.com/myhero/: The Hero Project: This is a wonderful
website that I encouraged the fourth grade teacher to use in a Social
Studies project regarding inventors. This website is a basic directory
of notable people who have made a difference in the world. Each person
has a profile, as well as reference links on the bottom of the page,
for further research. The website is written at approximately a sixth
grade reading level, but students are encouraged to leave postings
regarding their heroes. There is also a very nice Teacher section on
this website, full of lesson plans and resources. Learning Standards:
Social Studies: A. Apply the skills of historical analysis and
interpretation. Early Elementary: 16.A.1c Describe how people in
different times and places viewed the world in different ways. 16.B.1a
(US) Identify key individuals and events in the development of the
local community (e.g., Founders days, names of parks, streets, public
buildings). 16.B.1 (W) Explain the contributions of individuals and
groups who are featured in biographies, legends, folklore and
traditions. English/Language Arts: Use the language arts to acquire,
assess and communicate information. Early & Late Elementary, 5.A.1a
Identify questions and gather information. Middle School, 5.A.3a
Identify appropriate resources to solve problems or answer questions
through research.
website that I encouraged the fourth grade teacher to use in a Social
Studies project regarding inventors. This website is a basic directory
of notable people who have made a difference in the world. Each person
has a profile, as well as reference links on the bottom of the page,
for further research. The website is written at approximately a sixth
grade reading level, but students are encouraged to leave postings
regarding their heroes. There is also a very nice Teacher section on
this website, full of lesson plans and resources. Learning Standards:
Social Studies: A. Apply the skills of historical analysis and
interpretation. Early Elementary: 16.A.1c Describe how people in
different times and places viewed the world in different ways. 16.B.1a
(US) Identify key individuals and events in the development of the
local community (e.g., Founders days, names of parks, streets, public
buildings). 16.B.1 (W) Explain the contributions of individuals and
groups who are featured in biographies, legends, folklore and
traditions. English/Language Arts: Use the language arts to acquire,
assess and communicate information. Early & Late Elementary, 5.A.1a
Identify questions and gather information. Middle School, 5.A.3a
Identify appropriate resources to solve problems or answer questions
through research.
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Evidence Based Posting #3
After examining what Virginia does to make sure that new and current teachers do to meet technology standards, my next decision was to look at the Illinois State Board of Education website. I wanted to know if the state board directed any type of standard teacher assessment such as Virginia. From first glance at the website, Technology is not in any disconcernable place, but from experience, I know it is listed under Curriculum and Instruction. Venturing there, I noticed a link for eLearning. As a Technology Coordinator for a small south suburban parochial school, I have to admit some ignorance of the eLearning standards. Obviously, I had heard the tem bandied about at meetings (my school consistently is invited to the Southwest Cook Technology meetings). Thus, this post will attempt to examine the eLearning initiative, and what repercussions it has on teacher learning and certification.
After examining the Illinois Board of Education page on eLearning, I felt that I had not learned anything substantial. There were lists for grants, programs, and resources. One particular section interested me, specifically the Illinois Virtual High School.
Illinois Virtual High School is an online high school in the sense that one can take courses for credit which will transfer back to the home school, kind of like correspondence courses. According to the website, the Illinois Virtual High School has been in operation for six years and boasts that, “As of January, 2007 IVHS has: provided over 10,000 semester course enrollments to students throughout Illinois; had enrollments from 400 unique schools in Illinois; served students in 83 of the 102 counties in Illinois.” According to the informational packet provided on the website, the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy runs this program for the Illinois State Board of Education. Now, what kinds of courses are offered for students? One would believe that these would be technology related courses, but perusing their course list offers a different analysis.
For the 2007 Summer Term, IVHS is offering a variety of courses, not limited in any way to just technology courses. One can take Fine Arts, Literature, and other core high school curricular subjects. From the informational packet, one can be reassured that a student cannot earn a high school diploma through the IVHS, and it is the prerogative of the school district on whether or not actual accredited school credit can be earned. The informational packet does refer to this credit as correspondence, which I thought was very interesting. Of further interest, on the bottom of the website were logos for eClassroom and eCollege. Clicking on the eClassroom link brought me to their website, which told me that they were a corporate entity, which states that eClassroom “provides complete solutions for Virtual Schools.” This made me even more curious, as it appeared that this corporation provided the state of Illinois with the framework for eschools. Visiting the state website did not illuminate me further, as the eLearning spot on the website simply listed the websites for the IVHS, the Illinois Board of Education, and other links for distance learning.
Thus, it seems as this eLearning trend speaks to a more specific distance learning trend. In fact, when I did a Google define, this is exactly the definition I received. It does not specifically deal with technology learning in the sense of learning about technology and technology skills, for either the teacher or the student. It seems as though I will need to go specifically to the source of the Illinois Technology Standards, the National Educational Technology Standards website, before I can learn anything further about what specifically Illinois requires its teachers to know so they can teach and students to learn.
Works Cited
ECollege. (1999-2003). eClassroom. Retrieved May 16, 2007, from http://www.eclassroom.com/
Illinois State Board of Education. (n.d.). eLearning. In Illinois State Board of Education. Retrieved May 16, 2007, from http://www.isbe.net/curriculum/elearning/default.htm
Illinois Virtual High School. (2007, May 9). Retrieved May 16, 2007, from
http://www.ivhs.org/index.learn?bhcp=1
Illinois Virtual High Schools. (2001, October). Information Packet (4th ed.) [Brochure]. Retrieved May 16, 2007, from: http://www.imsa.edu/programs/ivhs/pdfs/IVHS_Information_packet.pdf
After examining the Illinois Board of Education page on eLearning, I felt that I had not learned anything substantial. There were lists for grants, programs, and resources. One particular section interested me, specifically the Illinois Virtual High School.
Illinois Virtual High School is an online high school in the sense that one can take courses for credit which will transfer back to the home school, kind of like correspondence courses. According to the website, the Illinois Virtual High School has been in operation for six years and boasts that, “As of January, 2007 IVHS has: provided over 10,000 semester course enrollments to students throughout Illinois; had enrollments from 400 unique schools in Illinois; served students in 83 of the 102 counties in Illinois.” According to the informational packet provided on the website, the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy runs this program for the Illinois State Board of Education. Now, what kinds of courses are offered for students? One would believe that these would be technology related courses, but perusing their course list offers a different analysis.
For the 2007 Summer Term, IVHS is offering a variety of courses, not limited in any way to just technology courses. One can take Fine Arts, Literature, and other core high school curricular subjects. From the informational packet, one can be reassured that a student cannot earn a high school diploma through the IVHS, and it is the prerogative of the school district on whether or not actual accredited school credit can be earned. The informational packet does refer to this credit as correspondence, which I thought was very interesting. Of further interest, on the bottom of the website were logos for eClassroom and eCollege. Clicking on the eClassroom link brought me to their website, which told me that they were a corporate entity, which states that eClassroom “provides complete solutions for Virtual Schools.” This made me even more curious, as it appeared that this corporation provided the state of Illinois with the framework for eschools. Visiting the state website did not illuminate me further, as the eLearning spot on the website simply listed the websites for the IVHS, the Illinois Board of Education, and other links for distance learning.
Thus, it seems as this eLearning trend speaks to a more specific distance learning trend. In fact, when I did a Google define, this is exactly the definition I received. It does not specifically deal with technology learning in the sense of learning about technology and technology skills, for either the teacher or the student. It seems as though I will need to go specifically to the source of the Illinois Technology Standards, the National Educational Technology Standards website, before I can learn anything further about what specifically Illinois requires its teachers to know so they can teach and students to learn.
Works Cited
ECollege. (1999-2003). eClassroom. Retrieved May 16, 2007, from http://www.eclassroom.com/
Illinois State Board of Education. (n.d.). eLearning. In Illinois State Board of Education. Retrieved May 16, 2007, from http://www.isbe.net/curriculum/elearning/default.htm
Illinois Virtual High School. (2007, May 9). Retrieved May 16, 2007, from
http://www.ivhs.org/index.learn?bhcp=1
Illinois Virtual High Schools. (2001, October). Information Packet (4th ed.) [Brochure]. Retrieved May 16, 2007, from: http://www.imsa.edu/programs/ivhs/pdfs/IVHS_Information_packet.pdf
Wednesday, May 2, 2007
Evidence Based Post #2 – Teacher Standards in Technology
In my last post, I discussed what teachers and schools are doing to meet the requirements of the “new literacies” as discussed in our course text. I talked about the various expectations the government has regarding teacher preparation programs and what districts are doing to make sure that their teachers are adequately prepared to teach these new literacies. My search brought me to the “Technology Standards for Instructional Personnel” assessment, mentioned in an article by Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach, in regards to the W.T. Cooke Elementary School. I found it interesting that the teachers at this school were required to take this kind of an assessment and wondered if it was mandated anywhere else.
My first path of inquiry was to simply type the phrase into my Google search engine. The results were interesting as it quickly became apparent to me that the only state to have a teacher assessment test called the “Technology Standards for Instructional Personnel” was Virginia. This search lead me to the Frederick County Public Schools webpage. On the Staff page, prominently displayed under Technology Links are two PDF documents. The first is titled Technology Standards for Instructional Personnel Information Sheet and the second is titled Technology Standards for Instructional Personnel Certification Form. The first is simply an informative sheet detailing the specific guidelines for certification in the state of Virginia as it relates to technology. Described in this document are the specific requirements that one seeking certification in Virginia MUST meet in order to get an Initial Certificate. According to this document, one must be proficient in technology to get a certificate in Virginia.
According to the document, any teacher who needs to renew their certificate after July 1, 2007 must meet proficiency in technology. The document goes on to say that the way one could do this is by filling out the certification form on the website, and meeting with a renewal advisor. In order to fill out this form, one must complete competencies, which can be met by taking classes in specific applications, i.e. Word, Windows, etc., or by completing a portfolio. In my estimation, the first choice, class work, was much easier because Frederick County offered free classes.
Going a step further, I decided to peruse the Virginia Board of Education website to see if there was any further information and to see what Virginia required of its Initial certification candidates. When I went to the Teacher licensure page, I scrolled down looking for a reference to technology and found a document entitled, “Technology Standards for Instructional Personnel.” This document was ratified in March 1998! This document sets the standards for what all schools, as well as teacher preparation programs, must do in order to make sure they have compliant teachers. The list of technology standards is fairly short, but the Technology Standards for Instructional Personnel was pretty specific, as Technology Standards for Instructional Personnel (8 VAC 20-25-10) states, “
E.Course work in technology shall satisfy the content requirement for licensure renewal for license holders who do not have a master’s degree.
F.School divisions shall incorporate the technology standards into their local technology plans and develop strategies to implement the standards by December 1998.
G.Institutions of higher education shall incorporate technology standards in their approved program requirements and assess students’ demonstrated proficiency of the standards by December 1998.”
Now, it looks as though any educator who does not possess a Master’s degree needs to meet compliance, but those who do, do not have to worry about a technology requirement. It is my understanding that Frederick County Public Schools are simply doing what every other district in Virginia is doing when it requires its teacher to prove proficiency.
My next posting will delve into this further as well as examine what Illinois does in terms of this issue.
Sources Cited:
Frederick County Public Schools. (n.d.). Staff Information Page. In Frederick County Public Schools. Retrieved May 2, 2007, from http://www.frederick.k12.va.us/education/components/scrapbook/default.php?sectiondetailid=521&sc_id=1158714920
Frederick County Public Schools. (February 2007). Technology Standards for Instructional Personnel Information Sheet [Data file]. Retrieved May 2, 2007, from http://www.frederick.k12.va.us/education/sctemp/3f0f3da81769c23a98edb0b00f2b0ab7/1178150447/TSIP_InfoSheet_07.pdf
Virginia Board of Education. (1998, March 4). Technology Standards for Instructional Personnel. InVirginia State Board of Education. Retrieved May 2, 2007, from http://www.pen.k12.va.us/VDOE/Compliance/TeacherED/tech.html
My first path of inquiry was to simply type the phrase into my Google search engine. The results were interesting as it quickly became apparent to me that the only state to have a teacher assessment test called the “Technology Standards for Instructional Personnel” was Virginia. This search lead me to the Frederick County Public Schools webpage. On the Staff page, prominently displayed under Technology Links are two PDF documents. The first is titled Technology Standards for Instructional Personnel Information Sheet and the second is titled Technology Standards for Instructional Personnel Certification Form. The first is simply an informative sheet detailing the specific guidelines for certification in the state of Virginia as it relates to technology. Described in this document are the specific requirements that one seeking certification in Virginia MUST meet in order to get an Initial Certificate. According to this document, one must be proficient in technology to get a certificate in Virginia.
According to the document, any teacher who needs to renew their certificate after July 1, 2007 must meet proficiency in technology. The document goes on to say that the way one could do this is by filling out the certification form on the website, and meeting with a renewal advisor. In order to fill out this form, one must complete competencies, which can be met by taking classes in specific applications, i.e. Word, Windows, etc., or by completing a portfolio. In my estimation, the first choice, class work, was much easier because Frederick County offered free classes.
Going a step further, I decided to peruse the Virginia Board of Education website to see if there was any further information and to see what Virginia required of its Initial certification candidates. When I went to the Teacher licensure page, I scrolled down looking for a reference to technology and found a document entitled, “Technology Standards for Instructional Personnel.” This document was ratified in March 1998! This document sets the standards for what all schools, as well as teacher preparation programs, must do in order to make sure they have compliant teachers. The list of technology standards is fairly short, but the Technology Standards for Instructional Personnel was pretty specific, as Technology Standards for Instructional Personnel (8 VAC 20-25-10) states, “
E.Course work in technology shall satisfy the content requirement for licensure renewal for license holders who do not have a master’s degree.
F.School divisions shall incorporate the technology standards into their local technology plans and develop strategies to implement the standards by December 1998.
G.Institutions of higher education shall incorporate technology standards in their approved program requirements and assess students’ demonstrated proficiency of the standards by December 1998.”
Now, it looks as though any educator who does not possess a Master’s degree needs to meet compliance, but those who do, do not have to worry about a technology requirement. It is my understanding that Frederick County Public Schools are simply doing what every other district in Virginia is doing when it requires its teacher to prove proficiency.
My next posting will delve into this further as well as examine what Illinois does in terms of this issue.
Sources Cited:
Frederick County Public Schools. (n.d.). Staff Information Page. In Frederick County Public Schools. Retrieved May 2, 2007, from http://www.frederick.k12.va.us/education/components/scrapbook/default.php?sectiondetailid=521&sc_id=1158714920
Frederick County Public Schools. (February 2007). Technology Standards for Instructional Personnel Information Sheet [Data file]. Retrieved May 2, 2007, from http://www.frederick.k12.va.us/education/sctemp/3f0f3da81769c23a98edb0b00f2b0ab7/1178150447/TSIP_InfoSheet_07.pdf
Virginia Board of Education. (1998, March 4). Technology Standards for Instructional Personnel. InVirginia State Board of Education. Retrieved May 2, 2007, from http://www.pen.k12.va.us/VDOE/Compliance/TeacherED/tech.html
Educational Links Hotlist
Luciana Kelaiditis Frost
TIE-542-0
May 2, 2007
Hotlinks: These are links that I have found useful as a Technology Coordinator. Thus, I have tried to create a list that has some variety of disciplines and subjects
English/Language Arts
http://absoluteshakespeare.com/: Absolute Shakespeare: This is a great website for study on Shakespeare. This website is pretty definitive, as it has all the plays and sonnets, biography, films, pictures, facts and a lot more. It is a fairly user friendly site, but it is still highly academic. Learning Standards: English/Literature, Early High School Standard A. Understand how literary elements and techniques are used to convey meaning. 2.A.4c Describe relationships between the author’s style, literary form (e.g., short stories, novels, drama, fables, biographies, documentaries, poetry, essays) and intended effect on the reader.
www.noodletools.com: This is a great website for generating citations. While many teachers may not like it because it somewhat simplifies the citation process, it has many modules that are very helpful. I encourage my students to use it because students still need to have all of the necessary data in order to generate a citation, but the site also makes it clearer to the students exactly what they will need in order to cite something correctly. It is somewhat more helpful than the style manuals as it asks very specific questions about the citation, which is helpful as sometimes students do not know exactly what to do.
Students can purchase a subscription to this site and it will generate a Word document with your list of citations on it. It then acts as a virtual folder and will store your lists for as long as you keep your subscription. There is also a Noodlebib MLA starter and a component called Noodlebib Express which allows the student to work on a citation in either APA or MLA. Citations can then be copied and pasted into documents. There are also some nice resources for teachers regarding 21st century literacies, which is actually covered in our textbook and some links for collaborative learning. This is a fantastic site for students elementary through graduate. Learning Standards: English/Language Arts: 5: Use the language arts to acquire, assess and communicate information. B. Analyze and evaluate information acquired from various sources. Early & Late Elementary: 5.B.1b Cite sources used. Middle & Junior High: 5.B.3b Identify, evaluate and cite primary sources. Early High School: 5.B.4b Use multiple sources and multiple formats; cite according to standard style manuals. Late High School: 5.B.5b Credit primary and secondary sources in a form appropriate for presentation or publication for a particular audience.
http://www.storylineonline.net/: Book Pals Online: This website was created by the Screen Actors Guild and features a famous actor/actress reading aloud a storybook to the student. While the story is read by the actor, the story is then illustrated through Flash. It is highly interactive and has a short screen of related questions regarding the story, as well as alternate activities and a downloadable activity guide. It’s a very entertaining site, as they get actors that are kid-friendly, such as Amanda Bynes and Hilary Duff, and very good activities. Learning Standards: English/Language Arts: Reading: B. Apply reading strategies to improve understanding and fluency. Early Elementary: 1.B.1a Establish purposes for reading, make predictions, connect important ideas, and link text to previous experiences and knowledge. Late Elementary: 1.B.2a Establish purposes for reading; survey materials; ask questions; make predictions; connect, clarify and extend ideas. Early & Late Elementary: 1.B.1d Read age-appropriate material aloud with fluency and accuracy. C. Comprehend a broad range of reading materials. Early & Late Elementary: 1.C.1a Use information to form questions and verify predictions.
http://www.poets.org/: Poets.org is run by the Academy of American Poets and is a gigantic repository of poetry from predominantly English or British poets. One can search poets, specific poems and audio files of poetry. This is a great resource for students as they can also research poets as well. Learning Standards: English/Language Arts: Literature: 2: Read and understand literature representative of various societies, eras and ideas. Early Elementary: 2.A.1c Describe differences between prose and poetry. Late Elementary: 2.A.2c Identify definitive features of literary forms (e.g., realistic fiction, historical fiction, fantasy, narrative, nonfiction, biography, plays, electronic literary forms).Middle School: 2.A.3c Identify characteristics and authors of various literary forms (e.g., short stories, novels, drama, fables, biographies, documentaries, poetry, science fiction).
http://www.bartleby.com/: Bartelby.com is a repository of books and quotations. It has been in existence for several years, and continually adds books to its list. One can search by author, verse or title, as well as by fiction or nonfiction title. This is a very nice website to use for literary works that are in the public domain or just if one needs a quick quotation. Learning Standard: English/Language Arts: 2: Read and understand literature representative of various societies, eras and ideas. B. Read and interpret a variety of literary works.
http://www.shakespeares-globe.org/: Shakespeare’s Globe is a great website for further research on Shakespeare’s legendary theatre. Because the theatre is operational, this is a site that advertises the current play season as well as educational resources for students and teachers. Learning Standards: English/Literature, Early High School Standard A. Understand how literary elements and techniques are used to convey meaning. 2.A.4c Describe relationships between the author’s style, literary form (e.g., short stories, novels, drama, fables, biographies, documentaries, poetry, essays) and intended effect on the reader.
http://shakespeare.palomar.edu/: Mr. William Shakespeare and the Internet is another good resource for Shakespeare education. Although not as informative as other websites listed here, it is still a nice resource for original publications from Shakespeare. Learning Standards: English/Literature, Early High School Standard A. Understand how literary elements and techniques are used to convey meaning. 2.A.4c Describe relationships between the author’s style, literary form (e.g., short stories, novels, drama, fables, biographies, documentaries, poetry, essays) and intended effect on the reader.
http://www.folger.edu/template.cfm?cid=863: Folger Library- Shakespeare Resources: This is the website of one of the foremost publishers of Shakespeare’s work. This site offers Shakespeare for Kids, as well as information on his life and the plays. Learning Standards: English/Literature, Early High School Standard A. Understand how literary elements and techniques are used to convey meaning. 2.A.4c Describe relationships between the author’s style, literary form (e.g., short stories, novels, drama, fables, biographies, documentaries, poetry, essays) and intended effect on the reader.
http://www.webenglishteacher.com: Web English Teacher is a fantastic source for each component of Language Arts, from reading to research. This site offers links for every grade level and each possible unit of study within an English/Language Arts framework. There are dozens of links here for each possible book, play or poem that exists in a standard American English/Language Arts curriculum. On this website, one can find resources to fit each one of the English/Language Arts standards. This is probably one of the best English teaching websites out on the web today. Learning Standards: 1: Read with understanding and fluency. 2: Read and understand literature representative of various societies, eras and ideas. 3: Write to communicate for a variety of purposes. 5: Use the language arts to acquire, assess and communicate information.
http://en.wikipedia.org/: Wikipedia is a website that seems to generate a lot of controversy in educational circles. It is essentially an online encyclopedia but, like any wiki, can be updated by anybody on the Internet. I find it useful for students because it is user-friendly, written in a middle school/junior high reading level and each entry offers a variety of new links to follow for further research. Learning Standards: 5: Use the language arts to acquire, assess and communicate information. A. Locate, organize, and use information from various sources to answer questions, solve problems and communicate ideas. B. Analyze and evaluate information acquired from various sources. C. Apply acquired information, concepts and ideas to communicate in a variety of formats. Technology: Technology research tools: Students use technology to locate, evaluate, and collect information from a variety of sources. Students use technology tools to process data and report results. Students evaluate and select new information resources and technological innovations based on the appropriateness for specific tasks.
http://www.eduplace.com/kids/: Houghlin Mifflin Education Place for Kids is based on the Houghlin Mifflin series of textbooks, for grades K-6. This site assumes that the user has the textbook, thus it offers supplementary materials that tie into the reading selections in the text. It is broken up by grade level and is probably the most user friendly text based site I have encountered. Learning Standards: English/Language Arts: 1: Read with understanding and fluency. A. Apply word analysis and vocabulary skills to comprehend selections. Technology: Technology research tools. Students use technology to locate, evaluate, and collect information from a variety of sources.
Math
www.mathplayground.com.This website has won awards for the breadth of information it covers. Our students are encouraged to use this website at home as they have a really neat Flash module underneath the link www.mathplayground.com/flashcards.html. This is an interactive flash card game where our students can practice their fluency with addition, subtraction and multiplication. They can also print out flash cards to use offline. Learning Standards: This website works well to address Illinois Math Standard 6 -which addresses student numeration skills.
http://nlvm.usu.edu/en/nav/index.html: National Library of Virtual Manipulatives is a fantastic website that offers a variety of modules for students to practice all levels of math skills in a multitude of subjects: numbers and operations, algebra, geometry and much more. The best part about the website is that it has representative exercises in each grade level, so feasibly a student in Kindergarten could be working on a geometry skill. Learning Standards: Math: 6: Demonstrate and apply a knowledge and sense of numbers, including numeration and operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication, division), patterns, ratios and proportions. 7: Estimate, make and use measurements of objects, quantities and relationships and determine acceptable levels of accuracy. 8: Use algebraic and analytical methods to identify and describe patterns and relationships in data, solve problems and predict results. 9: Use geometric methods to analyze, categorize and draw conclusions about points, lines, planes and space. 10: Collect, organize and analyze data using statistical methods; predict results; and interpret uncertainty using concepts of probability. Technology: Technology productivity tools: Students use technology tools to enhance learning, increase productivity, and promote creativity.
Science
http://periodic.lanl.gov/default.htm: This website was developed and is maintained by the Los Alamos National Laboratory’s Chemistry Division. This website has information for all grade levels, but is primarily geared to middle school – high school students. Each element is a hyperlink to an explanation. This is specifically for information, and does not have much in terms of games. Learning Standards: Concepts and Principals: 12: Understand the fundamental concepts, principles and interconnections of the life, physical and earth/space sciences. C. Know and apply concepts that describe properties of matter and energy and the interactions between them.
http://www.chem4kids.com/files/elem_intro.html: Chem4Kids is an easier version of the Los Alamos website. It is geared for elementary school students, due to its graphics and reading level. There are more simplified explanations as well as online chemistry quizzes. There are also links to other scientific websites, such as astronomy and biology. This would be a very nice introductory website for students to look at in regards to chemistry and the periodic table. Learning Standards: Concepts and Principals: 12: Understand the fundamental concepts, principles and interconnections of the life, physical and earth/space sciences. C. Know and apply concepts that describe properties of matter and energy and the interactions between them.
http://www.chemicalelements.com/: Chemical Elements.com is another very basic website. It seems to be middle ability. The language is not difficult, but there is not much on this website in regards to games, which can be a good thing when a teacher is using this site for research. There are different ways in which to view the elements, and again, when one clicks on the specific element, a page is opened with information. As stated before, this is a good website for research. Learning Standards: Concepts and Principals: 12: Understand the fundamental concepts, principles and interconnections of the life, physical and earth/space sciences. C. Know and apply concepts that describe properties of matter and energy and the interactions between them.
http://www.all-science-fair-projects.com/: All Science Fair Projects.com is a comprehensive website that offers thousands of science fair projects. When my school offers the Science Fair, students are usually stumped on what subject to do and what type of project to try. This website offers viable ideas that are student appropriate, along with research links for the projects. Learning Standards: This website encompasses Science Goal 11 of Inquiry and Design: Understand the processes of scientific inquiry and technological design to investigate questions, conduct experiments and solve problems. A. Know and apply the concepts, principles and processes of scientific inquiry. B. Know and apply the concepts, principles and processes of technological design.
http://starchild.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/StarChild/StarChild.html: StarChild is a website run by NASA in order to promote learning in the subject of astronomy. This is a remarkably student-friendly website, with bright graphics and easy to navigate modules. It is broken down into Level 1 and Level 2, which offer the same information, but at different levels of reading ability. There is also a link here for “Go Imagine the Universe” which is geared for students 14 and up. This is a great starter website for units dealing with space. Learning Standards: Science: 12: Understand the fundamental concepts, principles and interconnections of the life, physical and earth/space sciences. F. Know and apply concepts that explain the composition and structure of the universe and Earth’s place in it.
http://www.windows.ucar.edu/: Windows to the Universe is a great website for astronomy lessons, but it also works in information about the Earth as well. It has a variety of great modules to explore weather conditions in space and Earth, significant people and history, as well as offering games. This is a good resource for space as well as weather lessons. Learning Standards: Science: 12: Understand the fundamental concepts, principles and interconnections of the life, physical and earth/space sciences. E. Know and apply concepts that describe the features and processes of the Earth and its resources. F. Know and apply concepts that explain the composition and structure of the universe and Earth’s place in it.
http://www.exploratorium.edu/: Exploratorium is a great multidisciplinary website that handles a variety of activities, but focuses primarily in science concepts. It does have a very nice educator module, as well as very interesting links to online and real life exhibits. Learning Standards: Science: 13: Understand the relationships among science, technology and society in historical and contemporary contexts. B. Know and apply concepts that describe the interaction between science, technology and society. Technology: Technology research tools: Students use technology to locate, evaluate, and collect information from a variety of sources. Students use technology tools to process data and report results. Students evaluate and select new information resources and technological innovations based on the appropriateness for specific tasks.
Social Studies
http://myhero.com/myhero/: The Hero Project: This is a wonderful website that I encouraged the fourth grade teacher to use in a Social Studies project regarding inventors. This website is a basic directory of notable people who have made a difference in the world. Each person has a profile, as well as reference links on the bottom of the page, for further research. The website is written at approximately a sixth grade reading level, but students are encouraged to leave postings regarding their heroes. There is also a very nice Teacher section on this website, full of lesson plans and resources. Learning Standards: Social Studies: A. Apply the skills of historical analysis and interpretation. Early Elementary: 16.A.1c Describe how people in different times and places viewed the world in different ways. 16.B.1a (US) Identify key individuals and events in the development of the local community (e.g., Founders days, names of parks, streets, public buildings). 16.B.1 (W) Explain the contributions of individuals and groups who are featured in biographies, legends, folklore and traditions. English/Language Arts: Use the language arts to acquire, assess and communicate information. Early & Late Elementary, 5.A.1a Identify questions and gather information. Middle School, 5.A.3a Identify appropriate resources to solve problems or answer questions through research.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/walk/index.shtml: This is the BBC’s website called “A Walk Through Time.” The website states that it is based primarily for 7-9 year olds. It is very easy to navigate and features a variety of sections including, “Odd-One Out” games, which offers an opportunity to walk down the street of a historical period, “Time Strip,” which is a highly interactive timeline, as well as several other historical modules. It also offers suggestions for non-computer related activities, such as interviewing a neighbor. There is a section for printable activities, as well as a teacher and parent guide. Learning Standards: Because of the caveat on the website regarding age, all standards relate to Early Elementary. A. Apply the skills of historical analysis and interpretation. 16.A.1a Explain the difference between past, present and future time; place themselves in time. 16.A.1b Ask historical questions and seek out answers from historical sources (e.g., myths, biographies, stories, old photographs, artwork, other visual or electronic sources).
http://www.50states.com/: 50states.com is a website that has a complete listing of states and relevant information. There are quite a bit of banner ads and advertising links, but this is a good site for basic informational facts about each one of the states. All facts are hyperlinked as well, in order for a student to do further research. Learning Standards: This website is fairly basic, so it really ties into the Social Studies/Geography standards: 17: Understand world geography and the effects of geography on society, with an emphasis on the United States. 17.A.1a Identify physical characteristics of places, both local and global (e.g., locations, roads, regions, bodies of water). 17.A.1b Identify the characteristics and purposes of geographic representations including maps, globes, graphs, photographs, software, digital images and be able to locate specific places using each.
http://bensguide.gpo.gov/benfranklin/: Ben’s Guide. This site is run by the U.S. Printing office, so it is a government owned site. This site offers much information on the different aspects of Benjamin Franklin’s life, as well as grade appropriate links to information about the government. Each link, labeled K-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-12, or Parent/Teacher, offers age appropriate information on a variety of subjects such as laws, government structure, and our nation’s history. There is also a downloadable book available on this site. Learning Standards: Because this site addresses every grade level, I will provide the basic standard. Political Systems: 14: Understand political systems, with an emphasis on the United States. A. Understand and explain basic principles of the United States government. B. Understand the structures and functions of the political systems of Illinois, the United States and other nations. C. Understand election processes and responsibilities of citizens. F. Understand the development of United States political ideas and traditions. Goal F. Understand the development of United States political ideas and traditions. B. Understand the development of significant political events.
http://www.gpoaccess.gov/coredocs.html: Core Documents of U.S. Democracy is a website maintained by the U.S. Government Printing Office and is linked to Ben’s Guide. This is a website that houses links to the Library of Congress to allow the student to examine important documents in American History. This is a nice site to use, as the documents are nicely divided by governmental branch and are fairly easy to follow. Learning Standards: Social Studies: Political Systems: 14: Understand political systems, with an emphasis on the United States. A. Understand and explain basic principles of the United States government. B. Understand the structures and functions of the political systems of Illinois, the United States and other nations. C. Understand election processes and responsibilities of citizens. F. Understand the development of United States political ideas and traditions. Goal F. Understand the development of United States political ideas and traditions. B. Understand the development of significant political events.16: Understand events, trends, individuals and movements shaping the history of Illinois, the United States and other nations. A. Apply the skills of historical analysis and interpretation. Technology: Technology research tools: Students use technology to locate, evaluate, and collect information from a variety of sources. Students use technology tools to process data and report results. Students evaluate and select new information resources and technological innovations based on the appropriateness for specific tasks.
http://www.gods-heros-myth.com/: World Mythology, Culture, and Religion website. This is a very cool website for research on mythology, culture and religion. It is a fairly reputable site, as contact information for the web developer is easy to find. This site also does not advocate any religion or culture, so it is a decent site to send children to. Learning Standards: Social Studies: 16: Understand events, trends, individuals and movements shaping the history of Illinois, the United States and other nations.
http://nobelprize.org/: Nobel Prize. This is the official website of the Nobel Foundation. Obviously, all of the winners can be found on this site, along with biographical information. But, it also offers scholastic whitepapers on the specific contributions of the laureate as well as fun interactive games based on authors, books or even economics. Learning Standards: Social Studies: 16: Understand events, trends, individuals and movements shaping the history of Illinois, the United States and other nations. English/Language Arts: 5: Use the language arts to acquire, assess and communicate information.
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/index.html: American Memory from the Library of Congress is a great Social Studies website. This website is divided into specific topics such as War or Women’s History and contains digital copies of the original historical documents. This is a great website to use because it is very user-friendly, as well as containing detailed explanations of the documents as well as digital pictures of the documents, so the students can really see what things looked like. Learning Standards: Social Studies: 16: Understand events, trends, individuals and movements shaping the history of Illinois, the United States and other nations. A. Apply the skills of historical analysis and interpretation. Technology: Technology research tools: Students use technology to locate, evaluate, and collect information from a variety of sources. Students use technology tools to process data and report results. Students evaluate and select new information resources and technological innovations based on the appropriateness for specific tasks.
http://www.history.com/: The History Channel runs this website and it is highly interactive with many links to free multimedia content. There are also modules that focus specifically on U.S or World History, as well as many links to the programming that is available on the cable channel. This website also contains games and topics in history for students to examine. Learning Standards: Social Studies: 16: Understand events, trends, individuals and movements shaping the history of Illinois, the United States and other nations. A. Apply the skills of historical analysis and interpretation. Technology: Technology research tools: Students use technology to locate, evaluate, and collect information from a variety of sources. Students use technology tools to process data and report results. Students evaluate and select new information resources and technological innovations based on the appropriateness for specific tasks.
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/index.html: This is the National Geographic site. This is another outstanding site for use in the classroom, as it has many modules to use for student research. It contains a map module that is very similar to Google Earth. There are many links to interactive video and multimedia files, such as world music. Its child-friendly companion site also offers many educational resources and games. Learning Standards: Social Studies: Geography: 17: Understand world geography and the effects of geography on society, with an emphasis on the United States. A. Locate, describe and explain places, regions and features on the Earth. B. Analyze and explain characteristics and interactions of the Earth’s physical systems. C. Understand relationships between geographic factors and society. Technology: Technology research tools: Students use technology to locate, evaluate, and collect information from a variety of sources. Students use technology tools to process data and report results. Students evaluate and select new information resources and technological innovations based on the appropriateness for specific tasks.
Technology
http://www97.intel.com/discover/JourneyInside/TJI_Curriculum/default.aspx: This is Intel’s website for education. There are great flash movies on found on this website that are student narrated. These videos give students a simplified and highly comprehensible understanding of the inner and outer workings of the PC. This site also has modules for the Internet as well as online safety and responsibility. Learning Standards: Technology: Basic operations and concepts: 1) Students demonstrate a sound understanding of the nature and operation of technology systems. 2) Social, ethical, and human issues: 1) Students understand the ethical, cultural, and societal issues related to technology. 2) Students practice responsible use of technology systems, information, and software. 3) Students develop positive attitudes toward technology uses that support lifelong learning, collaboration, personal pursuits, and productivity.
http://www.pbs.org/: This is PBS’s official website. On its main page, sections are devoted to each specific subject area, such as Arts, Nature, and History. There are links to PBS podcasts as well. On the sidebar, there are links to the child sections of PBS, including interactive games that are connected to PBS programming. Underneath the child sections are sections for parents and teachers. The Parenting section has a lot of good information about information literacy and Internet safety. The Teacher section has resources divided up by subject, even though the main Teacher page is fairly based in advertising the programming. This is a huge site, filled with all subjects. Learning Standards: Technology: 3) Technology productivity tools: Students use technology tools to enhance learning, increase productivity, and promote creativity. 4) Technology communications tools: Students use telecommunications to collaborate, publish, and interact with peers, experts, and other audiences, Students use a variety of media and formats to communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences.
http://school.discovery.com/: Discovery School.com. This is a great website by The Learning Channel for students and teachers alike. There are a number of very good teaching resources on this website, but it also cannot be discounted in terms of student tools. There is a homework helper, a section called Puzzlemaker, which is an easy place for students to create puzzles, as well as a section called Learning Adventures. Learning Standards: This website covers many needs, but best fits within the Technology Standards. 3. Technology productivity tools: Students use technology tools to enhance learning, increase productivity, and promote creativity. Students use productivity tools to collaborate in constructing technology-enhanced models, prepare publications, and produce other creative works. 6. Technology problem-solving and decision-making tool: Students use technology resources for solving problems and making informed decisions.
http://www.howstuffworks.com/: How Stuff Works. This is an outstanding website for students and teachers alike, as well as anyone who needs to know how literally anything works. This website not only focuses on the technology end of “stuff,” but deals with a multitude of topics. Students can research and explore a variety of topics here, and the reading level is approximately eighth grade, thus it is fairly easy to follow the explanations. This site also offers links to other related topics, thus it is very circular. Learning Standards: This connects primarily to the Technology Standard 5) Technology research tools, Students use technology to locate, evaluate, and collect information from a variety of sources. 6) Technology problem-solving and decision-making tools. Students use technology resources for solving problems and making informed decisions. The research component ties into English/Language Arts Goal 5: Use the language arts to acquire, assess and communicate information. A. Locate, organize, and use information from various sources to answer questions, solve problems and communicate ideas.
http://www.pdictionary.com/: Internet Picture Library: This is a very nice alternative to Google images, especially for students. While there are banner ads and popups, this website does offer very good clip art and digital images for students to use in a variety of means. This website is fun for the students and offers them more art for their papers and presentations. Learning Standards: Technology productivity tools, 1) Students use technology tools to enhance learning, increase productivity, and promote creativity. 2) Students use productivity tools to collaborate in constructing technology-enhanced models, prepare publications, and produce other creative works.
http://www.google.com/Top/Kids_and_Teens/: This is the link to the Google search engines for kids and teens. This is a nice gateway for students to use Google, but without the massive amount of websites being displayed. The students can also learn more of the search techniques in this part of Google, as they can practice without having, again, multitudes of irrelevant sites come up. Learning Standards: Technology: Technology productivity tools: 1) Students use technology tools to enhance learning, increase productivity, and promote creativity. 2) Students use productivity tools to collaborate in constructing technology-enhanced models, prepare publications, and produce other creative works. English/Language Arts Learning Standards: 5: Use the language arts to acquire, assess and communicate information. A. Locate, organize, and use information from various sources to answer questions, solve problems and communicate ideas. B. Analyze and evaluate information acquired from various sources. C. Apply acquired information, concepts and ideas to communicate in a variety of formats.
http://www.dogpile.com/. Dogpile is one of the better meta-search engines available. It uses Google, Yahoo, MSN, and Ask as its primary search engine base, and like all search engines, can search for web based sources, as well as video and audio. It is highly graphic, which is attractive for students. It also offers a variety of kid friendly modules, such as a Joke of the Day. Learning Standards: Technology communications tools. Students use telecommunications to collaborate, publish, and interact with peers, experts, and other audiences. Students use a variety of media and formats to communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences. Technology research tools. Students use technology to locate, evaluate, and collect information from a variety of sources. Students use technology tools to process data and report results. Students evaluate and select new information resources and technological innovations based on the appropriateness for specific tasks.
http://www.ipl.org/div/kidspace/: Internet Public Library – Kidspace is a great reference site. This is a division of the Internet Public Library, and offers a variety of resources, but organized in such a way to be more straightforward for grade school students to use. There are links to reference sections, as well as links by subject area. Learning Standards: Technology: Technology productivity tools: Students use technology tools to enhance learning, increase productivity, and promote creativity. Technology research tools: Students use technology to locate, evaluate, and collect information from a variety of sources. Students use technology tools to process data and report results. Students evaluate and select new information resources and technological innovations based on the appropriateness for specific tasks. English/Language Arts Learning Standards: 5: Use the language arts to acquire, assess and communicate information. A. Locate, organize, and use information from various sources to answer questions, solve problems and communicate ideas. B. Analyze and evaluate information acquired from various sources. C. Apply acquired information, concepts and ideas to communicate in a variety of formats.
http://www.factmonster.com/: Factmonster is a website that is set up by Information Please. It is divided by subject and possesses a homework helper module. It also has a section for age appropriate blogging. A reference desk is posted in a prominent place so students can access dictionaries, encyclopedias and other reference materials. Learning Standards: Technology: Technology productivity tools: Students use technology tools to enhance learning, increase productivity, and promote creativity. Students use productivity tools to collaborate in constructing technology-enhanced models, prepare publications, and produce other creative works. Technology research tools: Students use technology to locate, evaluate, and collect information from a variety of sources. Students use technology tools to process data and report results. Students evaluate and select new information resources and technological innovations based on the appropriateness for specific tasks.
http://www.architectstudio3d.org/AS3d/index.html: Architect’s Studio is a fun website that many students enjoy. Created by the Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Society, this is an interactive website that contains biographical information on Wright as well as a very fascinating interactive game that allows students to build homes for specific clients’ needs. It allows students to save their drawings, which they can retrieve by password. After the student has completed the home, they can then look at it using a variety of perspectives. It also possesses a page for teachers and librarians. Learning Standards: Technology: Technology productivity tools. Students use technology tools to enhance learning, increase productivity, and promote creativity. Students use productivity tools to collaborate in constructing technology-enhanced models, prepare publications, and produce other creative works. Technology problem-solving and decision-making tools: Students use technology resources for solving problems and making informed decisions. Students employ technology in the development of strategies for solving problems in the real world. Fine Arts: 26: Through creating and performing, understand how works of art are produced.
TIE-542-0
May 2, 2007
Hotlinks: These are links that I have found useful as a Technology Coordinator. Thus, I have tried to create a list that has some variety of disciplines and subjects
English/Language Arts
http://absoluteshakespeare.com/: Absolute Shakespeare: This is a great website for study on Shakespeare. This website is pretty definitive, as it has all the plays and sonnets, biography, films, pictures, facts and a lot more. It is a fairly user friendly site, but it is still highly academic. Learning Standards: English/Literature, Early High School Standard A. Understand how literary elements and techniques are used to convey meaning. 2.A.4c Describe relationships between the author’s style, literary form (e.g., short stories, novels, drama, fables, biographies, documentaries, poetry, essays) and intended effect on the reader.
www.noodletools.com: This is a great website for generating citations. While many teachers may not like it because it somewhat simplifies the citation process, it has many modules that are very helpful. I encourage my students to use it because students still need to have all of the necessary data in order to generate a citation, but the site also makes it clearer to the students exactly what they will need in order to cite something correctly. It is somewhat more helpful than the style manuals as it asks very specific questions about the citation, which is helpful as sometimes students do not know exactly what to do.
Students can purchase a subscription to this site and it will generate a Word document with your list of citations on it. It then acts as a virtual folder and will store your lists for as long as you keep your subscription. There is also a Noodlebib MLA starter and a component called Noodlebib Express which allows the student to work on a citation in either APA or MLA. Citations can then be copied and pasted into documents. There are also some nice resources for teachers regarding 21st century literacies, which is actually covered in our textbook and some links for collaborative learning. This is a fantastic site for students elementary through graduate. Learning Standards: English/Language Arts: 5: Use the language arts to acquire, assess and communicate information. B. Analyze and evaluate information acquired from various sources. Early & Late Elementary: 5.B.1b Cite sources used. Middle & Junior High: 5.B.3b Identify, evaluate and cite primary sources. Early High School: 5.B.4b Use multiple sources and multiple formats; cite according to standard style manuals. Late High School: 5.B.5b Credit primary and secondary sources in a form appropriate for presentation or publication for a particular audience.
http://www.storylineonline.net/: Book Pals Online: This website was created by the Screen Actors Guild and features a famous actor/actress reading aloud a storybook to the student. While the story is read by the actor, the story is then illustrated through Flash. It is highly interactive and has a short screen of related questions regarding the story, as well as alternate activities and a downloadable activity guide. It’s a very entertaining site, as they get actors that are kid-friendly, such as Amanda Bynes and Hilary Duff, and very good activities. Learning Standards: English/Language Arts: Reading: B. Apply reading strategies to improve understanding and fluency. Early Elementary: 1.B.1a Establish purposes for reading, make predictions, connect important ideas, and link text to previous experiences and knowledge. Late Elementary: 1.B.2a Establish purposes for reading; survey materials; ask questions; make predictions; connect, clarify and extend ideas. Early & Late Elementary: 1.B.1d Read age-appropriate material aloud with fluency and accuracy. C. Comprehend a broad range of reading materials. Early & Late Elementary: 1.C.1a Use information to form questions and verify predictions.
http://www.poets.org/: Poets.org is run by the Academy of American Poets and is a gigantic repository of poetry from predominantly English or British poets. One can search poets, specific poems and audio files of poetry. This is a great resource for students as they can also research poets as well. Learning Standards: English/Language Arts: Literature: 2: Read and understand literature representative of various societies, eras and ideas. Early Elementary: 2.A.1c Describe differences between prose and poetry. Late Elementary: 2.A.2c Identify definitive features of literary forms (e.g., realistic fiction, historical fiction, fantasy, narrative, nonfiction, biography, plays, electronic literary forms).Middle School: 2.A.3c Identify characteristics and authors of various literary forms (e.g., short stories, novels, drama, fables, biographies, documentaries, poetry, science fiction).
http://www.bartleby.com/: Bartelby.com is a repository of books and quotations. It has been in existence for several years, and continually adds books to its list. One can search by author, verse or title, as well as by fiction or nonfiction title. This is a very nice website to use for literary works that are in the public domain or just if one needs a quick quotation. Learning Standard: English/Language Arts: 2: Read and understand literature representative of various societies, eras and ideas. B. Read and interpret a variety of literary works.
http://www.shakespeares-globe.org/: Shakespeare’s Globe is a great website for further research on Shakespeare’s legendary theatre. Because the theatre is operational, this is a site that advertises the current play season as well as educational resources for students and teachers. Learning Standards: English/Literature, Early High School Standard A. Understand how literary elements and techniques are used to convey meaning. 2.A.4c Describe relationships between the author’s style, literary form (e.g., short stories, novels, drama, fables, biographies, documentaries, poetry, essays) and intended effect on the reader.
http://shakespeare.palomar.edu/: Mr. William Shakespeare and the Internet is another good resource for Shakespeare education. Although not as informative as other websites listed here, it is still a nice resource for original publications from Shakespeare. Learning Standards: English/Literature, Early High School Standard A. Understand how literary elements and techniques are used to convey meaning. 2.A.4c Describe relationships between the author’s style, literary form (e.g., short stories, novels, drama, fables, biographies, documentaries, poetry, essays) and intended effect on the reader.
http://www.folger.edu/template.cfm?cid=863: Folger Library- Shakespeare Resources: This is the website of one of the foremost publishers of Shakespeare’s work. This site offers Shakespeare for Kids, as well as information on his life and the plays. Learning Standards: English/Literature, Early High School Standard A. Understand how literary elements and techniques are used to convey meaning. 2.A.4c Describe relationships between the author’s style, literary form (e.g., short stories, novels, drama, fables, biographies, documentaries, poetry, essays) and intended effect on the reader.
http://www.webenglishteacher.com: Web English Teacher is a fantastic source for each component of Language Arts, from reading to research. This site offers links for every grade level and each possible unit of study within an English/Language Arts framework. There are dozens of links here for each possible book, play or poem that exists in a standard American English/Language Arts curriculum. On this website, one can find resources to fit each one of the English/Language Arts standards. This is probably one of the best English teaching websites out on the web today. Learning Standards: 1: Read with understanding and fluency. 2: Read and understand literature representative of various societies, eras and ideas. 3: Write to communicate for a variety of purposes. 5: Use the language arts to acquire, assess and communicate information.
http://en.wikipedia.org/: Wikipedia is a website that seems to generate a lot of controversy in educational circles. It is essentially an online encyclopedia but, like any wiki, can be updated by anybody on the Internet. I find it useful for students because it is user-friendly, written in a middle school/junior high reading level and each entry offers a variety of new links to follow for further research. Learning Standards: 5: Use the language arts to acquire, assess and communicate information. A. Locate, organize, and use information from various sources to answer questions, solve problems and communicate ideas. B. Analyze and evaluate information acquired from various sources. C. Apply acquired information, concepts and ideas to communicate in a variety of formats. Technology: Technology research tools: Students use technology to locate, evaluate, and collect information from a variety of sources. Students use technology tools to process data and report results. Students evaluate and select new information resources and technological innovations based on the appropriateness for specific tasks.
http://www.eduplace.com/kids/: Houghlin Mifflin Education Place for Kids is based on the Houghlin Mifflin series of textbooks, for grades K-6. This site assumes that the user has the textbook, thus it offers supplementary materials that tie into the reading selections in the text. It is broken up by grade level and is probably the most user friendly text based site I have encountered. Learning Standards: English/Language Arts: 1: Read with understanding and fluency. A. Apply word analysis and vocabulary skills to comprehend selections. Technology: Technology research tools. Students use technology to locate, evaluate, and collect information from a variety of sources.
Math
www.mathplayground.com.This website has won awards for the breadth of information it covers. Our students are encouraged to use this website at home as they have a really neat Flash module underneath the link www.mathplayground.com/flashcards.html. This is an interactive flash card game where our students can practice their fluency with addition, subtraction and multiplication. They can also print out flash cards to use offline. Learning Standards: This website works well to address Illinois Math Standard 6 -which addresses student numeration skills.
http://nlvm.usu.edu/en/nav/index.html: National Library of Virtual Manipulatives is a fantastic website that offers a variety of modules for students to practice all levels of math skills in a multitude of subjects: numbers and operations, algebra, geometry and much more. The best part about the website is that it has representative exercises in each grade level, so feasibly a student in Kindergarten could be working on a geometry skill. Learning Standards: Math: 6: Demonstrate and apply a knowledge and sense of numbers, including numeration and operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication, division), patterns, ratios and proportions. 7: Estimate, make and use measurements of objects, quantities and relationships and determine acceptable levels of accuracy. 8: Use algebraic and analytical methods to identify and describe patterns and relationships in data, solve problems and predict results. 9: Use geometric methods to analyze, categorize and draw conclusions about points, lines, planes and space. 10: Collect, organize and analyze data using statistical methods; predict results; and interpret uncertainty using concepts of probability. Technology: Technology productivity tools: Students use technology tools to enhance learning, increase productivity, and promote creativity.
Science
http://periodic.lanl.gov/default.htm: This website was developed and is maintained by the Los Alamos National Laboratory’s Chemistry Division. This website has information for all grade levels, but is primarily geared to middle school – high school students. Each element is a hyperlink to an explanation. This is specifically for information, and does not have much in terms of games. Learning Standards: Concepts and Principals: 12: Understand the fundamental concepts, principles and interconnections of the life, physical and earth/space sciences. C. Know and apply concepts that describe properties of matter and energy and the interactions between them.
http://www.chem4kids.com/files/elem_intro.html: Chem4Kids is an easier version of the Los Alamos website. It is geared for elementary school students, due to its graphics and reading level. There are more simplified explanations as well as online chemistry quizzes. There are also links to other scientific websites, such as astronomy and biology. This would be a very nice introductory website for students to look at in regards to chemistry and the periodic table. Learning Standards: Concepts and Principals: 12: Understand the fundamental concepts, principles and interconnections of the life, physical and earth/space sciences. C. Know and apply concepts that describe properties of matter and energy and the interactions between them.
http://www.chemicalelements.com/: Chemical Elements.com is another very basic website. It seems to be middle ability. The language is not difficult, but there is not much on this website in regards to games, which can be a good thing when a teacher is using this site for research. There are different ways in which to view the elements, and again, when one clicks on the specific element, a page is opened with information. As stated before, this is a good website for research. Learning Standards: Concepts and Principals: 12: Understand the fundamental concepts, principles and interconnections of the life, physical and earth/space sciences. C. Know and apply concepts that describe properties of matter and energy and the interactions between them.
http://www.all-science-fair-projects.com/: All Science Fair Projects.com is a comprehensive website that offers thousands of science fair projects. When my school offers the Science Fair, students are usually stumped on what subject to do and what type of project to try. This website offers viable ideas that are student appropriate, along with research links for the projects. Learning Standards: This website encompasses Science Goal 11 of Inquiry and Design: Understand the processes of scientific inquiry and technological design to investigate questions, conduct experiments and solve problems. A. Know and apply the concepts, principles and processes of scientific inquiry. B. Know and apply the concepts, principles and processes of technological design.
http://starchild.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/StarChild/StarChild.html: StarChild is a website run by NASA in order to promote learning in the subject of astronomy. This is a remarkably student-friendly website, with bright graphics and easy to navigate modules. It is broken down into Level 1 and Level 2, which offer the same information, but at different levels of reading ability. There is also a link here for “Go Imagine the Universe” which is geared for students 14 and up. This is a great starter website for units dealing with space. Learning Standards: Science: 12: Understand the fundamental concepts, principles and interconnections of the life, physical and earth/space sciences. F. Know and apply concepts that explain the composition and structure of the universe and Earth’s place in it.
http://www.windows.ucar.edu/: Windows to the Universe is a great website for astronomy lessons, but it also works in information about the Earth as well. It has a variety of great modules to explore weather conditions in space and Earth, significant people and history, as well as offering games. This is a good resource for space as well as weather lessons. Learning Standards: Science: 12: Understand the fundamental concepts, principles and interconnections of the life, physical and earth/space sciences. E. Know and apply concepts that describe the features and processes of the Earth and its resources. F. Know and apply concepts that explain the composition and structure of the universe and Earth’s place in it.
http://www.exploratorium.edu/: Exploratorium is a great multidisciplinary website that handles a variety of activities, but focuses primarily in science concepts. It does have a very nice educator module, as well as very interesting links to online and real life exhibits. Learning Standards: Science: 13: Understand the relationships among science, technology and society in historical and contemporary contexts. B. Know and apply concepts that describe the interaction between science, technology and society. Technology: Technology research tools: Students use technology to locate, evaluate, and collect information from a variety of sources. Students use technology tools to process data and report results. Students evaluate and select new information resources and technological innovations based on the appropriateness for specific tasks.
Social Studies
http://myhero.com/myhero/: The Hero Project: This is a wonderful website that I encouraged the fourth grade teacher to use in a Social Studies project regarding inventors. This website is a basic directory of notable people who have made a difference in the world. Each person has a profile, as well as reference links on the bottom of the page, for further research. The website is written at approximately a sixth grade reading level, but students are encouraged to leave postings regarding their heroes. There is also a very nice Teacher section on this website, full of lesson plans and resources. Learning Standards: Social Studies: A. Apply the skills of historical analysis and interpretation. Early Elementary: 16.A.1c Describe how people in different times and places viewed the world in different ways. 16.B.1a (US) Identify key individuals and events in the development of the local community (e.g., Founders days, names of parks, streets, public buildings). 16.B.1 (W) Explain the contributions of individuals and groups who are featured in biographies, legends, folklore and traditions. English/Language Arts: Use the language arts to acquire, assess and communicate information. Early & Late Elementary, 5.A.1a Identify questions and gather information. Middle School, 5.A.3a Identify appropriate resources to solve problems or answer questions through research.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/walk/index.shtml: This is the BBC’s website called “A Walk Through Time.” The website states that it is based primarily for 7-9 year olds. It is very easy to navigate and features a variety of sections including, “Odd-One Out” games, which offers an opportunity to walk down the street of a historical period, “Time Strip,” which is a highly interactive timeline, as well as several other historical modules. It also offers suggestions for non-computer related activities, such as interviewing a neighbor. There is a section for printable activities, as well as a teacher and parent guide. Learning Standards: Because of the caveat on the website regarding age, all standards relate to Early Elementary. A. Apply the skills of historical analysis and interpretation. 16.A.1a Explain the difference between past, present and future time; place themselves in time. 16.A.1b Ask historical questions and seek out answers from historical sources (e.g., myths, biographies, stories, old photographs, artwork, other visual or electronic sources).
http://www.50states.com/: 50states.com is a website that has a complete listing of states and relevant information. There are quite a bit of banner ads and advertising links, but this is a good site for basic informational facts about each one of the states. All facts are hyperlinked as well, in order for a student to do further research. Learning Standards: This website is fairly basic, so it really ties into the Social Studies/Geography standards: 17: Understand world geography and the effects of geography on society, with an emphasis on the United States. 17.A.1a Identify physical characteristics of places, both local and global (e.g., locations, roads, regions, bodies of water). 17.A.1b Identify the characteristics and purposes of geographic representations including maps, globes, graphs, photographs, software, digital images and be able to locate specific places using each.
http://bensguide.gpo.gov/benfranklin/: Ben’s Guide. This site is run by the U.S. Printing office, so it is a government owned site. This site offers much information on the different aspects of Benjamin Franklin’s life, as well as grade appropriate links to information about the government. Each link, labeled K-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-12, or Parent/Teacher, offers age appropriate information on a variety of subjects such as laws, government structure, and our nation’s history. There is also a downloadable book available on this site. Learning Standards: Because this site addresses every grade level, I will provide the basic standard. Political Systems: 14: Understand political systems, with an emphasis on the United States. A. Understand and explain basic principles of the United States government. B. Understand the structures and functions of the political systems of Illinois, the United States and other nations. C. Understand election processes and responsibilities of citizens. F. Understand the development of United States political ideas and traditions. Goal F. Understand the development of United States political ideas and traditions. B. Understand the development of significant political events.
http://www.gpoaccess.gov/coredocs.html: Core Documents of U.S. Democracy is a website maintained by the U.S. Government Printing Office and is linked to Ben’s Guide. This is a website that houses links to the Library of Congress to allow the student to examine important documents in American History. This is a nice site to use, as the documents are nicely divided by governmental branch and are fairly easy to follow. Learning Standards: Social Studies: Political Systems: 14: Understand political systems, with an emphasis on the United States. A. Understand and explain basic principles of the United States government. B. Understand the structures and functions of the political systems of Illinois, the United States and other nations. C. Understand election processes and responsibilities of citizens. F. Understand the development of United States political ideas and traditions. Goal F. Understand the development of United States political ideas and traditions. B. Understand the development of significant political events.16: Understand events, trends, individuals and movements shaping the history of Illinois, the United States and other nations. A. Apply the skills of historical analysis and interpretation. Technology: Technology research tools: Students use technology to locate, evaluate, and collect information from a variety of sources. Students use technology tools to process data and report results. Students evaluate and select new information resources and technological innovations based on the appropriateness for specific tasks.
http://www.gods-heros-myth.com/: World Mythology, Culture, and Religion website. This is a very cool website for research on mythology, culture and religion. It is a fairly reputable site, as contact information for the web developer is easy to find. This site also does not advocate any religion or culture, so it is a decent site to send children to. Learning Standards: Social Studies: 16: Understand events, trends, individuals and movements shaping the history of Illinois, the United States and other nations.
http://nobelprize.org/: Nobel Prize. This is the official website of the Nobel Foundation. Obviously, all of the winners can be found on this site, along with biographical information. But, it also offers scholastic whitepapers on the specific contributions of the laureate as well as fun interactive games based on authors, books or even economics. Learning Standards: Social Studies: 16: Understand events, trends, individuals and movements shaping the history of Illinois, the United States and other nations. English/Language Arts: 5: Use the language arts to acquire, assess and communicate information.
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/index.html: American Memory from the Library of Congress is a great Social Studies website. This website is divided into specific topics such as War or Women’s History and contains digital copies of the original historical documents. This is a great website to use because it is very user-friendly, as well as containing detailed explanations of the documents as well as digital pictures of the documents, so the students can really see what things looked like. Learning Standards: Social Studies: 16: Understand events, trends, individuals and movements shaping the history of Illinois, the United States and other nations. A. Apply the skills of historical analysis and interpretation. Technology: Technology research tools: Students use technology to locate, evaluate, and collect information from a variety of sources. Students use technology tools to process data and report results. Students evaluate and select new information resources and technological innovations based on the appropriateness for specific tasks.
http://www.history.com/: The History Channel runs this website and it is highly interactive with many links to free multimedia content. There are also modules that focus specifically on U.S or World History, as well as many links to the programming that is available on the cable channel. This website also contains games and topics in history for students to examine. Learning Standards: Social Studies: 16: Understand events, trends, individuals and movements shaping the history of Illinois, the United States and other nations. A. Apply the skills of historical analysis and interpretation. Technology: Technology research tools: Students use technology to locate, evaluate, and collect information from a variety of sources. Students use technology tools to process data and report results. Students evaluate and select new information resources and technological innovations based on the appropriateness for specific tasks.
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/index.html: This is the National Geographic site. This is another outstanding site for use in the classroom, as it has many modules to use for student research. It contains a map module that is very similar to Google Earth. There are many links to interactive video and multimedia files, such as world music. Its child-friendly companion site also offers many educational resources and games. Learning Standards: Social Studies: Geography: 17: Understand world geography and the effects of geography on society, with an emphasis on the United States. A. Locate, describe and explain places, regions and features on the Earth. B. Analyze and explain characteristics and interactions of the Earth’s physical systems. C. Understand relationships between geographic factors and society. Technology: Technology research tools: Students use technology to locate, evaluate, and collect information from a variety of sources. Students use technology tools to process data and report results. Students evaluate and select new information resources and technological innovations based on the appropriateness for specific tasks.
Technology
http://www97.intel.com/discover/JourneyInside/TJI_Curriculum/default.aspx: This is Intel’s website for education. There are great flash movies on found on this website that are student narrated. These videos give students a simplified and highly comprehensible understanding of the inner and outer workings of the PC. This site also has modules for the Internet as well as online safety and responsibility. Learning Standards: Technology: Basic operations and concepts: 1) Students demonstrate a sound understanding of the nature and operation of technology systems. 2) Social, ethical, and human issues: 1) Students understand the ethical, cultural, and societal issues related to technology. 2) Students practice responsible use of technology systems, information, and software. 3) Students develop positive attitudes toward technology uses that support lifelong learning, collaboration, personal pursuits, and productivity.
http://www.pbs.org/: This is PBS’s official website. On its main page, sections are devoted to each specific subject area, such as Arts, Nature, and History. There are links to PBS podcasts as well. On the sidebar, there are links to the child sections of PBS, including interactive games that are connected to PBS programming. Underneath the child sections are sections for parents and teachers. The Parenting section has a lot of good information about information literacy and Internet safety. The Teacher section has resources divided up by subject, even though the main Teacher page is fairly based in advertising the programming. This is a huge site, filled with all subjects. Learning Standards: Technology: 3) Technology productivity tools: Students use technology tools to enhance learning, increase productivity, and promote creativity. 4) Technology communications tools: Students use telecommunications to collaborate, publish, and interact with peers, experts, and other audiences, Students use a variety of media and formats to communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences.
http://school.discovery.com/: Discovery School.com. This is a great website by The Learning Channel for students and teachers alike. There are a number of very good teaching resources on this website, but it also cannot be discounted in terms of student tools. There is a homework helper, a section called Puzzlemaker, which is an easy place for students to create puzzles, as well as a section called Learning Adventures. Learning Standards: This website covers many needs, but best fits within the Technology Standards. 3. Technology productivity tools: Students use technology tools to enhance learning, increase productivity, and promote creativity. Students use productivity tools to collaborate in constructing technology-enhanced models, prepare publications, and produce other creative works. 6. Technology problem-solving and decision-making tool: Students use technology resources for solving problems and making informed decisions.
http://www.howstuffworks.com/: How Stuff Works. This is an outstanding website for students and teachers alike, as well as anyone who needs to know how literally anything works. This website not only focuses on the technology end of “stuff,” but deals with a multitude of topics. Students can research and explore a variety of topics here, and the reading level is approximately eighth grade, thus it is fairly easy to follow the explanations. This site also offers links to other related topics, thus it is very circular. Learning Standards: This connects primarily to the Technology Standard 5) Technology research tools, Students use technology to locate, evaluate, and collect information from a variety of sources. 6) Technology problem-solving and decision-making tools. Students use technology resources for solving problems and making informed decisions. The research component ties into English/Language Arts Goal 5: Use the language arts to acquire, assess and communicate information. A. Locate, organize, and use information from various sources to answer questions, solve problems and communicate ideas.
http://www.pdictionary.com/: Internet Picture Library: This is a very nice alternative to Google images, especially for students. While there are banner ads and popups, this website does offer very good clip art and digital images for students to use in a variety of means. This website is fun for the students and offers them more art for their papers and presentations. Learning Standards: Technology productivity tools, 1) Students use technology tools to enhance learning, increase productivity, and promote creativity. 2) Students use productivity tools to collaborate in constructing technology-enhanced models, prepare publications, and produce other creative works.
http://www.google.com/Top/Kids_and_Teens/: This is the link to the Google search engines for kids and teens. This is a nice gateway for students to use Google, but without the massive amount of websites being displayed. The students can also learn more of the search techniques in this part of Google, as they can practice without having, again, multitudes of irrelevant sites come up. Learning Standards: Technology: Technology productivity tools: 1) Students use technology tools to enhance learning, increase productivity, and promote creativity. 2) Students use productivity tools to collaborate in constructing technology-enhanced models, prepare publications, and produce other creative works. English/Language Arts Learning Standards: 5: Use the language arts to acquire, assess and communicate information. A. Locate, organize, and use information from various sources to answer questions, solve problems and communicate ideas. B. Analyze and evaluate information acquired from various sources. C. Apply acquired information, concepts and ideas to communicate in a variety of formats.
http://www.dogpile.com/. Dogpile is one of the better meta-search engines available. It uses Google, Yahoo, MSN, and Ask as its primary search engine base, and like all search engines, can search for web based sources, as well as video and audio. It is highly graphic, which is attractive for students. It also offers a variety of kid friendly modules, such as a Joke of the Day. Learning Standards: Technology communications tools. Students use telecommunications to collaborate, publish, and interact with peers, experts, and other audiences. Students use a variety of media and formats to communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences. Technology research tools. Students use technology to locate, evaluate, and collect information from a variety of sources. Students use technology tools to process data and report results. Students evaluate and select new information resources and technological innovations based on the appropriateness for specific tasks.
http://www.ipl.org/div/kidspace/: Internet Public Library – Kidspace is a great reference site. This is a division of the Internet Public Library, and offers a variety of resources, but organized in such a way to be more straightforward for grade school students to use. There are links to reference sections, as well as links by subject area. Learning Standards: Technology: Technology productivity tools: Students use technology tools to enhance learning, increase productivity, and promote creativity. Technology research tools: Students use technology to locate, evaluate, and collect information from a variety of sources. Students use technology tools to process data and report results. Students evaluate and select new information resources and technological innovations based on the appropriateness for specific tasks. English/Language Arts Learning Standards: 5: Use the language arts to acquire, assess and communicate information. A. Locate, organize, and use information from various sources to answer questions, solve problems and communicate ideas. B. Analyze and evaluate information acquired from various sources. C. Apply acquired information, concepts and ideas to communicate in a variety of formats.
http://www.factmonster.com/: Factmonster is a website that is set up by Information Please. It is divided by subject and possesses a homework helper module. It also has a section for age appropriate blogging. A reference desk is posted in a prominent place so students can access dictionaries, encyclopedias and other reference materials. Learning Standards: Technology: Technology productivity tools: Students use technology tools to enhance learning, increase productivity, and promote creativity. Students use productivity tools to collaborate in constructing technology-enhanced models, prepare publications, and produce other creative works. Technology research tools: Students use technology to locate, evaluate, and collect information from a variety of sources. Students use technology tools to process data and report results. Students evaluate and select new information resources and technological innovations based on the appropriateness for specific tasks.
http://www.architectstudio3d.org/AS3d/index.html: Architect’s Studio is a fun website that many students enjoy. Created by the Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Society, this is an interactive website that contains biographical information on Wright as well as a very fascinating interactive game that allows students to build homes for specific clients’ needs. It allows students to save their drawings, which they can retrieve by password. After the student has completed the home, they can then look at it using a variety of perspectives. It also possesses a page for teachers and librarians. Learning Standards: Technology: Technology productivity tools. Students use technology tools to enhance learning, increase productivity, and promote creativity. Students use productivity tools to collaborate in constructing technology-enhanced models, prepare publications, and produce other creative works. Technology problem-solving and decision-making tools: Students use technology resources for solving problems and making informed decisions. Students employ technology in the development of strategies for solving problems in the real world. Fine Arts: 26: Through creating and performing, understand how works of art are produced.
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