educational websites, click on the links below.
I use the links on this page for lesson plans, research, and information gathering. Some can be used by parents and students but most are for teachers. As an English teacher, I always need sites that provide "high interest" articles that can be used for reading and writing exercises in tenth and eleventh grade classes. One site in particular, that provides interesting lesson ideas is the Peace Corps site. There are sample lessons plans, activities, and ideas for writing assignments based on articles written by Peace Corps volunteers who live and work in Africa to provide safe, clean water for Africans. This site is excellent for use with "reader response" journals because it provides high interest, real life situations that can spark an interest in the "larger" world for a student.
An excellent source for both the English and Social Studies teacher is the Digital Classroom site. This site provides interesting documents that provide current issues students can analyze and respond to in writing as well as orally. It is an easy site to use and is updated regularly with new, interesting documents for classroom use. These documents span a variety of areas.
A teacher's tool kit would be severely inefficient if it did not contain a link to a general research site where a multitude of searches can be carried out for almost every topic under the sun. The site I use most and recommend to my students for this purpose (because it is district approved) is Google. Students and teachers alike can type in any word, phrase, or topic and find a wealth of information to be evaluated and/or used for writing projects, oral presents, and general information. It is an excellent site and is easy to use.
Before I send students off to do research on google, or any other search engine, I instruct them to carefully examine what they read on the various sites and evaluate the information for validity. It is important that students know how to recognize information that is fact and that which is fiction. I like the School Discovery site as it offers web evaluation forms and tips on how to teach students web evaluation skills.
As an English Language Arts teacher, I want Shakespeare available online. Google offers many related links but one I find useful is Shakespeare online because it contains his epitaphs. Epitaphs are thought provoking and provide excellent topics for the "reader response" journal. Students also enjoy writing authentic epitaphs of their own.
Students always need sites that provide valid information for research projects. One such site I like to use is the FBI website. It contains information about crime and law enforcement that might be interesting to the student who has an interest in law enforcement and wants to write a paper about it. This site is informative and easy to navigate through. Another site that is useful for research projects, but needs the teacher to direct the research, is the Smithsonian Education website. This site has a variety of links and information but is not as easy to use as google.
Another site that is useful in my work in the classroom and loved by my students is Clippart. It provides a vast array of clip art that makes assignments, information sheets, and projects more visually interesting. Students tend to be more interested in what they are working on if it is visually interesting. I make the online clipart available to students when they want to add graphics to their work.
A last site that I like to pass on to educators, parents, and students, is the absolute end of the internet. That site speaks for itself and adds a touch of humor to any lesson or conversation or even email between teachers. The link for this site is It's the end!.
Research Links For Teachers
There are numerous websites availabe to teachers on the internet that are a valuable resource for both information and research. One such source that is a valuable tool is Teach the Teachers site.
For the teacher who likes to keep up with what's new in their content area, libraries can be a good source for professional journals that are juried by their peers. One such library that has provided access to professional journels I like to access is the John M. Pfau Library situated on the CalState campus at San Bernardino. Connecting to them via the internet saves lots of driving, walking, and research time.
Every teacher needs a good calendar for their classroom and for their desk. Super Calendar provides great tools for making a variety of calendars.
California teachers need access to links that are both aligned to the state standards and connected to the rest of the country. An interesting site that meets this criteria is SCORE which is an acronym for School of California Online Resources for Education. This site has links to "cyber guides" as well as resources for every subject area and grade level.
A teacher's tool box would be incomplete without a general multi-search site where such things as places to shop for vacations, clothes, jewelry, and various other items. One such site is the DOTZUP site. This site is full of links to various areas of interest for teachers who need a break from grading papers and talking to parents.
Additional sites that are useful for locating lesson plans and other resources include The American Teachers site, the Awesome Library, and the Educational Directory for teachers.
Investigation: The links on this page demonstrate my investigation of sites that are relevant to my job.
Engagement: The development of this page, including the links to appropriate websites provide evidence of my engagement into this topic.
Reflections: The internet is a valuable tool that teachers can utilize to enhance their teaching and student learning. The research for this page has demonstrated to me that using technology in education supports my constructivist philosophy. The internet has a wealth of information that adds to what I know about my content area and is providing me with fresh, new ideas to bring to my students. Building this page has really been helpful to me.