Technology has become an important part of learning for today’s schools. It is important that teachers use computers to help students learn. Internet sources are a good way to find resources to help teachers and students.
As I was working on this task I investigated three Internet resources that teachers and students can use. The first website I found was www.eduref.org. I discovered that I didn’t like this website. It was very difficult to navigate through. I found it was difficult to find the information I need.
As I finally found information I discovered that much of the materials and sources were for upper elementary and high school age students. There wasn’t many activities, resources, or materials that were for younger elementary age students. However, the resources, activities, and materials I did find were age-appropriate. The usability of the resources in the classroom is also appropriate. The resources are appropriate to use in the classroom setting for the age groups suggested.
Another part of the Internet sources to evaluate is the accommodation of different learning styles. Because students learn in different ways it is important that accommodations can be made. Many of the lessons I found could be accommodated to fit several different age and grade levels as well as learning styles, but accommodations were not mentioned in any of them. Teachers would have to make there own accommodations.
A second website I found was www.eductionworld.org. This website was easy to navigate through. It listed resources by grade level and subject area. There was no guessing when it came to finding out a grade level or subject area to look through. There are lesson plans and activities available for all age groups. Each lesson plan and activity I navigated through was age-appropriate.
The content was also accurate. the content is the lessons matched many of the goals and objectives I was looking for. The resources available were also usable in the classroom. The resources fit into the busy learning that goes on in the classroom and they help students learn concepts.
Another part that is important is that the resources accommodate different learning styles. Each lesson plan and resources I navigated through could be accommodated to match different learning styles as well as grade levels.
References:
http://www.eduref.org. Retrieved on March 18, 2008
http://www.educationworld.org. Retrieved on March 18,2008
http://www.atozteacherstuff.com. Retrieved on March 18,2008
A third website I navigated through was www.atozteacherstuff.com. This is probably my favorite website for teaching materials. This website lists several lessons by grade level and subject area. Each lesson is age-appropriate according to the grade level it’s listed under. Each lesson also listed resources and other websites available for more information and resources. The resources available are user friendly for the classroom.
Another important part of the resources are the accuracy of the content. The content matches the grade and subject areas it is designed for. It also is closely related to the goals and objectives listed for the curriculum frameworks. The only set back to this is that the lessons don’t have accommodations for different learning styles, however a good teacher could make their own accommodations to fit the learning styles of all the students in the classroom.
With today’s society being a technological society it is important that teachers and students can navigate the Internet to learn. Teachers need to find Internet resources that are age-appropriate, fit into the content area, are usable for the classroom, and accommodate the many different learning styles in the classroom. Using the Internet helps students to understand technology and they also learn from it. Overall the three websites I found were good sites to use. The only drawbacks to them were that there were few accommodations available. A teacher must make the accommodations for them. I found the websites very interesting and I will be going back to visit them so I can get ideas that will help me as I begin my teaching career.
