Very Interesting Web Sites for Educators

You are most likely familiar with eSchool News, an online source for news and resources dealing with the use of technology in education. One of the free resources available is ClassroomNews. You can subscribe (at no cost) to this monthly PDF newsletter for technology news and resources for the classroom at the eSchool News site (http://www.eschoolnews.com). The interesting web sites I have listed (below) are from the January 2007 edition of ClassroomNews.



STUDENTS AND SCIENTISTS PROBE THE SECRETS OF LONGEVITY
http://www.bluezones.com

An online learning project from the Quest Network will look for reasons why the inhabitants of a particular location in Central America live so long. This three-week, inquiry-based project begins on January 29. This is the second Blue Zones Quest. It provides free curriculum that promotes collaboration, problem solving, critical thinking, and communication skills.

These quests try to find areas in the world where people live very long lives… and figure out why. The expedition team provides text, videos, and photographs. The students involved can direct the team’s approach. And together they can try to determine what factors help us to live long, healthy lives. Additional materials are available for teachers so they can extend the project.


NEW TOOLS AND RESOURCES ARE AVAILABLE ON C-SPAN’S CLASSROOM WEB SITE
http://www.c-span.org

Middle and high school social studies teachers will find it easier to support their lessons with elements from C-SPAN’s public affairs and political programming.
You can:
* download free video clips,
* search archived and current video by keywords,
* create personalized user areas for favorite clips, and
* use lesson plans, discussion questions, and other resources (including podcasts).
The classroom video content is copyright-free. Resources are tied to state and national social studies standards. And all of this is available free.


BEST EVIDENCE ENCYCLOPEDIA HELPS EDUCATORS EXAMINE CURRICULUM PROGRAMS
http://www.bestevidence.org

Best Evidence Encyclopedia (BEE) contains summaries of research on educational programs and links to the complete scientific reviews. The summaries use easy-to-understand symbols like those used in Consumer Reports. Topics include elementary mathematics, technology in reading and mathematics, reading for English-language learners, and others. BEE provides information about the evidence that supports many programs for students in grades K-12.


CITEd WEB SITE PROVIDES FREE ONLINE TOOLS FOR INTEGRATING TECHNOLOGY
http://www.cited.org

The Center for Implementing Technology in Education (CITEd) has developed a new web site with an impressive set of free online tools. EdTech Locator is an interactive tool that helps educators determine where they are in the technology-integration continuum. It also helps them understand the various stages of technology integration. Another tool, Tech Matrices, helps educators search for resources to support reading and mathematics instruction for special needs students.

The site has three main areas: the Learn Center, the Action Center, and the Research Center. The Learn Center helps educators select resources for using technology to help meet the needs of all students. The Action Center helps in the planning and implementation of professional development activities. The Research Center contains CITEd’s syntheses of research practices in content areas. Educators can use this information to help them find ways to integrate technology in their classrooms.


TEACHADE: ONLINE SOCIAL NETWORKING FOR TEACHERS
http://www.teachade.com

Educators can learn so much by collaborating with each other… and Teachade helps us do that. Teachade is an online site that educators can use to share resources, create online learning communities, and communicate with colleagues. In other words… online social networking for teachers! Registration is free and available for K-12 teachers, pre-service teachers, student teachers, and college professors. You can join groups based on common interests such as music, supporting educational technology, or elementary grades science. Calendars and storage of favorite files (such as lesson plans) are also available.