For my third technology review I chose to explore the Smithsonian Education website. This is a great website for social science educators at any grade level. After selecting the "For Educators" option, teachers can search for lesson plans, resources, webquests, and field trip ideas/resources. I think my favorite feature is the field trip database. It provides you with field trip ideas for different content areas, information about trips, and activities to accompany these trips. I also did a quick "4-8 American History" search and found nearly one hundred lesson plans for my content area. The website also has a feature that sorts resources by state standards, but I was unable to get accurate results using this filtering method. If you select the "For Students" option, you can view virtual museum exhibits, play educational games, and interact with various simulations. There is also a "For Families" section of the website that I have not explored in depth. I highly recommend checking out this website and/or including it on a web resources page for your students. Although it appears to have some minor kinks, it offers a great deal of resources and is absolutely free (just like the amazing museums!)
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ReplyDeleteLaura,
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like an amazing resource for teachers. Teachers love free stuff, especially when it is useful! I believe in using a variety of resources while teaching, so that there is something that will catch everyone's attention.