Encyclopedia of Life

This online encyclopedia is a thorough collection of information about all species of life on Earth. The ultimate goal of this site is to “serve as an online reference source and database for every one of the 1.8 million species that are named and known on this planet, as well as all those later discovered and described. Encyclopedia of Life will be used as both a teaching and a learning tool, helping scientists, educators, students, and the community at large gain a better understanding of this planet and all who inhabit it.” It seems they are constantly updating and improving this site. It is an excellent resources for students that need to learn more about different animals, but especially students studying science. The site includes an overview of each animal which details its scientific name (its genus and species). The site also includes a variety of different videos related to each species, maps detailing the species habitat, literature written on each particular species, and more. I would certainly guide my students to this site if they required related information.

Puzzlemaker

Discovery Education has an excellent online tool called Puzzlemaker. Puzzlemaker is a tool that allows teachers to create all sorts of customized fun puzzles using words of your choice. It would be useful in teaching target vocabulary, for example. The site includes puzzles such as word search, crossword, mazes, letter tiles, hidden messages, and more. The best part about this tool is that it's free. I think that puzzles are an effective and fun way to get kids engaged in learning new language. I have to say though that I'm amazed at how many ads there are on this site. As part of Discovery, I expect this site to be much cleaner and kid friendly. It's so commercial looking! It feels like one big advertisement. However, the generation tool is quick, accurate, and free and I would absolutely take advantage of it despite the unfriendliness of the site.

On Technology

So much is lost in a world dominated by technology. I often play Lumosity or Sudoku on my phone in the subway. For me, it's a way to disengage and escape momentarily, but once in a while I'll look up from the screen at my surroundings and am grounded once again. I question my decision to stare at a screen when I could be present and observe a grandmother and grandchild resting with their heads on each other's shoulders, for example--a small moment between the two of them but one that gives me, as an observer, much pleasure to witness. It's healthy to be reminded of good when the world is inundated in destruction and negativity. This feeling would never have arisen in me had I not looked up. I think that as only a partial Web 2.0 native I am more conscious of lifting my head, but I get the impression that it rarely occurs to full Web 2.0 natives to look up. My boss told me a story: She was waiting in the car for her friend whose two young teenagers were in the back seat. They were texting...to each other! Does the net generation understand the value of face to face interaction? Do they understand the importance of this for building and maintaining a strong local community?

Moodle

Taking a closer look at Moodle, I can see that it could be a useful tool for course management. I watched a video of a middle school teacher that ran a good portion of her class through this program. She posted material for students to preview before going to class, homework assignments, and supplementary materials for her students. After exploring the site and watching this video, I have a more positive attitude towards Moodle. I've had a very negative experience with it at work, as I mentioned in class. I even wonder if it's the same program. It must be, right? I was asked to complete a development editor training course using the Moodle platform at work. I found it disorganized and uninviting. I wonder now if this is simply because of the way that it was set up for us and because I had so much other work going on at the time (well, always) that I felt resentful being obligated to add this to my plate and, in turn, I disliked everything about Moodle. I think I will have to investigate whether it's the same program or not because my reactions to the Moodle I just explored and the one I used at work are extreme.

Schoology

I really like how this system incorporates both course management and social networking. I think that the fact that the platform has a facebook feel to it would be motivating to students. I can see how there could be some concern over mixing this social world with education, but I personally think that sometimes tricking kids into learning is an effective way to get them engaged in an educationally productive way. Also, it seems that using a familiar interface would be advantageous as users don't have to take too much time or energy to learn how to work with it. I like the ease of setting up an account and getting started on this site and also how intuitive the site is. It isn't overloaded with stuff and it's easy to navigate. I also like that Schoology isn't limited to courses, but can be used for school clubs, sports, and other groups. The best part about Schoology is that it's free! I would definitely use it given the opportunity.

Persuasive Essay on Climate Change

Sticking with the theme of weather and current events, specifically hurricane Sandy, this seems like a good opportunity to tie in climate change and what role humans play in extreme weather events. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has an excellent website for kids on climate change (http://www.kidsnewsroom.org/climatechange/games/index.html). It teaches all about climate and weather, the greenhouse effect, and climate change. It also contains games such as word search and concentration. I think that working with this website would be useful in an intermediate-level middle school classroom. I would give a short introduction to climate change, have students explore the EPA website, then write a persuasive essay talking about why or why not they think humans contribute to climate change. It would probably be a good idea to also provide them with a link to a website that argues the opposite of the EPA site--that humans don't contribute to climate change--but I haven't been successful in finding a good site with this perspective that it appropriate for this age and English language proficiency level.

Reading Weather Maps

With hurricane Sandy upon us, I've been checking the weather incessantly and I realize that a current event such as this can be an excellent opportunity for teaching and learning. For elementary students with intermediate level English language proficiency, we could start class by brainstorming around the question, What is weather? The teacher would elicit vocabulary such as temperature, precipitation, pressure, humidity, wind, etc. The teacher would explain that meteorologists use different types of maps  to show the weather. Students would then be told to form groups. Each group would randomly be assigned one type of map (satellite, radar, precipitation, temperature, wind speed, or front) to research. They would be provided links to appropriate websites and relevant questions to focus on. They would then present a map, whichever type they were assigned, of hurricane Sandy and give a weather report to the class based on what they learned. Through this assignment, students use technology, they engage and interact with their groups, and they further practice their listening and speaking skills through giving their weather reports.