Super AWSOME SITE!!! Look for yourself!!!

(Physics image found at http://www.compadre.org/informal/)


I found this absolutly amazing site when looking for an artical to summerize. I have to admit, the more I get into this class, them more I am finding the information I am learning more and more valuable. In the artical, "Web-Based Resources for Science, Technology, and Engineering: Tools and Activities for Teaching and Learning Curriculum Enhancement" produced by the U.S. Department of Education Cooperative Agreement, and headed up by Jane Hauser was a GREAT ARTICAL!!! It was not some much the artical itself that was so valuable, but the countless links to sites that can be used in the classroom. There were links for student that involved video and interactive games. There were also sites geared toward teachers with lesson plan ideas and hands on activities that can be used in the classroom. Can you tell I'm excited??? I cant wait to finish this to play with a bunch of the links!!!


Okay so now that my rant is done(for the moment...did I mention this is sooo cool!!!), the article itself was really short. The basic idea was that with the development of the internet, kids, even in low-income schools, have access to a varity of Grade A learning materials that cater to a multitude of learning types. That was the just of the article, and it would not have been worth reviewing if it was not for the library of educational sites listed according to subject and grades.

I definitly believe that this article is correct. I did not really understand what a great resource the internet was,I mean I know it is great for research, but the games and videos I found were so cool! I would have loved to have access to this stuff when I was in school. From a teachers perspective, it is a great resource that appeals to kids with different learning styles, that I would love to incorporate into my own science classroom. I also found the sites that aided in lesson plans and suggested hands on activities to be extremely benafical.

If anyone reads this blog and is interested in teaching, I strongly recommend looking at this site and going through some of the links. It really is a great resource!

(Animation explaining Newton's laws of Motion found at http://www.physicsclassroom.com/mmedia/newtlaws/cci.cfm)

http://www.k8accesscenter.org/training_resources/sci_tech_resources.asp

Virtual Fieldtips

While there are tons of site to take a virtual fieldtrip,I was having problems finding a site ABOUT them. Thankfully I finally came across Tressa Gauci's gradschool paper at the above site and it was extremely informative.
To basically sum up the whole paper, Tressa found through her research that while virtual fieldtrips are great, there are limitations. Students are able to explore different parts of the world we never thought possible, all while sitting in their classroom. This are amazing experiences for kids, but like everything else, there is a down side. While kids are being exposed to new places, they are not engaging congnatively like they would at a physical fieldtrip. So basically, this article states that SUPPLIMENTING virtual fieldtrips with physical fieldtrip is the best way to go.
This relates to our class and technology cause, well, its ONLINE fieldtrips. It shows the pros and cons of incorporating the use of the internet in the classroom. I learned that there is a whole market for online fieldtrips to some really amazing places and I would love to use this type of resource to allow my students to experience these places that they would otherwise not be able to do. I also agree that virtual fieldtrips should not replace physical ones. Seeing and doing are two diferent things and one should not replace the other.
After reading this paper, I really don’t feel the urge to research any more on the pros and cons of virtual fieldtrips. However, I would love to look into the different companies the create these online experiences. It is a really interesting topic worth looking into.

eassay found at
http://tiger.towson.edu/users/tnorri2/grad%20school%20research%20fieldtrips.doc