Trying Technological Teaching

A webquest entitled The Pilgrims and the First Thanksgiving can be found at: http://questgarden.com/47/69/9/070310091054/index.htmThis site is one that can be very useful for teaching students about the first thanksgiving. Its content is good, accurate, and up to date, and it provides links to other sites that can be used by the students to complete the tasks assigned to each of them. These sites require students to have a higher reading level, but serve as good exposure to the idea of a primary vs. secondary source. The webquest requires each student to complete a task on their own in addition to group work. This serves the teacher well, as students must each learn research techniques on their own, and figure out how to compile the data from each task into a cohesive final product. It is an accessible webquest, though it does require internet access for each student. This may be difficult to undertake in certain schools who lack access to computers.The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics(NCTM) Standards are available on an interactive site entitled “Illuminations.” It can be found at:http://illuminations.nctm.org/ This site is a very good resource for teachers in that it provides data on the Standards, as well as ways to incorporate those standards into your teaching plan. The site provides activities, lessons, and web links that are geared toward the teaching of a specific standard. This site is appealing in its setup, and easy to use. There is a search option that allows a teacher to find a lesson for a specific grade level and topic. The standards are illuminated through these provided activities and lesson plans. There could be a bit more connection between each standard and the provided activities. The site is free to a point, but there are certain items that cannot be accessed without membership. This membership is costly. All in all, this is a very useful site for teachers, and provides much needed illumination of the Standards.