Making use of Websites
Educators might know about websites that could be used for teaching, but they do not know how it fits into their lessons.
There are many ways educators can make use of websites. Here are a few ways:
- Educators can find information to help them plan lessons.
- Educators can create webquests or online scavenger hunts.
- If there is Internet access in the classroom, the class can go on a virtual tour.
Bookmarks on del.icio.us and Planning Lessons
In a previous post, I mentioned the use of del.icio.us for educators. Since then I have thought of another way del.icio.us can be used for educators.
You have found lots of educational related websites. You decide to bookmark them with tags on del.icio.us so it will be easy for you to find in the future.
For example, you found a lesson on the Smithsonian Education Website. The lesson is titled Minerals, Crystals, and Gems.
You bookmarked the page with the following tags on del.icio.us - minerals, science, crystals, gems, lessons, smithsonian
Now it is the future and you are planning a lesson on minerals. You remembered finding a lesson on the Smithsonian Education Website about minerals.
To locate the link, you go to your del.icio.us bookmarks and go to the following page-
http://del.icio.us/(username)/smithsonian+minerals
Now you have found the bookmark to help with your lesson.
The Future of Educational Websites
As a web designer, I am very interested in the future of educational websites. However, I would not want to create an educational website unless I knew it would be helpful. I am curious what types of websites educators are interested in.
Have you ever taught a topic and thought "I wish I could find a great website about this topic"? If you have, I would like to know.
In my opinion, websites need to have more instruction on how educators can make use of the site.
3 comments:
Good thoughtful post! Always a good idea to know what your user and needs before you design something!
Yes, I started my own website as a way to bookmark the sites I was interested in and could access later from school. It was back in 1997 and tools like delicious and furl did not exist.
Then I used the website to display my stds work and share lessons I had created...
From statistics of most visited pages, the ones that most attract people are where you find useful content and ready to use lessons or suggestions.
Well put. I am a teacher who is looking for ways to make the use of technology (specifically the internet) and while there are some phenominal sites out there, it can be tricky wading through all of the options and information there is to choose from.
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