OVERALL GRADE: A
Out2Teach.com
GRADE LEVEL: 3-12
CONTENT: A
This educational portal, created by two students, is dedicated to "helping
teachers integrate technology into everyday learning."
AESTHETICS: A
The site has a clean, professional-looking layout, but be prepared for the
flashing advertisements.
ORGANIZATION: A
There is a top navigation bar for movement among the sections of the site.
The database of more than 2,000 links can be browsed alphabetically by topic
or searched by keyword.
REVIEW: A
Two ninth-grade students, Evan Russo and Marshal Roch, developed Out2Teach.
It provides a directory of categorized links for teachers who are
integrating technology into the classroom. Teachers will also find tips for
creating and updating their own Web pages and a forum for sharing ideas with
other educators. Included is a kid's version of the directory to be used
with students.
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Students: General
http://www.educationworld.com/awards/past/topics/students.shtml
OVERALL GRADE: A+
NASA Connect
GRADE LEVEL: 6-8
CONTENT: A+
"NASA Connect is an annual series of
free integrated mathematics, science, and technology instructional distance
learning programs for students in grades 6-8" that can be viewed right
from your desktop computer.
AESTHETICS: A+
The site features an easy-to-navigate format
that has a nice mix of color and graphics. RealPlayer is required for viewing
the broadcasts.
ORGANIZATION: A+
A left-side menu on the main page and a top
menu on subsequent pages make the site user-friendly. There is also a helpful
site index.
REVIEW: A+
Students and teachers will find that this
site is a natural for teaching and learning critical-thinking and
problem-solving skills. The NASA Connect programming is available free to any
school, and provides lessons in math, science, and technology competencies for
grades 5-8. By registering at the site (free) teachers can fully involve their
students in the broadcasts. Registrants receive program schedules and lesson
guides via e-mail. The programs are transmitted via satellite hookups and PBS
stations but are also available on the Web through NASA's Learning Technologies
Channel. Accompanying each broadcast is a teacher's guide with hands-on
activities and an interactive Internet activity. Additionally, teachers can
request a mentor to help students complete the work. All the shows for the past
three years are archived in the library, and there is an extensive list of
additional resources.
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OVERALL GRADE: A+
Internet Field Trips
http://teacher.scholastic.com/fieldtrp/index.htm
GRADE LEVEL: K-12
CONTENT: A+
Internet Field Trips, provided as part of the
larger Scholastic site, is an exceptional lesson planning resource for
teachers.
AESTHETICS: A+
This professionally created site is attractive
and user-friendly.
ORGANIZATION: A+
The field trips are organized by subject area
with topical subcategories. The tabbed menu at the top of the pages allows easy
navigation of the main areas, and each subject area has a topical index of
links.
REVIEW: A+
This excellent resource from Scholastic is
just what the teacher ordered for lesson planning. Each of the trips provides
appropriate Web sites for enhancing specific curriculum topics. All areas of
the curriculum -- reading/language arts, science, math, social studies, and a
special section for K-2 -- are included. The field trips meet a variety of
content standards and could be used as a research guide for students using the
Internet. There is a Teacher's Guide included that provides an activity
overview, standards, technology tips, and classroom strategies. And of course,
the other deep resources of the Scholastic site are linked from the pages.
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