Online

Teacher Resources

Objective: Students will become aware that there exist online resources which may help teachers construct lesson plans, web pages, and use the Internet effectively in their profession.

Objective: Students will be able to examine and evaluate these online resources and determine how effective they are for use in the teaching profession.

Introduction: Often, we may only focus on the benefits computer technology and the Internet can bring to students. These benefits may include increased access to information for research papers or more polished methods to present material in front of the class. Very rarely do we focus on how these technologies may help the teacher in his/her professional life.

But, just as many students have reaped the benefits of the Internet, so too can teachers improve their performance or make their lives easier as well. There exist many online resources for teachers or educators on the Internet in order to create or post a web page, create worksheets, or set up a quiz or two! It stands to reason that if teachers can make more effective use of the Internet, this can only lead to their students doing the same.

Activity: Two online resources that provide a wealth of resources that can aid a teacher are Quia and My School Online. Both have many services available right away and still more if you subscribe. If you’re not sure which service you need, both offer free 30-day trial periods, too.

So, click on the links below and check both of these services out for yourself! Pay particular attention to what each offers in the way of resources and/or aids to teachers.

Quia – http://www.quia.com/

My School Online – http://www.myschoolonline.com/golocal/

After you have examined the web sites above, you need to list 3 services/resources you found to be particularly useful or helpful to teachers from each site.

Assignment: Now, write two paragraphs describing the 3 services you chose for each web site and why you think teachers should take advantage of them (one paragraph per web site, please).

After you have completed your first two paragraphs, write a third paragraph describing which service, Quia or My School Online, you would recommend to a teacher and why.

***Your grade will depend on how well you:

1. List 3 distinct and separate services/resources that each web site provides.

2. How w ell you describe how each service/resource can be an advantage to a teacher.

3. How well you present your recommendation for using one web site or the other.

Other Sites:

Scholastic: - http://teacher.scholastic.com/

PBS Teacher Source: - http://www.pbs.org/teachersource/