Technology in Your Classroom : Hot Websites :
Hot Websites August/September 2004
By Linda Lindroth
New ideas, new resources and even a new U.S. president can be found at these websites for the new school year
The yellow buses are rolling again, school bells are ringing, and the laughter of students can be heard on playgrounds all across the country as we head back to school. These first few weeks are focused on planning for student achievement and organizing a new classroom, so here are some great web resources to help you accomplish those goals.
C-SPAN 2004 Vote
www.c-span.org/classroom/govt/campaigns.asp
This site lets students follow the presidential campaign with daily updates on election events, profiles of the candidates and related classroom projects.
To get started, click on "2004 Vote" in the menu column that runs down the left-hand side of the home page, then click "2004 Vote Election Guide," which you'll find in the blue column that runs down the right-hand side of the resulting page.
The Election Guide is the key web page for all 2004 election coverage. Students can get extensive biography and background information for each presidential candidate as well as details about each candidate's viewpoint on key issues. It's even possible to view a database of former candidates. For even more extensive coverage, browse the candidates by state to learn more about elections for governor, congressional races and state races.
The extensive list of Campaign Ads makes it easy to analyze and compare advertisements and issues. If you need to incorporate civics and social studies/history standards into your election studies, the information about Past Campaigns will provide resources to fit your core content at any grade level.
You'll also find a vocabulary list, a list of Standard-Based Topics (with a link to national and state standards), lessons for all the topics, activities with quizzes and Electoral College resources (including flash cards, a downloadable spreadsheet for "Results At-a-Glance" and a free poster offer).
Textbook Correlations
www.teachingstatestandards.com/
School Specialty has done it again. Children's Publishing offers a free, searchable database of all their products, aligned to state and national standards. There's also a link to Textbook Correlations for Math and Reading that searches in the same way. The correlation is based on an index formed between Align to Achieve and McREL.
Searching the database is "two-way" and so easy! You can search by state, subject, grade level, product number, ISBN, title or keyword.
Just select a state and the core content criteria you want to find. The search results will provide the subject, the standard for the subject and grade level, a complete bibliographic list of products that meet these standards with sample pages and the aligned activities to be found in the resource. With a click on "View how this product aligns across all grades and subjects," you can determine how closely the product fits your classroom's needs.
What a great tool for back-to-school planning. Additional resources you won't want to miss are the "No Child Left Behind" links and the Information Center. An online Wish List lets you store product titles while you browse the website. I've started my own Wish List folder for ordering for the 2004-2005 school year.
Teaching Heart
www.teachingheart.net
Teachers love to share their resources and this website shows it! This just might be the ultimate teacher-created site, featuring a collection of free back-to-school ideas. Organizational ideas, read-aloud books, getting-to-know-you activities and dozens of other categories can be found here.
I think you'll find that the downloadable, printable activity sheets make classroom organization easier during those first weeks of the school year. Many of the resources available on this site have a K-3 focus, but dig a little deeper and you'll see that the majority of the resources cover all grade levels and address parent conferences, classroom management and curriculum themes.
Click in the "Awesome Apples" section on the home page to access the site's newest ideas for icebreakers, centers, parent-teacher conferences and classroom organization. These terrific web pages are a must-visit for new teachers and mentor teachers, too.
Time Tracker-- Tech Spotlight
Keeping your students on task has never been easier or more fun! The Time Tracker Visual Timer and Clock from Learning Resources is a simple yet sophisticated electronic timer that will suit all your classroom management requirements. The Time Tracker uses four AA batteries to operate a visual "traffic light" display and audio countdown. The green, yellow and red lights let students know at a glance how much time remains for the completion of a task. The viewing range of 180° ensures that students will be able to read the timer from almost any seat in your classroom.
The Time Tracker includes six different sounds so you can assign a different sound to manage different tasks. You'll find many creative ways to use this visual timer.
Call 800-222-3909 or visit www.learningresources.com for more information about Time Tracker. $34.95
Linda K. Lindroth is Technology Editor and Web Coordinator for Teaching K-8. She is also a Technology Resource Teacher in a K-5 computer lab in Lexington, KY.
