Constructivist Sites

1) National Geographic Kids
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/west/
This site provides an interactive activity about the Lewis and Clark expedition. Students go with Lewis and Clark on their journey, making important decisions as they go, such as navigating rivers and deciding what to bring with them on their journey. It asks questions about those decisions, and students click on the answer they chose. One important aspect about this site is the feedback provided about their choices. This teaches students to discover on their own, and provides them with information so they learn from their choices.

2) BrainPop
http://www.brainpop.com/
This site contains hundreds of animated shorts that explains content from all areas. Children take quizzes and perform various activities to apply what they have learned.

3) Hands on Plastics Jr.
http://www.handsonplastics.com/hop_jr/activities/index.html
This is a great site because it has different interactive games that student can play. It also quizzes students when they are done with then ganme on what they learned. The plastic and saftety quiz is very fun and informative.

4) Chocolate Chip Cookies: To Eat or Not to Eat
http://collier.k12.fl.us/weblessons/cookiewq/index.htm
This site is very interactive and would be easy for students to use. It would work great with a health unit.

Digital Camera/Book Sites

1) http://www.edzone.net/~mwestern/pix.html

Click! Using a Digital Camera in the Elementary Classroom

1) This site has a ton of information about using digital cameras in elementary classrooms. It has tips about proper camera usage and activities that can be used for kindergarten to fifth grade and beyond.

2) http://teachers.net/gazette/APR02/camera.html

Creative Uses for Digital Cameras in the Classroom

As the name suggests, this site has a wealth of creative uses for digital cameras and digital book in the classroom. It suggests using cameras to create centers, projects, special events, and personal activities.

3) http://www.childrenssoftware.com/workshop.html

Workshops and Presentations…

This site has a list of workshops and presentations for teachers that are interested in incorporating technology in their classrooms. Teachers are encouraged to be inventive with their ideas and stretch their imaginations to make technology education as viable as possible.

4) http://www.wacona.com/digicam/digicam.html

Using Digital Cameras in the Classroom

This site seeks to answer the questions of why a teacher would want to use digital camera in their classrooms, addresses concerns, has practical tips for teachers who are just beginning to use technology, lesson ideas and links to other helpful resources.

Legal Sites

Legal/Ethical Issues Websites

1) http://www.ncrel.org/engauge/framewk/pro/issues/proiss.htm

Indicator: Social, Ethical, and Legal Issues

This website discusses the social, ethical and legal issues surrounding the use of technology in the classroom. It talks about why students must know these, a strategy for teaching ethical issues in the classroom and even has an adaptation of the Ten Commandments for Computer Ethics. It also has links to other helpful resources.

2) http://www.openc.k12.or.us/jitt/class/issues.html

Technology in the Classroom

This site offers links to the practical benefits and challenges of integrating technology into regular classroom instruction, and a discussion of the accompanying legal issues. It has links to a variety of beneficial articles, websites and other resources.

3) http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/methods/technlgy/te600.htm

Technology: A Catalyst for Teaching and Learning in the Classroom

This site provides helpful tips for teachers that are interested in incorporating technology in their schools. It not only gives tips on navigating the social, legal and ethical issues surrounding technology integration, but also offers advice on how to get additional funding, how to promote technology, and how to support professional and curriculum development.

4) http://content.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=11

Navigating the Legal maze.

This site is a good resource with helpful advice on how to navigate through the legal maze of district policies and legal issues dealing with technology in school. It also discusses licensing, acceptable use of networks, and permissions.

Philosophy of technology in the K-12 Curriculum

My technological educational philosophy is simple: students should be exposed to technology in a way that sparks their interests, challenges them to try new things and allows them to develop a feeling of self efficacy with technology. If students are not engaged in their learning, teaching merely becomes a series of drills and repetitive exercises in which students are made to perform. Children should be encouraged to try new things without fear of failure. When things do not go as planned, I believe that those times have the potential to become some of the richest teachable moments in education. If students are engaged in the learning process and become explorers of their world, their confidence levels will increase and they will begin to see themselves as technology competent.

Introduction

Hi,
My name is Jason Hughes. I am setting up this blog because it is part of my course work at the University of Oregon's College of Education Technology Emphasis Program.