Digital Resources Library
Below are some of the most useful resources that I have found for teachers from across the web.
Stanford History Education GroupI was turned onto Sam Wixneburg's work during the first semester of my teaching program. His idea that primary sources should take a greater role in history classrooms resonates with me. Along with other faculty at Stanford, he has created "document=based lessons" and made them available online. Though I haven't used any of his complete plans, I find his website inspirational.
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Archives.gov for TeachersThis website was created by the Library of Congress to make many of their resources available to teachers. Along with an exhaustive (searchable!) database of both documents and photographs, this website also has superb document analysis worksheets that have been instrumental in creating formative assessments in my classroom.
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Google Slides & DocsGoogle's web-based office software has been an invaluable tool for me. Google Docs and Slides are ideal for utilization by small groups of students for both written and presentation projects. Students find that the ability for everyone to work on one assignment at the same time is both convenient and useful. I have, on occasion, created presentations myself with this: It is cloud-based, so I can pull it up for my students wherever we are.
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Kaboom!This is an interactive quiz/game website that my host teacher turned me onto. The ability to integrate images and YouTube clips into a quiz makes this the go-to group quiz mechanism for a history teacher. Full smartphone integration makes this an engaging way for students to test their knowledge against each other. More importantly, Kaboom! turns assessing prior knowledge into a fun, competitive activity.
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Global Digital Citizenship Foundation |
Canvas Community |
TeAchnology |
Curriki |
I strive to to meaningfully integrate technology in the classroom. The Global Digital Citizenship Foundation publishes articles regularly about new developments, brain science, and the latest resources available for someone like me.
EdSITEmentHosted by the National Endowment for the Humanities, edSITEment has been a great place to grab ideas how to integrate primary sources (particularly paintings) into my lesson plans. They provide detailed preparation instructions, ideas for Essential Questions, and make the appropriate resources available for all subjects.
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For a teacher new to learning management software, this forum is a godsend. Canvas, which was designed to maximize potential for one-to-one classrooms, is something that I have been experimenting with this year. I am still learning how to best optimize my lessons using Canvas, and the Canvas Community has helped me get to where I am.
PlanbookI learned about this website from my wife, who teaches in elementary school. Though it has a $12/year price tag, it is well worth the investment. Essentially, Planbook is a way to put your plans into the "cloud." Easy links to state educational standards, a dedicated app, and the ability for parents to check lesson plans have made this vital for me.
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Though this website links to many great resources, I find that their rubric creator is a great start for building my own rubrics, particularly when I am short on time. Though I usually end up tailoring their rubrics to fit my assessments, they also have pre-made rubrics available.
I have also used this website to download pre-made printable, such as classroom labels and crossword puzzles. |
Using Curriki, I can leverage the collective knowledge of experienced teachers while creating units and daily lesson plans. Currie is a place where teachers can share activities and materials that they have developed (for free), and I still find it a nice place to visit if I need to "spice up" content, but I'm not sure how.
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