Teacher+Tools+and+Resources

Technology is an asset that can turn a static classroom into a room alight with activity. However, I believe it is easy for educators to get caught up in the glamour of technology, and often is not being optimally used. Technology is most effective, generally speaking, when it is placed in the hands of a student. If the students can use computers, smartboards, the internet, simulation programs, ipads, or even just an overhead projector, they will ultimately gain more from the activity than if the technology was being used by the teacher. It is in that spirit that I have compiled a list of websites drafted by classmates and myself in a college course, Teaching Social Studies. As a group we compiled a list of useful websites that may help us create lesson plans or projects, but also sites that are good for student use. The Library of Congress, for instance, archives documents that students can explore and do activities with online. National Geographic also has a site, Xpeditions, that is ideal for student use when studying cultures or geography. I've selected a number of those sites to display here, they're wonderful teaching resources.

__US HISTORY RESOURCES__

[|Teaching History]
[|Library of Congress] [|Smithsonian] [|American Heritage.org] [|PBS SS Teachers] -Sites focused on general US history, and other history.

[|Fordham Primary Sources]
-Links to various primary sources. [|Government Archives] -Government Archives (Archives.gov) [|National History Day Primary Sources] -Various primary sources [|Digitized US Documents] -University of Iowa Digitized US Documents [|The Congressional Globe] -This link provides primary documents of debates and speeches given in Congress between 1833-1873

[|Mr. Donn]
-Free US History lesson plans, power points, games, etc. [|Discovery Education Lesson Plans] -Lessons for US History [|Fun Founding Fathers Quiz] [|Digital History ***]

** Videos **
===[|HBO Archives of Newsreels from 1935 to 1967]=== ===[|America The Story of Us — History.com Videos]=== [|TeacherTube.com] [|How Stuff Works: US History] -Various US History Videos. - Some can be used to explain or just primary soruce videos
 * these are the newsreels shown at movie theaters during those decades
 * there is some footage going back to 1913

Blogs
[|US History Teacher Blog] -A blog for US History Teachers.

WORLD HISTORY SITES Blogs

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Lessonopoly=====

General Sites
World History Site Hyper History History.com Macrohistory [|BBC-History] HistoryTeacher.net World History For Us All [|Links for learning world cultures]

LESSON PLANS
[|Discovery Education - Lesson Plan Library]This website is probably more useful for middle school, but there are some high school lesson plans as well. It includes lesson plans from K-12 on geography, they're interesting [|Education World - Geography Lesson Plans] : This website has 433 lesson plans or lesson plan ideas for different topics in geography. The subjects range from 5th - 12th grade. They also include project ideas and templates. [|] Geographic lessons - Cloudnet : ﻿A large list of lesson plans for geography K-12. Many lessons can easily be modified as needed. [|Teacher Planet - Geography] : The website is a list of geography lesson plan sites. K-12 lessons however there are many for middle and high school.

﻿**VIDEO SITES**
[|How Stuff Work]s **:** ﻿A site with numerous videos of many subjects including geography. A great source to find clips to enhance lessons and activities.

** GAMES **

 * ﻿ [|World Maps: Geography Online Games] : A site with many geography games. The site has levels of difficult of different games. **


 * [|Map Games] : This site is a compilation of different games an activities dedicated to geography such as map activities and crossword puzzles. **

﻿**TWITTER FEEDS:**
[|Geography All The Way twitter feed] : A twitter feed encompassing many links to news and articles dealing with geographic issues. Great place to develop a current basis of information.

TEACHER USE
[|Links to a number of useful geography websites] : This website has links to different geographic organizations websites, different geography lesson plans, lesson plan websites, as well as useful websites for classroom use like google earth, and even project ideas like ‘Postcard Geography’ that connect your classroom with other classrooms. This has websites you could want for any avenue in geography, it’s very diverse. [|123techs4me - Geography Links] : This website was created with different categories that make teaching geography something real and interesting. The categories include: Global Organizations, Character Education, Environmental Issues, Geography, Geocaching, and Multicultural. The sites are useful for teacher use, classroom use, and generating long term project ideas. Some of the sites are designed to link classrooms with classrooms in different countries, something that could be informative and fun for a geography or cultural classroom. [|Basic Websites - Helpful for Teachers in General] : This site is not specific for geography, however, it listed a great deal of websites and tools that are helpful to teaching in general. There are links to project ideas, rubric makers, test making tools online, blogging tools, tips for professional blogs, etc. I thought some of these tools and websites would be helpful in general for developing a lesson plan, rubric, or test, as we try to increase the diversity of our activities and lesson plans. [|NationMaster:] A site dedicated to information used to compare countries. Maps can be generated from many different data types. [|Education - National Geographi] : Great site for teacher. A hub for multiple teaching sites revolving around geography and other subjects. Includes places for maps, videos, and project ideas.

STUDENT USE
[|National Geographic - Xpeditions] : This website is designed as a tool and resource for geography teachers from an extremely valuable website - The National Geographic. This website is for teacher use, not student use, but it is incredibly valuable in creating lesson plans. They have actual complete lesson plans on the site, as well as ideas for projects, classroom projects, etc. You can search by grade level, geographic standards, and much more. The activities and project ideas are innovative and fun - they also include maps, current events, interviews with National Geographic cartographers, and much more. The site is a treasure trove of activities and ideas for the geography teacher. The grades range from k-12. [|My Wonderful World - National Geographic] : Another tool from National Geographic is entitled My Wonderful World. This site addresses different geographic topics depending on the week. There are links for educators as well as students. There are ideas for activities and games, as well as actual videos and online games that students can play. The site is very interactive and well put together, very professional, well organized, and interesting to play around with. [|GIS - Information and Creating Maps] : This website would be geared towards a specific project idea or mapping concept, it would also probably be for a higher level course. The site describes GIS, explains fields in which GIS is used, and has a feature that allows students to create their own demographic map. [|Google Maps] : Google maps can be manipulated to show different kinds of maps, areas of the world, ‘fly’ to another country and view an interactive aerial map of their country - the options are limitless once you become familiar with the website and it’s capabilities. [|Library of Congress - Maps from 1500-2004] : This website is produced by the Library of Congress. It has historical maps under the categories of: cities and towns, conservation and environment, discovery and exploration, cultural landscapes, military battles and campaigns, and transportation and communication. The maps could be used in a history class or a geography class, they could compare with present maps, note similarities or changes, etc. [|CIA World Fact Book] : This website offers information about countries from around the world. It includes maps, flags, statistical information, etc., and it’s all in one place. This would be useful for reference or for students doing a project on countries or areas of the world. http://iu12tps.wikispaces.com/