Tuesday, June 4, 2013

14 (Plus One) Possible Educational Websites For Students

Interesting technology ideas from Teach.HUB.com.  Try these out first, though,  and then recommend them (or not!).  Think carefully about the ages and stages of the children who will be using these, as well, because they are not always appropriate for very young children.  We put these articles and recommendations out for you to look at, think about, and use, but only if they meet your needs and your students developmental levels.   Some of these you have to register to use.  

And this bonus one, too for a bunch of geography and social studies related puzzles and word games:  www.digipuzzle.net


14 Educational Websites Students Will Want to Visit

14 Educational Websites Students Will Want to Visit this SummerThe most popular website at my school, hands down, is Minecraft. Even 1st graders love it (I'm amazed parents let six-year-olds use this sometimes violent game, but they do). Because kids would opt to live in this blocky virtual world 24/7, I only let them play it two lunch periods a week. Those days, my lab is always packed. Kids have no idea they're learning math (estimation, geometry, shapes), science (geology, rocks, minerals), building, or softer skills like thinking and reasoning, problem solving, hypothesis-testing, risk-taking, and collaboration. They don't realize they're exercising that delicate skill called 'creativity' or care that Common Sense Media raves that "Minecraft empowers players to exercise their imagination and take pride in their digital creations as they learn basic building concepts."
As I watched students play (and play and play and play), I started to understand what it was that enraptured them so thoroughly: It's the thinking. They make decisions that result in consequences and ultimately require more thinking. Players can't go on auto-pilot. They must engage their brain.
OK, I get it. No way will I reinvent the education wheel when I've stumbled onto the golden goose: Simulations -- not those shallow ones that walk players through the 'right' answers, but the deep, multi-layered type that are hard to find in the virtual world. I've had one (called SimTower) on my lab computers for ten years. Third graders discover it and play it as often as I let them -- which used to be every lunch hour until Minecraft replaced it -- right through the fifth grade, when the shine wore thin and they needed something new. It's listed below, but you can't buy it. It's only available as 'abandoned software' from the link.
Here are a few more software programs you can use to tantalize your students:
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  • Bridge Builder—learn how to design and test bridges
  • iCivics—experience what it means to be part of a democracy
  • Making History: The Great War—WWI strategy game
  • MidWorld Online—learn French or Spanish while completing conquests
  • Minecraft (links to MinecraftEdu—fee required)
  • Mission US--students role play the American Revolution or the Civil War
  • Past/Present—life as an American immigrant in the early 1900’s
  • SimCity—learn how to run a city
  • SimTower—learn how to run a high-rise
For shorter sessions, try these:
  • Coffee Shop—run a coffee shop business
  • Electrocity—learn how electricity contributes to the growth of communities
  • Lemonade Stand—run a lemonade stand business
  • Life (Insurance)—manage your life and see why insurance is important
  • Science simulations—lots of choices for 2nd-8th graders
Best news: These are all free.

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