Bill's best
Organizing the vast educational resources of the
web is a task well-suited to an organization as large
as Microsoft. The software giant's new Classroom
Teacher Network includes a variety of tools, from
instructional and technical resources to user forums
and guidance for new teachers. Follow the link to
lesson plans and you'll find the Microsoft
Lesson Connection, where educators can search
a database of online lessons by subject, grade, topic,
and keyword. What's more, the free Microsoft Lesson
Connection wizard allows curriculum administrators
to locate lessons on the Internet that align with
specific learning objectives in the school's own curriculum
standards. Teachers can then view the standards and
use the links in the document to find online lessons
that meet the criteria approved by the curriculum
administrator.
|
|
|
Big thinkers
If you're looking for a sign that the future is
in good hands, check out the winners of the 1999
ThinkQuest awards. Nothing lifts the spirit quite
like seeing several dozen high-quality educational
web sites created by teams of teenagers from around
the world -- especially when the students' sites rival
or surpass the efforts of the best professional web
design firms. The depth of content and technical sophistication
of the winning sites is top-notch: Topics such as
electricity, the environment, contemporary art, aviation,
and endangered species are covered with in-depth information
and make use of the latest Shockwave, Java, and DHTML
technology. And a new category for teacher-produced
sites shows that adults can hold their own on
the web, too. These winning sites are a great resource
for learners of all ages.
|
|
