Journal Post # 6

Chapter 6: Technology with Educational Websites and Other Online Resources

Focus Question 1: What is information management and digital content?

     Undoubtedly we are living in the age of technology and information. Formerly to be informed we read the newspaper, listened to the news or simply watched these on TV. Today with just a CLICK we have access to an enormous amount of information that is updated every second. As educators, how can we find, organize and use the needed, useful and appropriate information for a teaching process that actively involve and engage the students, as well as help them develop their critical thinking and skills such as information and Internet literacy? The answer is Information Management.

     Information management is the process of finding, organizing and using information. This requires skills to find valuable information, organize it efficiently, so that we can easily access it when we need it, and use it to make it available to our students through interactive, creative and meaningful sessions within and outside the school.

      As a source of information, the Internet has no comparison. Such online information is known as digital content. Obviously this is a must if we want to fulfill our responsibility to teach and educate students in line with the demands of the present time. However, despite how valuable is this digital content, without the skills to properly manage this considerable information, it would be useless.

Tech Tool Link: Discovery Education

     The first thing I can say about this website is: Too bad I did not know it before making our collaborative lesson plan! How many useful and innovative ideas to make a lesson plan! In their own words: “Discovery Education offers a breadth and depth of digital media content that is immersive, engaging and brings the world into the classroom to give every student a chance to experience fascinating people, places, and events. All content is aligned to state standards, can be aligned to custom curriculum, and supports classroom instruction regardless of the technology platform.” In my opinion this is a high-quality website that allows interactivity, exploration, and engagement.

    One can have access to: Interactive digital textbooks, engaging standards-aligned content, lesson plans, comprehensive professional development, assessment services, virtual experiences, learning communities, and much, much more. If you go to this webpage, you can try some remarkable curricular resources to teach science.

Summary and Connection: I think that for us, the teachers, this is one of the most important chapters. I've learned a lot about organizing electronic resources to address curriculum frameworks and learning standards, Web Quests, educational websites available to us on the Internet and how to use these to provide interactive and engaging learning experiences for students. Indeed, the information in this chapter has helped me have a more complete picture of how I can use technology in my future classes, and if in case someday I feel lost in the sea of electronic information, I know I can always turn to this chapter to find the right course.

You can always find the right direction!
Photo credit to Thomas Howden on Google