A few Sites to Take a Look At

Hi Everyone,

I was doing some reading for my other class and one of the chapters briefly touched on technology in the classroom. It provided a few websites that could be used in the classroom that I thought were worth sharing. Two of the websites I tried to go to did not work, but http://www.pbs.org/odyssey/ was up and running. This site allows students to virtually participate in an ocean voyage with scientist to study the conditions of the ocean. Another cool site is http://www.accessexcellence.org/RC/virtual.php. This site is more for students at the high school level and allows them to participate in virtual dissections of animals. How crazy! I remember in high school I had to dissect a frog. I think it would have been much better if we did it virtually.

Both of these sites reminded me of Second Life and the learning that can take place with the use of technology. I also felt these sites exemplified the new ethos. Students are able to collaborative with each other in affinity spaces. Students in these affinity spaces form participatory cultures and have a wide range of expertise. I think this environment keeps students engaged and motivated and is conducive to learning.

Check out the sites and let me know what you think!