cool web sitr

The November issue of the NMSA Middle School Journal had a brief blurb about a site that sounded very interesting to me. The author writes: "In my opinion Marco Polo is probably the most comprehensive and sophisticated Web site on the Internet." How could I NOT check this out?!

I spent some time on this site playing around with the educator tools. I did some searches for "lesson plans, interactives, and more". I really like how this site has various drop down menus. A person can enter their usual search term. (I tried Ancient Rome, for example). But then you can limit to subject area, grade level, resource type, and content partners.

The resource types include: lessons, interactives, primary sources, worksheets, reference materials, media, and assessments.

Some of the content partners are: readwritethink, the smithsonian's history explorer, xpedition...

This site has a lot of potential. I can't wait to explore it more. I already added it to my delicious under "teacher tools".

http://marcopolo-education.org/

Thing 16: e-portfolios

Several years ago...ok...maybe it was MANY years ago...a colleague and I wrote a grant focused on the meaningful integration of technology into the classroom. She was a tech teacher and I teach history....so it was a match made in grant heaven. We got the necessary funding and support to develop e-portfolios for our middle school. Initially, many teachers were using them. But I think I am the only one still holding on to this idea. I think it is so beneficial for kids to have a record of how their year went, from beginning to end. We also use the e-portfolios at student led conferences in the fall and the spring. In the age of online grades, parents enjoy seeing samples of their kid's work. They also enjoy reading their child's reflections about their work.

We actually use powerpoint to create the portfolios. We designed a template that the kids can personalize with the information. We did check out other tools (such as e-folio MN) but found that PPT was the best for middle schoolers. They love the flexibility and creativity! Plus, they already know how to use PPT. I could see how maybe high schoolers and college students could use the e-folios. I do think it's cool that they are provided for free. It is a great idea.

However, when it comes to e-folios I think I am going to stick with "if it ain't broke don't fix it". Since powerpoint has been working well so far, I'll stick with it.

I do love portfolios and think that teachers should use them...whatever the format!

Metronet History Day Training

I am VERY excited to go to the History Day workshop that will be put on by Metronet. I am eager to hear ideas of how I can work with my public library to make History Day an even richer experience for the kids. Another social studies teacher and I have already tossed around the idea of having a History Day work day some Saturday at the Chanhassen library. The librarians and teachers would be there to support the kids in using their public library. I think this would be a very cool collaboration!

The workshop is tomorrow and I can't wait to reflect on what I learned!