As a teacher, I am always looking for Web 2.0 Tools to use in my classroom. I have found a great place for both students and teachers. It is called KinderSite Project. Although the title may indicate that it is just for "Kindergarten " teachers, I have found through my research that it has games, stories, and music for up to children 12 years old. One of the things I noticed quickly about this tool is that is has a wide selection of things to do and see for children- music, stories, and games. These are profiled on separate pages by age and by interest. There is even a section for multicultural activities with different languages. Each activity shows the link of where it came from - PBS kids, Starfall.com, BBC, etc. Another thing about this tool is that there is a section for teachers which highlights research, schools, and links to professional articles. A feature of this tool is a page that you can set up with your favorite links. There is a search portion which you can narrow down the age, interest, and strengths of the specific activity you which to use. There is a comment section where you can post what you like about an activity and what works or doesn't work. Interactive activities as well as basic learning skills makes this a valuable tool for the classroom.
This would be a great tool to use on a Smartboard and individual computers. There are so many activities on this site that a child would be engaged to try different things but also has the choice to repeat and master an activity. Teachers could fine tune this with specific lesson plans as well as control which links to go to by using the Teacher page. My favorite thing about this tool is that it promotes technology for early learners through the things that they like- music and stories. As they learn to manipulate the mouse and are familiar with the tool, they can add games into their list.
Very interesting site ,will try it out with my 3yr old son. great way to engage learners and teach them computer skills!
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