Seven must-see sites - Web Sitings - web sites for teachers - Brief Article

Instructor, August, 2002 by Francine Cabreja

Get organized for the upcoming school year and engage your students with these helpful and fascinating links.

BIGCHALK

www.bigchalk.com

Any Web-savvy teacher will tell you that bigchalk is a site like no other. Pages specifically designed for librarians; teachers; elementary, middle, and high school students; and parents contain valuable information, contests, activities, and news. Bigchalk puts powerful online content to work to create engaging learning experiences. And the site's resources can really boost student achievement.

TEACH-NOLOGY

www.teach-nology.com

A dream come true, this Web site has something for every teacher's needs. The vast amount of information is organized so that everything can be found easily and quickly. Click on Web Tools for Educators and you will find tools to create anything from bus passes to student contracts. Teachers can even create their own free Web site. Check out Ideas That Worked to find projects, icebreakers, counseling strategies, and more! Teach-nology also provides excellent technology turorials. Sign up for its newsletter and receive free weekly teaching tips.

MATHMASTERY

www.mathmastery.com

This fun site will surely motivate your students. Kids can register to partner up with a sports star or a pop music celebrity to learn about math, play games, and receive free posters in the process. Teachers can register their classes to become part of My Math Class online math courses designed for grades 3-8. Set up a Progress Page for each student to keep up-to-date on his or her progress. Looking for new and original math problems? Visit DailyBrains to find problems created by teachers for teachers. CyberChallenge is a perfect place for students to practice their math skills in a fun, pressure-free atmosphere.

SCHOLASTIC

www.scholastic.com

Everyone is aware that Scholastic is an important resource, but have you visited its Web site lately? The brand-new online Teacher's Store, Book Clubs, and Software Clubs have made Scholastic's great products even more accessible. These new features only reinforce the others, which include Author Studies, the News Zone, Activities, and Research Starters. And this only covers the Teacher's Page! This site has plenty for children and their families, too.

THE LEARNING WORKSHOP

www.thelearningworkshop.com

Register at The Learning Workshop and you will have access to online grade books and grade tracking, a class message board, and a personal and class calendar, among many other benefits. Classroom management has never been so easy! Students can register to receive testing tips, have online access to their grades, and communicate with their classmates on a classroom message board. Click on Tutors to search the database, organized by zip code, to find a tutor in your area. And keep visiting this great site, because it has promised to add even more useful links in the future.

HOMEWORKSPOT

www.homeworkspot.com

This useful Web site brings all the best homework-related sites together to benefit K-12 teachers, students, and their families. Pages are organized by grade level (elementary, middle school, and high school) and include an entire teacher's category with topics such as grants, integrating technology, special education, and jobs. Students can check out new Web sites, take a virtual field trip, or read the latest headlines. In the Reference section, almanacs, dictionaries, and homework hotlines are available. From the first day of school to the last, you will want to access this site frequently.

WWW.EXPLORATORIUM.EDU

www.exploratorium.edu

An extension of the museum based in California, the Exploratorium Web site is an intriguing resource for teachers and students. It strives to focus on human perception and how it works within the world around us. Watch live Webcasts of eclipses and Real Videos of an aurora of virtually explore Antarctica. Check out the Learning Studio for optical illusions and memory games, or learn how to build classroom versions of its exhibits. New and captivating content is regularly being added-be sure to bookmark this site. The exploratorium will definitely provide hours and hours of learning and fun.