Let me Google it...

    We all know there's a difference in websites that are strictly fun and games and websites that are useful for the classroom and educational purposes. Saying that though, a teacher's goal is to make learning and the classroom environment as enjoyable as possible for his or her students. That's why Fun Brain is such a great tool for teachers to get their students involved with technology that teaches. Fun Brain is made for all types of students and has categories that will suit multiple interests, whether math or reading. It's very accessible, and the organization is wonderful! You can select games by grade level or by type of game such as: Word Games, Puzzles, Number Games, etc. (I have to say, the games are pretty fun! I always enjoyed them in school.) If you haven't tried Fun Brain, you're missing out, and so are your students. Introducing children to learning through technology better prepares them for their education in the future.

     Using web-based resources for student research can be extremely useful for teachers and for the skills of the student. I, personally, have written more research papers in the past 3 years then I can remember. Without being able to research the Internet, though it's possible, my papers would have taken triple the time and we all know there's no time to waste in the 21st century. The Internet also allows for massive amounts of information to be accessed by students; something that can't be done by searching through only one university's library for a day. Though, there is a time to use research and a time not to use the Internet in education. People have a problem now, in my opinion, of not discussing problems aloud and through cognitive thinking, but resort to the simple action of 'just Google it'. Students still need to talk through questions they have through their own minds and not just resort to what someone has said before them. It takes away from creativity and curiosity. It's better to incorporate research on the web with scholarly websites only, this keeps students from using websites that are not educational or truth/fact-based.

     In my experiences with writing research papers and completing research projects, my professors have always been clear about the kind of websites of which they require us to obtain our information. When I first had to use only scholarly articles in research, my eyes were opened to the difference in content and the way to evaluate legitimate websites from non-legitimate sites. That skill has served me well outside of the classroom as well, when it pertains to news articles and the like. I use some methods that the podcast talked about in the ABCD-T acronym the speaker talked about. I always read to see if the website is biased in any way as well as if the news is current. Knowing how to evaluate websites will allow you to gain more truthful knowledge and information as well as your students.