More and more, teachers are expected to make use of a computer, or other technology, that has been purchased for the classroom. While some of us are more familiar with computers than others, I found this great article that eased my anxiety about using technology in the classroom. I know that even though I am computer literate, I would become anxious when I had to rely on technology to help with a lesson. There are so many things that can go wrong! The website might not load, it might not load all of the information I carefully laid out, or the Internet may be down. According to the article, these are all ok—it’s a learning experience. The key to having a successful lesson, no matter what, is to always have a Plan B. This way, your students will still get a complete lesson, even if it wasn’t the format you originally intended.
When I was looking around the Internet, I found a list of over 100 websites to help teach about various Social Studies topics. While this is a list of secular sites, it can easily be adapted for your religious school classroom. For example, go to www.awesomestories.com/religion to a great article on the Dead Sea Scrolls. Or, visit www.eyewitnesstohistory.com to find first person accounts from World War II. You can also find links to help create a genealogy project for your students.
Do you have great websites that you use in your classroom? I’d love to hear about them. Please send me an email.
