Welcome fellow teachers! For most of you, summer break has begun or is very close on the horizon! Just because it is summer, doesn’t mean the tech snacks stop. Quite the contrary, during the summer months, we will be extending our Tech Snack menu for you to sample, taste and indulge in! Today's tech snack can be found at the following url: http://ngexplorer.cengage.com/ngyoungexplorer/index.html and this one is a special treat for Language Arts and Science teachers!
Today’s tech snack is brought to you by the people at National Geographic and is an online magazine that can be used with students in Preschool- Second Grade. Whoa! Really? That’s a huge range. Yes, I have used this tool with my preschoolers (ages 3-5) as well as my Kindergarten and First Grade students. Admittedly, the way I have used the tool has varied with the different grade levels with preschool being more as a whole class/teacher-centered approach while with the older students the approach was more student-centered.
How does it work?
The beauty of this site is the simplicity of its use. All you have to do is click on the magazine you want and the virtual magazine opens up. Then all you have to do is click on the corner to “turn” the page. To have the text read to the students, all you have to do is click on the speaker icon.
This website can be used by students on individual computers, in small groups, as a whole class activity with the use of an LCD projector, or as a blended learning activity. Each magazine comes with a teacher resource guide that has tons of information, worksheets for the students, and answer keys.
As you can see, this simple Web 2.0 tech snack has a multitude of educational possibilities. I think this one will be a regular menu item at our café! Until our next meeting....happy snacking!