Blog 9: Oh the places you go when you travelling via cyberspace

Interestingly enough, teachers you would assume would not have a lot of resources available to them as far as finding information for classroom activities or even material for classroom lectures. I dabble in teaching both English and Social Sciences, and I find it's easier to find resources for the former, and not the latter. But then I happened to stumble upon Ben's Guide (bensguide.gpo.gov) a very interactive site that allows students and teachers to peruse information about topics concerning the nation's foundation as well as each state's individual stats. Also, this is a great tool for any social science teacher. There is a comprehensive vocabulary guide that would be great is you ever wanted to quiz students on the terminology.
Continuing with the social science theme, (thank you Dalton :D) the site http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/Geography.htm provides an excellent source of games involving different continents and areas of interest. But the fun doesn't stop there. If you're an English teacher, you are in luck! They have games and flashcards that involve vocabulary and questions that can be seen on the SAT or GRE. This is an invaluable tool for both the young and old. Seriously, check it out. You might think you know some words, but alas...they aren't the definition you think they are.
We have learned so much about Office 2007 as well as how to apply it to our teaching careers. But one thing I wish we learned more about is something that doesn't involve Office 2007. Windows Movie Maker is an interesting tool because it allows you to create interactive presentations, something that would catch student's attention and just be different. Also, it's something I could envision using to create a special tool celebrating my students' achievements, as well as creating a videography if I ever wanted to apply for National Accrededation. Hopefully I'll pick up on it later in my career, but indeed it would be cool to learn about it :-D
To achieve my future technological related goals, I would probably take outside classes that I could get funded by my school. Also, by attending graduate school, I could also find a way to learn even more about technology. The great thing about learning about technology is that there is several different ways to accomplish this need. Microsoft is generous on how they offer different ways to allow one to train themselves on their variety of products. The only issue I have with using Microsoft is that their trainings don't allow you to actually practice with the technology. Rather, they tell you how to accomplish the tasks through diagrams, not actual practices. If anyone knows anything else that may be out there and worth a gander, let me know :-D