Curriculum Development
One of the nicest things that technology has done for teachers is allow us to create and/or personalize our curriculum. No longer must we use the generic worksheets provided by the publisher. We can use them as a model and change them to meet the needs of the students we actually have. And the Internet, with both its searching and publishing features, can for the first time, allow our children in Any Town, World, to get up-to-date, accurate and dynamic information. Check to see how many books in your library still do not have Americans landing on the moon.
But what a burden for the teacher. The old phrase, "Get out your books, read chapter 12 and answer the odd questions" had better be a teaching style of the past. Now the teacher can no longer "Read one chapter ahead" and know it all. Teachers must, demand and be given, hardware and software that is open-ended, modifiable, and current. And you must use it.
From the obvious uses of typing, modifying, correcting and printing reports with a word processor to the difficult task of creating a WebQuest which spans a month, you are given a number of challenges. Find someone in your district who is familiar with these strategies and learn how to use them.
As a beginning, look at the Daily Classroom Specials listed elsewhere here at
TeachNet. We don't offer it all, yet, but we do provide a variety of activities for many grade levels. As you read the section later on Software, I will give you specific names to help you.
