Sheila Godfrey

The tool that I chose to discuss is called Discovery Education. This web tool enables educators to take their students on virtual field trips. I chose this tool, because I think it is important for students to be able to explore and learn about our world, near and far. I also feel that it is important for students to have real experiences while learning, because it can make lessons more memorable and fun. The experiences make the lessons easier to understand with constant interactions, and students can find ways to relate to what they are learning. Discovery Education is an extremely useful tool for many reasons. One reason is that it provides curricula for different subjects, such as math and social studies. There are techbooks for all of the subjects, and the books use approaches that help to enhance different types of skills and learning areas. Discovery Education understands that students learn in their own way, and they have put together a curriculum to help each type of learner, including students whose home language may not be English. Students are able to have the text read aloud, and they can use features to highlight important areas, and they can add important notes. A tool like Discovery Education gives me the confidence to know that I will be able to teach math to my students, and I will be able to do it in fun and memorable ways. I really like the math curriculum that Discovery Education is offering. Individual links are not available for the short videos on the math curriculum page. I strongly suggest you watch them to see how the lesson plans come to life as they appeal to different types of learners. For example, watch the basketball video (second video) to see how sports are used for math learners, and here is a link for NBA math page to read a little further about math and basketball. I think Discovery Education would be a fantastic tool for me to use with my students. I would teach lessons, and then use Discovery Education to reiterate and reinforce my lessons. I would be able to see on my dashboard who may need extra help, or certain math problems that need more attention, because many students got the answer wrong. I think this tool would enable me to have more time, and this would allow me more opportunities for more one-on-one time with my students.