Using Interactive Websites to Assist in an Effective Science Lesson

Before I begin this post, I want to start out by stating the obvious benefits of using interactive websites in the classroom:

1. great tool for visual learners
2. easy to find in any web browser
3. students can easily relate to them because they are familiar and comfortable with computers
4. can use hand-in hand with a lesson or can be used as an extension to a lesson
5. can involve all students

In our Social Studies methods class a while back we focused on the use of interactive websites in the classroom. We examined some websites and picked out some of the good and bad qualities of those sites, and how and when to use them in the classroom. Interactive websites can be a great teaching tool to assist in student learning, however it should not be the main teaching tool. SmartBoards are becoming more common to see in classrooms which is a great feature to have in the classroom to incorporate interactive lessons. This post is fairly similar to my previous post about the implementation of technology in the science curriculum. Teachers need to make sure that the interactive lessons dont take away from the students learning. Often times some of the features on those interactive websites are very bright and flashy. This could cause a great disservice for a child who is autistic. So if you are going to use websites like those, make sure you examine them first and pick out what you want to use out of those sites so that your students are taking away from the website what you wanted them to walk away knowing.

Below I found a great interactive website to use for grades K-8. I highly recommend viewing the link because there are some really great interactive games and activities on the site for those different grade levels. You can choose a theme you want to focus on and select the activity.

Interactive Inquiry Based Activities