Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Best Websites

As part of the Web 2.0 assignment, I visited two websites and contributed to one. Although my kids are grown, my favorite site is still Sesame Street, http://www.sesamestreet.org/. The simplicity and yet richness calls out to young children, their parents and anyone who loves color, friends and life. The connection to education is obvious. I know there are many newer, hipper, educational sites for young children, but this one is still award winning. The Save the Day with Science is an example of good instruction that stimulates imagination. Sesame Street has evolved with the web - the interactive elements on this site are delightful.

Most importantly, it captures attention with the best of web 2.0, while teaching a wide range of concepts and topics, uses good pedogogy, engages both children and parents.  The tie to education goes without saying, but I will - its great!

I was happy to find http://guardian.co.uk/. I enjoy the news, both electronic and print, but worry that our U.S. news is myopic and biased. It is nice to see news reporting with a wide angle, from a different country. My vote is still out on what type of jounalism this is, but I think it is good to see things from other perspectives; I think our learning is stifled if we do not. The site is wonderfully easy to navigate to the latest news or information.

I also discovered Delicious!  I have long saved websites and links in Favorites, but now have a way to easily find them from any computer and share them. My goal with this site, as I learn to use the tools, is to create a repository of educational information and tools for the people in my department who develop programs and curriculum; we will be able to research and share useful sites. I have already added some sites I use regularly and will be on the lookout for more. Here is a link to My Delicious: http://www.delicious.com/defa.rose