UEN scavenger hunt

I really enjoyed the UEN scavenger hunt activity. It took a long time to complete, but I learned about a lot of resources that I had no idea existed. One tool that I learned about that I will definitely be using as a teacher is SIRS Discover. I have been using Google for a long time, and this site amazed me. Not only does it contain tons of educational information, but it is also organized and extremely easy to use. I really liked how the site labeled each article with a reading level, and put everything into categories.

I never realized how many resources are available for teachers online, and it amazed me that the Pioneer Library brought a lot of those resources together in to one convenient place. I still feel like I have barely scratched the surface in regards to the possibilities that these tools bring to educators.

Searchasaurus was another tool that I found really interesting. I loved that it was designed just for elementary school aged children, and that you could search for articles that fell within specific age levels. I know that I will be using this tool quite frequently when I’m looking for ideas when I begin teaching.

I was also amazed at the amount of interactive activities that these
sites led me to. Earlier this semester I struggled with finding
interactive sites and so I was amazed at how many I found while doing
this UEN scavenger hunt. I know that while teaching Kindergarten I will frequently have my students do some of these interactive activities at home and at school to enhance their learning.

Another tool that we discovered that I know I will be able to use in the future is the UEN lesson plan and core curriculum site. Since it is my first semester discovering the education program I still have a lot to learn. I really enjoyed learning about the different requirements for each grade level. I thought it was awesome that for each standard and almost every objective in those standards there were links and sample lesson plans. I have heard from many teachers that lesson plans are the most difficult part of the first year of teaching, and with this tool I know that part will be easier.