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Tech Toolbox 1

The document lists 17 education-related websites and provides a brief 1-3 sentence description of each site. Some of the sites discussed include the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Michelle Rhee's education reform website StudentFirst, the American Legislative Exchange Council, the Michigan Association for Computer Users in Learning, Granite School District in Utah, and Read Works, a nonprofit focused on improving reading comprehension. The websites cover a range of topics from education policy and reform to curriculum resources and professional development opportunities for teachers.

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115 views

Tech Toolbox 1

The document lists 17 education-related websites and provides a brief 1-3 sentence description of each site. Some of the sites discussed include the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Michelle Rhee's education reform website StudentFirst, the American Legislative Exchange Council, the Michigan Association for Computer Users in Learning, Granite School District in Utah, and Read Works, a nonprofit focused on improving reading comprehension. The websites cover a range of topics from education policy and reform to curriculum resources and professional development opportunities for teachers.

Uploaded by

api-257687478
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Eric Gauthier Tech Toolbox

1. http://www.mackinac.org/ The Mackinac Center: The Mackinac Center for Public


Policy is a nonpartisan research and educational institute dedicated to improving the
quality of life for all Michigan residents by promoting sound solutions to state and local
policy questions. This group is responsible for pushing many of the past a current
legislative initiatives that have impacted school legislation. They were a big force in
pushing right to work legislation in the state of Michigan. I have signed up for a RSS
feed to know what the group is planning for the future of education in Michigan.
2. www.gatesfoundation.org The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation: We see equal value
in all lives. And so we are dedicated to improving the quality of life for individuals
around the world. From the education of students in Chicago, to the health of a young
mother in Nigeria, we are catalysts of human promise everywhere. The public school
reform program of the Gates Foundation has come under criticism by education
professionals, parents, and researchers for promoting reforms that they see as
undermining public education. The reforms include closing neighborhood schools in
favor of privately run charter schools; using standardized test scores extensively to
evaluate students, teachers, and schools; and merit pay for teachers based on test scores.
Critics also believe that the Gates Foundation exerts too much influence over public
education policy without being accountable to voters or tax payers. I have signed up for
an RSS feed to see what the focus and future of the foundation is saying about education.
3. www.studentfirst.org Michelle Rhees Education Reform Website: Our mission is to
build a national movement to defend the interests of children in public education and
pursue transformative reform, so that America has the best education system in the world.
The main focus of StudentFirst has been: teacher evaluation based on student
achievement, ending teacher tenure, and seniority preference. RSS Feed.
4. http://www.alec.org/ American Legislative Exchange Council: The American
Legislative Exchange Council works to advance the fundamental principles of freemarket enterprise, limited government, and federalism at the state level through a
nonpartisan public-private partnership of Americas state legislators, members of the
private sector and the general public. ALECs primary focus in Michigan been the
pushing of Student Vouchers for schools. Even though vouchers are illegal in the state of
Michigan due to the states constitution.

5. http://www.macul.org The Michigan Association for Computer Users in Learning


(MACUL): A non-profit organization established in 1975 dedicated to assisting the
education community through support, promotion, and leadership in the effective use of

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educational technology. A great place for technology info and educational seminars that
deal with implementing the use of technology in the classroom. Information on their
annual conference and grants.
6. http://www.graniteschools.org/depart/teachinglearning/curriculuminstruction/Pages/defau
lt.aspx Granite School District (Salt Lake City, Utah): This website is a great resource
for anything common core. Utah was one of the first states to implement the Common
Core standards. The math section of their webpage is really helpful. They have
vocabulary flash cards for every word used in the math common core K-12. They have
other core resources that are very helpful too.
7.

http://www.ascd.org The Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development: A


good website that has useful webinars on common core implementation. The site also
contains information on teacher leadership, professional development opportunities,
conferences, and many other educational topics.

8. http://www.marzanoresearch.com/resources/webinars Marzano Research Laboratory:


Marzano Research Laboratory (MRL) is a joint venture between Dr. Robert J. Marzano
and Solution Tree. MRL combines Dr. Marzanos 40 years of educational research with
continuous action research in all major areas of schooling in order to provide effective
and accessible instructional strategies, leadership strategies, and classroom assessment
strategies that are always at the forefront of best practice. A great website for teaching
vocabulary. I am just now starting to use the assessment strategies they have on
formative assessment. The right kind of instant feedback has been very helpful.
9. http://www.teacherspayteachers.com Teachers Pay Teachers is the worlds first and
largest open marketplace for educators to buy, sell, and share their original resources.
Teachers pay Teachers helps teachers to teach at their best and provides a community
where teachers succeed. A great website with user-created content. Most of the material
is pretty decent. There have been a few times where I have bought content that was not
as advertised. Most of the content is a good supplement for your lessons. The free
content is also useful.

10. www.youtube.com Founded in February 2005, YouTube allows billions of people to


discover, watch and share originally-created videos. YouTube provides a forum for
people to connect, inform, and inspire others across the globe and acts as a distribution
platform for original content creators and advertisers large and small. Youtube is a great
supplement to find musical content to relate concepts. I subscribe to Mr. Duey for

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mathematic problem solving videos. Mr. Par and Mr. Lee also produce scientific content
to top 40 music.
11. www.pinterest.com Pinterest is a tool for collecting and organizing the things that inspire
you. We are located in sunny San Francisco, California. This website had an educational
tab for creative ideas in teaching. Whether it is an experiment or a craft dealing with
phase changes you will find it. The content is generated continuously. Always something
new to try. People are willing to share their creations with you. Help a lot with
classroom organization, and repurposing old materials to make them useful again.
12. http://www.newington-schools.org Newington Public Schools: A district website that I
use to help write learning targets. They have webinars, modules, and other helpful
materials in writing beneficial learning targets that are expected as part of the common
core.
13. http://www.schoolimprovement.com School Improvement Network: School
Improvement Network is an online professional development and teacher training
company that partners with schools, districts, and educators throughout the United States,
Canada, and overseas to increase student achievement. This website provides
information on weekly strategies, video strategies, webinars, schoolcasts, and other
media outlets. In addition to all the free material they promote and sell their own
products. I have had not experiences with purchasing materials from them, but their free
content is nice.
14. www.edreach.us Edreach: EdReach provides a platform for passionate, outspoken
innovators- aiming to strengthen their voices by highlighting innovation in the field of
education, through reporting critical educational news, providing commentary, and
offering criticism of the educational issues of the day. A cool website that compiles all
sorts of webcasts and webchannels dealing with relevant educational issues. The site
provides you with a good barometer of what is going on in education nationally and
globally.

15. www.izzit.org Izzit: Izzit.org is dedicated to teaching the next generation about the ideas,
institutions, and benefits of a free society. At the same time, we seek to foster the critical
thinking skills necessary for young people to become independent-minded, fully engaged
citizens. A great website that provides current ideas to discuss in your class. Also
presents current issues facing teachers in the field, and politically.
16. www.procon.org Pro Con: Our purpose is to provide resources for critical thinking and
to educate without bias. We research issues that are controversial and important, and we

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present them in a balanced, comprehensive, straightforward, transparent, and primarily


pro-con format at no charge. Great tool when teaching students to debate about topics
that are very polarizing. Provides unbiased viewpoints from both sides. Definitely great
for certain topics. Forces the students to see both sides, and the topics are relevant to the
students also. You will have to gather the information for yourself to disperse to the
students. Some of the topics are not appropriate for the students.
17. www.readworks.org Read Works: The non-profit ReadWorks is committed to solving
the nation's reading comprehension crisis by giving teachers the research-proven tools
and support they need to improve the academic achievement of their students. This
website is great. It provides researched-based units and lessons aligned with the
common core. The entire website is free. They have lexile leveled non-fiction text and
passages to print online. Read Works encourages sharing within the building. The
material is free to copy.

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