Blog #2: Wiki Walk-Through

I just visited the TeachersFirst website, which has lessons and web resources that are easily accessible to teachers. At first, I was weary about whether or not this site is actually user friendly. I tried to use the search bar to quickly find lesson on presidents for third grade, and what I was provided with was a list of lessons and resources for all sorts of topics and grades. However, aside from the site's search engine, I do like the overall content of the website, in particular, the "TeachersFirst Exclusives" and "Professional Resources" tabs.

"TeachersFirst Exclusives"

This tab provides an abundance of rich and useful resources for students. I really liked the subpages categories, including Instructional Units, Lesson Plans, and Ready to Go. There were others, but I primarily explored those under this tab. As a member of the Urban/Multicultural cohort I appreciated that their were lesson plans that represented minorities and also that highlight important parts of Black History. I have been in schools recently, and I was surprised at how void of African American culture and history the schools were during Black History Month. I liked that this page listed two unique plans for discussing some of the issues and history, as well as for making it relevant to students today, and that the appropriate grade levels were provided.

These were a few of the plans listed that I liked, especially "They Had a Dream Too".

Ready to Go was a nice feature because it offers quick, time-saving resources and instructional materials for teachers. The lesson and unit plans often provided ways to prepare the lessons, but I liked that this was another option for teachers that could be applied to universally designed lesson planning and to supplementing students at home or to scaffold self-directed learning. I think that these could be really useful to save time and to help use time more productively, and also that it could be a great extension to learning or introductory source. I think that students' ability to access the links from home is a great tool, too, because those who need a little more time or who might need a little extra practice can do so without taking away from instructional time during the school day; this would apply for those without learning disabilities, as well. 

"Professional Resources"

I interpreted this tab as an educational extension resource for teachers. It provides advice, examples, handy tips and other information to help teachers continue to develop their knowledge and educational toolbox once they are in the field. 

This has more depth on the actual web page, but just to provide a taste of what I am talking about.

From classroom blogs to substitute lesson ideas and guidance for new teachers to working with parents and more, this tab would be really great for teachers at any level who need support, want to enhance or revamp their current methods or techniques in the classroom, or who simply curious about what else is happening and available for them. 

Over all, I felt like this was a really great wiki resource. It is free, well-organized, and offers a variety of resources for students and teachers and materials for establishing and enhancing our learning environments. I definitely will refer back to the website in the future.