My school subscribes to Discovery Education and has for several years, but as things usually go, I had no idea of the wide variety of options and opportunities this Web 2.0 tool provides until I made it a point to explore and discover the ins and outs of Discovery Education.
What does it do?
Discovery Education allows you to not only search, download, and use as you want hundreds of videos, audio clips, and images, it also allows you to create assignments and share them with your students! As a subscriber to Discovery Education, you can create folders for your classes and piece together different elements to create your own unique assignment. The option Discovery Education provides for a teacher to create and save their own lessons, as well as, create their own folders with videos and/or other elements they found on Discovery Education makes this an example of Web 2.0!
How have I used it?
After the first time I searched Discovery Education for writing and grammar concepts videos I was disappointed. Nothing grabbed my attention. So I thought, how am I going to take advantage of Discovery Education in my English classes? Then, this summer I was given the opportunity to receive a day of professional development solely focusing on Discovery Education.
I am always looking for unique ways to create writing prompts for my students. Writing prompts are a huge part of my lessons. I believe the more you write the more you will develop your writing skills. I found out that Discovery Education has allows you to create interactive writing prompts with illustrations, sound clips, and/or video clips, and this is how I have used Discovery Education in my classroom! While currently I have only printed my writing prompts or shared them with my students as a whole group, Discovery Education does offer subscribers a way to have students virtually explore the writing prompt on their own and then submit their response electronically. This is an area I will have to explore!
Is it only good for subscribers?
While you might be thinking, “My school doesn’t subscribe to Discovery Education, so this would not be useful to me,” Discovery Education does offer lots of options for non-subscribers. Using the Teacher Resource found on the homepage of Discovery Education you have access to lesson plans, video clips, printable worksheets, a puzzle maker (you can create your own puzzles), and lots more! The Student Resource is also very useful. It offers games, homework help, and even webinars.
Check it out for youself: http://www.discoveryeducation.com//
I wouldn't have thought of Discovery Education as a Web 2.0 tool, but you have convinced me that it qualifies.
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