Taya
Sundell, a master’s student in educational technology at Boise
State University, is the recipient of a $1,500 Innovative
Teachers fellowship to develop Web-based lesson plans for
middle school social studies classes. The fellowship is
co-sponsored by The American Association of Colleges for
Teacher Education (AACTE) and Microsoft.
Sundell is gathering information and developing lesson plans
that incorporate the Internet and a variety of other
technology resources. The lesson plans are then posted on an
interactive Web site at
http://inteachers.corp.bcentral.com/Middlesocialstudies/.
Teachers who log on to the site can access the lesson plans
and support material and also post their comments on an online
discussion board.
For example, a lesson plan titled “Oil, Used Today for
Tomorrow” includes links to virtual tours of several
international oil companies and information on such topics as
off-shore oil rigs, arctic technology and changes in the price
of oil and gas. As part of this unit, students create Excel
spread sheet and charts incorporating the data they have
researched and that has been provided. The lesson plan also
provides teachers with detailed information on how the project
meets state and national achievement standards, along with
many ideas on how to modify the plans for individual
classrooms.
“If you’re going to integrate technology in the classroom, you
need a variety of ways to do it,” said Sundell. “The site and
its lesson plans provide a benchmark for teachers to jump off
and create their own plans.”
The Innovative Teachers program aims to build an online
community of educators who work collaboratively to enhance
teacher education and student learning through the use of
technology. In partnership with their local schools and school
districts, grantees develop technology rich professional
development programs for administrators, faculty members,
prospective teachers and practicing teachers.
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Contact
Taya Sundell
Educational Technology
426-1966
tsundell@boisestate.edu
Media contact
Janelle Brown
communications and marketing
426-1790
jbrown2@boisestate.edu
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