Thinkfinity in the Classroom

I really liked the Thinkfinity site that we looked at in class last week. It had so many resources and choices of media and activities to use in the classroom, and I love all the variety that was available. This is an incredible resource for teachers who may need to add something extra to their lessons, something that may get students more involved in class or make their experience of the lesson more than just reading textbooks or taking notes. There are lesson plans and worksheets available on the site, but there are also videos and interactive activities, which I think will require students to do more than just repeat back information. In class we saw a little bit of a video presentation on the Japanese internment camps during World War II, and I think activities like that one will give students more than just facts and dates - they will learn about empathy and various moral dilemmas people face and the impact it has on those around them. I think it is our job as teachers to not only present the facts to our students, but to also present various ways of thinking about a problem or situation. This way we can allow them to think for themselves and find out what they think is right for themselves as individuals, after being shown the facts and events that have been deemed important by us, curriculum, or just society in general. With the resources provided by Thinkfinity, we will have more opportunities to present our students with a richer classroom experience where they will learn formulas, dates, and theories as well as more about the human experience, what it means to be a democratic citizen, and how they can influence the world with their thoughts and ideas.