Sunday, May 29, 2011

New Iowa AEA Online Resources


ProQuest’s CultureGrams


Starting in August 2011, teachers will have access to some new educational tools and sites available through Iowa AEA Online www.iowaaeaonline.org.  


One of these new resources that I’m excited about is ProQuest’s CultureGrams.  I started collaborating with our seventh grade geography teachers this past year and I had my seventh and eighth grade ELO students select a culture to research, analyze, and compare with their own cultures.  This new resource will enable my students to access information from over 200 countries.  The site moves beyond basic facts to providing updated information from in-country experts, perspectives from interviews and multi-media formats, and opportunities for comparison among statistics and facts of different countries.  Country outlines, flags, graphs, and tables are also provided for additional information about each country.  


The presence of modern technology through the incorporation of digital images, slideshows, and videos will help students visualize the different lifestyles and customs of people around the world to enable them to make connections and comparisons to hopefully reach a more in-depth understanding of the world.  A bonus is that students could actually upload various videos and images to incorporate into their own projects.  


Mrs. Broeker and I are interested in working together to create an ongoing country expert project and we are excited about having access to this valuable student-friendly resource.  Imagine students having a country from which to become an expert and make comparisons and connections when discussing and sharing with their classmates.  The in-country experts included on this site will also enhance this project.
I also appreciate the various resources for training and lesson plan ideas to assist me as a teacher.




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