by Mary Beth Scumaci
Have you “Googled” teacher websites lately? In these times of economic conservancy, they are a great form of professional development. There is much to learn for both the novice and expert teacher. Classroom websites are a tech savvy way to connect the school, community, and the world. The internet has made sharing best teaching practices, quality pedagogy, and technology integration easier than ever.
If you believe a picture is worth a thousand words and a video is worth even more, then you are sure to enjoy a visit to Ms. Beth Newingham’s multimedia teacher website at http://hill.troy.k12.mi.us/staff/bnewingham/myweb3. Ms. Newingham is a third grade teacher at Hill Elementary School in Troy, Michigan. She is a well respected mentor teacher who shares lesson ideas, video clips, classroom management tips, resources, and more with virtual visitors.
Ms. Newingham also blogs for the Scholastic Classroom Solutions & Top Teaching Idea Blog site at http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/collection/beth-newingham-classroom-tips-strategies, another good web resource tool.
As a beginning teacher or someone new to the online teacher website world, it may seem a little overwhelming at first. I suggest you start on Ms. Newingham’s classroom homepage. There you can preview the links and watch video clips of her dynamic students in action. It is fun to see how engaged these third graders are with their theme based learning. There are loads of ideas to use in your own classroom. While surfing the website, be sure to take a virtual tour of Ms. Newingham’s classroom for some great organizational and management strategies or visit Room 13’s Weekly Word Study page for some great teaching tips. Veteran teachers will also find this website a useful resource. Every link on this class website is worth exploring.
After perusing the entertaining and educational offerings on Ms. Newingham’s classroom website, surf on over to her blog and continue your learning adventure. Give yourself plenty of time because it is easy to get lost in these engaging and creative teacher websites.
Mary Beth Scumaci is a Clinical Assistant Professor with the School of Education at Medaille College in Buffalo, New York.