Information for Teachers

This page serves the educator as an introduction to the activities and projects that are part of the Discovering South Carolina from the Mountains to the Sea Web Site. Teachers and educators are free to make copies of any of the web pages that are a part of this project  for their own classroom use. Copies may not be made for distribution. Feel free to share the URL of this site with other educators.

The student-centered projects vary from student planned field trips to the discovery of  South Carolina's historical past. Most of these activities can be adapted for 3rd or 8th grade level students. Please preview the activity pages and determine which ones are appropriate for the grade level that you teach.  Some of the activities require group participation and others have been planned for an individual student working alone. Most are open answer, authentic assessment type activities which will help prepare your students for our state's PACT testing. All were planned with  South Carolina's curriculum standards in mind, as well as current educational practices. These activities require problem-solving and or decision-making processes by the learner. All of the activities are student-centered and require technology and information literacy skills. Students must acquire the skills and knowledge necessary to access,  gather, sort, synthesize, and evaluate information to prepare them for the 21st century. Current research on learning styles indicates that  effective combinations of information technology can help learners succeed. Students must be actively engaged in real world learning situations through challenging, collaborative tasks. Applying technology appropriately to a standards-driven curriculum can improve students' academic achievement while instilling the desire to learn.

In addition to our state standards there are national guidelines for information literacy. The Information Literacy Standards for Student Learning have been developed jointly by the  American Association of School Librarians (AASL) and the Association for Educational and Communications Technology (AECT).

The Information Literacy Standards for Student Learning are integral to the content and objectives of any school's curriculum. The standards profile the information literate high school graduate. This graduate will be able to use information to acquire basic as well advanced knowledge and to become an independent, lifelong learner who will contribute responsibly and productively to the learning community.

The technology foundation standards for students are divided into six broad categories:
 

• Basic operations and concepts
• Social, ethical, and human issues
• Technology productivity tools
• Technology communications tools
• Technology research tools
• Technology problem-solving and decision-making tools

Integrating Technology Into Classroom Instruction

In order to integrate technology into their instruction,
teachers must rethink their teaching strategies and use activities which will  enhance student learning and collaboration.  Cooperative learning activities allow
students to be explorers, building on the  diversity of the group's prior knowledge. When students are grouped into teams of two or more, and each team has the responsibility to accomplish objectives to meet an overall goal, it it more likely that success will be realized.

Information for Teachers about the Activities
Glossary of Computer Terms

Links for Teachers

 The Key to the Internet
 PowerPoint Information
South Carolina Links
Glossary of Computer Terms
Student Projects
Information for Teachers about the Activities