Peer Review

Teacher Vision

Material Detail page

Reviewed:: Nov 14, 2016 by Teacher Education

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Ratings

Overall Rating:

Content Quality:

Effectiveness:

Ease of Use:

Overview:: The website has all kinds of articles, resources, themes, lesson plans, etc. There are also articles about ESL students and special needs.
This is a collection of teacher resources in a wide array of subjects. The MERLOT material URL directs the user to a set of resources on Special Needs teacher resources. The website as whole includes a spectrum of course subject matters and grade levels with accompanying resources such as tips and information, articles, lesson plans, worksheets, and digital resources such as games. Users can access the material with a 7-day free trial. After the trial ends, the cost is $39.95 for an annual subscription (as of 12/17/15).
Type of Material:: Development Tool Collection
Recommended Uses:: • Highly adaptable. This content can be used by classroom teachers and teacher aids in their interactions with special needs students. • Education students can use these resources as they study and prepare for a career in teaching.
Technical Requirements:: Website functions well in Firefox 38.0.5, Internet Explorer 9, and Chrome 43. May need Adobe reader for some documents as well as a high speed internet connection for some videos.
Identify Major Learning Goals:: 1. Users can develop strategies for addressing behavioral issues in the classroom related to students with special needs. 2. Users can access and utilize printables related to special needs students. 3. Users can gather, synthesize, and apply resources in their classroom. 4. Identify resources and research on special needs students. 5. Identify and define various disabilities and their main attributes.
Target Student Population:: Pre-K through 12th grade students. Resources are included for early childhood, multiple intelligences, English language learners, and special needs students. Subjects dealt with in detail are: Reading, Language Arts, Literature, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, World History, Geography, Government, Languages (primarily Spanish, Chinese, Sign Language), Art, Music, Drama, Health and Nutrition, Physical Education, Counseling, and Library. College level education students as well as teachers at all levels and subject matters Can be used by administrators to better understand the challenges faced in the special needs or mixed classroom.
Prerequisite Knowledge or Skills:: None.

Content Quality

Rating:
Strengths:: The depth of information available on this website is unparalleled. A diverse number of topics are listed under each core subject. For example, science has 17 subsections. One subsection, oceans, is further divided into 15 sections of its own, including whiteboard mini-lessons, digital books, curriculum connections with language arts, history and art, Earth Day activities, as well as ocean safety resources. Teachers can easily search the site (by grade or subject) for material appropriate for the level they teach; lessons are easily modifiable as well. Modules are easy to search and information is clearly presented on the website. Grade level information is occasionally provided next to subject materials (when searching by subject, not grade level). Information is provided in different ways; some lessons are via video, traditional lesson plan, or whiteboard lesson plan.
Concerns:: • Because the collection is so large, some narrative on the main subject areas may be useful in guiding the user on the topic in general and to which resources they may want to access for specific purposes. • The large amount of resources without guidance for a novice in the subject area may seem too overwhelming.

Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching Tool

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Strengths:: These lessons provided on the website can be readily integrated into the curriculum. Lessons include group and individual activities (such as graphic organizers), include discussion questions as well as follow up activities, curriculum connections and writing activities. Lessons are easy to understand, follow, modify and print. Links are included to related lessons as well.
Concerns:: -Each resources page contains a large amount of information which would be difficult to access on one’s own -Background information on the topic of special needs students is lacking and may help users of the site to access material best suited to them. For instance, a glossary and brief introductory narrative may narrow down the resources which would be of best use. Only five pages/worksheets could be viewed during the free trial, the review focuses on a snapshot of available lessons.

Ease of Use for Both Students and Faculty

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Strengths:: • Headings on the page separate resources into clear categories. • A highlights section on the right emphasizes some key resources. • The individual pages, as well as the website as a whole, is easy to navigate.
Concerns:: • There is a cost associated so this may impede some users from accessing the resources.

Other Issues and Comments:: There is a $39.95 annual fee to join this website, with a 7 day free trial (and a 60 day money back guarantee if one forgets to cancel after 7 days). This site has over 22,000 pages of information and is an excellent resource for pre-K to 12th grade teachers.
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