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Site Review: C-SPAN Classroom

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URL: C-SpanClassroom.org

Content: C-SPAN Classroom is a Web site that features video clips for teachers to show classes in the course of teaching social studies, civics and U.S. history. It’s free and provided by the television network C-SPAN.

Design: The Web site’s design is basic, with an easy-to-use navigation bar at the top of the page. The front page of the site includes the most recent videos, or teachers can navigate by subject, finding clips that pertain to topics such as education, campaigns and elections or military. The site also contains links to pertinent education news stories.

Review: The video player embedded in the C-SPAN Classroom site is simple to use and allows the videos to be increased in size to full screen without a loss in clarity or resolution. The clips are all from news programs and pertain to current events and major events.

Bottom Line:  This is a great way to bring real-life news into the classroom. The easy-to-navigate clips can be played in class and then examined. From presidential speeches to expert commentary, there are many points of view from which to choose. The only down side is that there aren’t any companion texts to assist in lesson planning or directing student discussions.

 

Article by Sarah W. Caron, EducationWorld Social Media Editor
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