Today’s post is on Discovery Education. If you do not have a password, please see an administrator for instructions on how to obtain one.
Though Discovery Education is something that has been in the district for some time, there are many new features that could be of use and very exciting for our students at all levels.
One of the best features is Professional Development. You will see this on the main screen under the logo. This feature brings out the many other ways Discovery Education can be used. It walks you through the processes with clear step by step directions.
Throughout the post, please pay attention to the pink explosions. They will tell you where to focus your attention.
Once you have logged in, you will see the main screen:
This gives you many options to explore. You can either search by topic or by subject and/or grade. This is illustrated above in the pink explosions.
I decided it would be most appropriate to search “Technology.” When you search something, much like the internet, you will receive a list of all of the offerings related to that topic in various mediums.
If you scroll down the left side of the page, you can further narrow your search into topics and media you can utilize.
From the list I chose, “The Ups and Downs of Technology.” This video is sure to help explore how technology affects our lives. This video can be used in a Social Studies class to illustrate the affect technology has on our lives and the future.
One of the main reasons why I chose this is the availability of a Teachers Guide. This helps me develop my lesson and possibly sparks an idea for a project.
Another great feature of this is the Video Quiz.
If you enjoy this video and find that you can have use for it again on future projects, I would suggest saving it to “My Content.” You can do this by checking the box on the right side of the main video.
Then click “ADD” to My Content. It will then prompt you to ask where you would like to save it. You can just click “ADD TO SELECTED FOLDER.”
When you have time to work with the site more, you can make folders for the subject matters you teach. For Example:
If you find that you would not like to save the entire video, you may just save a clip from the video. Repeat the same process from above.
Another useful feature of Discovery Education is the Discovery Educator Network. Here you can explore a variety of topics related to your classroom and how to bring modern methods and technologies into the scope of learning for your students.
There are so many features to this site, we could spend all day going through them. I would encourage you to visit the different features of the site when you have a free moment. There are many wonderful things to see!
This website is fantastic. I love giving my students a visual of what we are reading about. I notice that many students have little background knowledge about a topic and providing them with an image helps bring the concept to life. There are video segments for all of the broad topics.
ReplyDeleteI love using this site. I like using the shortened video clips (2-4 minutes) as a Do Now or a way of breaking up a set of notes...the black line masters are always helpful too!
ReplyDeleteI love using Discovery Education and have since it was formerly United Streaming. My only criticism is that I have used some of the items off the website and not downloaded them, and then the next year when I want to use them, they are gone. So my advice for anyone using them is to make sure to download the clips/items right away if it's something you really like and want to keep using.
ReplyDeleteMy biggest complaint about Discovery Education is so much of the material is old. While the information is accurate, the production values are laughable compared to what is out there today. Your best bet on finding a good clip is to search for something that actually appeared on the Discovery Channel within the last few years (Mythbuster clips can be found under the name of their spin off show, "Head Rush" for example). FYI, The district is exploring alternative solutions to DE for next year. thirteen.org also has some quality free programming.
ReplyDeleteI use the teacher console function on discovery education quite a bit. I registered my students/classes and now I can create assignments around video clips as homework. You can attach files, create questions, etc for students to complete on their own in class or at home. It is also useful for students who are absent and missed any video clips shown, as well as sharing videos for the students to use as review or as a resource in a PBL. It's easy to set up, I have students use their same username and password that use to log in with district computers. The Educator area also has webinars and PD resources to assist you in using the site.
ReplyDeleteThe videos on this site are great. Short and simple, a great way to introduce a topic.
ReplyDeleteThere are some world language videos that are useful. My students love seeing real videos with real "French" people. Some of the clips are kind of older, but still good to have.
ReplyDeleteI use discovery education often in my classroom. They have videos for all periods of time and subject areas. Most of the videos come with short quizzes or word searches that go along with the video. This is great because the students can actively participate while they are watching the film.
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ReplyDeleteThere are many great clips available here. The Middletown middle school health curriculum has resources from this site that supports content.
ReplyDeleteAlthough it has been quite some time since I have used discovery education, I recall that it had been very effective in introducing topics and providing students with background knowledge. I will have to obtain the login information and get back on there!
ReplyDeleteI, like Lauren, haven't used Discovery Education in some time simply because there is so much great information out there now from which to pick and choose. I plan, however, to give it another try.
ReplyDeleteThere are a lot of short videos that can be used to reinforce a point within a presentation. Makes a great impact.
ReplyDeleteDitto Lauren and GTatem. I haven't used Discovery in a while and really haven't thought enough about it with all the great stuff on You Tube. I also assumed it to be more content oriented (which is how I formerly used it) than skill-oriented. Thanks Steve for including this in our Challenge as it gave me an excuse to go back and look once again. I 'discovered' (pun intended) some great videos on the stuff I teach, such as the research process, evaluating sources, organizing information, what is a thesis statement, etc. I will definitely be back on board with Discovery once again!
ReplyDeleteSorry, that's from Ceil Freda.
DeleteI have been using Discovery Education ever since it was introduced to the district. It has amazing information on just about every subject and the quizzes and blackline masters are a great resource if you choose to use them.
DeleteLike many others, I had visited this site when it was United Streaming but haven't used it that much. The main reason is that the site doesn't have very many tutorials directly targeted toward the specific subjects I teach. Of course some topics (such as those mentioned in Ceil Freda's post - the research process, evaluating sources, organizing information, etc.) are useful resources any teacher of any course can share with classes, but I have come to check other sites like I-Tunes Univeristy or Teacher Tube first just because they do tend to have tutorials more directly related to my subject areas. Also, as Sarah Boyce commented, Discovery does sometimes pull resources out of its collections. For example, there used to be more on Google Sketch-up (used by my architecture & Spatial Design class) but those files are no longer available.
ReplyDeleteI think many of us assume that the old "united streaming" has nothing to offer, but like brainpop has done recently (you can search videos by state standards there now), discovery education is moving into the 21st century to make itself a resource that can keep up with youtube. I am definitely an early adopter with tech tools, but I also keep old ones that work. As educational professionals, we can choose what works for us and it doesn't always mean adopting the newest, trendiest tools, sometimes it's revisiting old ones! Thanks Steve for posting this!
ReplyDeleteYes,I agree. Balance.
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ReplyDeleteI have found lots of great videos on Discovery, but it is a time consuming process to wade through outdated content. I find that pbs.org has much better videos, but they have issues with reliability...Discovery has always been very reliable for me.
I agree. Searching through the videos to find ones that are up to date is a very tedious process. I have found a few videos that students enjoy when reviewing background information on our upcoming novel.
Delete"United Streaming" and "Brain Pop" (although sometimes very basic) have indeed improved their sites.
ReplyDeleteBoth are good resources!
Discovery Education is a great tool! I am currently using it with my Team Problem Solving classes. We are working on Anti-bullying and conflict resolution skills and I am showing them the video on DE called "Welcome Back Devon". Not only does DE provide great video media but the supplemental materials they provide are also great! I wish we had the premium membership!! Steve Koumoulis tell Claudia Mrs. Smith says Hi!
ReplyDeleteWill do. Thanks for the post.
DeleteI am also glad this was mentioned. I used to use United Streaming all the time and I couldn't remember the site until it was mentioned above. I can't wait to take a look again tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteI have been using discovery education for a while and I organize my videos by content and in folders. I have not had an issue with losing videos yet but I am going to start downloading the good ones to have for the future. Another great feature is that many science videos are in segments and you can pick and choose a 2-5 segment directly relating to the material you are presenting.
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