Keeping Things Lean and Light

"Do I have to read all of this Mr. Myers?" This is a very common phrase I hear when I take my students to the computer lab to do online social studies activities. Even if the reading is only a few paragraphs long students complain. This is because of the lack of good instructional design with many online educational resources that makes academic reading appear boring to students. As I look for online resources to help my students learn about people and places around the world I now consciously try to find sites that are appealing to look at. If a resource has color, short and friendly reading segments, and photos or other media my students are much more likely to be interested in the content and not complain about the assignment. Here is a link to a national PBS site about India that I think "keeps things lean and light" for the learner. http://www.pbs.org/thestoryofindia/. What do you think?