Asia Society: Website Review
URL: asiasociety.org
Contents: Arts, Education, Policy, Business, Countries, Lifestyle
Ease of use: Very easy to navigate. There is also a kid friendly thread labeled “for kids” and it includes several sections to navigate: stories, arts, languages, games and explore.
Application to classroom:
The Asian Society strives to prepare Americans and Asians to partner and share the future. Their goal is to promote a mutual understanding in a global context. The society was founded by John D. Rockefeller III in 1956. It is a nonprofit institution with headquarters in New York and several centers/offices across the globe in the U.S., Asia, and even Australia.
There is a wealth of information to navigate that is relevant to many types of people and professions. For teachers, the education thread is inspiring and focuses on preparing youth to have what they refer to as “global competence.” The section labeled “For Students” under the “Education” thread is extremely valuable for the classroom. For example, there is a section called Life in New China which has images called “Side by Side” which shows many of the paradoxes that exist in present day China. The content is great for middle school/high school students.
The “For Kids” thread is wonderful for elementary students to learn and explore Asia. Another favorite feature under the Education section is all the lesson plans teachers can access such as a lesson on Chinese inventions (e.g., fireworks, the decimal system, matches, the kite, the rocket, paper money, etc). This site is very valuable not only to educators, but also to any person curious about life in Asia.
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