Using Technologies with Students/Parents:

I found a variety of tools that can be used from the nasa.gov site. There are sources directly labeled as education tools for particular grade levels. One site was titled "Play and Learn Educators Tools." These tools are interactive and a great way to incite learning. These sites also explore space, black holes, comets, and the planets, as well as some aspects of physics and space exploration.
These tools can be used in the classroom as a place for the child to learn and explore in a hands on way. Since these sites are accessed online the child can continue to explore at home and initiate the involvement of their parents in their learning.
The documentary tools are useful in terms of facts and data. The pictures are visually exciting and pique the interest of young minds. The interactive tools not only capture the imagination as do the images, but they also teach the child how to use technical tools, how to think and figure things out in a hands on way that gives them instant feedback. This is a great way to engage children and to generate a desire to learn and explore more as well as to integrate technology into their learning process.