Some of the following comments are from teachers who took courses through ETV LEARN. As part of the course, educators explored content that exists on KnowItAll and shared these comments:
"I absolutely loved the History in a Nutshell series at KIA. If I ever get back into the classroom, I would be utilizing this website and this series. The Birth of a Constitution video was entertaining and held my attention. I loved the funny memes and how they mixed humor with the seriousness of the video. I loved all the resources that go with the video. The quiz was both a document and interactive. Each explanation is accompanied by a picture and a description of why the answer was correct. The availability of the pictures, separate from the video, allows you to use the pictures in discussions or to jumpstart a lesson. I plan to continue to explore this series because I find it informative and fascinating!" -Ms. L. March 2023
"I enjoyed the History in a Nutshell segments. I was not familiar with the series and found it to be informative and easy to listen to . I think that students at all grade levels would benefit from the information as it was presented verbally and in writing. I think that writing the major points out on the screen is a plus for the younger students. I would definitely say that the Nutshell segments would be useful." -Ms. S. March 2022
"It had been a very long time since I had looked through KnowItAll.org. The site has grown a ton and is very user friendly! I spent some time looking through the lessons and videos related to arts careers. The number of materials there is impressive. I have already gone through and started favoriting videos and lessons that I know will be useful for my own students. This site will be particularly helpful in making plans for our music appreciation courses. The district provided resources for that class are old and meager. This resource will definitely make the job of planning and keeping lessons current much easier. I can see the resource being helpful for building longer units as well. Many times, resources are blocked or access is inconsistent on the district devices, but I imagine that this site will consistently be available to me and my students without having to frequently put in requests to the district. The number of arts resources here are much better than many other sites we are directed to by the district for a library of materials. There's a wide representation of cultures and artists on the site, and the videos are all of appropriate lengths and are informative. It will definitely be a great resource for me to bring in to my own classroom." -KM, Feb. 2022
"I was first introduced to KnowItAll.org over the summer via my first course with ETV LEARN. I have found the site very helpful and have been actively using the site for many topics currently being studied. Just recently (last week) used the collection: Titled -Noted South Carolinians, Wars, & Conflict/Social Studies/8th Grade. My students were assigned to watch the 3 videos (out of the SC Hall of Fame Series): Andrew Pickens, Thomas Sumter, and Francis Marion. Subject: SS/ 8th Grade/ Lesson Plan: PBL to Connect the Battles of the Southern Campaign of the American Revolution. I incorporated a graphic organizer of the SC important battles. The students also had to write essays one of the important figures listed above. Then they had to complete several diary entries pretending to be a loyalist or patriot in one of the battles listed in the chart. The students watched a few other videos on the American Revolution to gain more knowledge of the war and its importance. The lesson plans provided key terms, activities, that were all helpful resources. This site is definitely a great tool to use. I shared the site and provided insight on how helpful this site was during one of our weekly social studies meetings." -KW, Nov. 2021
"I enjoyed viewing the KnowItAll resources. The format of the website is organized well and includes a plethora of content spanning many grade levels and subject areas. The content is displayed in engaging and interactive ways that excite and engage students. The content is rich and thought-provoking. I see much value in using the KnowItAll resources in the classroom due to the relevancy of the content " -JM, Nov. 2021
"Showing students some KnowItAll videos highlighted in the ETV recertification course would be helpful and pique interest … am grateful to take a course that was fun, interesting, and beneficial. It exceeded my expectations." -MG, April 2021
“ETV’s KnowItAll.org site really is an incredible resource! A wealth of information. Thank you for providing this resource for SC educators!” -SB, March 2021
In response to the course, Connecting with Literacy Through Storytelling, the educator wrote the following:
“This SCETV course proved to be a winner … I have a better appreciation for storytelling and ways I can better incorporate it to enhance verbal language development, listening skills, vocabulary, and reading. Win win for all, plus it is fun. Will definitely recommend to my coworkers and share the resources SCETV has to offer, including knowitall.org. A super great resource in so many ways!” -EN, April 2020
In response to the course, Connecting with Literacy Through Storytelling, the educator wrote the following:
This course exceeded my expectations with regards to content, organization and required work. It has enhanced my knowledge of the art of storytelling and provided me with much needed pointers to hone my skills to become a better storyteller. I found the course to be very interesting as it expanded my knowledge of storytelling and how I can connect it to my work with students in the library. The most helpful aspects is the advice offered by the veteran storytellers such as how to read the audience, use gestures, use of good eye contact and story selection. I would certainly recommend this course to other librarians and classroom teachers, as incorporating storytelling into lessons and the curriculum can improve student learning through listening and participation. Through this course I was also introduced to the online resource knowitall.org which I will be able to share with my fellow educators. Storytelling can be a bridge to connecting students and books, this course has given me the confidence I need to move forward in this wonderful art. -AR, Feb. 2019
In response to the course, Making Connections with Natural History Featuring Rudy Mancke, the educator wrote the following:
This course was centered around nature, but what I have learned can be transferred to any subject area. The most important thing I learned from this course is to be passionate. If I could come to all my classes with the passion that Rudy Mancke has, I would be ever so grateful! He came to love nature at a young age and it was not by accident. Someone in his life showed him real specimens of skulls and snakes, then he took the initiative to keep learning through books, asking questions and going out into the field to learn for himself. We can teach our children to go through life looking for their passion and following through the same way Mancke did.
Secondly, it is vital to give students real-life application in their studies. With science it can be as easy as bringing in a dead specimen rather than looking at a picture on the smartboard. In social studies we can show them actual tools used by early settlers. In language arts we can explore recordings of early language and dialect. The possibilities are endless! It is our job as educators to bring these examples to them and bring the world around them to life.
Lastly, I never realized how many resources were out there to help educators with in-house field trips. Going through knowitall alone, I found so many interesting videos that my children even sat with me at the computer to watch some! We are an ever-changing society and right now our students love technology. The more we can integrate it in our teaching, the better. -TR, March 2018
In response to the course, Making Connections with Natural History Featuring Rudy Mancke, Series I, the writer suggested the following:
I plan to use my natural history unit as to cover informational texts, poetry, and art. We would start the unit by having students investigate a natural disaster. They would find an article or story about a survivor, find a connecting painting or poem, and present to the class their findings. This discussion would lead us into discussing the connections between nature, poets or artists, and tragedies. I would reference Catesby, Michaux, Emerson, Thoreau, Whitman, Frost, and others. Students would be required to write an multiple poems based on our discussions and the natural beauty around them: prose poem, lyric poem, haiku, free verse. One of their poems must contain the line: "How can you measure beauty?"
I would also like to work with our ag teacher, Mr. Earle. We could have a joint field trip to Carolina Sandhills where the students would learn about the refuge. Students would be responsible to make written, detailed observations about their surroundings. From these written observations, students should have enough material to write their poems. -AO, March 2018
In response to A Literary Tour of SC, Series I - Lesson 11 Integrating Content, the educator wrote the following:
The excitement of “the new” can generate inspiration in writing. Ask students to go somewhere or do something different and prepare them for writing about it by inviting them to use their five senses to take notice of the details and think about the things of interest during their travel or event.
Did you know that ALL of these twelve author interviews, plus 25 more are available in ETV's www.knowitall.org for SC teachers to use with their students? This is a free service for our SC teachers, students and parents. Check out www.knowitall.org -LS, Feb. 2018
I love www.knowitall.org and appreciate being introduced to it. I love it so much that it made me take a detour from "The Tour". In fact, I got absolutely lost. In addition to the wonderful "A Literary Tour of South Carolina" videos, I found many more ideas for incorporating the site into writing in the classroom. I may take a little detour in this response as well!
When I went to "Writing", I discovered videos , documents, and photos that I would use. The photos already have wonderful writing activities at one's fingertips. I especially like "Bird" and "A Man and a Horse by a Stream". The "Conversations With Carolina Writers" is good as well. The video about the poetry contest directed me to the South Carolina State Library where additional writing contests could be found. Having my interest in teaching poetry sparked, I left the site and found that April is National Poetry Month and that April 26 is A Poem in Your Pocket Day when you carry a poem in your pocket to share with others. I would suggest carrying two. One would be from a poet from a video we have watched in class and the other of the student's choice. "Carolina Stories" could spark ideas for writing historical fiction. "A True Likeness" is fascinating. I was captivated by "Inside Storytelling" and would now assign "Write a Story to Be Told" that would include presenting it with sound effects, dialect, voice, and movement-whatever would be appropriate for the particular story. Among others, I would show Jackson Gillman, Kitty Wilson-Evans, and Rixon Lane. With Rixon Lane, I learned of the National Storytelling Youth Olympics and convention. I would share those opportunities. The expression with which they tell their stories supports Dinah Johnson's demonstration of reading with emotion.
Some books have Teacher's Guides as is the case for Idella Bodie's Ghost Tour. The next two series for the Literary Tour have key ideas, standards, and key words.
I will now get back on track. To use the videos from this course, I would group them by genre so that compare / contrast and any other analysis would be easier and more memorable. Point of view, writing process (outlining, collage, boards, folders, putting work away for a while, moving the story along, etc.) would be addressed. Also, the naming of characters, use of dialogue, and how the author gets ideas would be discussed. After working within the genres, the authors would then be compared across the board. I would also provide books by these authors. I really liked the question "How would you celebrate this author?" I would ask that as well. Seeing that authors have unique methods will probably help young writers find what works for them. They may also see the importance of being on the lookout for a story idea by being observant of their surroundings and events. They may also become people watchers.
I found something of value in each video that can make students become better writers. -LS, Feb. 2018
I explored ARTOPIA and found it insightful. I did not know about KNOWITALL or ARTOPIA before taking this course. The information presented is engaging for students. I reviewed the theatre and music sections and learned how beneficial it would be to improving students' reading and comprehension. The information is aligned to South Carolina State Standards and was updated in August and June of this year respectively, which means the information is current. The word bank in each area helps to increase and improve student's vocabulary. The one minute videos provide just enough information to start the thinking process, start a conversation, and receive feedback. So much can be brought to the teacher's lessons with these additional resources.
I plan to share this information with the teachers in my elementary school. It is presented in a way that is not threatening. I think this information will be well received as an added bonus to instruction. -PG, Nov. 2017
I am very familiar with the career segments found in "Career Aisle" in ETV's Knowitall. At my school we have used it many times during job shadowing if students were not able to secure a place to job shadow. They were allowed to choose a segment that interested them. They were responsible for completing questions about the career they chose and reflect upon their findings.
We also use it during our career fair day for research purposes. The career segments offer another avenue for them to gather information about certain careers. I have used the career segments in my Careers classes to help students gather information as they try to make decisions about their future careers.
I love the personal touch throughout the segments. Students are able to experience a typical day on the job through video. Students are able to gain valuable information and use that information to make future career decisions. -SS, Nov. 2017
In response to the course, Making Connections with Natural History, Series I, the educator wrote the following:
"Among my colleagues, I can share resources. From this class alone I have become more aware of the variety of Pre-K through 12th grade educational resources available through SCETV. For example, NatureScene, Knowitall, Project Discovery, Carolina Stories, and Environmental Ed. In order for students to really grasp the meaning and intent of Natural History, they need to experience it in the context of authentic learning situations as an integral part of their school experience. LL, Oct. 2017
In response to the course, Arts and Career Connections, the educator wrote the following about Knowitall:
I have seen the general name of this excellent site in my years working as a guidance counselor/career counselor, but I have never explored it to this extent until now. I also looked at Artopia, and the ideas are excellent resources for specific subject teachers to allow students to view and discuss. However, as I have mostly worked as a high school career counselor/CDF (Career Development Coordinator), and am still certified to do this, I found on the Career Aisle site many interesting parts of this excellent site to share with students, so this is the one I am writing about. I even intend to share it with my rising 9th grade grandson as well. Especially I know the students should be interested in exploring the page on the site detailing all the 16 Career Clusters (with updates made since I had looked at them of more). This is because each one of these represented an area that the youth could have a passion for getting a job in one day, with sample facts in a chart form for average salary ranges to anticipate, job growth in that area, various jobs within that cluster, and the educational level required to enter that field, such as a 2 year or 4 year college, special schools training, masters, doctorate, etc. There are also online "job shadowing" interviews with certain persons in video format for a student to learn about a job from someone already doing that. There are template pages on the "Resources" pages for students doing their own sample IGP's (individual graduation plans) to see that they take the courses that the career cluster pages suggest, such as levels of math required, etc. Also, specific postsecondary schools are given there to list specific schools/colleges that provide students the extra postsecondary training required. There are also resources for students and their parents to look at financial helps as well as some practice quizzes to have students score themselves to see if they "have traits suggested by professionals" for such a career path. All these plans also show how some students can better plan their high school subject-choice plan to graduate from high school as well as have dual credits that will count toward college ahead of them. Several students in one school recently were receiving their high school diplomas and a 2 year ( AA) degree from a local technical school at the same time. They would be able to gain some part- time or summer employment possibly while finishing a 4 year degree for the pathway they wanted. Many SC colleges and schools have these articulation agreements, or accepting of coursework and grades, in place. Yes, I did know generally about these sites before this course, but I did not know these depths they actually covered in this one site. Also, it gave career contact numbers and resources to talk to the local Regional Education Centers (or HUBS) that are located throughout the state with several counties grouped together by location. I know this is a great source to have as well in order to keep up with the business needs of specific geographic areas and seek to discover internships or work-based learning as well as shadowing. Thank you for allowing me to refresh my memory of all these great resources on this Knowitall.org site. -CW, May 2017
As a librarian, reading teacher or ELA teacher, I am certain to employ the use of Knowitall.org resources, especially with author studies, literature resources that contain historical presentations, and print documents already prepared by teachers. Because of the variety of resources students will be able to demonstrate mastery of multi-levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy skills. However, mastery may not always show up at the same time during a class period. Some students will need to allow the information to marinate, while others will be able to regurgitate and share the information immediately on a blog or other online tool. Knowitall provides resources that are guaranteed to assist me in keeping the rigor in my instruction in this digital age. -BW, August 2017
Oh wow! Why haven't I used this Knowitall site before? It is so jammed packed with such interesting topics and information that could be used in a classroom. "The Web of Water" program was filled with SC information about our water system. First of all, our river system is so different wherever you are in our state and used differently- to supplying water for fish hatcheries, providing power for a hydroelectric plant, to cultural trading and encampment routes, to riding the rapids today to depositing silt for island making, to providing rich soil for our diverse native and other plants, to enriching the land for our most well-known export crop,, and to the changing land of our tides and seasons around the rivers and ocean. SC is connected by our water! The land and people have developed around our waters, and families have been sustained because of it. Playing "Amazing Grace" in the last portion of the program was very fitting. We are so blessed with grace in our state! I am proud!
The "Zone" portion was addictive. I started off with just interesting topics I wanted to know more about...E is for Edisto Island (I'm vacationing there for New Years for the first time visiting) ; K is for Kiawah Island (I've never been there either!); R is for Rice (MY maiden name is Rice, and I have seen the Georgetown Museum and wanted more history.); and X Marks the Spot (I had never heard of the exact location of the center of our state...interesting!) But I did watch 2 other segments dealing with science- C is for Cherokee Foothills Sceneic Highway and the diverseness of the crops, culture and waterways and land along the way.( I've been there many times and have heard the ancient stories of the land and mts. but not about Sassafras Mt. and the rainfall saying it running to coast of SC or to the Gulf of Mexico depending on the side it fell.); and V is for Venus Fly Trap and the native wetland plant and its uniqueness and preservation of the area.
This was a well worth day spent on the computer for my curiosity, enjoyment, knowledge that I can share with my students, and for finding a site that is packed full of information that is easy and free! -KM, Oct. 2016
Commenting about ETV’s Knowitall: “I’m so in love the Career Aisle site! I’m a school counselor. It is just the kind of resource I need to provide students with a more in-depth look into individual career fields. The site is very easy to navigate … search by grade and subject … a variety of information on all the career clusters!” -BS, May 2016
I was very familiar with the Knowitall Career Aisle site eight years ago when I was a Career Specialist but I have not visited this site in years. I have explored it in its entirety tonight and hate I have not been using this with classroom guidance lessons. There are so many resources and SC stories in addition to great career information. What I found to be most useful is everything! In my district, we have attendance issues, so next year I plan to assist teachers in incorporating career videos before lessons to make the school to work connection for our students. This will be a great site for short snip-its on a variety of careers. Thank you for reminding me about this resource! -MB, May 2016
Web of Water started off in the mountains of SC and followed the river from the mountains to the sea. As the trip started, it began with the geological formation of our state specifically the mountains And, as we traveled down the river the connection of the eroded rich materials from the mountains formed deposits in our state which added to the support of plant and animal life. It pointed out over and over the importance of water to all life and human response to our waterways. Places of recreation. discovery, and serenity. The first point of interest was in the formation of lakes. The building of dams to provide hydroelectric power. Lake Wylie was formed in this manner. The river bed in the lake provides for our area a diverse population of plants and animals. What a wonderful way and place to explore and develop natural curiosity. It wasn't mentioned but definitely ties into the positive and negative effects of those dams. The second point of interest was the description of the water as a pathway for travel and villages for the Indian tribes in SC. The Indians showed a tremendous respect for land and its inhabitants. What can we learn from the Indians? The first point of interest was in the formation of lakes. The building of dams to provide hydroelectric power. Lake Wylie was formed in this manner. The river bed in the lake provides for our area a diverse population of plants and animals. What a wonderful way and place to explore and develop natural curiosity. It wasn't mentioned but definitely ties into the positive and negative effects of those dams. The second point of interest was the description of the water as a pathway for travel and villages for the Indian tribes in SC. The Indians showed a tremendous respect for land and its inhabitants. What can we learn from the Indians?
The Zone of interest I observed was the Piedmont. I live in the Piedmont so it would be a natural choice. I have never heard of Knowitall. I have already found a segment I will use on weather. -ET, April 2016