CEDo 520Week 4 : CEDo 520Week 4 Internet Learning Resources
Announcements - Agenda : Announcements - Agenda Have written everyone, tried to identify any outstanding assignments.
If I’ve missed anything please let me know.
When submitting to a wiki page it’s better not to submit as a comment. Rather, edit the page itself.
Guest this week. Dr. Freda Russell, Associate Dean.
Sampling of Comments about Tom March, Noodle Tools, Google Alerts, Wikipedia,
Team Tool Reviews
Week 4 Assignment Description
Tom March : Tom March Predominantly, the content of the Net is information and opinion; what tends to be in shorter supply are specific learning activities that that make use of this wealth. So the bottom line stands: the Internet is an embarrassment of riches that is next to worthless without an educator (You!) to facilitate learning and integration in your classrooms.” Tom March
I have to agree on some level with Tom. There is an abundance of information available on the Internet, some facts, some opinion. It's a teacher's job to to figure out what sites are best for specific topics and will help students learn. Students, if left to their own devices, would most likely not know how to find specific and accurate information on the Internet. This is a skill that we must teach.
I think teachers do facilitate learning and integration (of what he does not exactly say) but I'm guessing he means the embarrassment of riches that are random information and opinion. I think the role that teachers play has changed in the last couple of years. And that change includes teaching students how to evaluate information and opinion and make their own sense of that information. That's my opinion and I'm sticking to it!
Slide 4 : I agree with Tom March’s statement in that it takes an educator to focus use of The Internet for students. March is on target when he mentions the dearth of learning activities relative to the vast amount of information and opinion found on The Internet. However, The Internet was not designed to be a teaching resource rather it is comparable to a vast library system indexed by search engines. The educator needs to integrate the wealth of information and resources into learning activities. In my teaching I evaluate Internet resources and determine if they can enhance and make the learning experience more efficient for students and teachers.
Prior to responding to this quote, I investigated exactly who Tom March is and why I should care what his thoughts are about how I, as an educator, am using the Internet in my classroom. Onesite noted that he keynotes at conferences on "the impact of technology and its effective integration to promote intrinsic motivation, robust thinking and authentic challenges." Based upon this he sounds just like me--an educator who strives to use technology to enhance content, motivate and challenge my students and promote problem-solving. A second site provided me with further insight into Mr. March. I wrinkled my nose a bit when I discovered he'd only taught in the classroom for 10 years and again when I noticed he was "co-developer of the WebQuest strategy." I wonder if the portion of his quote referencing the short supply of "specific learning activities" is in actuality a short supply of WebQuests, according to him. The Internet is a resource for all to use (and abuse). My job as an educator is to use the "embarrassment of riches" to engage my students and to enhance my content areas. That does not mean I need to create a WebQuest. :)
: I have to agree with Mr March. There is a plethora of information and opinions on the Internet. Teachers must evaluate sites before allowing student access. When appropriate, teachers must provide direct instruction to students regarding student evaluation of appropriate sites. Through the teaching of critical decision making skills, teachers prepare their students to be savey consumers of all that is accessible on the Internet.
I do not completely agree with his statement. The internet is not "an embarrassment of riches", many of our students are more savvy than the teachers at finding, using, and creating content on the internet. I also do not agree with that specific learning activities are in short supply. Nearly any content or skill a teacher wants to teach needs only be searched and several quality activities and lesson plans will be found.That said I do believe that an educator is important in teaching students to discern between quality and unreliable resources, and to use the internet safely. The teacher is the expert in the content area and the resources needed to support and enhance learning in the classroom. The internet is a vast library of resources the teacher can access and share with students.
I agree that students, for the most part, do not know how to use the Internet. Most students will Google keywords and then believe the first website that gives them the "answer". It is important that we as educators teach students the differences between what is credible and what is not. These are higher level thinking skills that quite a few students do not possess. They are too quick to believe what they see and read; especially on the Internet.
Noodle Tools : Noodle Tools I also think this tool is one that I will be bringing to our Library Media Specialist and Tech Coordinators meeting in the spring. I think they will really appreciate the tools that help you decide where to start looking for information. I can see that this would save time for teachers and students alike. There are good tutorials to help you navigate around the site effectively and tools for younger students as well. All in all, I found NoodleTools to be a resource that I will use on a regular basis.
This school year I used Noodle Tools to help revamp the 7th grade research unit for students. The "Best Search for Your Information Needs" page is awesome! I love the categorized suggestions it offers to help students (and teachers/adults) find the best avenue for their specified need. The links offered are easily accessible and provide immediate results which will undoubtedly appeal to students and their desire for instant gratification. My students and I found many of the search engines to be excellent.
I found this to an extremely valuable resource. I think that a site like this is a great place for students to start their research for projects and/or papers on any topic. I love the primary sources and the quality of the information I found through this web site.
Google Alerts : Google Alerts I think this is a great tool for current events and hot topics! With information changing as such a rapid speed, accessing it is key to being able to evaluate the information, even if much of it is from slightly skewed news resources. This just demonstates the need to be media saavy and to teach students to be media saavy as well. Neat tool!
I had never used google alerts before and really did not know there was such a thing. I set up two alerts earlier this week one was 'earthquake in Haiti' and the other was 'Nelson Mandela.‘ I liked this tool and am going to set up new ones when we start new topics in class to help bring more discussion to my classes.
This was the first time I've heard of and used Google Alerts. I used technology integration because that is the focus of my PDP (thanks Sarah for the idea to tie it to my PDP). I set up several other alerts for personal use and will continue to use this service both in my classroom and personal life.
Google Alerts is an awesome tool for keeping up to date with world issues and events. The rapid response will be good for my first graders to make immediate connections to their searches. I, also, found value in the option to narrow the results to video, photo, etc. My students will love getting the regular updates to their emails.
What a neat tool! I set up a Google Alert for "Asian carp" and "Amelia Earhart”. I shared Google Alerts with my colleagues who teach social studies; they are excited to investigate its uses for current events.
Wikipedia Debate : Wikipedia Debate I think that the concensus is that Wikipedia needs to be at best viewed with skepticism, and you could go so far as to ban using it. (I use it as a starting point and to obtain pictures, simple facts and definitions.) Wikipedia also often has links that are useful.
Wikipedia is an awesome tool that at first, I didn’t trust either. All my filtered brain heard was that anyone could edit and add content to Wikipedia. So, obviously, what good could the information be? It took a video about how Wikipedia was started up and how its’ managed for me to really understand why Wikipedia gets good reviews. “Jimmy Wales on the Birth of Wikipedia”. I’m pretty comfortable recommending it to teachers and students. Not as a sole information source, but as a great starting place.
Wikipedia Debate : Wikipedia Debate I think that Wikipedia is a great starting point for research and for quick fact checking that DOES NOT require you to cite your resources in a bibliography. Wikipedia should not be used as a primary research tool, nor should it be cited in work. I have never allowed my students to use Wikipedia, but after reading this site, I think I might incorporate a few lessons on how it can be used successfully and in my lessons about finding good information online. It's things like this that make me so wary of using it in the first place, but I'm willing to budge a little and attempt to embrace it, at least as a learning experience for my students.
Team Tool Review Project - Comments : Team Tool Review Project - Comments Buzzword Docs Word Processor from Adobe
280Slides Presenter Tool
Google for Educators - critique the site and at least one of the applications
Google Forms
Survey Monkey is a tool for gathering and analyzing data.
Ta-da Lists
Bloglines
Google Voice – Omit, invitations not readily available quickly.
Google 411
Poll Everywhere
tokbox
Two more tools of your own choosing. You may omit any ONE of the tools listed above.
The Teams : The Teams Team Trandcey Tool Review
The Google Dolls
Team Platypus Tool Reviews
HEMMI Group Page
Milwadison
Week 4 Assignments : Week 4 Assignments See Week 4 Wiki Page