Blog Post #8 - Tools for Schools

I spent a substantial amount of time exploring the resources offered through Cool Tools For Schools.  There were many that were similar to the audio, video, and collaborative documenting resources we explored throughout this course.  I stumbled upon Debategraph under the "Graphing Tools" section and thought it had great potential in a classroom.

Image found at http://debategraph.org/Images/DmrLogo1.gif

Debategraph is a social mapping tool that combines argument visualization with a collaborative wiki editing to present information on all sides of an argument.  Anyone can contribute to the debate by adding opinions, challenges, and improvements to the organizer.  The image below illustrates an example of an argument map:

Image found at http://blogsandwikisdaybook.files.wordpress.com/2009/01/debategraph-home.jpg

Each branch links to another set of related arguments/information.  It takes a little time to get used to navigating an argument, but the site does a good job at guiding you through the interface.  There is a multitude of topics explored through debategraphs relating to social, politcal, economic, environmental, and scientific issues and can be a great tool to study issues in nearly any subject, especially Social Studies, Government, Economics, and Science.  I would have students use it to understand a certain issue we were discussing in class and perhaps hold our own debate.  Check out the tutorial below for more information.

Video courtesy of Youtube

For my next tool, I was looking for something that could be used for my final project which consists of teaching a group of kids from ages 4-9.  As any teacher can tell you, there is a big difference in the capabilities between these ages.  I was having difficulty finding a tool on the suggested sites that could be for this age range in a science class so I started looking else where.  Then, I stumbled upon the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's website and discovered their Citizen Science program, the goal of which is for people to collect data for scientists to analyze to reveal changes in the movements, distributions, and number of birds through time.  This program, emphasizing authentic, actionable science, is one of the reasons I want to become a science teacher.  

Image courtesy of http://profile.ak.fbcdn.net/hprofile-ak-snc4/41800_4815312849_5009026_n.jpg

Out of the multiple Citizen Science Programs listed on the website, I chose to look into CamClickr (watch the tutorial on the website - could not find a way to put it on the blog) because it is truly an internet tool versus a place to submit data collected through citizen birdwatching and the like.  CamClickr involves sorting and tagging some of the 8 million still photos of nesting birds taken from the University NestCams for scientists to analyze.  It is a simple process in which the images are sorted and tagged depending on such categories as how many eggs are present, how many adults are in the next, are they feeding the hatchlings, etc.  It is easy to use and the website creators do a fantastic job at explaining the directions and offering help.  This tool can be used as a basic activity to develop observation skills for the lower grades and can be used during an ecology unit to discuss populations, animal behaviors, food webs, and more.

Here is a video explaining another Citizen Science program, Nest Watch, that can have potential as another action research activity in science class...

Video courtesy of Youtube

Blog Post #7: Google Tools

I am going to preface this post by stating that I love anything Google.  The company has great ingenuity and the programs and applications they produce are usually useful and free!  I have always used Gmail, I use Gchat to keep in touch with family, use Google as my go-to search engine, and use iGoogle as my homepage.  I have dabbled a bit in Google Labs as well in order to discover the new applications the company is developing.  
For this assignment I decided to explore two tools that I had never used before - Google Notebook and Google Groups.

Image location http://www.google.com/educators/images/notebook_ex.gif

Google Notebook can be used as a way to save and organize information that you come across while browsing the internet to be accessed later for further investigation and sharing.  The following suggestions for educators was given by Google:

With Google Notebook, you'll be able to:

• save clippings from sites around the web so you can access them later
• annotate your clippings by adding your own thoughts or comments
• organize clippings into different notebooks or in sections within a single notebook
• search the full text of your own notebooks and any public notebooks
• invite specific collaborators to contribute to your notebook -- just click on the "sharing options" link in the top right-hand corner of your Google Notebook and enter the email addresses of the people you'd like to share it with
• share the information in your notebook with everyone -- once inside "sharing options," select "publish this notebook" to make your Notebook public

I could definitely see myself using Google Notebooks as an educator because I am constantly browsing the web for lesson ideas and resources to use in my classroom.  I usually write ideas on a piece of paper that I usually lose and bookmark sites that I really like but can get lost in the disorganization of my browsers Bookmark manager.

Video from Youtube

Image location http://www.liventerprise.com/phpthumb/cache/a/a8/a84/a84f/Google_Groups.jpg

Google Groups is another interesting application for classroom integration. It is a place where teachers and students can connect, collaborate, and communicate outside the classroom.  It can be used to post information, have an online discussion, and edit work in real-time.  It is also possible to set up different groups so you can have a space for your different classes.  This application has many of the communication/collaboration features that some of the LMS offer, without the option for grading, attendance, and other classroom management options.  So, if you are looking for solely a collaboration tool, this is a good option.  It could be a great resource in order for students to ask questions and seek homework help because both parties can access it anywhere.  It is as if the teacher is on call after school hours.  Talk about dedication!

Check out this video to see how a Physics teacher uses Google Groups in his classroom.

 Youtube

For a more detailed look at starting and using a Google Group, check out the video below.

Youtube