Web Presentation - Ology

Ellen and Nancy presented the website from the American Museum of Natural History. The class had the opportunity to explore the site in search of the answer to four questions. The silence around me was deafening as my classmates searched for the answers to their questions - in an effort to be the first one finished and to win the "special prize". This was a great indicator as to the concentration and excitement you might see in your own classroom. The site explores "ologies" such as archaeology, geology, marine biology, paleontology, as well as, astronomy, earth, and biodiversity. The site has fantastic graphics - and is interactive. Each science is in a sense its own web page, all easily navigated. The class searched for Alvin the submarine which took them on a voyage through the deep. Alvin taught us about the different microorganisms in the depths of the ocean, the water temperature, pressure, the zones of the ocean (and on, and on, and on).

In the Educator's Resources section, there are lesson plans for all ages.
Wow, this is so cool! This is definitely one that I will come back to, and I am not a science teacher. The opportunities for interdisciplinary lessons abound!

Flickr - Who knew!?!

I was looking through Holly's Furl archives and came across this article from Tech Learning, The Promise of Social Networking, by Derek Baird. I thought that I had done a pretty thorough job of exploring Flickr after we discussed it in class. In fact I love the site and have gone back to it many times for various reasons. But I had no idea of the potential for using Flickr in the classroom. Baird offers many suggestions for incorporating the site into the curriculum. My first thought was that this might not be the site for students, but in fact it is quite "clean". Also, "Flickr has partnered with Creative Commons licensing to provide a way for community members to legally share content and use photographs for non-commercial use."

I think this will be a great way to get out of the student PowerPoint presentation rut in my class.

"What's It?" and "How To"

I have to be honest, when I first started reading Will Richardson's blog, I was thinking to myself, "So what's the big deal with this guy?" But now that I have read more of his blog, and this article, "Blogging and RSS - The "What's It?" and "How To" of Powerful New Web Tools for Educators" I'm starting to understand. He really has a great insight on the world of technology in education. In this article. he mentions an online discussion that his class was able to take part in with Sue Monk Kidd, author of The Secret Life of Bees. Granted this was a few years ago, and her book may not yet have sold as many copies as it has to date, but still...! The idea of students having the opportunity to ask questions and really dig in to a book by discussing it with the author is fantastic! As soon as I finish this post I am going to begin my campaign to get Carl Hiaassen to do the same with my classes.

My understanding of the value in blogging and RSS is clearer after reading this article. I think it can be an invaluable tool. The only negative that I see. is the time that can be spent reading these blogs is intimidating. I find that I start reading one, and wander off to a link within it, and then wandering to a link within that, and by the time I get through - I have no idea where I started! In time, like everything else, I'm sure I'll learn to manage my time better within the world of blogs. For now, I'm much like a kid in a candy store!

Wikipedia

On his blog, Will Richardson discussed an article from the Wall Street Journal, "Forget the Articles, Best Wikipedia Read Is Its Discussions," by Lee Gomes. I've got to be honest, I had no idea that these discussions existed. My colleagues and I often debate whether wikipedia is a valid site for student research because, "anyone can post." But reading some of these discussions opened my eyes to the level of passion most of the people who post have about the topic they are writing. So now the question of objectivity comes to mind... but it was an interesting article nonetheless!

"Big App on Campus"

After seeing this article "Web 2.0: Big App on Campus," by Candace Lombardi recommended on a classmate's blog I decided to check it out. It gives a very interesting insight into the world of blogs, wikis, and discussion boards on college campuses. It sounds as though the level of engagement professors are able to get from their students using these tools is excellent. As I read, I couldn't help but wonder how I might be able to incorporate them into my classes. Although my sixth graders are a ways away from college, the majority of them are already using the web for social networking. I like the idea of posting essential questions at the end of a unit and having students discuss them. It would certainly push them to think more critically. One point that Lombardi made was the fact that most students want to see their work "published". In that regard, sixth graders are not all that different from college students!

It is definitely something I would like to try.

Scholastic Books

Along with Tish Craft, I will be presenting the Scholastic website. It is an excellent source for teachers, but what I found most fun were the great activities for kids.

"Does the Web Really Have All There Is To Say?"

This evening I read Ken Vesey's article, The Internet-only Research Approach:Does the Web Really Have All There Is to Say? http://www.fno.org/sept02/internetonly.html In my 6th grade Seminar class, I spend a significant amount of time teaching students not only how to write a research paper, but more importantly, the research process. So the title of this article drew me in. Even with the influx of technology in school, I have maintained with my students that they must include print references in their Works Cited. Recently I have questioned whether I have been grasping onto what I have known for so many years as the way to research. But I feel like Vesey validated the decision I have made to continue this requirement. While we teach the students to evaluate the websites they use for research, the validity of some sites is still questionable. There is also a plethora of information in media centers that may not be accessed (at least not easily) online.

So for now, I will continue to teach students the value in both print resources and the internet.