Group items tagged

Authors: Kaufman, Belcher, Knowles, Duffy (Group 4) Tool Name: Online Books Page Tool URL: http://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu Category: Online Library Tags: Online Books Page, Online Library, All Levels, English, Science, Math, Social Science, Technology, Journalism, Writing, Music, All topics Grade level use: All Levels Topic/discipline: English, Science, Math, Social Science, Technology, Journalism, Writing, Music, All topics Tutorial Information: No actual help link or tutorial, but there is an FAQ link at the bottom that has a little bit of useful information Possible uses: Research Basic explanation: Online library of books available online in various formats from various sources. Positives: Free content available for researching, large catalog Negatives: Not that easy to use all the time, broken links in some of the results, not as polished as some of the other tools available today

Group Name: (Group 4) Belcher, Kaufman, Knowles, Duffy Category: personalized Ajax home page service Grade Level:All Topic/Discipline: All Tutorial Information: This wiki provides a great overview and tutorial on how to get started. http://techwithme.pbworks.com/PageFlakes+For+Education Possible Uses: digital storytelling, main page for website, personal learning environment, widgets to search information, information feeds etc.. Basics:It's a page similar to My Yahoo!, iGoogle etc.. that allows the user to view feeds from multiple sources in one location. Positives: great platform for student products, blogging, guided research

Authors: Group 2 (Hafermann, Wenzel, McKane, Getchius) Category: Online library Grade level use: All levels Topic/discipline: Social sciences, language arts, math, science, technology, history, primary sources (as tags) Tutorial Information: "Ask a Librarian" link is located at the top of the main page of the website. Once clicked, the next page is separated into 5 sections: 1) General Collections, 2)International Collections, 3) Digital Collections, 4)Special Formats and Genres, 5)Other Programs and Services Possible uses: Research projects, daily historical trivia, use of primary sources for lessons in Language Arts, Literature and Composition, and Social Studies. Basic explanation: The Library of Congress provides a vast amount of primary sources for teachers to use in the classroom. The site has five main features which can be found at the top of the main website. For example, the American Memory link provides free access to maps, audio, video, and pictures. Positives: Unlimited amount of resources to be used in the classroom. Free! Negatives: Too much information, students may not know where to begin.

Authors: Group 2 (Hafermann, Getchius, Wenzel, McKane) Category: Electronic books/Writing tools Grade level use: Grades 9+ Topic/discipline: social sciences, reading/language arts, science, technology Tutorial Information: Tutorial video on home page Possible uses: group reading, summation of books, book discussion tool - teachers can post questions about the book and students can respond, upload personal written material and have other review it, Basic explanation: This tool allows you to read books online and chat with others who are reading the same book. Positives: comments about book can be left by paragraph or page, allows for teacher to student interaction as well as student to student interaction about books, provides book discussion prompts to get started, if the book you want is not offered you can request it or you could find an electronic copy online and upload it, some books are free! Negatives: not geared towards younger age groups, you have to pay for some books, limited number of books - may not have classroom books listed in database, must create account to log in.

Authors: Group 2 (Hafermann, Getchius, Wenzel, McKane) Category: Social network for book lovers Grade level use: All levels Topic/discipline: Language Arts, Literature and Composition Tutorial Information: "Help and Questions" link located at the bottom of the page once you log into your account. Help page has a drop down box that provides several different features for the user. In addition, you can ask the "shelfari community" questions. Possible uses: Journaling, book reviews, independent reading, reader's workshop, literature circles, social networking Basic explanation: Shelfari has the same concept of facebook, where as you are social networking with friends, however, you are able to keep track of books you have read, books you want to read and books you are currently reading. Another feature is that you are able to send e-mails, or look at your friends' bookshelf to see what they are currently reading or written reviews on. Positives: User friendly, provides a visual of all book covers, appeals to the younger crowd. Negatives: Users are able to post on other user's shelves, which could present a problem if the messages are inappropriate.

Group Members: (Group 4 Belcher, Kaufman, Knowles, Duffy) Category: Social networking site for book lovers Grade level: All levels Topic/discipline: Language Arts focus with cross-curricular potential Tutorial information: There are tabs on the homepage for Shelfari discussion groups which include FAQ's and a forum for asking questions. Possible uses: Teachers and students can create virtual bookshelves, join groups and invite friends. Book suggestions can be made, discussions, and networking. Basics: Users are able to create virtual bookshelves by searching for books or get ideas on what to read next through automatic suggestions or by joining a group. Positives: Ease of navigation, free, blog, media widget for both Facebook and MySpace Negatives: interaction with strangers, potential for misuse

Group 2: Wenzel, Getchius, McKane, & Hafermann Tool Name: Discovery Education URL: http://streaming.discoveryeducation.com/ Category: classroom resources, assessments, lesson plans Tags: English, science, math, reading, writing, social studies Grade Level Use: K-12 Topic/discipline: English, math, science, reading, writing, social studies, and technology Tutorial Information: There is a help section in the upper right hand corner of the page as well as a contact us link at the bottom of the page Possible Uses: Teachers can use to create or edit lessons. Teachers can learn how to use media in the classroom as well as use some of the site's media information in creating lessons. Basics: Discovery Education allows teachers to utilize lessons and ideas to create new and improved lessons in the classroom. The site also has games available for classroom use. Positives: The site is easy to navigate and has a lot of useful information. The site also has a parent corner for parents to stay informed. Negatives: The school or teacher using the website must have an access log-in

-Authors: Regilio, Saal, Costello, Stroh - Group #5 -Tool Name: Congoo -Tool URL: www.congoo.com -Category: Information Portal -Tags: -Authors: Regilio, Saal, Costello, Stroh - Group #5 -Tool Name: Congoo -Tool URL: www.congoo.com -Category: Information Portal -Tags: Comprehensive, Real-Time News And Information, Including Access To Top Subscription Sites, Congoo News -Grade level use: All levels -Topic/Discipline: US, World, Business, Finance, Industry, Technology, Science, Media & Advertising, Politics/Law, Entertainment, Internet, Health, Sports, Culture -Tutorial Information: Need Help? Button is located at the bottom of the home page. There was not a formal tutorial to teach someone how to use the website. -Possible Use: Keeping up on latest news, build your own new portal, able to comment on stories, social networking -Basic Explanation: Website is broken down into categories listed above and there are related news stories in each category to read and comment on. There are news clips in each category to watch as well. -Positives: Website is easy to navigate, wide range of information on website that can appeal to a wide range of ages -Negatives: Advertising is sold on this website, encourages you to download netpass which gives you access to other websites -Grade level use: All levels -Topic/Discipline: US, World, Business, Finance, Industry, Technology, Science, Media & Advertising, Politics/Law, Entertainment, Internet, Health, Sports, Culture -Tutorial Information: Need Help? Button is located at the bottom of the home page. There was not a formal tutorial to teach someone how to use the website. -Possible Use: Keeping up on latest news, build your own new portal, able to comment on stories, social networking -Basic Explanation: Website is broken down into categories listed above and there are related news stories in each category to read and comment on. There are news clips in each category to watch as well. -Positives: Website is easy to navi

-Authors: Regilio, Saal, Costello, Stroh - Group #5 -Tool Name: Lulu - Tool URL: www.lulu.com -Category: Publishing website -Tags: on demand publishing, self publishing, on demand publisher, self publisher, self-publish, book printing, book printer, free publishing, print-on-demand, POD, print on demand, eBook publish, ebook publisher, on demand books, sell ebooks, independent publisher, book publishing company, getting published, out of print books, on-demand books, online bookstore -Grade level use: Elementary school and up -Topic / discipline: Literature, English, Publishing, Photography, Culinary, Art, Poetry, Video Production -Tutorial Information: There is a help button at the top of the home page on the website. There is also a support tab on the home page of the website. -Possible uses: Publish books, , publish photography books, publish cook books, publish calendars, publish CD's and DVD's, buy all of the products listed previously, publishing packages available, retail listings available, and marketing packages available. -Basic Explanation: Be able to publish your own book or independent work. People are also able to buy your work. -Positives: Anyone can publish their work professionally! Website is easy to use and navigate. Forums, blogs, and newsletters available -Negatives: EXPENSIVE!!

Group 2-Tera Hafermann, Ruth Getchius, April Wenzel, Trish McKane Category: online presentation maker Grade Level Use: all levels Topic/Discipline: all topics and disciplines can use this tool Tutorial Information: On the Prezi homepage click on the Learn tab at the top of the page. This will direct you to a variety of how-to topics. Click on the Prezi in 3 Minutes lesson to read about creating a Prezi and to see an embedded YouTube video on creating a Prezi. Possible Uses: A Prezi can be used by the teacher to introduce and then guide students through a unit of study. Students can create a Prezi as a culminating project for a topic of study. Basic Explanation: A Prezi is an online presentation tool. Unlike a PowerPoint presentation, which is linear in nature, a Prezi allows the presenter to go wherever they need to in the presentation quickly and easily. A Prezi allows the presenter to zoom in on a topic to highlight an important point. It is a more dynamic way to present information. Positives: This is a very dynamic way to present information and keeps the audience engaged. It allows for zooming in and out, layering of information, and grouping of information. Negatives: Presentations can cause motion sickness and feel chaotic if not done well. Time would need to be spent on teaching students how to make their presentations less chaotic. There is a tutorial on the Prezi site that addresses this issue.

Authors: Group 2 (Hafermann, Wenzel, McKane, Getchius) Category: educational workspace Grade level use: All levels Topic/discipline: Social sciences, language arts, math, science, technology Tutorial Information: Video training can be found at http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6021800157073904948#docid=-1853468039132361404 Possible uses: Building of web pages, organizing library, online workspace, Basic explanation: Teachers may purchase package programs that can provide online workspace for them and their students. Teachers can use these workspaces to fit into their curriculum. Students may have the opportunity to collaborate online with their peers instead of in the classroom. Positives: Provide students more opportunities to interact online with peers and their teachers when completing assignments. Librarians may use the program to organize their libraries. Interact with other classrooms. Negatives: Basic edition is free (limited). Classroom edition is $99 per year (20 x the storage). Campus Edition $799 per year (up to 1,000 users).

Authors: Group 2 (Hafermann, Getchius, Wenzel, McKane) Category: Instructional videos Grade level use: All levels Topic/discipline: Social sciences, language arts, math, science, technology Tutorial Information: Help link located at the bottom of the main web page. Possible uses: additional resource to introduce lessons or reiterate past lessons. Basic explanation: Provides teachers "cartoon" like educational/instructional videos intended for students and learning. The videos cover a wide span of subjects and levels. Positives: Vast amount of videos to choose from. Negatives: Free trial basis, but then a purchase of a subscription is needed.

Authors: Ruth Getchius, April Wenzel, Particia McKane, Tera Hafermann (Group 2) Category: practice, games Discipline: most school subjects are represented, grade 7-12 Tutorial information: tutorial center, frequently asked questions, and help options all available at bottom of the page. When clicking on the tutorial, there are many categories available, with quality answers and help. Possible Uses: lesson review, practice games, student competitions Basics: database of educational games organized by subject and then content of game Positives: Engaging to students, many choices, games are involved, have to spell correctly, a lot of free content that does not involve log in Negatives: Some things you must log in and create and account to do

Authors: Kaufman, Belcher, Knowles, Duffy (Group 4) Tool Name: Blogger Tool URL: http://www.blogger.com Category: Blogging Tags: Blogging, Blogger, All Levels, English, Science, Math, Social Science, Technology, Journalism, Writing, Music, All topics Grade level use: All Levels Topic/discipline: English, Science, Math, Social Science, Technology, Journalism, Writing, Music, All topics Tutorial Information: Help Links located at bottom of page for all users Possible uses: Blogging Basic explanation: Users can create and customize a blog to detail information they wish to add to it, can also read and comment on others blogs. Positives: Easy use, customizable, large community, can connect it to other sites (login using google user name instead) Negatives: May be blocked by some districts, have to set up blog how you want it (can be time consuming)

Authors: Kaufman, Belcher, Knowles, Duffy (Group 4) Tool Name: Del.icio.us Tool URL: http://del.icio.us Category: Social Bookmarking Tags: del.icio.us, Social Bookmarking, Technology, Science, Business, High School, Politics, Government, Health, News, Research Grade level use: High School, Middle School Topic/discipline: Technology, Business, Government, Health, Science Tutorial Information: Support Links located at bottom of page for all users Possible uses: Social bookmarking, research, news Basic explanation: Searchable index of user submitted bookmarks that change as they are submitted by users Positives: Easy use, content is current and always changing, content searchable by tags or keywords Negatives: May be blocked by some districts, very plain site but can be difficult to navigate at first

Authors: Kaufman, Belcher, Knowles, Duffy (Group 4) Tool Name: Newsvine Tool URL: http://www.newsvine.com Category: Social Bookmarking Tags: Newsvine, Social Bookmarking, Technology, Science, Business, High School, Politics, Government, Health, News, Research Grade level use: High School Topic/discipline: Technology, Business, Government, Health, Science Tutorial Information: Help Links located at top of page for all users Possible uses: Social bookmarking, research, news Basic explanation: Searchable index of user submitted news stories that are categorized by topics Positives: Easy use, content separated by categories Negatives: May be blocked by some districts, may have to search through a lot of information to find what you really want, a little bit hard to read some fonts and find certain features of the website (help for the website is a small button on the top right side that is very easily missed)

Group 2: Wenzel, Gretchius, McKane, & Hafermann Tool Name: Quizinator URL: http://www.go2web20.net/site/?a=Quizinator Category: Create, store, and print worksheets, study guides, tests, and quizzes online . Tags: All subject areas Grade Level Use: All levels Topic/discipline: Any Tutorial Information: There is a contact us link at the top of the page. You must sign up for Quizinator, which is free to do. Possible Uses: To create and edit quizzes, worksheets, and tests. You can also create different versions of tests and quizzes easily. Basics: The site allows you to store tests, quizzes, worksheets all in one online area. You can edit any of those items easily. They are all arranged in a specific order and grouped by categories. Positives: Can easily edit or rearrange items on worksheets or exams as well as create different versions of quizzes and exams. Negatives: Not able to have students view the quizzes, worksheets, and tests online.

Authors: Kaufman, Belcher, Knowles, Duffy (Group 4) Tool Name: Technorati Tool URL: http://technorati.com Category: Social Bookmarking Tags: Technorati, Social Bookmarking, Technology, Science, Business, High School, News, Research Grade level use: High School Topic/discipline: Technology, Business Tutorial Information: Help Links located at top of page for all users Possible uses: Social bookmarking, research, news Basic explanation: Searchable index of user generated and/or submitted content including blogs, focus on technology, business, entertainment and lifestyles Positives: Easy use, content separated by categories Negatives: May be blocked by some districts, may have to search through a lot of information to find what you really want

- Authors: Reglio, Saal, Costello, Stroh - Group #5 - Tool Name: CoolMath4kids - Tool URL: http://coolmath4kids.com - Category: Math games/puzzles -Tags: education, math, puzzles - Grade level use: elementary - Topics/Discipline: Math practice, remediation or acceleration - Tutorial information: At the top of the page is a tab to practice before selecting a category - Possible uses: To introduce Math concepts, small group or individual practice - Basics: The user selects a Math skill set ranging from puzzles, flash cards, to geometry. A few of the skills are timed while others allow for opened responses. -Positives: All skill areas can be accessed via the homepage, it is visually reinforcing to the user, has an adequate amount of problems to practice before a saturation effect takes place. -Negatives: The site is very busy, has lots of movement, and is distracting to the eye.

Authors:(Group 3) Huebner, Vaughn, Reich, Hallatt Category: List maker Grade level use: all levels Topic/discipline: math and technology Tutorial information: Easy training for organizational techniques Possible uses: Helping students work on organizational skills by introducing a technology aide. Basic explanation: Any student can create a list or organizational page. Positives: Easily move throughout the website to find information. Negatives: The process is not very intuitive or dynamic.