Group items tagged

Authors: Group 1 (Bulfer, Sennett, Gourley, Carl) Category: Brainstorming/Collaboration Grade level use: All levels Topic/discipline: Social sciences, language arts, science, technology Tutorial Information: There is a link to an example mind map which shows the features of bubbl.us. A blog link is on the website but was not active. There is a help section once you begin brainstorming. Possible uses: brainstorming for writing, concept maps in science/social studies, group collaboration Basic explanation: Online brainstorming tool that lets you create colorful webs or mind maps. You can share, print, email or save your work. Positives: Easy to use, can create colorful webs that would be good to display to a class Negatives: Younger students would not be able to use it on their own but could contribute as a group.

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

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: (Group 1)Tim Sennett, Bulfer, Carl, Gourley Category: teacher forums and activity links Grade level use: all levels Topic/discipline: science Tutorial information: Help link science teachers together to find classroom and field trip activities. Possible uses: Find and share classroom activities as well as staying current on upcoming conference and meeting. Basic explanation: A science teacher could use this site to find different presentations and conferences that they could use to aid in their classroom material. Other website links are also given to connect to other classroom activities. Positives: The state conferences and presentations are provided for teachers as well as websites for classroom activities. Negatives: Many of the connecting websites are not useful for classroom activities and are more for the teacher and conferences

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: 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: Group 1 (Bulfer, Sennett, Gourley, Carl) Category: interactive whiteboard Grade level use: All levels Topic/discipline: Language arts, science, social sciences, math, technology Tutorial Information: There is a video tour which explains how to use the tool. Possible uses: This tool can be used with a projector or on a whiteboard, allowing the user to create drawings and diagrams with text. It is an alternative to whiteboard software which some may find easier to use. Basic explanation: This is an online collaboration tool that is designed to be used with a whiteboard, though it is not necessary. Users can share drawings and invite others to collaborate online. Positives: Fast, easy, and flexible to use. Previously made drawings can be re-used and adapted. Negatives: There is a free plan but it costs to add other features.

Authors: Group 1 (Bulfer, Sennett, Gourley, Carl) Category: study tools Grade level use: All levels Topic/discipline: Language arts, social sciences, math, science, technology Tutorial Information: FAQ section with help and support sections as well as space to submit suggestions or comments. Possible uses: Reviewing and practicing information in any content area Basic explanation: Teachers and students can create flashcards for any subject which they can then share with others. Registering on the site also allows users to access a database of flashcards. Flashcards can be printed or used online along with accessibility through an iPod application. Positives: Teachers can create multiple accounts under one email address if students do not have their own email addresses. The flashcard database can be searched by subject, level, title, or author. Negatives: This tool is free but does solicit donations made through PayPal.

Group Name: Group 2-Tera Hafermann, Ruth Getchius, April Wenzel, Trish McKane Tool Name: Capzles Category: online timeline creator Grade Level Use: 2nd grade+ (with guidance for the younger children) Topic/Discipline: social studies, reading, science, math, language arts, just about anything where timelines or how tos can benefit someone. Tutorial Information: The site allows you to view public capzles, or photo/video timelines. In order to create a capzle, you must join the site-this is free. Once in the site, choose to create a capzle and the site walks you through the process step by step. Possible Uses: create timelines of historical events in social studies, create personal timelines of events in language arts, create a timeline of a story or novel, create a how-to timeline in science or math. Basic Explanation: This tool allows the user to upload photos, music, and videos to the site to include in a timeline. It also allows you to upload voice recordings about the photos and to blog on the photo. The user can embed a capzle on their Facebook wall. It also has an app for your iPhone. Positives: Easy to use and explain to children. Engaging. This allows students who are fearful of writing long essays to show what they know in a format that encourages creativity. Negatives: Does require you to sign up for an account, but it is free. Younger students will need a lot of help with this at first.

Group Members' Names (Group Number 4: Belcher, Kaufman, Knowles, Duffy) Category- Manipulatives Grade level- K-12 Topic/discipline - Math, Science, Technology, Art Tutorial information - Users can click on each manipulative and find brief instructions on the right side of the screen. For more detailed directions users can click on Instructions at the top of the screen. Possible uses- This tool could be used in math. Instructors could use this with a projector/Smartboard instead of using an overhead. This could also be used in science to graph results from experiments. There are other manipulatives too such as tessellations that could be used in teaching art. Basics - Teachers and students of all ages can interactive with various math manipulatives from different disciplines. Positives - All manipulatives that teachers might purchase for their classroom are available free on this site. All students have access to their own set of manipulatives online. Basic operations are available for free use via the website. Negatives - To gain complete access to all the features of the manipulatives, one can download the free trial and then purchase the tools for $39.95.

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, 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

Group 2-Tera Hafermann, Ruth Getchius, April Wenzel, Trish McKane Category: online educational games Grade Level Use: K-8 Topic/Discipline: reading, math, science Tutorial Information: Since this is a site of online educational games, the tutorials come when you select a game. Possible Uses: This site could be used as a way to review math facts. It can also be used to engage students in science projects. Used in correlation with other sites, students can read the online books or comics and respond to them using Prezi or Capzles. Basic Explanation: Funbrain is a site that has games students can play to practice reading and math skills. It also has a blog for students. Positives: The site is engaging for students who like to play video and online games. Negatives: The site itself is rather busy and may make it difficult for students to find what they are looking for. It is also just limited to blogging and game playing.

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, 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 1 (Bulfer, Sennett, Gourley, Carl) Category: Debate Grade level use: 7-12 Topic/discipline: Health, social sciences, language arts, science Tutorial information: FAQ section Possible uses: debates, find out about issues Basic explanation: Website where people can look at different debates in progress, join into the argument or start a new debate. Positives: Easy to read format with yes and no points Negatives: accuracy?

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: (Group 1)Tim Sennett, Bulfer, Carl, Gourley Category: publish games and lesson plans Grade level use: all levels, but mostly jr. high and high school Topic/discipline: math and some science Tutorial information: links to many websites in math, and many games using math lessons. Possible uses: To introduce or review a topic or lesson in math through the use of games and activities. Basic explanation: A student, parent, or teacher can use this site to find lessons in math for better understanding. This can be done with games, puzzles, or activities. The student or teacher can also create their own game or activity and post on this site. Positives: Some games are good for reviewing lessons. Negative: Many games are difficult to use and don't have much mathematical concepts. Hard to relate to specific math topics.

- Authors: Reglio, Saal, Costello, Stroh - Group #5 - Tool Name: I Know That - Tool URL: http://iknowthat.com - Category: On-line multi-media -Tags: education, science, math, history - Grade level use: pre-school-5th grade - Topics/Discipline: research, skill practice, educational games - Tutorial information: There is not a tutorial, user learns as they attempt - Possible uses: Research across curriculum, remediation, acceleration - Basics: If the user is not a member, he can choose areas available. If he is a member, via the teacher/school, he can login in and go directly to his grade/class login content. -Positives: This site would be a nice tool to have as a favorite for a child who is a researcher, or needs either acceleration or remediation. With the student login, it is easy to navigate through the site. -Negatives: Difficult to access which resources are available to non-members vs. members.