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Pedagogy & Tools : Learning Resources

Applications Supporting the Development of Filtering Skills | Resources for Further Study | Activity Modules and Models

Applications Supporting the Development of Filtering Skills

There are many commercially available, freeware and online applications that support or engage students in similar learning models. Used collaboratively and with good guiding questions, assessments and opportunities to review and revise, each can be used to support or structure a learning unit that develops learning literacy skills.

Process applications

Web-based

  1. BioInteractive - from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, interactive biology and virtual classroom experiences - High School - topics include genetics, diseases, neuroscience...
  2. blocks - online manipulation of basic solids, on a grid, for study of patterns, volume and more
  3. BlogDrive - easy to implement, clean, template-driven blog implementation - free hosting - many extras (chat, calendar, approval, comments)
  4. Creative Connections Project - Online School Field Trips - Rain Forest, Africa, China, Galapagos - this is a classroom-to-classroom connection - email, images, art and information exchanges
  5. ExploreLearning - online interactive lessons - requires Shockwave plugin - activities include: probability, linear algebra topics, geometry topics, trigonometry topics, conic sections - unfortunately, no longer free - requires subscription - also covers Science topics
  6. ezboard and QuickTopic - free online bulletin boards
  7. iChat AV - new from Apple for OS X Jaguar and Panther (video conferencing software)
  8. Intel Education: Interactive Thinking Tools - visual tools for students and teachers, with registration: idea ranking and digital mapping tools (relating ideas) - quite a bit of support for the teacher - examples and tutorials
  9. iStorm and iChalk - new web-based conference and collaboration apps with an education mission - require LAN to be used - take advantage of OS X Rendezvous technology - web cam, chat, simultaneous scapbook and editing, voice - educational site license based upon per-simultaneous user fee - iChalk is a drawing board, bundled free with iStorm licenses or available as a stand alone - includes a calculator and built-in equation editor for advanced calculations and expressions - demo has 30 minute limit
  10. iWonder - from Bill Whetsel, interactive inquiry activities that involve math and science - in the form of investigations of such topics as tree rings, species classification, adaptation - image rich - better with Netscape 7+
  11. KND: Kids Design Network at the Dupage Children's Museum - engineering design challenges and projects for upper elementary and middle school - multimedia and interactive - includes a student drawing board, synchronous and asynchronous messaging (with real engineers), open-ended problem-solving
  12. Medical Mysteries - from Rice, interactive and collaborative problem solving scenarios focused upon infectious diseases
  13. MOOSE Crossing - a virtual environment for kids - collaboration, writing and programming - Middle School - requires PC or Mac software download, parent permission letter, and registration (free) - teacher's guides available
  14. National Library of Virtual Manipulatives for Interactive Mathematics - k-12 virtual math - excellent organization, content and "useability" - entirely problem-solving and invites collaboration
  15. new NCTM Illuminations - in cooperation with MarcoPolo, site offers interactive Math investigations by grade level groupings - Java enabled - topics include patterns, geometry, probability - also contains significant materials for teachers wishing to improve their teaching of Mathematics
  16. Neopets - read our article about its value: Virtually There - the format is being adopted by educational online sites
  17. netomat - free in beta - requires internet connection and Java enabled - "pages" and projects, which can be multipage, are built locally, uploaded, and then available to all who access them - make them available via an email message built in to the design console - voice, slideshows, images (drawn and imported), text - changes are archived - see my samples at: http://my.netomat.net/eskymac/LTNeomats/index_email.html
  18. NoteStar and Think Tank - free applications from HPR*TEC to assist students in the organization and processing of project based learning activities - both products require teacher registration of individual students or groups - teacher can login to track student progress - TrackStar is a tool for teacher creation of webhunt activities
  19. ribit - John Raymond's TIELab has just launched this new web-driven template for the creation of IBIs (Internet-based-inquiries), activities that guide students to make sense of "raw materials" such as images, sounds, documents, and data - teachers have only to register (free) and provide a short "guiding questions", instructions, and links to web resources - all activities are publically available
  20. SubEthaEdit - The Coding Monkeys have updated their Mac-only (OS X) text collaboration software (freeware) - Hydra has become SubEthaEdit - keep and eye on this one - one use is collaborative programming (.html coding in middle school, C++, Java...) - collaborative writing is also a use - on a LAN, what a good way to train lower school students!
  21. SuperThinkers - interactive problem-solving scenarios are mysteries - collaborative teams can procede through one of four challenges - Carmen Sandiago-like games
  22. vRoma - a virtual environment (MOO) set in ancient Rome

Software

  1. Desktastic 3.0 - free download for Mac - screen annotation utility
  2. Oregon Trail (Learning Company)
  3. SimCity 4
  4. Squeak - although Alan Kay says there is a small learning curve, this takes time - kid friendly in organization - realtime collaboration and project building - SqueakLand provides support and downloadable projects for education and fun - the Who's Behind Squeak page includes articles about its pedagogy and value to education - free download and tutorials at both sites
  5. The Factory
  6. Zoombinis (all) (Learning Company)
  7. FirstClass - collaborative e-mail, chat, groups (software client or web-based, requires FC server)
  8. ImageJ - freeware image processing software (Java based and for all platforms) enables students 5-12, even younger, to perform scientific analysis of images for geographical, mathematical, scientific purposes - the image site CIPE (Center for Image Processing in Education) provides lessons and resources - software is also available web-based - RAM intensive which makes collaborative use desirable

For Teachers:

  1. Tapped In 2 - all teachers should have a go at this online collaboration forum - it means a time commitment once a week, and a Java enabled browser, but it's worth it
  2. Biopoint - an online resource "using the Internet to promote inquiry-based learning" - access their "start-up" page for a kind of site map
  3. Worth a look: Intel's Design & Discovery curriculum for Middle School - why not earlier???

    Looking for a book? You might try out the guides and handbooks from Neal-Schuman Publishers

Product creators or presenters

  1. any presentation application - HyperStudio, PowerPoint, KidPix, AppleWorks
  2. any database program
  3. any spreadsheet program
  4. any paint or draw program that imports web file formats and has basic transformation and manipulation tools
  5. any word processing program that supports integration with multimedia and images (AppleWorks, Word)
  6. Squeak (see above)
  7. Magpie 2, iMovie, QT Pro - create, edit and create captions (eg. in Spanish) for video
  8. TimeLiner
  9. Dreamweaver (Mac) or Frontpage (Windows) web pages - or Netscape's free Composer (both) - Macromedia's Dreamweaver and Authorware 7.0 Contribute provide collaboration opportunities
  10. SnapZ - Mac software creates narrated screen shot QT movies - students can demonstrate learning by showing and describing
  11. Blogs - require Internet hosting (some do it for a fee) - this links to our resource listing
  12. iPhoto for posting image files (requires paid membership)
  13. Create a Graph - online and easy for elementary school - pie and bar charts
  14. Logger Pro - Vernier probe software

Process & Product - these applications involve students not only in creating a product, but also require or encourage the collaborating, assessing and filtering tasks set - the best of them allow for communication of learning along the way.

  1. ButtonTalk - for Mac (Classic) - it really works! Free download to create interactive "novels" or planning or exercises - exports to HTML - you can collaborate with the author of the software too
  2. The Geometer's Sketchpad and Fathom from Key Curriculum Press (which offers three books about mathematical quilts)
  3. GCalc - free online graphing calculator
  4. GollyGee Blocks - 3D geometric design - exports to iMovie, allowing creation of walk-throughs and dimentional puzzle activities - growing web site of lesson plans and ideas
  5. Inspiration, Kidspiration, CMap, PicoMap, SMART Ideas - concept mapping tools with varying degrees of depth and collaboration potential
  6. KND: Kids Design Network at the Dupage Children's Museum - engineering design challenges and projects for upper elementary and middle school - multimedia and interactive - includes a student drawing board, synchronous and asynchronous messaging (with real engineers), open-ended problem-solving
  7. Logo Blocks / Lego Logo / Mindstorms - see our Robotics and Programming resources
  8. Mapmaker's Toolkit
  9. MicroWorlds :  Journal Zone (online realtime collaboration in planning, grades 2-7 or so), MicroWorlds EX - grades 4 and up - create simulations with expanded toolkit and turtle features - Enriched Math (middle school) - check for OS X versions - currently 30-day demos are for PC
  10. MathWorlds - for math enrichment in Middle School and pre-Algebra/Algebra classes - full, shareware and mini-app version are available
  11. Model-It - for visual modeling of data relationships - PC or Mac (Classic environment)
  12. Netomat - all in one and new beta of web-based interactive, collaborative content building application - you may be able to get a demo registration to test it
  13. 3D Writer - generates hyperfiction - Windows only application
  14. Think.com - the potential for the "virtual stickies" comment feature in the closed web world makes school-to-school collaboration seem easy - also can be used by collaborative groups - free to schools or districts - from Oracle
  15. ThinkerTools - from Berkeley - a modeling application for middle school investigations of the laws of motion, etc. Mac only - up to PPC (Classic mode)
  16.  Stormy Weather - Middle School cooperative weather related activities - broadband connection recommended for this one

 

Resources for Learning about Filtering, Collaborative and Inquiry-based Learning

ALPS (Active Learning Practices for Schools) - site includes examples of model teaching units and a curriculum builder, using their module - Harvard Graduate School of Education Project Zero Resource

Block, Cathy Collins, et. all The expertise of literacy teachers: A continuum from preschool to grade 5. Reading Research Quarterly. Newark: Apr-Jun 2002. Vol. 37, Iss. 2; pg. 178, 31 pgs. available online: http://gateway.proquest.com/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2003&res_id=xri:pqd&rft_val_fmt=ori:fmt:kev:mtx:journal&genre=article&rft_id=xri:pqd:did=000000117647947&svc_dat=xri:pqil:fmt=html&req_dat=xri:pqil:pq_clntid=10372 - although this seems to us very teacher-centered in construct, the teacher affectiveness measures are even more applicable to student-centered learning.

Counseling Services, University of Victoria. Learning Skills Program - Bloom's Taxonomy. adapted from Bloom, B.S. (Ed.) (1956) Taxonomy of educational objectives: The classification of educational goals: Handbook I, cognitive domain. New York ; Toronto: Longmans, Green. available online: http://www.coun.uvic.ca/learn/program/hndouts/bloom.html

Developmental Stages: Piaget. SIL International. available online: http://www.sil.org/lingualinks/literacy/ImplementALiteracyProgram/DevelopmentalStagesPiaget.htm - a simplified overview, in chart form

Dodge, Bernie. Some Thoughts About WebQuests. May, 1997. available online: http://edweb.sdsu.edu/courses/edtec596/about_webquests.html - this article introduces WebQuests and includes some examples of how they address other High School thinking skills.

Dodge, Bernie. WebQuest Taskonomy: A Taxonomy of Tasks. May 17, 2002. available online: http://webquest.sdsu.edu/taskonomy.html - breaks WebQuest tasks into 11 subsets, explaining the thinking skills and learning outcomes of each.

Fischer, Kurt W. and Samuel P. Rose. Growth Cycles of the Brain and Mind. Educational Leadership. Vol 56 No.3 November 1998.  available for download from The Dynamic Development Lab, Harvard University: http://www.gse.harvard.edu/~ddl/publication.htm

Fischer, Kurt W. and L. Todd Rose. Webs of Skill: How Students Learn. Educational Leadership. November 2001. available for download from The Dynamic Development Lab, Harvard University: http://www.gse.harvard.edu/~ddl/publication.htm

Heingartner, Douglas. Now Hear this Quickly. New York Times, Oct. 2, 2003. available online: http://www.nexidia.com/pdf/NYTimesArticle100203.pdf

Inquiry-Based Learning - Concept to Classroom, a collaboration between Thirteen Online Education and Disney Learning Partnership. online: http://www.thirteen.org/edonline/concept2class/month6/

Jonassen, David. Computers as Mindtools for Engaging Critical Thinking and Representing Knowledge. Pennsylvania State University. available for download: http://www.moe.edu.sg/iteducation/edtech/papers/keynote_1.pdf

Maynard, John. Bloom's Taxonomy's Model Questions and Key Words. The University of Texas Learning Center. April 1, 2003. available online: http://www.utexas.edu/student/utlc/handouts/1414.html

McKenzie, Jamie. The Great Question Press. FNO,  Vol 13|No 6|February-March|2004. available online:  http://fno.org/feb04/questionpress.html - further expands the theory of Good Questioning by classifying questions into useful groups - includes excellent examples

McKenzie, Jamie. Grazing the Net. Phi Delta Kappan, 1998. available online: http://questioning.org/grazing.html - cogent look at the various skills necessary for an individual student to successfully "graze the net"

McKenzie, Jamie. Questioning as Technology. From Now On. Vol 12 No.8 April 2003. available online: http://optin.iserver.net/fromnow/apr03/qtech.html

McKenzie, Jamie. A Questioning Toolkit. From Now On. Vol 7 No.3 November-December 1997. available online: http://www.fno.org/nov97/toolkit.html - 17 categories of questions to introduce as early as Kindergarten - necessary for filtering to happen at any level

McKenzie, Jamie. The Research Cycle. From Now On. Vol 9 No.4 December 1999. available online: http://questioning.org/rcycle.html - this article includes links to research modules and models developed by others, as well as explaining McKenzie's own strategy (in shortened version). Access this shortened version directly at: http://questioning.org/Q6/research.html

McKenzie, Jamie. Scaffolding for Success. From Now On. Vol 9 No. 4 December 1999. available online: http://www.fno.org/dec99/scaffold.html - this article stresses the importance of the teacher's role in a successful Internet project and in "scaffolding" - which is a way to ensure filtering

Peterman, Francine P. Asking Good Classroom Questions. available online: http://www.bsu.edu/burris/iwonder/strategies/questions.html

Prensky, Marc. Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants, part 1. from On the Horizon, NCB University Press, Vol.9, No.5, October 2001. available to download online: http://www.marcprensky.com/writing/Prensky%20-%20Digital%20Natives,%20Digital%20Immigrants%20-%20Part1.pdf - in this and the following article, Prensky proposes that today's students are fundamentally different in HOW they learn and this means that how we teach must change

Prensky, Marc. Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants, part 2. from On the Horizon, NCB University Press, Vol.9, No.6, December 2001. available to download online: http://www.marcprensky.com/writing/Prensky - Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants - Part2.pdf

Tinzmann, M.B. , B.F. Jones, T.F. Fennimore, J. Bakker, C. Fine, and J. Pierce. What is the Collaborative Classroom. NCREL, Oak Brook, 1990- available online - http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/rpl_esys/collab.htm

VanSlyke, Timothy. Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants: Some Thoughts From the Generation Gap. The Technology Source, May/June 2003. available online: http://ts.mivu.org/default.asp?show=article&id=1011 - this article rebuts Prensky's articles but makes some suggestions for reframing the role of the teacher

Wolf, Sara. The Big Six Information Skills As a Metacognitive Scaffold: A Case Study. School Library Media Research, Vol 6 (2003). available online: http://www.ala.org/Content/NavigationMenu/AASL/Publications_and_Journals/School_Library_Media_Research/Contents1/Volume_6_(2003)/Big_Six_Information_Skills.htm

 

 

Activity Design Modules:

E. Sky-McIlvain 7/26/04