ETL 501 Commentary # 6

Students and the Web

·        Why do we have computer tools for brainstorming exercises? (I am a big one for pencils and paper myself).

·        Topic development: sizing, finding an angle, introducing complexity, the iterative process. This seems to be suitable for older kids.

·        Think- what do you think you already know; puzzle -what questions or puzzles do you have about this topic; explore- how would you explore this topic? A good groundwork for brainstorming.

·        I used the Ultimate Research Assistant and typed in ‘cannibals’. It looked through 10 documents and highlighted where a paragraph of each where the key word came up. Some were about fish, some about murderers, some about tribes in the Congo... What is a kid to do with all this disparate information? This is where students need to skim and scan and really get rid of all the dross.

·        Questioning- dozens of visual representations of Bloom’s taxonomy. Interesting geometric patterns. A graphic artist would love this section. Obviously many apps/tools can be used on different levels. I like the spin tool at the end. This could generate some interesting questions for yr 7 kids.

·        I like the concept mapping of how to be a good web searcher and also the brainstorming of the phrase ‘search strategy’. I think they could both work well with groups providing results to be shared with the class.

·        Hoax sites are worth drawing kids’ attention to...

·        I like the little study bugs videos on You Tube. I can imagine using these for High school students as handy guides before they start an assignment or as links on the library blog. There are heaps more to choose from.