Revisiting Badgerlink

Teachers in Wisconsin- you have a plethora of some amazing free resources available to you that will enhance your teaching significantly.  These resources are available through Badgerlink, Wisconsin's online library.  Badgerlink resources include databases with full-text articles, multimedia, and e-books.  Below highlights some of my favorite Badgerlink resources and how you can use these in your classroom.

TeachingBooks is your resource for finding anything that you want to know about the books that you teach and the books that the kids love.  After searching for a book title or author, you will be linked to a wealth of resources, including author videos and podcasts, discussion guides, lesson plans, book trailers, and even author pronunciations.  This amazing database is not only a must-use for ELA teachers, but TeachingBooks also lists curricular uses of its tools for teachers of any subject.

Wisconsin Media Lab provides free multimedia resources for Wisconsin educators.  Organized by subject and grade level, teachers will find popular titles such as Bill Nye, Into the Book, and Wisconsin Biographies. 

NoveList is that go-to resource for when you need to find just the right book.  Within NoveList, you can search for reading lists, similar titles, reviews, related articles, and further information about various books.  It's a great resource for when you have a student who read a book and is looking for other titles just like that one.

Soundzabound offers royalty free music for students to use in their multimedia productions.  Students can choose from short sound clips or full-length songs.

Access Newspaper Archive allows users to find  full-text newspaper articles dating back hundreds of years. Want to read articles about the sinking of the Titanic on that date that it happened?  Find them by searching here.

Search for full-text poems, essays, short stories, novels, plays, and speeches through LitFinder's amazing repository.

Create Interactive Images with Thinglink

One tool that I intend to make great use of this year is Thinglink.  Thinglink gives users the ability to create interactive images by uploading a picture and linking the image to websites, videos, and text.  This could be a great project for students or could be used by teachers to create student guides.  Thinglink's site is free and does allow students to connect with others by commenting on one anothers' creations.  If a picture is worth 1,000 words, imagine how much more powerful it could be by linking different media to it and sharing the vast knowledge available on the Internet.  Check out an example below to get an idea of how Thinglink works.  How can you use this with your students?

Create Infographics to Visually Share Research

Infograpics are trendy on the web.  Who doesn't love a good visual representation of statistics and research information?  Your students can become part of the trend by easily creating their own infographics using these great websites:

1.  Piktochart- With the free account, choose from one of five themes.  Add your images, text, and create charts.  A professional looking poster is instantly created!  Download and save the finished product.  Here's an example of one of their templates.

2.  Easelly- Similar to Piktochart, you can choose from one of their pre-made themes (called vhemes) or start with a blank canvas.  Add pictures, text, and modify as desired.  Easelly also supplies a variety of clip art from which to choose.  Here's an example of an Easelly template:

Infographics are ultimately a fantastic and creative way for students to present information on a topic.  It requires that students synthesize their information in a meaningful way while creating new knowledge.  This is only one of the many 21st century skills that will ensure success in the future.

Google Research Tool: New in Google Docs

Here's another reason why you want to be using Google Docs with your students: Google just added a new tool that gives students the power to conduct an instant Google search right in Google Docs.  Once information or a picture is used, Google will even create a citation or a link for the source.

Here's how to use the Google Research tool:

1.  Open a Google Doc, and go to Tools-Research.

2.  On the right a search box appears.  Type in the search topic.

3.  Underneath each result is the option to add a hyperlink or create a citation with a simple click!  Please note that citations are added to the bottom of each document as footnotes.  These can be moved to a Works Cited or Bibliography page, if desired.

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4.  Students can also choose to limit their searches to images, Google Scholar links, or quotes.

Research has suddenly become easier!

While I love the Google Research tool for its ease of use and quick formatting of citations, we must remember the importance of directing students to APPROPRIATE, RELEVANT, and RELIABLE sources of information.  I tend to caution teachers against using Google as a primary research tool.  We must teach students effective search strategies, website evaluation, and the difference between academic and non-academic sources when using search engines.  Students need to consider authority, bias, publisher, currency, and depth of information before using any website as a source of information.  While we may believe that students are savvy web searchers, the opposite is in fact true.  Although today's students have grown-up with the Internet, they need direct instruction on how to appropriately and effectively find information while navigating a vast variety of information on any topic.  They also need to learn how to effectively evaluate a website before accepting the information presented as truth.  I find it mildly entertaining and slightly disturbing at how easily students will believe the information found on fake websites such as All About Explorers or   Ban Dihydrogen Monoxide.  Your Instructional Resource Coach can provide lessons on Internet searching and website evaluation to help you better prepare your students to use the web effectively.  These are 21st century skills that are essential to success in a digital world.

Remember that we have many excellent subscription databases and library print materials that will lead students to appropriate, relevant, and reliable information.  We need to be guiding students to these resources before sending students off on an Internet hunt without proper guidance.

You Can't Just Google It!

Those of you who know me well have heard how much I dislike when we teach students to research by sending them directly to Google.  Beginning with a Google search is not an effective research strategy nor does it always lead students to high quality academic resources.  Below is a fun video shared by a fellow educational blogger explaining why students should not be using Google as a primary research tool.

What should students use then?  They should begin with our high quality, reliable educational resources: academic databases, library print materials, and a search engine made especially for students, Sweet Search.  Using these resources will not only lead to the highest quality information, but it also teaches students how to conduct academic research in the appropriate manner.  This is a 21st century skill that students need for success in future jobs and education!

For a good laugh and a good lesson, here is a video created using the website xtranormal. 

You Can't Just Google It!
by: SweetSearch

Sweet Search: A Reliable, Safe Search Engine for Students

Those of you who know me know how frustrated I get when I see kids "Googling." I personally have nothing against Google.  (In fact, thanks to them I have this blog!)  I just do not think that a "Google" search is the best way to conduct academic research.  Our students are not sophisticated searchers nor are many of them adept at evaluating a website. 

If not Google, where do they go?  Students should always begin research with our print resources and highly reliable (and expensive) subscription databases.  (Our databases can be accessed electronically day or night, from home or school).  If students still need further information, I would like to introduce them to a search engine created especially for students with information reviewed by information professionals.  This search engine is called Sweet Search.  Since all Sweet Search indexed websites do go through a prior review, you can feel confident that students are accessing highly reliable information that fits their research needs.  I challenge you to try this with your next project and see what a difference it makes in the amount of time that students spend searching for information and the quality of information that they access.