week6

17 February 2010: Search, Research, and Aggregators (Digital Newspapers)

Attendance:

• • Section 62 (9 am) - view responses - Our Etherpad backchannel

  • Section 63 (11 am) - view responses - Our Etherpad backchannel

1- Overview

Effectively and critically searching the Internet is a vital skill for 21st century learners. Studies show most students tend to perform simple keyword searches on Google and never go beyond the first or second page of search results. Today we will explore a variety of Internet search options, and learn how to use an aggregator as a digital newspaper.

2- Lesson

• 1. Welcome to our wired world: ..." 8- to 18-year-olds are spending more than 50 hours a week with digital media." (1:24 - PBS digital_nation)

  2. Old School, New School (4:35 - PBS digital_nation)

  3. Review anonymous course feedback results, share course modifications

  4. Our Learning Expectations

  5. Quarterly Checkup Quiz 1 update

  6. Scribe blog update

  7. VoiceThread Assignment Update:

     1. Write a new post on your T4T blog and include the LINK to your VoiceThread and an EMBEDDED version of your VoiceThread digital story.

     2. Optional: If you wrote a book review evaluation / VoiceThread, join the "Great Book Stories" wiki and add your link on the "Listen and See" page.

  8. Google Search Tools and Options (curriculum from the 15 November 2009 Google Workshop for Educators in Austin, Texas)

• 1. What is an aggregator? An example aggregator / information portal: Our class Netvibes page! (see this FAQ for more info)

  2. RSS in Plain English (3:44)

• 1. Introduction to Google Reader

  2. Create a Google Reader account and subscribe to:

• • 1. Spring 2010 Course FAQ for Students (faqt4t.blogspot.com)

• 1. Spring 2010 Shared Learning / Scribe Blog (team blog for both sections - all enrolled students should join)

• 1. Technology 4 Teachers Diigo Group

• 1. One or more of Our T4T Student Blogs for Spring 2010

  2. At least three mainstream media source RSS feeds (NPR, CNN, Fox News, etc)

  3. Optional: Subscribe to RSS feed for eHow Education Videos

  4. Optional: Subscribe to recommended education blogs (written by educators)

3- Assignments

• 1. Take Elective Mini-Project 1 Quiz in WebCT (Submit link to your VoiceThread digital story)

• 1. Watch Joyce Valenza's K12Online09, "The Wizard of Apps" (51:39)

     1. Note Joyce's slides are also available via SlideShare.

     2. Joyce's New Tools Workshop wiki has a wealth of resources, well-categorized using a page she created with Glogster.

  2. Post a reflection on "The Wizard of Apps" to your T4T blog using our video reflection rubric. Visit at least one of the websites / "new tools" Joyce discusses in her presentation, and comment on the value / utility of that website in your blog post reflection as a separate / fourth paragraph.

• 1. K-12 Student blog feedback:

     1. Select an active classroom blog (using the classroom blog finder) that you would like to serve as an informal "blogging buddy" this term for.

     2. Write at least 2 constructive feedback post on student blog posts following our feedback rubric (save these links because you'll need them later!

     3. Add the link to your student blog comment to your Diigo account, tagging it "t4t-sbc" (without quotation marks - sbc = student blog comment

4- Resources

1. SearchResearch blog

   1. New Tools Workshop by Joyce Valenza

2. 15 Videos included in eHow: How to Use Google Reader: Video Series

• 1. How to Use Google Reader : Introduction to Using Google Reader (2:16)

5- Review

Content licensed

by Wesley Fryer and Karen Montgomery