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//(Tarra Elliott)//

 * //__Creating Teaching Tools for Schools__//**

__//**Technology Resources**//__
WebQuests are an inquiry-based learning tool that can be used across content areas and for any grade level. WebQuests are designed by the teacher to create a project-based activity in which students actively seek authentic knowledge. Embedded in the WebQuest is higher-order thinking skills, collaboration, analysis, synthesis and evaluation. Most WebQuests are designed to have an introduction to the project, a task, a process with teacher-selected resources, an evaluation section and concluding thoughts. The task is designed so that there is no one right answer. Since it is project-based, students will create something in the end that will be evaluated by a rubric. There are numerous free sites, as well as subscription sites, that will help build your WebQuest. [|www.zunal.com] is great for creating your own; while, [] has excellent pre-made WebQuests on a variety of topics and for different age groups.

Use the SMART Board interactive whiteboard to help improve learning outcomes. Combining the simplicity of a whiteboard with the power of a computer, the SMART Board interactive whiteboard lets you deliver dynamic lessons, write notes in digital ink and save your work – all with the simple touch of a finger. = =
 * // Helpful Reources: //**
 * [|www.AAAmath.com]
 * blackboard- online classrooms
 * [|www.brainconnection.positscience.com/teasers]
 * www.education.com (worksheets)
 * [|www.factmonster.com] -research databases
 * [|www.globio.org] - research animals
 * [|www.googledocs.com]
 * [] ("How To" videos for students to learn strategies in math, science etc. Real time data reports and practice exercises
 * []
 * [|www.phillipmartin.info/clipart/homepage.html] - educational and free clipart
 * [|www.popplet.com] or [|www.bubble.us] - graphic organizers
 * [|www.readinga-z.com/] - online library of leveled reading texts, assessments, activities and worksheets
 * [|www.readwritethink.org] - student interactives
 * [|www.storybird.com] - publish book writing (creative writing)
 * www.superteacher.com(worksheets)
 * [|www.teacherspayteachers.com] - resources created by teachers including clip art, worksheets, lesson plans and ideas, many free but also many for sale
 * [|www.teachertube.com] or [|www.youtube.com]
 * [|www.tumblebooks.com] - online reading books (great for accelerated reading)
 * www.wikispaces.com - brainstorming through cooperative learning
 * [|www.wordle.net] - brainstorming
 * Interactive Smartboards:**
 * [[image:http://ts4.mm.bing.net/images/thumbnail.aspx?q=4903968479576967&id=99278fe72bdb4c3f46a21b9fb54a525a width="247" height="182" align="left"]]

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I like www.quizlet.com. Quizlet is a website for students and teachers to create flash cards or play study games. This one can be introduced to older students (or younger ones with adults' help). They can make their own flash cards to enhance their learning in different subjects. Teachers may host groups in Quizlet, so the students can discuss, study together, and share materials. Older students may choose to access their learning materials from their mobile tools. Since it is free, users can directly create materials or search for existing ones, generated by other users.

WebQuests may replace the outdated elements of standard research projects. With WebQuests, teachers can control the resources students use. This lessens the time required to complete the research and ensures that students get the information the teacher deems necessary. This would be a great tool to use instead of a standard lecture lesson as well because students will be much more engaged and will also be required to think on a much deeper level. WebQuests have a special place in the inquiry-based subjects of science and math as students seek answers to a variety of questions. However, WebQuests are a great way to teach a history lesson as students could explore photos, videos and primary documents within the context of a WebQuest. With all of this in mind, who needs a textbook?
 * Replacement Ideas:**

This resource can replace the traditional paper assessments that teachers give to students. Instead of asking students to do daily math worksheets all the time, teachers can ask students to do online quizzes (choose from 6 different modes) to make learning more interactive and interesting. Quizlet is also great for practicing vocabularies, since it is equipped with audio features, so students can review important terms and pronounce it correctly (vs. making paper flashcards).

*Khanacademy.org. The aspiration of [|khanacademy.org] is to give every kid a chance at a free, world-class education. The site has over 3,000 short lessons that allow kids to learn at their own pace. Practice exercises send students back to the pertinent video when they're having trouble. And there's a detailed dashboard for teachers who use Khan Academy in their classrooms. Early pilot programs in California classrooms show terrific promise. I've used Khan Academy with my kids, and I'm amazed at the breadth of Sal's subject expertise and his ability to make complicated topics understandable. (Bill Gates)

Bloom's Revised Taxonomy of cognitive objectives is one of the best ways to differentiate the curriculum to meet the needs of your students. Because of its six levels of thinking, Bloom's Revised Taxonomy can provide a framework for planning units that incorporate low to high-level thinking activities. Therefore, when we use Bloom's Revised Taxonomy as a planning framework we can plan for student thinking at all levels.

In the 1950's Benjamin Bloom developed his taxonomy of cognitive objectives, Bloom's Taxonomy. This categorized and ordered thinking skills and objectives. His taxonomy follows the thinking process. You can not understand a concept if you do not first remember it, similarly you can not apply knowledge and concepts if you do not understand them. In the 1990's, a former student of Bloom, Lorin Anderson, revised Bloom's Taxonomy and published this- Bloom's Revised Taxonomy in 2001.Key to this is the use of verbs rather than nouns for each of the categories and a rearrangement of the sequence within the taxonomy. They are arranged below in increasing order, from low to high. (Churches)

__//**Bloom's Digital Wheel**//__ This wheel consists of the revised Bloom's taxonomy for the 21 century and the associated digital activities for each cognitive process. It is interesting how one can use the same tool across the cognitive domains. This implies that the way one uses the tool helps develop the student cognitive process in higher order of thinking or lower order of thinking. Of course tools also have constraints and some of them do not afford to help the students trigger the higher order of thinking. (http://eductechalogy.org/swfapp/blooms/wheel/engage.swf)



Interactive whiteboards are used in many schools as replacements for traditional whiteboards or flipcharts. They provide ways to show students any thing which can be presented on a computer's desktop (educational software, web sites, and others). In addition, interactive whiteboards allow teachers to record their instruction and post the material for review by students at a later time. This can be a very effective instructional strategy for students who benefit from repetition, who need to see the material presented again, for students who are absent from school, for struggling learners, and for review for examinations. Brief instructional blocks can be recorded for review by students—they will see the exact presentation that occurred in the classroom with the teacher's audio input. This can help transform learning and instruction.

=**Research:**= It has been shown that WebQuests increase engagement, engage students in higher-order thinking, increase motivation, provide authentic contexts, sharpen problem solving and collaboration skills, and improve literacy skills (Yang & Tzuo, 2011). Research also suggests that students are more likely to retain the knowledge they gain during a WebQuest because they have taken ownership of the information (Polly & Ausband, 2009).

This article is about the effectiveness of teachers and their practices and the barriers that they face when accessing the curriculum. Jackson, R., Harper, K., & Jackson, J. (2001). //Effective teaching practices and the barriers limiting their use in accessing the curriculum: A review of recent literature//. Peabody, MA: Center for Applied Special Technology, Inc. Retrieved [06/10/2012] from [] For a guide to creating WebQuests and a look at a few examples, visit []. This is a presentation given by Holly Gray and Sharon Alayne Widmayer. It provides guiding questions for teachers beginning their experience with WebQuests. It’s a great starting point for rookies in the WebQuest design field

Rivero (2011) compiled several reviews of internet-based tools, including Quizlet. It is said that Quizlet is highly recommended for any learning that fits the flashcard format. It is mentioned to be easy to use with clear instructions, since it was originally created to help students that are learning different languages. I think the fact that Quizlet was developed by a student is inspiring. Iozzio (2008) mentioned that Andrew Sutherland of Albany, CA created Quizlet originally to help him master French vocabulary. Now it is widely used, especially to help students learn other languages, such as Japanese, Spanish, German, and so on.

A teacher shared the use of Quizlet in his classroom, especially in teaching and introducing vocabularies to ELLs. He mentioned that Quizlet is a great help, especially when he found that it is free. There is a $10 fee a year for users who'd like to add pictures in their flash cards. He mentioned that this seems to be minimal compared to the gained learning excitement. ([]).

Kahnacademy.org is a great supplement to any curriculum. Although it should not replace the teacher itself, but does provide extra support and visual steps for various subjects. I have personally used a few of the math videos in my classroom and the students have responded with positive remarks. I like how the focus is strictly on the lesson and there are no other distractions. Just Salman Kahn's voice and the colorful numbers and pictures being written as he describes the thought processes involved in each lesson.. Students can focus and see how problems are dissected into small steps. Some people have voiced their opinion on how the lessons are too boring and do not focus enough on a particular math function or idea. I tend to disagree and have even found myself clicking on random videos just to learn something new.

Polly, D., & Ausband, L. (2009). Developing Higher-Order Thinking Skills through WebQuests. //Journal Of Computing In Teacher Education//, //26//(1), 29-34. Yang, C., Tzuo, P., & Komara, C. (2011). Using WebQuest as a Universal Design for Learning Tool to Enhance Teaching and Learning in Teacher Preparation Programs. //Journal Of College Teaching & Learning//, //8//(3), 21-29. Iozzio, C. (2008). Technology's Whiz Kids. //PC Magazine//, //27//(13), 20. Retrieved from [] Rivero, V. (2011). //Product review:// //Internet@Schools//, //18//(4), 29-32. Retrieved from [] [] http://www.techlearning.com/article/blooms-taxonomy-blooms-digitally/44988 http://eductechalogy.org/swfapp/blooms/wheel/engage.swf [] Jackson, R., Harper, K., & Jackson, J. (2001). //Effective teaching practices and the barriers limiting their use in accessing the curriculum: A review of recent literature//. Peabody, MA: Center for Applied Special Technology, Inc. Retrieved [insert date] from [|http://aim.cast.org/learn/historyarchive/backgroundpapers/effective_teac]
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