Week 6: Whose Driving?

So, you have this wonderful idea for a project.  Students working in groups (collaborating), doing research, collecting data, taking surveys, analysing data, and presenting thier product to the class.  Sounds like a great plan...but according to the new 21st Century Learning ideas, there is one thing missing from your wonderful list...TECHNOLOGY!

How will they work in groups?  How will they conduct their research?  How will they collect data, take surveys, and analyse their data?  Finally, how will they present their masterpiece?  There are tools to help educators and students for each aspect of this "project" that you have in mind.

Online Collaboration Tools:
An example of this:  Edmodo Edmodo is a free and secure social learning network for teachers, students and schools. Edmodo provides classrooms a safe and easy way to connect and collaborate, offering a real-time platform to exchange ideas, share content, and access homework, grades and school notices.  Students use MySpace and Facebook on a regular basis.  They are used to communicating and sharing videos from youtube and sites that they find.  Why not do it in a safe, controlled environment. 

I want to share with you a list of free online collaboration tools.  There are countless resources that educators and students can use.  These are just some of them.

Conducting research:
The web is nothing but research...research at your fingertips.  It is extremely vital that the teacher be specific in the sources they want their students to use.  Perhaps a good idea would be to narrow the students options by giving the students a list of sites they want them to use.  If they feel brave, the teacher can let the students venture the net on their own. However, it is important that the students realize that just as a written/hard copy of any project, report, or research assignment that student note their sources (web sites).
Here is a list of research sites (to name a few)
http://www.archives.gov/research/start/online-tools.html
http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/student-interactives/
http://www.noodletools.com/

Analysing and discussing Data:
How will students analyse their data.  Compare, and organize what they have discovered.  Especially if they are in groups, and not in the classroom.
Google docs is one example of how students can share spreadsheets, word documents and files and make changes based on their analysis.
Office live workspace:  Access, edit and share documents from anywhere.
Keep and Share might also be useful in classroom settings.

Presentations:
Prezi:  Presentations have not evolved much in the 50 years since the slide was invented, but Prezi is changing that. Prezi lets you bring your ideas into one space and see how they relate, helping you and your audience connect. Zoom out to see the big picture and zoom in to see details — a bit like web-based maps that have changed how we navigate through map books.

Zoho Show: The online tool for making powerful presentations.Whether you are a professional, a teacher, a student, a businessman, a salesman or anyone looking to put together a cool presentation, you have come to the right place. Zoho Show's pre-built themes, clipart and shapes coupled with features like drag-and-drop makes it an easy application to use.

Wikispaces and PBWorks: As in many cases, it is nice to have ONE place where students can communicate, collaborate and present all in one place...A wiki might be the answer.

I have listed for you MANY resources to utilize and consider...the most important thing to keep in mind..it should be the project that drives the tool...not the tool that drives the project.  You want to choose user-friendly and appropriate technology for your students.  The idea is to make them comfortable and confident, not stressed and defeated by the technology!

Enjoy!