4 Standards, Internet Research, and Web Hunts

•           SS.5.A.1.2:  Utilize timelines to identify and discuss American History time periods.
•            http://www.capzles.com/
•           Concept-Mapping tools could be used to create timeline graphics
•           I would use a concept-mapping tool such as Capzles. Teachers and students can use this site to create timelines and personalize them by adding photos, videos, audio, and text. If students were discussing the Civil War they could add photos of the war’s progression and of key documents in the war. They could use the audio feature to create voice recordings of them telling an anecdote from one of the timeline events.

In my opinion, the Internet is an amazing tool to use for student research. It allows for quicker results and the Internet is full of seemingly limitless. Internet research is useful because it saves students from spending hours in the library searching for a specific quote and it also does not limit them to the library’s content on the subject. It is not useful when students use unreliable sources such as Wikipedia, which can be altered by anyone and contain false information.

In the past, I have not paid much attention to whether something is open source or open content. After learning more about both of these in EME2040 and by listening to the related podcast I now am aware of what I should and should not use. Instead of taking advantage of the content I find on a source I should evaluate whether it is reliable and the stipulations that go along with using those ideas. When I first got my laptop in high school, I was not willing to pay over a hundred dollars just to obtain Microsoft Office. Instead, I downloaded Open Office, which is an open source that is mentioned in the podcast. Open Office is very similar to Microsoft Office and has word processing, spreadsheet, and powerpoint options. The only problem with Open Office is that it the format of created documents is often altered or unable to be downloaded by those who are using Microsoft Word.

Through completing the web hunt, I have acquired skills such as using Google Scholar to find academic articles. Also, I was previously unaware of the fact that I can use quotations to better filter search results and find more specific sources. Typing “define:” in front of a term gives you an instant definition which can be helpful when you are reading a textbook or another type of document with terms that you do not know.

Web Hunt Challenges:

1. Find a primary source video of the Columbia space shuttle disaster.
2.  Find an educational game that tests students’ multiplication skills.
3.  Find a free audiobook that students can use for Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger.