M3 Blogging Assignment

Search Engine

Search engines allow students to look for information in multiple sources at one time (Roblyer and Doering, 2013, p. 219). It is important for students to learn how to search with Boolean expressions to get more specific search results. Google also has some tips for searching when using their search engine:Google Search Tips. Effective searches by students will make research time more productive. 

Website Evaluation Video

Students have access to multitudes of information on the World Wide Web. While students may be proficient at using social networking sites and other commonly used topics on the web, they might not be well-versed in using the Internet for research. Roblyer and Doering highlight several issues with using the Internet in the classroom. Potential issues include students accessing in appropriate material, security and fraud concerns with students posting information to social networking sites, and copyright and plagiarism issues (Roblyer and Doering, 2013, p. 215 – 216). This video reminds students to evaluate websites for CRAAP: Currency, Relevance, Authority, Accuracy, and Purpose. I want students to focus on the authority and purpose of information that they are researching. This is especially important in social science topics where facts and opinions can be intertwined. 





Favorite Website #1
Smithsonian Education
The Smithsonian Education website has some great information for middle school history students. I can use this website for additional teaching resources, and students can use the site for research. As Roblyer and Doering (2013) state, “The Internet’s vast information storehouse, unfortunately, contains some information that is incomplete, inaccurate, and/or out of date” (p. 255). I am comfortable with students gathering information off of this website since it is part of the Smithsonian Institute. The website is easy to use, but there is a lot of information available. There is a site map, and the website is easy to navigate. This is an important part of an effective website (Roblyer and Doering, 2013, p. 255).

Favorite Website #2
Wikipedia

My favorite website for history class is Wikipedia. This online encyclopedia provides easy access for middle school students. Most of the Wikipedia pages are neatly designed. As Roblyer and Doering (2013) describe, effective websites should have “clear text and graphic links” and “good visual design” (p. 255). One of my favorite characteristics about Wikipedia is the bibliography section. I will show students how to use the bibliography information in Wikipedia to search for other credible sources on topics. I will have my class create a wiki for history topics that we are discussing.

Doering, A.H. & Roblyer, M.D. (2013) Integrating Educational Technology Into Teaching. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.

Hypermedia and Multimedia in Education

Commercial Hypermedia Product  

Multimedia and hypermedia tools enhance the classroom experience. There are many different resources for middle school social science. One hypermedia source that I plan to use is Smithsonian Education. On this site, students can explore various history topics and different cultures as well as historical figures. In Chapter six of Integrating Educational Technology Into Teaching, Roblyer and Doering (2013) say that “student learning from hypermedia varies based on the design of the materials” (178). Even though students seemed to like the hypermedia experience in the classroom, research states that “quantitative data revealed that more hypermedia was not necessarily better” (178). It is important for instructors to use hypermedia appropriately and not use it as a substitute for instruction.

Chosen Multimedia Authoring Tool

Chapter six of Integrating Educational Technology Into Teaching also states that “schools across the country are beginning to use these systems to produce school news programs and to develop digitized video for use in the design and development of hypermedia products" (Roblyer and Doering, 2013, p. 188). Audio and video production and editing system are a great addition to the classroom as “students and teachers are using computer-based videoproduction and editing systems for a variety of purposes” (Roblyer and Doering, 2013, p. 190). With the increased use of camera phones and other recording devices, it is easier than ever before for both students and teachers to create and share videos.

Although podcasts were originally developed to deliver content to students, the use of this type of hypermedia has evolved. Many K-12 classrooms now allow students to produce hypermedia for instruction (Roblyer and Doering, 2013, p. 189). I plan to use multimedia tools to show students historical information, and I also plan to let students create their own videos and podcasts to show what they have learned. 

Doering, A. H.. & Roblyer, M.D. (2013) Integrating educational technology into teaching. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.