CYBER GUIDE Hello again! I see you're interested in some info about Research Tools. I'm pretty sure I can help! Check out my Research Tools 4U links too!  CURRIC. APP. LINKS Research Tools 4U RESEARCH TOOLS 4U Here are some great research sites I've found that you may not know about...
Get your research done in one place: Reference encyclopedias, biographies, quotations, dictionaries, facts and many more essential tools at iTools
Try Virtual Salt for a list of search engines, directories, indexes, periodicals, on-line bookstores and other links useful to the Internet researcher.
Australian Parliament House Reference and Research Library
WebBrain lets you search the Web visually, so you can explore a dynamic picture of related information, instead of searching through long lists of text. A WebQuest is an inquiry-oriented lesson format in which most or all the information that learners work with comes from the web. Customise your research. Gather data using Survey Monkey or PollDaddy.
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RESEARCH TOOLS 4U Web 2.0 has a lot to offer students when it comes time to research, and collect data and opinions. Gone are the days when libraries full of non-fiction books were the only places to go for research! From Abboo to Zergdirectory, the Internet provides a plethora of information to curious students!
Where are they looking for information? Mostly, they use Search Engines and Online Encyclopedia ... Students' first 'port of call' when searching for information is usually Wikipedia or Google. Some will Ask Jeeves or look at Dogpile. While most of these search engines allow easy access to 'content' — it doesn't mean it's 'information'! Look at these links — 20 Search and The Search Engine List - they'll take you to the most popular search engines used by students. I bet you didn't know half of these existed, did you? There are lots of reliable sites that students can use when searching for information online including encyclopedias like Brittanica, Encarta and Encyclopedia. They could also try Google Scholar Where could they be looking for information? What about Online Databases and Archives for something different ... Newspapers are another great place to find up-to-date info ... and there are literally thousands of world newspapers at your fingertips! You could also check out newspaper archives from Australia and other countries (including the USA, Canada, the UK and Japan).
And speaking of Archives - there's the National Archives of Australia, the Queensland State Archives, the Archives of Australia Network, the Australian Social Science Data Archive and, my personal favourite, the National Film and Sound Archive. Sound and Image Libraries are also a great online resource ...
Sound and Image Libraries and not just about music clips and videos — there's some great stuff to be found on YouTube, Google Video, MetaCafe, Tag Galaxy, Jelly Muffin and N-Sane Art !
You'll probably find a lot of students will use sites like this when preparing for the Rock Eisteddfod. Check out the Get Creative page on the Companion Site to see how you can stimulate further discussion and research among students.
What about trying an RSS Feed ...
They're a tiny bit more complicated, but the beauty of them is that you can set them up to send you the information you're looking for! Cool, hey?
Check out my RSSFeed 4U page for step-by-step instructions.
And, take a look at the E-Rock Get Creative page to see how to introduce your students to RSS Feed.
Or, how about an Online Survey to get exactly the info you're looking for ...
I'm going to point you in the direction of my own pages for info — SurveyTools 4U has all you need to get up and running! It's not enough though, just to point students in the direction of 'reliable' places to search. We need to teach them the skills to find worthwhile information. It's a matter of teaching them how to research effectively.... And, Mind Mapping what they already know and what they need to find out is a fantastic way to work out what you need to find out before you go wandering off into 'cyberspace'... Mind Mapping tools like Bubbl or Voice Thread are great to help organise thoughts, ideas and concepts before beginning the whole research process... You could also check out Class Zone! It's a fabulous link to a series of quizzes about the internet and research methods. Take the quiz yourself — you might be surprised at the result! But with so much information available how do students choose? It's important to teach students to be discerning in selecting information. Web 2.0 applications have encouraged an explosion of 'home-grown' information and media on the Web. How can students tell which sites are accurate, current and reliable? Teach them about evaluating websites and information. Once students have found all this great stuff, how do they keep track of it? That's easy! Use some online tools, like Citeulike which is an online bibligraphy manager. Or try EasyBib — a really fast way to create accurate, comprehensive 'works cited' lists. What about NoodleBib to create a bibliography or BibMe to create a 'works cited' or 'reference' page — you can also print out your bibliographies! Check out this video — it's an introduction to Social Bookmarking, using Delicious as an example — which happens to be my personal favourite. Check out what I've done with My Delicious Site on the Get Creative student page! |
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