CPP Technology Today
A Communication of the CPP Technology Committee - Vol 2.12
In This Issue
Research Literacy Issue - Tips, Tools and Resources for Adding Research Literacy Skills to All Content Areas and Grade Levels
- Instructional Technology Professional Development
- Accessing Google Apps: Keeping Research Controlled and Safe by Creating a Google Custom Search - By June Keuhn, Robin Robarge and Matt Middlebrook
- Accessing Google Apps: Find Research and Add Information and Images to Your Google Doc from INSIDE the Doc!
- Resource Spotlight - Research Literacy Issue: Young Researchers - Research Tools and Tips, K-5 - By Peggy Marsiglio
- Resource Spotlight - Research Literacy Issue: Young Researchers - Top Research Tools for Middle Level Students - By Donna Cornell
- Resource Spotlight - Research Literacy Issue: Young Researchers - Advanced Techniques - Refining Research for Students in Grades 9-12 - By Robin Robarge
- Resource Spotlight - Teaching Students Digital Honesty with NoodleTools - Resources by Stacie Martinec and Robin Robarge
- District Technology News: Information Seeking Skills on the CPP Technology Skills Scope & Sequence
- Technology Committee - Members
- BITS Team Members
- Updates from Tech Services
- Newsletter Suggestions and Ideas
Tuesday, Apr 4, 2017, 10:00 AM
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Instructional Technology Professional Development
Unless otherwise indicated, classes run from 3:30-4:30. Teachers are welcome to attend trainings in any building. There is no pre-registration process - "drop in" when you're able! Be sure to sign in for in-service credit.
Contact the team members offering each class with any specific questions.
March Dates
3/21 - Middle School Library - Carrie Howe - Google Drive- 3:30-4:30 (All Teachers)
3/22 - CPPHS Room E114 - Robin Robarge/Stacie Martinec - Piktochart- 3:30-4:30 (All Teachers)
3/22 - Middle School Library - Carrie Howe - Google Assignments- 3:30-4:30 (All Teachers)
3/28 - Middle School Library - Carrie Howe - Google Questions- 3:30-4:30 (All Teachers)
April Dates
4/4 - CPPHS Library - Robin Robarge/Stacie Martinec - Noodle Tools: From Basics to Advanced- 3:30-4:30 (All Teachers)
4/4 - Carder School Library - Laura Tolbert - TBA - 2:45-3:30 (All Teachers)
4/26 - CPPHS Library - Robin Robarge/Stacie Martinec - Research Databases - What is the Benefit?- 3:30-4:30 (All Teachers)
Applying Google Apps: Research Literacy Issue
Find Research and Add Information and Images to Your Google Doc from INSIDE the Doc!
Though investigating sources requires opening them in a different window, preliminary searches can be done inside the document, using the "Explore" tool. In addition, users can search their own Google Drive from inside of a Doc. Finally, users can search for and add images into a doc without ever opening a separate window!
The tutorial below shows how to use Google Docs itself as a Research tool. Use it when creating materials, or model the use for students so that they can research/find pictures efficiently.
Resources Spotlight: Research Literacy Issue
Keeping Research Controlled and Safe by Creating a Google Custom Search
Google Customized Search Engine
By using Google’s Customized Search Engine (CSE), you can focus your students’ searching and guide them to the sites, or parts of sites, you want them to use.
Customized search engines allow you to limit the students’ searches, so that rather than sifting through millions of hits, your students only sort through hundreds or fewer. There are many reasons you might want to explore creating a CSE. Perhaps you
want to create a search engine specific to a particular subject, or you are doing a research site and you only want students using information from a group of websites that you have previewed and determined as reliable. Perhaps you teach younger students and a traditional Google search provides results that are geared at a much higher level than they can process. Perhaps you’ve found an excellent website that doesn’t make it to the top of a Google search. You can expand where they search to more reliable information, rather than just relying on the most common search results. You may also want to exclude sites that your students often use. If there are sites you want to exclude because they are not appropriate for the grade level, they do not provide current or valid information, have too much or inappropriate advertising, etc…, you can do that as well with customized search engine.
An illustrative Example
Let’s say I am having students research about the 3 Branches of Government. If I do a typical Google search, I get over 65 million results.
However, if I create a customized search engine and I only want the students to use these 3 sites:
the same search results in 740 hits, all from those 3 sites. The Google search results look the same as a “regular” Google search. They just give you, the teacher, more control as to which sites are included, and the students, a more scaffolded search they’ll be able to better utilize.
Click here or on the link below this article to access some quick step-by- step directions to get you started as well as some video tutorials. It’s as easy as 1-2- 3! 1—Log in, 2—Create it, 3—Share it!
Video tutorials:
Teacher’s Guide to Creating Your Own Search Engine
Google Custom Search Engine Tutorial
Setting Up a Custom Search Engine
Functional Example:
KidRex (an example of a safe search engine for elementary students (powered by Google Custom Search)
Young Researchers - Research Tools and Tips, K-5
By Peggy Marsiglio
As with high school students, our elementary students rely heavily on the Internet for any sort of research they do. They simply hop on Google and find what they need. As librarians when we begin our research projects with 2-5 we try to gear them toward reliable resources and discuss how not every resource is reliable. To simplify our research time with our students since we are on a more restricted schedule, we tend to locate the sources for them and have them look within the sites to find their information.
However, with 3-5 we begin using our many databases available to us within the district. We focus a lot on Grolier and World Book Online. Our library online catalogs and our library web pages are also good sources for students to look at.
Erwin Valley: http://erwinvalleylibrary.weebly.com/ (Go to the teachers tab)
Top Research Tools for Middle Level Students
By Donna Cornell
One role of the library teacher is to promote and direct students to use credible sources. Our students rely on the internet for the majority of their research. At the middle level, we promote the use of our databases. We know that the information that our students receive from the databases is both reliable and credible. Not only do they receive fantastic information, the databases also have some very useful features.
Find some of our most popular resources in the gallery below.
World Book Encyclopedia
Grolier Online
CPPMS Library Webpage
Advanced Techniques - Refining Research for Students in Grades 9-12
By Robin Robarge
High school students undoubtedly rely almost entirely on the Internet for research that they need to do for school, communication and personal recreation. These students have never lived in a time without the Internet, and it is a natural tool for them as they are assigned homework, research and other assignments.
In response to this situation, library resources have evolved into online resources that extend beyond the brick and mortar building that houses our physical collection of books and periodicals. Certainly we despair when students wish to conduct academic research with their favorite “friends” - Wikipedia and Google. It is our mission as library media specialists to help our students find suitable tools to help them in their academic goals. Depending on their objective, it could be positive search strategies, website evaluation, or advanced search tools.
Our students are happily turning more frequently to our subscription databases for their information. We are presenting in many classes about WHY using journal articles, news or magazine articles, maps, videos and more from our databases are preferable to “just googling it.” Presently we expose our students to over thirty subscription databases - many purchased via Gale Cengage. We help students find exactly what they are looking for - with tools to help them utilize that information. All of our database results have language translators, tools to have the articles read to them, and on-site tools to help them cite the sources that they are using.
The databases that we subscribe to range from general databases and online reference sources, to subject-specific databases for particular areas. For example, our Individuals and Societies classes can access Gale World History, Gale U.S. History, Issues and Controversies in American History, or America at War. We have databases that are specific to the subjects and disciplines that our students face during the day - from Gale Science in Context, to Opposing Viewpoints in Context. And with one easy login to remember, if students need to use the databases from home, they have an easy access point via our library webpage.
Our library webpage also provides students with a scholastic “one-stop-shopping” experience for tools and links that will aid them in completing assignments. From the left-hand menu on our CPP HS Library webpage (http://cpphslibrary.wikispaces.com/ ), students can easily link to sites that they are using in their classes, such as Turnitin.com or Castle Learning. Our links also take students to choices for primary sources, free-use images, sounds and music, as well as online calculators.
Teaching Students Digital Honesty with NoodleTools
NoodleTools has replaced EasyBib as the CPP Citation tool.
This versatile program allows students to create projects, take and organize notes and build bibliographies or works cited pages at several different levels (from beginner to advanced) and in different citation styles (MLA, APA and Chicago).
The tool helps students build citations for different types of sources, identifying for each the information (authors, editors, publishers, dates) that they need to find for the sources, then correctly formatting the works cited pages for them.
Completed citation pages can be exported into Word or Google Doc formats, and included with student's papers or projects.
NoodleTools also offers classroom management features that were not available with EasyBib, including the ability to create "inboxes" for students to submit work and, when working through Google Docs, the ability to view and comment on student work in progress.
The tutorial linked below (log into your @cppasd.com Google Account to access it) walks you through many of the teacher features of Noodle Tools, from creating your own account to working with student submissions. Your library media specialists will be able to further assist you with this program!
District Technology Updates
Information Seeking Skills on the CPP Technology Skills Scope & Sequence
The K-12 Scope & Sequence of Technology Skills, developed by the Technology Committee in response to teacher feedback, contains an entire category of research - or Information Seeking - skills.
The 24 separate skills in this skills category range from basic concepts to be introduced in kindergarten, to more advanced, content- and technology-specific research skills. The Scope and Sequence identifies different grade levels at which specific skills are to be Introduced, Reinforced and Applied at CPP.
Research and the teaching of research literacy skills can be incorporated in any classroom, regardless of content area or the age of students. For ideas or assistance on incorporating research and research skills instruction into your classroom, contact your School Library Media Specialist, your BITS representative or Lori Pruyne.
Technology Committee Membership
BITS Team - Instructional Technology Support
Last week in this newsletter, the Building Instructional Technology Support (BITS) team members were introduced, and their roles were discussed. Remember that these individuals are available within your buildings to help teachers utilize instructional technology. They can recommend programs and resources, suggest ways to implement technology and tech skills instruction into the curriculum, and provide teachers with help in introducing programs to students. Any hardware-related issues should still be referred to IT, with requests sent in by emailing helpdesk@gstboces.org.
BITS representatives in each building include:
Carder – Jamie Nichols, Laura Tolbert and June Keuhn
Gregg – Rachel Ketchum and Colin Sinko
Erwin Valley – Jen Haischer and Peggy Marsiglio
Severn – Jen Taylor and Karen Cleary
Smith – Mike Clarke, Jill Mertus and Matt Cornacchio
Winfield – Kathy Rapisarda and Shari Smith
CPP HS – Robin Robarge and Stacie Martinec
CPPMS - Carrie Howe
District - Lori Pruyne
BITS representatives are also going to be conducting after-school professional development classes on various instructional technology topics after school each month. These sessions will be held around the district, but all sessions are open to all teachers - you do not have to attend only sessions held in your individual buildings. Class times and locations will be listen on the Professional Development Opportunities page of the CPP Technology website.
Newletter Information
Email: lpruyne@cppmail.com
Website: cpptechnology.weebly.com
Location: CPPHS B215
Phone: 3503