Teach Your Students How to Dumpster Dive

LA Dumpster Dive by Jim Fischer / CC BY 2.0

Most students think that using the Internet to search for information is as easy as using any search engine. We all know that there's much more to it than that.

I addressed this concept of digital research in my presentation,"Teach Your Students How to Dumpster Dive," at the San Gabriel Valley CUE Tech Fair. My session was on how to teach students to be expert researchers and great content creators. I also focused on the concepts of copyright, fair use, free to use, and public domain since most students (and even many teachers) don't understand that the Internet is not a free buffet where you eat without paying the bill. The goal is to teach students how to sift through the trash to find the treasure. In addition to explaining how to use Google Advanced Search, I also wanted to build a list of credible websites that teachers and students could use for their research.

Below is the list I'm developing. I plan to add to it if I come across anything new.

• Google Advanced News
• Google Books
• Google Scholar
• RefSeek
• Sweet Search
• Google Cultural Institute
• PBS LearningMedia
• Newsela
• PBS News Hour Extra
• KQED DoNow
• KQED The Lowdown
• American Experience
• ITVS for Educators
• National Geographic
• National Geographic Kids
• Time for Kids
• History Channel
• NPR
• History Matters
• Library of Congress
• National Archives
• National History Day
• Life Magazine Photo Archive
• Getty Images

I hope this list is helpful. If you have a great website to share, please add it as a comment.

Animation for Beginners

GoAnimate is an easy way to make video animation for your classroom.  Adding characters, dialogues, and a setting for your story takes only a matter of minutes.  They offer free personal accounts, but you can upgrade to two different accounts for more features.

Here are some ways I see how it can be used in the classroom:

1. Math - Explain concepts
2. Science - Present the Scientific Method on a particular question or problem
3. History - Provide a timeline of events that led to an important moment in history
4. English - Show character analysis or theme.  Illustrate the most pivotal moment in a novel or short story.
5. Health - Create a Public Service Announcement on a health tip.

Recently, my students created Public Service Announcements using GoAnimate to speak up against bullying.  My detailed post can be found on GoAnimate's Educator's blog.  Click here to read it.

What do you think?  What are some ways GoAnimate can be used in the classroom?