netTrekker Blog

I’m 21 C R U?

This weekend at the Palm Beach County Technology Conference and the Forsyth County Digital Schoolhouse Conference I asked a question during my session, “What does it mean to be a 21st Century Learner?” I asked for the participants in the workshops to describe the learner, their skills and their tools. Here are a few of their answers:

A 21st Century Learner has good communication and collaboration skills, globally and regionally informed, able to share, self-starters and multi-taskers. 21st Century learners have the skills to think critically, use technology, be creative in their thinking, and also to be innovative in their thinking. Tools for a 21st Century learner include cell phones, iPod, computers, interactive white boards, video conferencing, digital cameras and anything else technology related.

But what about netTrekker d.i. itself? Is it 21st Century? I have often had teachers ask me that, and I want to share with you my reasons for it being a loud resounding YES on tools for 21st Century.

1.    Our students are not just English speaking students. We have students from various countries in our classrooms, and hopefully students who are learning other languages in our schools. netTrekker d.i. has resources in 15 different languages, easily discovered with our refinement menu or advanced searches.
2.    Unfortunately not all of our students are on the same reading levels, and so we have to be able to find resources to fit their needs. With the readability levels in netTrekker d.i. you can easily find resources for your mixed ability level classrooms.
3.    Again, not all of our students are on the same reading levels, and we have some great tools to help them with reading. My personal favorite is the Read Aloud tool. You can have a student, like my child, who is a non-reader suddenly enabled with this tool. This helps leveling the playing field and enables all students to be a self-starter.
4.    By being able to refine your search to find games and interactive media, you are able to easily find the sites that encourage innovative, creative, and critical thinking. Learning does not have to be flat with sites that are straight information. 21st Century learning can be (and should be) engaging, especially with netTrekker d.i.
5.    Let’s go back to our students from all over the world or studying a variety of languages and include our students without the greatest vocabulary skills. If they come across a word they don’t know, what do they do? Most of the time they either ignore it or give up right? Well if they use the Dictionary Hot Key, they can click on the word and get the definition. And if needed, they can have the word translated to another language. Those who are studying a foreign language and are trying to read a website in that language can also translate an unknown word to English. Becoming comfortable with other languages sure does help with communication.

So there you have it, my first five (of ten) reasons on why netTrekker d.i. is a 21st Century tool and should be used in schools everywhere. netTrekker d.i. is a time-saver by only finding resources aligned to state standards that are appropriate for education, with built in tools, refinement menu and other features that help our 21st Century learners find the resources they need for learning without losing valuable time trying to weed out the erroneous information.

Tags: 21st Century, dictionary, Forsyth County, netTrekker, Palm Beach, read aloud, readability

A Look at the ELL Channel (Part III of III): Feature Enhancements and Reference Tools

The previous two blog entries explored nT’s ELL Channel, specifically the two pathways — ELL Skill Development and Multicultural Pavilion –- as well as the goals of these two pathways and the content they offer. Now, let’s take a look at the Feature Enhancements and the ELL Reference Tools.

Regular users of nT are probably familiar with the Feature Enhancements and the ways in which they can facilitate one’s search for online materials. The Refinement Menu, for example can help students find sites suitable for their reading levels by filtering according to the Readability Score. The Refinement Menu can also help users find audio and video content that benefit ELL students by linking language with sounds and visuals. To read more about the Refinement Menus and how they can help you find specific types of content suitable for your ELL students, click here. To read more about nT’s Readability Scores and how they can enhance the searching experience for both ELL teachers and students, click here.

The Dictionary Hot Key, which allows you to grab the definition of a word within a website, can also translate English words into other languages, further enhancing an ELL student’s understanding of a new or unfamiliar word. Furthermore, this tool encourages students to use advanced resources as part of their learning and research experiences, as they will be less intimidated by “big” words. To learn more about the Dictionary Hot Key, and how it can improve your ELL students’ web experiences, click here.

Last but not least, nT offers a large collection of useful reference tools for ELL students and teachers. While in the ELL channel, click the “References” link on the right and you’ll be taken to a page of language dictionaries, translations tools, encyclopedias, atlases, quote collections, calculators, online museums, government sites, collections of images and sounds, and more. Be sure to check out the collection of LOGOS dictionaries, where you can find children’s dictionaries, verb conjugation, anagram, and crossword tools, glossaries, and a forum.

Click here to go to the Elementary ELL Reference Tools.

Click here to go to the Middle School ELL Reference Tools.

Click here to go to the High School ELL Reference Tools.

A Look at English Language Learners Channel (Part II of III)

(This is a continuation of a previous blog post on netTrekker’s English Language Learners Channel and the resources it offers for ELL teachers and students. The previous entry focused on ELL skill development. To read Part I of this blog series on nT’s ELL Channel, click here.)

Multicultural Pavilion

• Sites on geographic and cultural information on continents, countries, and regions;

• Resources on ethnic identity, acculturation, cultural sensitivities, diversity, cultural heritage, and social justice issues.

One goal of the resources in nT’s Multicultural Pavilion is to go beyond restating facts and offering data. Students benefit from understanding not only the unique languages, religions, and traditions unique to each culture but also the common threads that tie together the entire human race. The United Nations’ Cyberschoolbus (http://cyberschoolbus.un.org/), which offers versions of its site in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, and Spanish, opens students’ eyes to important global issues, such as poverty, peace, discrimination, and hunger, and promotes understanding and response to these topics via interactive games and quizzes, webcasts, news stories, and teacher materials. nT links to 100 resources from this site.

A hot topic today in America is immigration, and the Multicultural Pavilion offers several resources on this topic, one such being PBS’ In the Mix, which shares the stories of five teen immigrants.  In the Mix is the online companion to a PBS program of the same name and offers a collection of immigration-related links, “myths and facts”, and clips from the show. Another great PBS link is the Immigration Myths & Realities Quiz, also in our immigration resources. And yet another site worth checking out is the Library of Congress’ Immigration feature, complete with vocabulary activities, recipes, and interviews.

For our next and final blog in the ELL channel, we’ll look at ELL Feature Enhancements, such as the Dictionary Hot Key, and ELL Reference Tools, which will boost the ELL Learner’s educational experiences, both in the classroom and on the web.

Tags: ELL, ELL Resources, English Language Learners, Multicultural Resources

A Look at English Language Learners Channel (Part I of III)

Are you a teacher of English language learners, looking for resources to facilitate classroom instruction as well as for tools to enhance students’ own learning experiences? Look no further than the English Language Learners (ELL) channel, with resources available for English learners of all grade levels. Clicking on the “English Learners” link will open two pathways: “Skill Development” and “Multicultural Pavilion” resources.

Depending on whether you are in Elementary, Middle, or High School, these pathways will present you with a different list of nodes and associated resources. However, the gist of these pathways, no matter what level, is pretty much the same. netTrekker’s Help section covering the ELL channel offers a detailed description of the channel’s offerings, but here are some highlights of the first pathway, ELL Skill Development, provided below:

ELL Skill Development

• Sites on reading and writing, listening, and speaking skills,
• Sites on critical thinking and fluency;
• Access to a broad collection of resources on ELL teaching methodologies;
• Access to assessment, research, and proficiency standards;
• Resources for parents of ELL students.

Included in the collection of ELL Skill Development resources are online quizzes and activities from The Internet TESL Journal (http://iteslj.org/) and Activities for ESL Students (http://a4esl.org/). nT has cataloged nearly 70 links from these sites, covering topics such as subject-verb agreement, irregular verbs, parts of speech,  sentence completion, and vocabulary.

To augment students’ English-language growth, resources geared toward helping ELL students understanding of important math and science vocabulary words and concepts are a must. An example of one such resource is Harcourt’s Math Glossary, which makes new math terms easy-to-understand with colorful animations, audio clips, charts, and diagrams.

nT also offers links to bilingual dictionaries, resources for natives speakers of Chinese and Spanish, print resources, tutorials, and other sites references appropriate for learners of English. Be sure to check out http://www.diccionarios.com/ and http://www.tomisimo.org/, great for native speakers of Spanish, and Look Way Up (http://lookwayup.com/free/dictionary.htm) a dictionary offering multilingual translation to and from English.

Next time, we’ll continue our look at netTrekker’s ELL offerings, specifically the next pathway, the Multicultural Pavilion and its resources.

Tags: ELL, ELL Skill Development, English Language Learners, ESL

Stimulus Money – Informative Website

Learning Point Associates created a very informative website at http://www.learningpt.org/recovery/ .  Here you can select your state and district to see the estimated amount of Title I and IDEA money the district will be receiving.  These figures are only estimated as each state will deduct a portion for required set-asides and administrative costs prior to allocating money to the district.

Click on “Funding Update by Alan Whisman” above for additional information.

EETT Funding Update

Please visit “Funding Update by Alan Whisman” for news from the Ed. Tech. Government Forum taking place in DC.  I provide EETT stimulus funding information and policy news.

Tags: ARRA, education, EETT, Federal Funding, stimulus

New Funding Information

On March 17 – 18, 2009 I will be attending the SIIA Ed Tech Government Forum.  Topics include “Setting the Scene for 2009: Education Policy Agenda & Budget Outlook, School Improvement and NCLB and The Obama Administration’s Education Agenda for Innovation and 21st Century Leaning”.  I will provide updates on the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Stimulus Money) as I learn more.  Check my Funding Update page for new information.  Alan Whisman

St. Patty’s Day

One of my favorite days to celebrate, St. Patrick’s Day, is coming up next week on March 17th. According to U.S. Census Bureau 2009 release, there are 36.5 million U.S. residents who claim to be of Irish Ancestry. This is 32% of our total population. It’s the second highest reported ancestry, with Germany being number one.  Now as a daughter of an Irish father and an Italian mother, I was shocked by this number. I would have expected Italy or England to be #1.

But I digress. I want to share with you more than just confounding numbers! I want to share some ideas for St. Patrick’s Day. After all, this green holiday is coming up next week!
I searched the elementary netTrekker tab and found  28 resources for “St. Patrick’s Day”. I selected the BBC  (British Broadcast Corporation) site that had an interactive book about St. Patrick. I learned something new! In all my 35 years, I don’t once remember being told that there never were snakes in Ireland to begin with and that the snakes were more a symbolic reference to other evils. As someone who is terrified of snakes, I’m now ready to move to Ireland.

Of course I didn’t stop there, I went on to learn more about the festivities and how they got started in America, the reason for the shamrock association, and many more interesting trivial facts. The reason we wear green, pinch each other, drink green beverages or enjoy corned beef and cabbage became lost from the original purpose of the holiday.

Some ideas for the classroom:

• Have students write 3 facts of St. Patrick’s Day Celebrations or St. Patrick the person on a 3 leaf clover, listing one fact on each leaf.
• Students can write a limerick about St. Patrick’s Day.
• Create an Inspiration (or other diagram) comparing the traditional St. Patrick’s Day festivities to today’s festivities.
• Print out a map (you can find these in netTrekker d.i.) and track St. Patrick’s journey from Britain to Ireland and his trek afterwards. Add facts for each trek, such as when he was kidnapped into slavery and when he escaped.
• Introduce other Irish symbols or characters, such as leprechauns, rainbows, pots of gold, and blarney stones.  Have students create a PhotoStory about one of these symbols, the myth, the truth behind the myth and how they are thought of today.

Of course, netTrekker d.i. has all the resources to find the information and background on each of these projects. I would love to hear how you celebrate St. Patrick’s Day –just make sure it’s a way that we can share with the kids.

Play Time

Can you imagine your life without a decorative box to put your paperclips in, without rubber bands, without being able to purchase a variety of shoes at an inexpensive cost, windows in your home, shoelaces, motion pictures, the use of paper money, cotton clothes, a suitcase with a collapsible handle or how about a telephone? These are just some of the items patented in March that have made our lives more comfortable, more organized, and definitely kept us more entertained.
March is also the time of year for the science fair projects, and through these projects our teachers will cultivate young inventors of the future. What neat gadget will they create to improve our comfort, organization, or entertainment?
If you do a search in netTrekker d.i. for inventions and then refine your search by “Video” (under the multimedia selection) you will find my favorite inventions resource, the Lemelson Center. Here students can either play games that sharpen the mind and prepare them for creating inventions or teachers can watch video on how creativity, play, and science all work together.
Oh, okay – teachers can play the games too. I know I have!

Tags: inventions, netTrekker, projects, science fair, video

Join me in the Village

Dealing with Pop-up Ads

netTrekker’s Content Editors, while searching for new resources, not only aim to provide users with the best online references, tools, lesson plans, learning exercises, etc., but also work hard to make sure these resources aren’t accompanied by excessive and annoying ads. You’ve probably noticed over the last few years that an ad-free website is harder and harder to find, and that sites offering quality information usually also contain ads, like those served via Google’s Adsense.

In the past, the most annoying type of ads — pop-up ads — were most closely linked with sites offering adult content, shareware/freeware, illegal downloads and warez, and online gambling. Unfortunately, this isn’t the case anymore. Even sites with useful and quality information can contain these ads. Pop-up (and pop-under) ads are everywhere, and aren’t going away anytime soon.

While reviewing online material, nT’s Content Editors make a rule of not including sites that contain excessive pop-up ads. However, there are many quality sites that, since their inclusion in nT, have started displaying pop-ups. Unfortunately, there is nothing Content Editors currently can do to prevent users from viewing these ads, other than removing the resources that generate these ads altogether. While we will review and remove sites that serve excessive and inappropriate ads (click here to read about reporting a link problem), there are many things you can do as a conscientious Internet user to prevent your online experience from being littered by pop-ups.

nT’s Help section offers a detailed guide to things you can do to prevent pop-ups as well as to clean your computer of adware that might have downloaded from the Web without your knowledge. The easiest thing you can do is make sure you have an updated browser with a built-in pop-up blocker. The most popular Web browsers — Internet Explorer, Firefox, and Safari — all offer options for blocking (or not blocking) pop-ups.

Both Internet Explorer and Firefox offer a customizable pop-up blocker tool.

In IE, click “Tools” and mouse over “Pop-Up Blocker” in the drop-down menu. From there you an enable, disable, or customize the built-in blocker. Open the Pop-up Blocker Settings in order to permit pop-ups from specific sites, customize how you are notified of blocked pop-ups, and set a filter level.

With Firefox, from “Tools” scroll down to and open “Options”. Under “Content”, you can block pop-ups and supply exceptions, much like you can do with IE.

Safari, which is new to Windows users but has been trusted for years by Mac fans, also offers pop-up ad protection. However, users are limited to blocking the ads without the opportunity to create exceptions.

In addition to using browser settings to block ads, you’ll find that there are countless software options (free and for fee) that can help you manage pop-up settings as well as clean your computer of malicious code or adware that you might encounter while browsing the Internet. (Go to nT’s Help section to read more about this.) However, we’d like to help prevent these types of downloads in the first place, so, please, if you find a site through nT that is accompanied by excessive ads, please let us know! Thanks!

Tags: pop-up ads, pop-up blocker