Searching for content

 Ambiently http://ambiently.com/ 

Here is a bookmarklet that " semantically connects webpages of similar or related meanings
together."


Lately, I have been thinking about how we read online. And how we search, and how we gather information.  I am not sure I want to introduce a tool that links a searcher away from the page, but this is one that allows the subject to remain constant, at least.

DocsTeach

http://docsteach.org/
The National Archives has  been a wonderful place to find  lessons  and this tool  just adds to the amazement.   Teachers can use ready-made activities using primary sources to  explore thousands (really http://docsteach.org/documents  ) of topics.

AND you can make your own activity, too 

Classroom idea: Many books read in English classes lend themselves to  an exploration of the era in which they were written.  Use an activity like http://docsteach.org/activities/7958 to explore a theme.

Google Fusion Tables

Google Fusion Tables http://www.google.com/fusiontables/Home/

When I first saw Google Fusion Tables, I was intimidated , but on further reflection I have come to see fusion tables as a great way to express data geographically, and a great way to provide useful spreadsheet experience to students,

Classroom idea: Students assigned  a book for outside reading could  put  location, image url, and online description pertaining to  setting in book onto shared spreadsheet, which would then be transformed into map of reading.

Fair Use evaluators

Both these tools produce a pdf that records your consideration of  fair use.

http://www.lib.umn.edu/copyright/fairthoughts 

from University of Minnesota


http://librarycopyright.net/fairuse/other.php 

 from Copyright Advisory Network 


 Classroom idea:   Incorporate one of these tools into next class project .

Sweet Search

http://www.sweetsearch.com/


Here is a tool that provides some context and evaluation to the results. I especially like the checkboxes that let you Save selected results to a Google doc

Scoop it

    http://www.scoop.it/

 A very easy to use curating tool.
http://www.scoop.it/t/testing-this-mythology













Classroom idea: Easy way to gather and present subject specific sites.

Vizlingo

 Another tool from the master Free Tech for Teachers






You type in a phrase and it makes a little movie for you illustrating the words and concepts.
http://api.vizlingo.com:8080//v1/zings?z=89e2cfe94673fa5e2814cd0a0d22a636.mp4


Classroom Idea: I was not as impressed with this tool as with this idea.  Students in language classes could create similar movie collages on imovie or movie-maker, using visual clues for vocabulary and grammar building exercises.