Buchtman Diving in on Web Resources

 Hello! This week I am sharing the tech tool of Libby , a tech tool that allows users to borrow ebooks, audiobooks, and digital magazines from their public library. With just a library card, students, educators, and families can access a wide variety of reading material right from their phones, tablets, or computers. Once a book is borrowed, it downloads automatically for offline reading on your Libby app/browser. One of the best parts? No late fees! Any books or items you borrow will return itself at the end of the loan period. Libby is especially useful in school settings where access to physical books may be limited, or where students prefer the flexibility of digital reading. Students can use their school credentials to access both their school’s digital collection and their public library’s holdings without needing a separate library card. This removes any barriers and expands access to thousands of titles, giving students more freedom to explore genres, authors, and...

 Hello! The tech tool for this week was Wonderopolis , a website that encourages students to ask big questions and dive into self directed learning. The site is best known for its daily “Wonder of the Day,” which presents a question like “Why do leaves change color?” or “Can animals laugh?", and answers it through a short article along with videos (most of the time), vocabulary words, and links to possible follow up questions. I really appreciate how naturally Wonderopolis fits into an inquiry based learning model. The ability to ask questions spark curiosity, and the follow up prompts guide students toward deeper thinking. It’s also easy to navigate, requires no login or subscription, and doesn’t have any ads or distracting pop ups. Just straightforward and student friendly content that works on any web browser! In a school library, a great way to utilize this website would be by starting the class with the "Wonder of the Day". It could be a great way to settle into le...

Hello! This week, I explored Checkology , a free classroom platform that was developed by the News Literacy Project for students in grades 8-12. This tech tool was designed to teach students how to think critically about the information they see online, especially in the news and on social media. The platform offers interactive lessons that cover topics like misinformation, bias, conspiracy theories, the role of journalism, and more. Checkology offers free lessons on these topics that are led/created by real journalists and media experts. The content is delivered through videos, games, matching activities, and built in assessments, all designed to help keep students engaged in the lesson. The platform is student centered, allowing learners to move at their own pace, and provides feedback as they go. Teachers can create classes, assign lessons, and track progress right on the website as well. There’s no installation needed to run Checkology because the program runs in your browser, whic...

Hello everyone! The first tech tool to be reviewed is Padlet , a digital bulletin board tool. This tech tool allows students and teachers to post just about anything (text, images, videos, links, drawings) on a virtual bulletin board and allows others to respond or add their own content in real time.  Padlet is a tool that works across all devices and is user friendly, you don’t need to be tech savvy to get started and students can pick it up rather quickly. There are different layout options, like timelines, maps, columns, and grids, which means you can adjust the look and flow depending on your goals. You could use the column format to make a pros and cons chart, or the timeline layout for a history project. The free version of Padlet allows you to create three boards, which is fine for occasional use or smaller projects. However, if you plan to use it frequently or for multiple classes, the free option may not be enough to cover what you need. There are paid plans available...