Resources, resources, resources. I can recall my high school days when resources were limited compared with what I call “limitless” resources available today. The days of running through miles of microfiche and film for one quote are long gone. In it’s place are search engines, databases and other online tools that have pushed our libraries a little closer to extinction. I don’t believe we’ll ever get to the point of extinction because someone will always need to be available to provide guidance for finding resources, for cataloging of the resources and for help in those dire “last minute” moments for our research needs.
As a part of this week’s assessment, I found several valuable resources that have been particularly interesting to me but will also provide support for my own professional needs. As an individual who supports and encourages the use of technology in the classroom, EdITLib.org is a great starter to support your tech needs. This digital library has a mixture of over 100,000 aggregated, peer-reviewed research documents on the latest applications associated with educational technologies and e-learning. The site touts over 30 years of content ranging from journal articles to dissertations to slide presentations.
For the past 2 summers, I have led summer STEM camps for middle and high school students in my area. One of the first articles I came across would have helped me when I first started with the camps. Our students have been able to take a robotics course based on the curriculum created by Lego Mindstorms systems. The research details found in “Exploring Middle School Children’s Problem Solving during Robot Construction Tasks” would have given me an expanded perspective when dealing with the robotic units and our students. As the lead coordinator for our program, the research listed in this article could have allowed me to immediately refine our objectives based on the findings listed and present alternative lessons to the instructors for the course. Although the research was conducted in the early 2000’s, the processes and objectives associated with the MindStorm system have not changed much of the years.
In several other quick searches of the EdITLib.org site, I found several recent resources that I can place into my current teachers’ hands. Slide presentations on 50+ tools that can help augment a classroom will help my teachers as they prepare for transitioning into using more online resources and tablets in the classroom.
The resources available on the site provide a wide range of topics and timeframes associated with the technology of the time. Technology continues to change but strategies are adjusted to compliment the technology. The details associated with this site will help me to expand my reach of the various generations of teachers. I found article dating back to the late 1980’s. This range will help bridge gaps and possible allow for a refresher for a concept that has since been lost. Accessing this site does require a subscription. I was able to access all of the resources while completing a graduate level assignment through the Walden University online library.
1 - http://www.editlib.org.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/about/contents/
