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Tonight we are going to check out some more new research tools. I guess you could say that they're all similar, but also very different.We'll look at some examples and then a tutorial or two to help us get started.

Here's some links that we'll use:

Examples of webquests:

http://questgarden.com/47/70/5/070308180610/index.htm

http://questgarden.com/46/54/6/070210123705/t-index.htm

http://www.madison.k12.ky.us/district/projects/WebQuest/MarchMadness/mmwebquest.html (March Madness webquest)

Tutorial: http://www.teachersfirst.com/summer/webquest/quest-a.shtml

Examples of web inquiry:http://edweb.sdsu.edu/wip/examples.htm (prarie settlement)

Six stages of spiral inquiry-- http://edweb.sdsu.edu/wip/overview.htm

Example from Trailfire: http://trailfire.com/aberry/trailview/39357

Other options for you to try out tonight:

Google Earth or Google Sketchup (download to your computer and give it a try)

Jing (check out http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-3538237612021646683 for a neat example of students using screencasting to create online tutorials)

Skype

Teacher Tube

Second Life

Ning

Twitter

Delicious

Your task: After we finish our research, write a letter to your administrator (real or hypothetical) on your blog . Choose ONE of the tools we looked at today. In several well-constructed paragraphs, summarize what the tool is all about and then explain why it would be a tool that teachers could use in your school OR why it is not a tool that you feel teachers should be using.

Rubric: Earn points for completing the following tasks

1 Point: Student selects a tool to review.

2 Points: In a post on the student's blog, student describes the tool fully in 1-2 paragraphs in the form of a memo to an administrator.

2 Points: In the same post/memo, student supports a well-thought out opinion on whether or not this tool would be an asset in classroom instruction.