Research Tools and Resources

In  my last post, I discussed possible strategies to use when conducting research in the classroom. There are multiple benefits to teaching proper research strategies. Click here for a discussion of things to consider when having students conduct research. These reasons include the teaching of Common Core State Standards and related 21st Century skills. Here are five great resources for research. Some of these tools are great for both teachers and students while others are more suited for only one group. I will let you know which one as we move through the list.

Also, if you use Google Apps in your class, check out my posts on Google Apps Add-ons and 5 Really Cool Apps Add-Ons. There are some great resources for things like mind mapping and citing sources

Google Scholar: There is Google and there is Google Scholar! Google Scholar focuses on scholarly literature whereas Google has all Internet sources. The same filter tools are available, but you can also save sources and citations in Google Scholar. This tool could be useful to both students and teachers.

Diigo: Diigo is a digital bookmarking tool. With this resource, you can embed a Diigo extension in your browser allowing you to save resources as you come across them. You can also annotate, take notes on, and organize your collected resources. This tool can be useful to both students and teachers. Teachers can also share their book marks with students with a groups feature.

Gooru: Gooru is a resource for teachers, but students may find it useful also. Gooru is a database of teaching resources that are catagorized and can be filtered. Teacher can search for a topic and then narrow the results by type of resource (document, picture, video, etc.), subject, or standard. Teachers can save their resources for later use or share them with others for collaboration purposes.

Instagrok: This tool is a cross between a concept mapping tool and a search engine. Instagrok is used for searching for information in a more visual-spatial manner. Type a search term into the Instagrok website and the results will show up in a spider web visual format. Clicking on pieces of the spider web can be done to guide, refine ,or expand the search results. The results can be refined by facts, videos, websites, images, or concepts. Notes can also be taken on specific pieces of information. Although an account is not required, it is necessary for saving notes and results. This tool can be used by teachers or students, but students may benefit from it more. For more information on straightforward mind mapping and graphic organizer creation check out my blog post on the topic.

Evernote: Ever get a great idea in your head, but can’t remember it for the life of you later on when you need it? Evernote is great for saving quick notes or ideas. You can use Evernote to save lists, audio recordings, pictures, screenshots, websites, and many other things. There is also an app so you can save things from your phone or tablet when away from your computer. The fact that Evernote requires an account means that saving something in one place will sync it across all your devices. This tool can be beneficial to both teachers and students.

Do you have any research tools you use that are not on this list? Please share them in the comments below. Follow me on Twitter @JoshuaElliott3 for more tips and ideas.