Knowledge Newtwork & More

We had the opportunity to share our internet search engine comparisons via presentation. Many of us found we liked a certain one, but again, there's no one single seach engine that does everything. What was really made apparant to me was that we need to promote more than one single search engine to our students. I asked a group of fourth graders if they knew of any search engines. They didn't know what I was talking about until I mentioned Google. Then they said Yahoo. I need to teach them a few more appropriate ones.
Looking at Knowledge Network was interesting. I liked being able to search Filamentality for lessons without having to create another web page. I started creating one at home so I could access one site, but didn't have a microphone. I could see having Filamentality as a curricular place where students could create one themselves. There was a wealth of material here, but I like the Thinkfinity website for educational lessons better. At least it's good to know where to go for more information.
Taking the quizzes was interesting and fun. I'm glad we had the opportunity to explore the fun side of the internet. I'm sure students would love to take some of those quizzes, too. I think for it to be relevant educationally, teachers would have to put some in there for students to do. However, it is a way to get to know the students a little better personally, what makes them tick, their likes and dislikes. It can build a sense of community, and we all had fun sharing what we found, building relationships with one another in class. We got to know another side of each other. It's already one of those memorable moments!