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Jessica M. Smith Cool Tools Review July 2012

The Cool Tools sessions of the NLI 2012 was one of my favorite parts of the institute. I thoroughly enjoyed the Cool Tool session that focused on the Common Core/New Essential Standards for Social Studies. I teach Science and Social Studies and wanted to be in both sessions but I am so glad I came to the Social Studies session. The first thing that was introduced was a tool to be able to summarize information. The name of the tool is [|__SCIM-C__]. Summarizing, Contextualizing, Inferring, Monitoring, and Collaboration. There are four questions that go along with each one. We went deeply into the first four. These are the questions: Summarizing 1. What type of historical document is the source? 2. What specific information, details and/or perspectives does the source provide? 3. What is the subject and/or purpose of the source? 4. Who was the author and/or audience of the source?

Contextualizing 1. When and where was the source produced? 2. Why was the source produced? produced? 4. What summarizing information can place the source in time and place?
 * 1) What was happening within the immediate and broader context at the time the source was

Inferring 1. What is suggested by the source? 2. What interpretations may be drawn from the source? 3. What perspectives or points of view are indicated in the source? 4. What inferences may be drawn from absences or omissions in the source?

Monitoring 1. What additional evidence beyond the source is necessary to answer the historical question? 2. What ideas, images, or terms need further defining from the source? question?
 * 1) How useful or significant is the source for its intended purpose in answering the historical
 * 1) What questions from the previous stages need to be revisited in order to analyze the source satisfactorily?

I enjoyed watching a video about this tool and then being able to apply what I learned. We looked at transcripts/telegrams written by President Lincoln. I was able to answer the questions from the tool and it gave me more insight about the Civil War and it has helped me. When I am given time to use a tool I am more than likely to use the tool with my students. This is my first year teaching Social Studies so I look forward to using this tool to be able to help me with teaching Social Studies. My second favorite tool from this session was gapminder.com. Gapminder shows the world’s greatest trends. This tool will be used in my classroom. I saw so many opportunities to let the students read a map and gather information from what they see. Even as I was looking at a map I wanted to research certain patterns that noticed that were taking place in our world. This tool gives you the option to choose one or more countries to single out to study. I was so intrigued by this tool I showed my entire team and my significant other. I will use this in my classroom. Later in my paper I will go into a lesson plan to use this tool. The Cool Tool Carousel was information overload. I learned of so many sites that I did not know of that I was disappointed that I did not have my laptop as I was switching rooms. Google Docs, Blabberize, Sock Puppets, ToonDoo, Edmodo, Twitter, Glogster, Prezi, SlideRocket, [|Google Forms], [|Tricider], [|Symbaloo], [|Livebinder], and Similarsites are just those that I remember. My IMPACT V team already uses Googledocs to collaborate on numerous assignments. For my instructional plan I did use SockPuppets and Tricider. It was my first time using both of these tools but I knew I wanted to use my time wisely while at the Institute. Sockpuppets was simply to use but I do not have Apple products at my school. I do have an iPhone and iPad that belong to me. So I will attempt to allow my students to use my belongings. Tricider is a great tool that I see many benefits from. I am positive that I will use Tricider in my classroom. Tricider can be used for many different sample questions or class surveys. Then for the breakout session for Cool Tools my team decided I would go to Global Connections. This session was insight into how to make my Social Studies classroom more interactive. Mark Otter former teacher from my alma mater spoke on the VIF. I am going to have to do more research on this site. VIF International Education. There were things on the website that pair hand in hand with our IB education. __Lesson Plan__

Cool Tool: gapminder.com

Subject: Social Studies Grade Level: Seventh grade Amount of time: 2-3 days Materials: paper: computers
 * 1) Introduction: The students will start the activity learning about various countries. We will discuss life expectancy and income for several countries in the world. I will probably use this for weeks at a time. Each time we begin a new country I will have the students compare and contrast time periods and research what was taking place in that particular country that may have affected the quality of life and the amount of money the people were making.
 * 2) Procedures:
 * 3) Students will have computers to use (in class or in the computer lab)
 * 4) Each student will have the link to go to gapminder.com.
 * 5) Once on gapminder.com students will watch the video clip of income and life expectancy for all countries in the world from 1800-2011.
 * 6) Then I will ask the students to chose one country to observe. Each student will have to do the United States and one of the country of their choice.
 * 7) Students would have further instructions on how to click on each country and replay the video.
 * 8) Students will record what they noticed. What years were there large drops in life expectancy and income.
 * 9) Then the students will research what they wrote down. For example, there is a large dip in the graph for the United States in the 1920s. Instead of telling the students about the Great Depression and outbreaks of disease they will do their own research and tell their classmates in a presentation format.
 * 10) Conclusion: Students will use gapminder.com to learn more about the United States and another country of their choice. I could also adapt this lesson and chose the countries for each student and then each student could report on that particular country and the students could take notes on each time a classmate presents. Students at the end of the lesson will have learned more about time periods, how disease can affect a country, income per person in a country, and how things change over time. This tool allows for students to simply scroll over a a country and find out the population.
 * 11) Jessica Smith