Thing 9: Database and Search Tools

I chose this "thing" because I am always looking for new search tools that are applicable for elementary students. As much as we have a strong list of databases that we offer our students, both the students and the teachers want to search the Internet. Therefore, I decided to venture into the resources and articles listed under this assignment. I first started off with the idea that I was going to find new search tools or ideas for helping students to search and ended up in a completely different direction. I began by reading, "6 Steps to Teaching Students to Search" to see if there was any new tips/ strategies that I could pick up that would helper younger students search on the Internet. Unfortunately, this article didn't provide any new information for me. Next, I read an article in the School Library Journal, that caught my attention, " Goodbye, Boring Database Instruction. Hello, Search App Smackdown." I was instantly engaged in this article from the onset. Brenda Boyner, discusses how database interaction can become "tired-and-boring" and that she developed instruction that became more meaningful to the students. She started off by no longer calling them databases, but "Search Apps." She then took it one step further by creating a "Search App Smackdown."

The "Search App Smackdown" peaked my interest for two reasons. First, it seemed like it could help make databases more appealing to the user. Second, it seemed like it will allow me to actually spend quality time teaching the databases and comparing different databases. Unfortunately, some of the resources & links mentioned in the article, I wasn't able to access, but I was still able to get the main idea. Basically, she takes two of the databases creates a video tutorial of each of the databases and assigns them to watch them for homework (flipped classroom approach).While watching the videos student fill out notes on an organizer (I couldn't find this resource at first, but was able to find it in the "comments" section at the end of the article). The next day they come to class, hand in their organizers (which get graded) and form teams. Each team uses the databases to answer a series of question cards. Once the team answers the questions they have a "runner" deliver the answer to the librarian. The librarian indicates whether they have the right answer and awards points.  This game allows students to quickly navigate the databases and their featured tools/ resources, while also making learning fun and meaningful.

Although, I love the concept of the Smackdown and how it gets the students to use the databases, I don't have the same type of class structure/ opportunity as this High School librarian has. I don't have the ability to assign homework to the students and I don't offer them grades. However, I can certainly use the concept. First off, all our students have iPads K-4 and we have already turned most of the databases into apps, so the idea of calling the databases, "Search Apps" will be easy enough. However, what I decided to do was take an idea from what I saw at a NYSCATE conference and blend it with this "Smackdown" concept.  They had a variety of presenters get up and present a new App and they had 3 minutes to give a quick tutorial on it. Once their time was up they said, "Slam" and the audience repeated. The next person had 3 minutes to showcase the next tool. In the end the audience voted on who presented the best tools. Surprisingly they called this "App Smackdown" as well.

Evaluation Sheet
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Here is my idea for a hybrid of the activities that I think will be both engaging and meaningful. We are starting an inquiry on the American Revolution in 4th grade. This is a 2-3 week unit that I usually introduce various databases along the way. I would love to be able to spend a little more time having both the teachers and the students look more closely at the databases. So, I am going to ask the teachers if they would be open to competing in an "App Smackdown" with me. At the beginning of a lesson, both the teacher and I will have 3 minutes to share a database with the class. We will then have the students use the "Search Apps (databases)" during their research that day. At the end of the lesson students will need to fill out an evaluation sheet that I created indicating which "Search App (database)" won. We will continue to do this throughout the unit, allowing for the students and teachers to learn several new databases and new content as well. Of course, there should probably be a prize for the winning resource! Any ideas???