Google Reading Levels

Google offers far more search features than most users realize, and their latest option adds the ability to limit search results to a specific reading level.  Granted, results can only be grouped as basic, intermediate, or advanced, but even this rudimentary classification scheme can eliminate texts that are too complex or simplistic.

To limit your search results to a specific reading level, follow these steps:

1. On the search results page, click Advanced Search below the search box.
2. Next to “Reading level” within the “Need more tools” section, select your desired reading level (basic, intermediate, or advanced) or choose to show all results annotated with reading levels.
3. Click Advanced search at the bottom of the page.
4. At any time, you can click the X in the right corner of the blue bar beneath the search box to go back to seeing all results.

Link to a YouTube Timestamp

The ability to link to a specific point in a YouTube video is not a new feature.  However, now instead of having to manually append the URL with #t=time, just right-click the video and select “Copy video URL at current time.”  For example, here we see the precise moment Clark W. Griswold receive his long-awaited Christmas bonus:

Although sites like TubeChop can perform similar functions (and can even generate embed code for the portion of the video you wish to use), they do require (1) an extra step and (2) that you watch the video on their site.  For quick access to a particular time in a clip, it’s hard to beat the YouTube Timestamp.

Prezi Color Wizard

PowerPoint may still reign supreme, but Prezi is rapidly finding its place as an engaging presentation tool.  The Color Wizard allows users to customize themes and font choices.  Paying users can add logos and drag and drop files to the Prezi Desktop.  Even the free version, though, is sure to spark creativity and, like the Jelly of the Month, is a gift that keeps on giving.  Enjoy!

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As noted in the video, social bookmarking’s three key components are (1) storing bookmarks on the web instead of locally, (2) classifying sites with tags instead of within file folders, and (3) the ability to easily share information with others.  As Cyprien Lomas explains in her article 7 Things You Should Know About Social Bookmarking, the implications for teaching and learning are powerful:

Information resources with keywords has the potential to change how we store and find information. It may become less important to know and remember where information was found and more important to know how to retrieve it using a framework created by and shared with peers and colleagues. Social bookmarking simplifies the distribution of reference lists, bibliographies, papers, and other resources among peers or students.

If you have never tried social bookmarking, I would strongly encourage you to create a Delicious account and start experiencing the benefits for yourself; it really does make bookmarking more useful and fun!

• Information Management and Research
• Digital Citizenship
• Communication and Collaboration in a Global World
• Creativity, Critical Thinking, and Design

To begin the course, the first of our nine lessons focused on the most fundamental of tasks: utilizting OneNote for notetaking.  For those new to OneNote, here’s a short video introduction (best viewed full-screen):

As you can see from the video, OneNote is similar to traditional binders/spiral notebooks but with several key advantages for students:

• Notes may be typed and/or handwritten
• Page elements (e.g. notes, images, etc) can easily be repositioned and resized
• Numerous options for pens, highlighters, and page lines
• Copy/paste from the Web includes the URL
• Notes can be searched whether written or typed
• All resources for all classes are in one location

Having a better tool does not mean that students will automatically become better at taking notes.  However, the potential to makes notes truly multi-modal with color, images, audio, and even video is certainly a powerful motivator for helping students understand the importance of developing this essential skill.