When I started to research this technology topic, I was expecting to find one piece of interesting technology that I could use with my classes in the library. But, what I found seems to me more like a goldmine! NoodleTools is a website that provides resources for making research, especially Internet research, easier. These tools can help even the youngest students get involved in the research process because it provides information for novices as well as the Web savvy. Some of the tools on this site are free, while others involve getting a paid subscription. There is a very detailed user guide that explains everything one needs to know about using the tools on this site, saving and printing information, etc. It can be downloaded and printed out if necessary.One has to subscribe to the NoodleBib , which the site describes as, "The Web's most comprehensive and accurate MLA and APA bibliography composer with a fully-integrated note-taking component." Other tools NoodleBib Express, NoodleBib MLA Starter, NoodleTools Knowledge Base, NoodleQuest, and NoodleTeach are all free and each provides its unique but essential role in helping both students and educators. I played around with all of these tools, as you should, and I must say that had I discovered these when I was an English teacher my life would have been much easier. I particularly like NoodleQuest, a tool that helps you to decide which is the best search startegy to use for a given research assignment. Getting students involved in the research process and getting them to cite sources accurately are not easy tasks.
NoodleTeach which has two resources for teachers--21st Century Literacies and Curriculum Collaboration Toolkit--is loaded with valuable information. Check all of this out at the NoodleTools website which can be found at http://www.noodletools.com/. In the next few weeks I will investigate how well these tools really work. Explore a little and let me know what you think.
