Problem Solving & Decision Making

Elementary, Middle and High School students and their teachers and parents should find this website very engaging. It helps them think about new inventions, view inventions other students have created and post their inventions for discussion and feedback. Also available for free download are invention-themed curricula from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office of the National Inventors Hall of Fame.

This guide is published by PBS and searchable by a children's ages from 3 to 18. It provides developmental information about how children are impacted by TV, Movies, Computers, Advertising and Video Games. This site is part of PBS's guide for parents but it is also excellent for teachers addressing Literacy Media.

The Intel site has many valuable resources. This portion of the site focuses on 3 online tools that support students' higher order thinking. The tools are Visual Ranking, Seeing Reason and Showing Evidence. These tools are free and only require registration for a teacher to gain access to an Intel workspace. They can be used across the curriculum and "support collaborative student-centered learning. Online thinking tools are active learning places where students engage in robust discussions, pursue investigations, analyze complex information, and solve problems."

Click to link to the entry page of any of the 3 tools and you will have access to Project Ideas, Unit Plans, Instructional Strategies and a Tutorial for the particular tool.

Article from Learning & Leading regarding Second Life and virtual environments as a place for learning and collaboration.

MicroWorlds is a powerful, open-ended application which can be used at all grade levels (Jr. version up to grade 3 and the EX, Robotics or Pro versions from grade 4 and up). It not only includes the Logo programming, but also drawing, writing and recording capabilities (as well as robotics in that version), making it a great tool for creating multimedia and non-linear projects in any content area. The project ideas on this corporate site (LCSI) definitely require their product (MicroWorlds EX Robotics or MicroWorlds, Jr.), but the general ideas can be adapted for any version of Logo. Their products work in both platforms and you can download a free trial. Prices can be found on their site. Definite high learning curve if no-one in your school knows some Logo, but the Jr. version is very easy to use and learn. LCSI calls itself the "Global Leader in Constructivist Educational Technology". Their website sells their various products. It also has a project library where you can download sample projects to use with your classes. There's a helpful links page with links to schools and organizations which use MicroWorlds and Logo and engage in constructivist educational practices. Any theoretical discussion about constructivism must include a Logo resource!