These aren't your Grandma's curation tools...
Not that Grandma used curation tools, but if she did - these are better!
What is a curation tool?
Think about a curator of a museum that gathers and organizes materials. That's what the curation tool does, it collects and organizes resources. What resources you ask...websites, videos, pictures, anything on the web. Several even let you upload your own files. On top of all of this, many curation tools are free!
How does a primary teacher use these tools?
The easiest way is to find things you need for lessons and collect them in one spot. Another use is to collect resources for your kids to use and place a link to your collection for the kids to access. You can paste a link on your blog, or make an icon on the desktop that takes them to the tool. If you're more comfortable, you can embed many of the tools into your blog.
One way to use the tool is to let the kids sort by moving pictures around. The best for this is Lino. It allows you to collect resources on your digital bulletin board. You place digital sticky notes on the board and your students can move these around.
How does an upper elementary, middle school, or high school teacher use these tools?
Just like a primary teacher, you can collect resources for lessons. This can be for your use only, or you can collect resources for students to use in research. An alternative way to use some of the curation tools is to use it for a quick formative assessment. Students can go on and jot down their thoughts about a reading passage or like a "Ticket Out the Door" activity. I like the thought of using it to have students post questions they have about a subject.
What are some specific curation tools?
Here are a few, in alphabetic order:
Lino*
Want more information?
Check out the video below for more information. Have a question? Comment or drop me a note.