INFOhio ICoach

I reviewed Pebble Go Next Biographies. Our 5th grade has a Biography Tea where students research and write a report and then present to parents at a morning tea, with all of the accoutrements such as coffee, tea, sweets and cookies. The children have to create a costume and then dress up as the charcter of the biography, and go around the dining room, where the Tea is held, to present to parents who ask questions and try to guess who they are. 

I found that this resource was highly qualified and met all of the standards given in on the rubric from Standards Alignment to Flexibility and included citations, a video, a timeline, a dictionary and an activity. I can't think of anything it left out. It was online, could read or listened to and could be ccessed from home or school. It's text was appropriate yet challenging and it met the needs for differentiaon for students who had 504s or IEPs.

My child did that for 5th grade, they were Blackbeard and someone asked if they were Jack Sparrow, thankfully my child knew Sparrow was loosely based on Blackbeard and was able to anwer well!

Compare rubrics used to rate instructional materials.

Worldbook Kids. I use this often with the older students as a way to look up topics that the teachers have lessons on already.  It satisfies the basics of clear navigation, and tabs allow for further exploration by students as they research for more detailed answers to specific questions. The accessability of allowing the text to be read to the students provides support for them to read along addn hear how unfamilier words are pronounced.  My only critique is that the text to talk feature needs to be updated. The computer voice runs everything into one very long sentence and does not read smoothly. 

BookFlix
Standards Alignment - not specified 

Research-based Strategies - Uses technology to deepen learning and engage students, includes options for differentiation, presented with an objective view

Usability - The visual design of materials is clean and coherent

Flexibility - Materials can support and facilitate learning in hybrid or online delivery methods, includes support, documentation, and guides for effective use 

I went into IWonder.  It meets the the Ohio learning standards.  The content builds on prior learning and this resource gives you the opportunity play against other students around around the world and gives a wide range of activities for math, spelling, science, social studies, managing money, searching various carrier opportunities and much more. It allows for research through games, videos, and articles.  It is easy to use and simple to follow with it's set up and provides a description for each activity, and includes documentation and guides for effective use.

I chose World Book Kids, as this is a resource I really like to use. I like that it builds knowledge using different pathways (ie. pictures, videos, reading the text). I agree with Ms. Anderson that the voice that reads the text is very robotic and lacks cadence. 

bookflix -  Helps students build foundational skills through making connections, building background knowledge, and building vocabulary. you can turn on captions to let student read on screen as book is playing. I like the program but generally my students don't prefer it. 

I chose World Book Kids to use with my K-5th graders. I have shown this resource to many of my classes and grade levels but fourth grade found it very helpful when they came in and had to do some research on topics they chose. If we didnt have a book about their topic in the library, they would search on World Books Kids. They found it very easy to navigate and liked the information that was given.

I reviewed World Book Student

Standards of Alignment- It lists curriculum standards for many topics.

Research based strategies- objective and bias free. Uses technology to deepen knowledge.

Usability- The design is very user friendly and easy to navigate

Flexibility-Would be adaptable in an asynchronous classroom

I selected The World Almanac Kids. I teach in a middle school, and our 8th grade team goes to Washington DC every fall. I wanted to search for lesson resources on Washington DC, presidents, and more that would coordinate with our trip. 

I selected an article on Abraham Lincoln

standards alignment: yes, clearly stated and listed by grade and state (Ohio)

research-based strategies: engaging, differentiation provided

Usability: colorful, fun, and easy to navigate for all students, especially with the read aloud tool. 

Flexibility: can easily adapt to classroom learning and digital/online learning environment

I chose to look into BookFlix, as this would best fit the grades I teach. The standards aligned to this resource are within the literary band. A strong point would be the strategies are research-based by using technology to heighten learning and engage students. It also offers great usability by making the site easy-to-use by both students and staff. The only suggestion would be to screen all entries to ensure that all options are done in a skilled manner.  

1.  The World Book

Standards alignment: has curriculum standards for a lot of topics, but hard to tell when you click on individual resources from world book.

Research-based strategies: variety of resources, objective and bias free

Usability: easy to navigate for all students, has accessibily features

Flexibility: Can be used online, in person or blended model of teaching/learning

Strong points listed above, would be helpful for brief description with each resource saying how it aligns with standards and the other criteria.

Because FHS has a population of ESL students, our ESL tutors are in need of  HQIM.  Many of the teachers are still learning how to best meet the needs of this population which is constantly changing. My recommendation is the Infohio.org Digital Video Collection (DVC) , series. Empowering English Language Learners is an educational video series highlighting best practices and resources to support diverse students in their classrooms, schools, and communities and Literacy Tips across ages. The strong points are that it can teach about basic literacy skills in 5 mins. videos that offer research-based strategies and skills outlined for parents and caregivers and instructors in a user-friendly format.

1. Use the INFOhio website grade bands to find the resources to support your grades/subjects. 
   1. Grades 9-12 (Hobbies and Crafts Reference Center)
2. Apply the Instructional Materials Rubric to an INFOhio resource you would like to use to supplement a lesson. What are the resource's strong points? What could be improved? 
   1. This could be used to supplement the school makerspace.  There are a multitude of resources that I wouldn't have considered going to a database for.  However, I feel that if it wants to be a one-stop shop for everything, there should be more than just 3 resources under each hobby or craft.

1. Use the INFOhio website grade bands to find the resources to support your grades/subjects. I explored more of Bookflix. I plan to use it for various topics. Weather, animals, fairytales, etc. I teach a broad range of students from K-6.
2. Apply the Instructional Materials Rubric to an INFOhio resource you would like to use to supplement a lesson. What are the resource's strong points? What could be improved?  I think my older students would enjoy World Book Student. It has many topics across a broad range of curriculum. It uses technology and seems quite easy to use. 

    

Pebble Go Next - to supplement biographies. This is an easy to navigate resource. The information tabs help students quickly locate specific information. There is quite a nice selection and we have used it for Black History Month and now Women's History Month. The students enjoy selecting from the various categories of famous people. The read aloud helps eliminate a struggling reader challenge. This resource is available to the students at school and at home. 

Grade Band 6-8  Science Online

I have used this resource for many years. This resource is highly qualified and meets the standards for flexibility, read aloud support, videos and accessibility.  It's always been a great resource especially for science fair ideas and examples for our 7th grade students.

Pebble Go is easy to navigate, the pictures are large and colorful and when I switched tabs it narrated the name of the tab "Ebooks".  Students would be able to easily find what they are looking for. 

I used the World Almanac Kids. There are a lot of different tools within this product that fits with middle school students and the differentiation needed for these students. From games to videos to current topics that present different types of resources students can learn from.

If chose BookFlix as this is a resource that most of my students enjoy. 

Standards alignment - it says Ohio Standards on the Book Flix Fast Sheet web page.

Research-based strategies -- Definitely builds and supports prior learning. A good example is the fiction/non-fiction pairings that engage young readers. Additionally, BookFlix reads aloud with word highlighting, allowing new and early readers to reinforce their vocabulary skills.

Usabilty -- BookFlix is accessible 24/7 by an unlimited number of users with an internet connection -- at home, on a mobile device, in the classroom or library.

Flexibilty -- Follow-up activities help to reinforce concepts and lesson plans are available for teachers, if desired.

World Book Kids provides lots of opportunities to extend learning. It also provides supports for students who need reading support, but also those who want to read on their own can. It's easy to navigate with multiple ways to search and find information. The voice is a little robotic though!

Points of View Reference Center vs. Gale Opposing Viewpoints.

We have access to both resources at our district, and my preference has always been Gale. I thought I would use this post and the rubric to identify why that is, and, hopefully, learn more about the INFOhio provided database, since you never know when funding might end for Gale resources.

Looking at the topic of "Police Brutality" (Gale) vs. "Police Use of Force" (Points of View) and the rubric, Gale receives a yes for all indicators. Points of View gets a no from me on indicator K because of the size of the text and the amount of information. There is a lot there and can easily distract the reader. Gale is much more streamlined. Also, I would give Points of View a no for indicator H. The main ideas, in-text hyperlinks, and questions for learning on Gale provide a better learning experience for students. 

I chose Pebble Go Next. Below is the Infohio list of standards for high quality materials.I believe Pebble Go Next hits all these marks. Additionally, my students in the library have found it easy to navigate and the articles are written in a concise, accessible way that holds their attention.

• Materials align with Ohio's Strategic Plan for Education.
• Materials are consistent with Ohio's Learning Standards.
• Materials provide formats that teachers can use in remote learning environments. 
• Materials include multiple options for content and grade-level instruction. 
• Materials are free or offered at reduced costs during the pandemic.
• Materials can be applied to individualized education programs. 

1. Use the INFOhio website grade bands to find the resources to support your grades/subjects. 

2. Apply the Instructional Materials Rubric to an INFOhio resource you would like to use to supplement a lesson. What are the resource's strong points? What could be improved?

I chose the World Book Student 6-8 and the World Book Advanced 9-12. The usability for the World Book is an excellent source of information for students that uses a wide variety of tools for learning, eBooks, video, activities. It also includes reading aloud and translation features for French and Spanish languages. Lexile levels included.  World Book is flexible and adapts to the students' learning.  It gives students freedom in their research to discover new interests, and to do it in a safe environment.  World Book is aligned to Ohio Standards and it is free of bias.  

Encyclopedias are no longer a resource in hard copy in our libraries.  Having World Book available on line through InfOhio gives students a resource that is full of information about every topic imaginable in a safe and age appropriate environment. 

1. Use the INFOhio website grade bands to find the resources to support your grades/subjects. 

I agree with Linda.  I also explored the World Book Advanced 9-12 and what drew me to that particular resource was our AP Human Geogrpahy course at the school.  World Book Advanced 9-12 is aligned with Ohio State Standards and I'm interested in seeing how that compares to AP College Board set of standards.  Those standards go across all states and remain the same for all students taking the test.  

2. Apply the Instructional Materials Rubric to an INFOhio resource you would like to use to supplement a lesson. What are the resource's strong points? What could be improved? 

One of the strong points using a digital resource here is their ability to remain up to date.  When weeding through our collection, I recently found a World Atlas that was wildly outdated.  This like Maps can become outdated very quickly.  When navigating through Human Geography content, it's often easy to find materials that are not the most current.