Tech Tip

Projeto Saber Conectado – Once a month, a tip about an educational tool.

Tip #1 (29/11/2024) – DuckDuckGo

Digital literacy includes developing knowledge of how internet companies operate and the implications for privacy. DuckDuckGo claims to provide internet search without storing or sharing any personal information.

As Botturi and Beretta (2022) explain:

Online searches in most cases happen via search engines. A critical understanding of how such access points to the web work, and about the key differences between search engines managed by commercial companies (such as Google Search) and those managed by organizations with different business models (like DuckDuckGo or Ecosia), is central for the development of critical IL [informational literacy] skills (Botturi & Beretta, 2022).

Here is a video explaining how DuckDuckGo works:

For classroom use, you may explore the reasons why it was created; discuss the concept of online privacy; use and compare different search engines.

REFERENCE

BOTTURI, L.; BERETTA, C. Screencasting Information Literacy. Insights in pre-service teachers’ conception of online searching. Journal of Media Literacy Education, v. 14, n.3, p. 94-107, dez. 2022.

Tip #2 (19/12/2024) – Simple English Wikipedia

Simple English Wikipedia is an alternative version of Wikipedia, one of the most popular online encyclopedias available. This website aims to provide encyclopedia access to a broader audience, including speakers and learners of English as an additional language.

In the platform, it is possible to research and share information about an unlimited number of topics from different areas and about a wide range of themes. Moreover, English learners can use the space for collaborative learning.

Some classroom ideas: you may help your students develop research and reading skills; promote collaborative writing in the classroom and on the web; and discuss about accessing and sharing free information with your students.

As Park and Bridges (2022) explain:

Students can demonstrate their understanding and growth of information literacy skills as they research and write an article. Using Wikipedia as a teaching tool allows students to build information literacy skills for life, not just one class paper (Park & Bridges, 2022).

Here are some Wikipedia tutorials:

School/Teachers’ guide

Getting started guide

How to write Simple English pages

REFERENCE

PARK, D.; BRIDGES, L. Meet students where they are: centering Wikipedia in the classroom. Communications in Information Literacy, v. 16, n.1, p. 4-23, jun. 2022