What is Filamentality?

Filamentality is an interactive, fill-in-the-blank tool that

guides you through picking a topic;

searching the Internet;

gathering good Internet links;

turning them into online learning activities;

part of the Knowledge Network Explorer (KNE) website.

 

 

Six Paths to China

Six activities created as models for ways to integrate the World Wide Web into classroom learning. China was chosen as a topic because it exemplifies the kind of thinking the Web is great at fostering.

• China on the Net
• Exploring China
• The Treasures of China
• My China
• Does the Tiger Eat Its Cubs? - Introductory webquest
• Searching for China - Full webquest

 

Who Should Use Filamentality?

• Teachers
• Librarians/Media Specialists
• Trainers
• Students
• Parents
• Internet Novices
• Web Authors (for rapid prototyping)

 

Why use Filamentality?

• It’s EASY!!!
• It’s friendly for those new to the Internet.
• Takes a short amount of time to create a web-based activity.

 

Filamentality is easy to use!! Filamentality Steps Handout

 

Hotlist Helpers

Antarctica

Baseball

Butterflies

Civil War

Flight

Harry S. Truman

Hurricanes

Math

Missouri

The Moon

Nutrition

Solar System

Telephone

World History

 

Examples of Filamentality hotlists:

A Hotlist on Resources for Blended Learning

A Hotlist on Online Collaborative Projects

A Hotlist on Hurricanes

Hotlist on Collaborative Proj.

Hotlist on K-12 Video Conferencing Resources

Let's Talk: iPod, iTalk and Podcasting in Education

Using Technology to Support English Language Learners

What's Cookin'? Join Us in the SBC Erate Cafe!

 

Examples of Filamentality webquests:

 

 

Filamentality

2-Day Workshop

DAY 1

Activity Formats  

Hotlist

(Begin Exploration) - A reasonable first step is to simply compile a list of web-based resources - i.e. a good Hotlist of sites you know are appropriate for your users. These pages might not be standards-based or geared toward a specific learning outcome, but it will be like wheeling a bunch of good books from the library into the classroom.  After finding and categorizing sites, the teacher publishes them on a Web page. The Hotlist is the basic building block for the other activity formats.

 

Multimedia Scrapbook

(Download Media) - If you want students to explore a variety of sites that you've selected and create their own reports, newsletters, presentation stacks, or posters using "pieces" from those sites, you might try making a Multimedia Scrapbook.  Collect varied Internet sites and organize them into categories such as photos, maps, quotations, facts, stories, audio clips, video clips, etc. Useful when students already have acquired some knowledge on the topic being studied. Students then pick and choose from the resources, and incorporate them into a project such as a report, newsletter, Web page, slide presentation, etc.

• Student centered activity
• Students choose an aspect of the topic that personally interests them
• Enables students to create more interesting reports and presentations
• Students have the opportunity to make use of multimedia tools
• Examples: A Scrapbook on Integers and/or A Scrapbook of Tropical Rain Forest and/or A Soccer Scrapbook

 

Subject Sampler

(Connect Affectively) - If learners have factual knowledge about a subject, then ask yourself, "Do they come out of the unit affectively engaged?" If they don't seem to care about the subject as you think they should, try creating a Subject Sampler.   Teacher finds five or six Web sites on the chosen topic that contain a hands-on element, something to do or listen to or look at. The sites are varied to appeal to a wide range of students. Students are asked to choose one or two sites that most interest them and to interact with them from a personal point of view. Useful to engage many different types of learners.

• Encourages students to "buy in" to the topic being studied.
• Lets students choose resources depending on individual interests and learning style
• Triggers an affective interest in the topic to be studied.
• Examples: Endangered Australian Fauna Sampler and/or Stamp Collecting Sampler and/or My China

 

Treasure Hunt

(Build Knowledge) - If learners are emotionally connected to the topic, then ask the question, "Are they learning enough background information on the subject?" If the answer is no or if the best information on the subject is "hot off the press," then try a Treasure Hunt.  Teacher selects ten to fifteen Web sites and designs a question to be answered from each site. The sites and questions guide students to study critical aspects of a topic. Students can then be asked to synthesize what they learn in order to answer a "big question" posed at the end of the Treasure Hunt. Useful to help students learn hard facts about a topic or area of study and to see a bigger picture.

• Encourages reading for a specific purpose
• Fosters sharing and consensus building among student groups
• Asks students to infer and draw conclusions
• Examples: Anne of Green Gables Scavenger Hunt and/or Hunt for Anne Frank and/or Black History Past to Present

 

 WebQuest

(Problem Solve) - If they learn facts, but don't pursue higher-level thinking; why not make a WebQuest? A webquest uses the sites you select as the starting point for a complex activity that involves multiple perspectives, possible group collaboration, and a final project of your choosing.  Using controversial, often current issues, students go beyond fact finding and get deeper into a problematic topic in order to analyze its components and suggest a solution. Prior to dividing into groups, students all learn basic background information about the topic. The teacher collects Web sites and categorizes them according to particular roles, tasks or perspectives. Within small groups, individuals or pairs of students are charged with becoming "experts" on one aspect of the problem by reading and understanding the Web resources for their particular role. When the students come together, they jigsaw in order to share, evaluate and synthesize the information they have read. After that, students complete a real-world activity such as e-mailing congressional representatives or presenting their interpretation to experts on the topic. Useful for helping students get beyond simplistic solutions to complex problems.

• Provides up-to-date resources from a variety of perspectives on complex issues
• Encourages reading for comprehension and evaluation (critical reading skills)
• Requires sharing of information and synthesizing materials from divergent viewpoints
• Helps students see that reasonable people differ over solutions to complex problems
• Process encourages respect for others' viewpoints
• Facilitates written work through which students take a stand and attempt to persuade with a real-world audience
• Examples: Show Me History and/or Tuskegee Tragedy and/or Weather Mania: A 2nd grade Webquest on Weather and/or First Ladies of the White House

DAY 2