Our mobile lab of 4 PCs and 4 Macs has really been getting a workout by the Jr. High students. Sixth Grade students have been working on their famous scientist project in the library as well as in the Science & Computer Labs. We generally bring Mr. Cole's mobile lab out to the library when it is available to have enough computers for everyone. Eighth Grade students are working on a project for Mrs. McCollester on Spanish speaking countries and Seventh Grade students have been encouraged to use the lab for their science fair research.
Students are making use of an online resource,
NoodleTools to organize their notes, set goals and due dates, and keep track of the resources they use so they can be more productive and they can then generate their "Works Cited" page directly from this site. This has the benefit of being able to use it from any Internet-capable computer and there is now a feature that allows the students to collaborate online, which will hopefully keep group projects more organized and make it easier for everyone to work together. There is a bit of a learning curve for NoodleTools, but once students get the hang of it they begin to see how valuable it can be. Teachers can also monitor the students' work and give feedback during the projects to help students stay on track.