Scoop.it! Lets You Create Beautiful Subject-Specific Reading Collections

As a former library media specialist and literacy coach, one of the biggest challenges for me was pulling together collections of content about subjects students were studying.  I was rather resourceful, but this was quite difficult.  I partnered with local libraries to get more materials, searched Craigslist for people who were tossing reading materials and arranged for the local library to come to my school with books of interest.  I also wrote Donorschose.org grants with most of my teachers for materials they would need for upcoming units.

All this work just got a lot easier with Scoop.it.  It allows a teacher, or groups of teachers, or teachers and students to be the curator of any topic by collecting gems for publication into your own site that can be shared with others.  

This video overview shows how this works. 

This can be a terrific learning tool whether it is the teacher, student, or both creating their Scoop Its.  Some ideas are:

• Students working in cooperative groups can create a Scoop.it! about a topic of interest or study.
• Teachers can create Scoop.Its! about topics they are studying for professional development.
• Teachers can create Scoop.Its! about topics their students will be studying.
• Students and Teachers can look at existing Scoop.Its! to connect with others who share their interests and learn about interesting things. Here are some interesting Scoop.its! that I found about learning innovatively:
• Electronic Portfolio  “Portfolios in Education”     
• I was surprised and pleased to find an article from me here.  This teacher uses Scoop.it! to collect materials for a class he is teaching.  
• Mobile Learning today  "Looking at the latest developments in eLearning and Mobile learning."
• iPads in Education  “News, ideas and more on the use of iPads in the learning environment.”                         
  
• New Web 2.0 tools for education "A topic about new, changing, or even older Web 2.0 tools that educators could use for teaching both in the classroom or with online, elearning for higher education or high school."    
• Technology in Education "Great resources for integrating technology and education."
• Homeschooling “Resources for homeschoolers and families considering homeschooling”

I learned about Scoop.It! on Google+ from Britt Gow who shared that it is a really simple process. Just register your name and choose a title, then install the bookmarklet and start saving articles of interest. Her topic was pollution, to pass on to her Environmental Science students. You can check it out here. She also suggests that you could use it to compare different editorial styles, perspectives on an event or collect resources for a project.