Noodle Tools, in their own words, “is a responsive, user-friendly research management platform with baked-in wisdom accumulated over years, and proven track record across thousands of schools and universities. Since 2013, we have been teaching students to organize and manage their own research and resources. This year, the Noodle Tools team rolled out a few updates, so it seemed like a perfect time to share with you.
Why pay for Noodle Tools? Why not just use EasyBib?
When Google Docs added the EasyBib citation feature, I asked this very question. Damon Abilock, one of the creators, clarified for me:
“EasyBib is simply an auto-cite mechanism, [which is] tempting in theory, but in reality does not work well… Resulting citations are completely dependent on how the author constructed the content. EasyBib is wrong more often than it is right, and students assume that something generated for them is correct. In addition, Noodle Tools prompts the student to think about what the content actually is.”
How can I access Noodle Tools?
In the high school, we use a paid subscription. There are two ways to get there:
- When you’re in Google Drive or Gmail, click the waffle menu at the top right. Scroll to the bottom of the list, and choose the Noodle Tools app.
- Go to the district website, click on Students > High School Students > Noodle Tools.
In the middle school, teachers and students use Noodle Tools Express. The biggest difference here is that while students can still create citations, they cannot store their research and resources. It is an excellent bridge between middle and high school research projects.
What are the benefits of Noodle Tools?
Besides critical thinking, communication, and collaboration...
- Their homepage explains why it is such an awesome tool.
- Their Help Desk is actually super helpful!
- They have great handouts and infographics to share with users.
Noodle Tools is for more than language arts and social studies. Any project requiring research requires proper citations! Please let us know if you would like more information about Noodle Tools, how it works, and/or how to use it with your students.
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