Venturing to a water park with fearless children can be fun. Splashing in the water, riding the lazy river and standing under the huge bucket waiting to get all the water dumped on you. Sounds like fun? Absolutely until your children ask the dreaded question “Will you go down the dark water slide with me?” Yes, water slides are wonderful but the dark tunnel, not knowing where the next turn is or when it ends is scary.

It all sounds great except for the darkness. Where will we end up? I can’t see the whole tunnel from the beginning. When teachers are trained, we are taught to look at the outcomes be it final project, assessments yet when we place students on their devices for research we don’t see the whole path-and that can be scary.  The good news about fear is that once you see it, feel it and dance with it, you have a huge opportunity, the chance to make it better.

Since assigning a large research project is a bit like that dark water tunnel, start small with Google a Day. One question is posed and the student will use the Google search engine to locate the answer. When found, it is typed into the answer box and points are awarded for the correct answer. You have the option to log in and share your earnings with friends or play the basic mode. Click here  or here to learn how other teachers are using Google a Day.