These tools could be really helpful to students if students are willing to use them. I don’t know if I would have used a tool like this when I was a student. I, like I think many students do, often enjoyed the “fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants” approach to class assignments, and the longer I was in school, the more I found myself working feverishly to complete an assignment on the night before it was due.
I really liked the features on the Assignment Calculator that suggested reliable, subject specific resources. I created a timeline for an imaginary entomology project, and found a couple of really nice websites that I bookmarked for future use. So even if students used this for nothing more than to help them locate good, reliable sources, it would certainly be a valuable tool.
The Research Project Calculator was more geared to younger students and seemed like it provided more in-depth information on the process. I looked at the Teacher Guide to the Research Project Calculator, and found several handouts that could be used in the Library (Boolean Basics, Improve Your Google Search Tip Sheet, 10 Questions for Evaluating Web Sites).
All in all, I think these are good sites to suggest to students, but whether or not they will take advantage of them is up to the individual. You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink.
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