How will you apply what you have learned in this course to your future teaching and learning experiences?
There are so many ways in which I will apply what I have learned in this course to my future teaching. One, I will be using the website I created as the team site posting homework and major announcements, etc. so my students and their parents will have an easy place to obtain information outside of school. I will also be introducing my wiki lesson, created for my final project, sometime within the next school year. It is my hope that students will also be creating digital stories for presentations on African countries and weather (this of course, has to be approved by my colleagues and done within time constraints, but I feel I can "sell" the idea to them.) My co-teacher in Language Arts have already discussed blogging with students - now I know how. Furthermore, I'd like to explore some of the individual projects I did not undertake, from the Instructional Models to the Indivdiual Final Projects, and see if I can bring them in somewhere either next year or any years prior. Finally, students and I will be collaborating to create/edit wiki lessons for future classes to learn.
I really found this course to be much better than I originally thought. At first, I was extremely overwhelmed and thought I could never do half of the things I've actually completed! It is amazing to see how easy it all is (with time and planning,) and how much I've done.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
June 29th Homework Assignment!
• Does the digital divide exist in your school? Or have you seen instances where the digital divide has affected kids that you know? Please explain. Were any attempts made to remedy the problem? What accommodations were made?
The digital divide goes far beyond just every child having access to a computer, though that is a big part of it. In our school, we have students from varying socio-economic backgrounds, including students who attend from out-of-district through an integration program between our district, which is suburban, and an inner-city, urban district. Unfortunately, there is not much done to track the “haves” and “have-nots” when it comes to technology. We do, however, have computer classes for most students and computer labs (utilized frequently during lessons and activities,) which have enough computers for students. Time is given in school when Internet research is needed. Recently, SMARTBoards have been installed in at least one classroom on all teams.
What I am more concerned about is the digital divide with students with varying abilities. As mentioned by Leu, Leu, and Coirg (2004) in their book Teaching with the Internet K-12: New literacies for new times. Fourth Edition *“challenged students do not always participate in Internet experiences for any number of reasons.” Sadly, I do find this true at my school and I am somewhat of a culprit. Though it is really how our schedule is designed students with special needs who need resource support come to my classroom while the regular education students receive computer instruction (by the way, no Special Education Resource Rooms have SMARTBoards.) Furthermore, other students who miss out on this computer instruction time are ESL students, Title 1 students (who score under proficiency on the CMT’s in Reading and Mathematics,) and gifted students in an enrichment program. From this structure, it seems that only average students in our school are given the opportunity for further technological instruction. The other students are given only occasional in-class activities and independent time (when available, which is few and far-between.)
What I do, and will continue to do more often, is bring my resource students to the computer lab and/or allow them to use the two computers in my classroom. Also, I am planning more instruction in the computer lab and/or regular education classroom on the SMARTBoard during Resource time for the upcoming school year. Finally, there are some Special Needs students who can take the computer instruction and I have written Individualized Education Plans this year to include a clause that states I can send Special Education students to computers at my discretion.
*Leu, D. J., Leu, D. D., Coiro, J. (2004). Teaching with the Internet K-12: New literacies for new times. Fourth Edition. Christopher Gordon Publishing.
• What instructional strategies and approaches promote technology integration while addressing the participation gap (where low income and minority students have not had the same opportunities as their more affluent peers to use new technologies for learning)?
There are many strategies available to help bridge the participation gap, such as planning instruction so students have equal access time to computers. Teachers can also write grants to make more technology available. Furthermore, there are programs, such as Pennsylvania’s Service-Learning Alliance which offers free online curriculum so teachers can teach children how to refurbish used computers so each student can have access to a computer in their homes.
• What responsibility do you have, as an educator, to bring informating (learning) technology experiences into your classroom?
As an educatior, it is my responsibility to learn and explore the technology available and bring it into my classroom in meaningful ways. I must go beyond a simple “here’s a computer, now work,” attitude and actually teach lessons so students can learn and practice appropriate uses of computers and the Internet for research. It is my responsibility to introduce students to various programs available online and if necessary, practice with them the ability to use those programs (like using wiki’s, etc.) Not only do I need to make these programs available to myself in my repertoire, but I also must share with my colleagues (both within my school and online,) as a collaborator so the information is available for others to use. There are many responsibilities for educators in bringing technology into the classroom, but when done, the learning possibilities are endless.
The digital divide goes far beyond just every child having access to a computer, though that is a big part of it. In our school, we have students from varying socio-economic backgrounds, including students who attend from out-of-district through an integration program between our district, which is suburban, and an inner-city, urban district. Unfortunately, there is not much done to track the “haves” and “have-nots” when it comes to technology. We do, however, have computer classes for most students and computer labs (utilized frequently during lessons and activities,) which have enough computers for students. Time is given in school when Internet research is needed. Recently, SMARTBoards have been installed in at least one classroom on all teams.
What I am more concerned about is the digital divide with students with varying abilities. As mentioned by Leu, Leu, and Coirg (2004) in their book Teaching with the Internet K-12: New literacies for new times. Fourth Edition *“challenged students do not always participate in Internet experiences for any number of reasons.” Sadly, I do find this true at my school and I am somewhat of a culprit. Though it is really how our schedule is designed students with special needs who need resource support come to my classroom while the regular education students receive computer instruction (by the way, no Special Education Resource Rooms have SMARTBoards.) Furthermore, other students who miss out on this computer instruction time are ESL students, Title 1 students (who score under proficiency on the CMT’s in Reading and Mathematics,) and gifted students in an enrichment program. From this structure, it seems that only average students in our school are given the opportunity for further technological instruction. The other students are given only occasional in-class activities and independent time (when available, which is few and far-between.)
What I do, and will continue to do more often, is bring my resource students to the computer lab and/or allow them to use the two computers in my classroom. Also, I am planning more instruction in the computer lab and/or regular education classroom on the SMARTBoard during Resource time for the upcoming school year. Finally, there are some Special Needs students who can take the computer instruction and I have written Individualized Education Plans this year to include a clause that states I can send Special Education students to computers at my discretion.
*Leu, D. J., Leu, D. D., Coiro, J. (2004). Teaching with the Internet K-12: New literacies for new times. Fourth Edition. Christopher Gordon Publishing.
• What instructional strategies and approaches promote technology integration while addressing the participation gap (where low income and minority students have not had the same opportunities as their more affluent peers to use new technologies for learning)?
There are many strategies available to help bridge the participation gap, such as planning instruction so students have equal access time to computers. Teachers can also write grants to make more technology available. Furthermore, there are programs, such as Pennsylvania’s Service-Learning Alliance which offers free online curriculum so teachers can teach children how to refurbish used computers so each student can have access to a computer in their homes.
• What responsibility do you have, as an educator, to bring informating (learning) technology experiences into your classroom?
As an educatior, it is my responsibility to learn and explore the technology available and bring it into my classroom in meaningful ways. I must go beyond a simple “here’s a computer, now work,” attitude and actually teach lessons so students can learn and practice appropriate uses of computers and the Internet for research. It is my responsibility to introduce students to various programs available online and if necessary, practice with them the ability to use those programs (like using wiki’s, etc.) Not only do I need to make these programs available to myself in my repertoire, but I also must share with my colleagues (both within my school and online,) as a collaborator so the information is available for others to use. There are many responsibilities for educators in bringing technology into the classroom, but when done, the learning possibilities are endless.
Publishing Online Project
1. What pages on Wikipedia did you edit/monitor? (Please include URL to each page for individual and group work).
The page which I chose to edit was entitled “Tortoiseshell Cats” at the following URL: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tortoiseshell_cat
2. What is your Username on Wikipedia?
My username on Wikipedia is AWoronick
3. What is your reaction to the entire wiki project process? Please describe any positive and negative reactions.
I was pleasantly surprised by the Wiki project process. At first, I was very nervous about the process and afraid to “mess up” Wikipedia. Then, I also wondered what type of topic to post on. Fortunately, I pulled out my phone (which has a picture of my cat on it,) and I decided to talk about Calico Cats (I was linked over to the Tortoiseshell Cats page by Wikipedia and posted there.) With some research, I found some information to post and created a whole new section “Interesting Facts”. I was not sure how to reference at first, but I was able to go back and fix my errors. It was nice to know I could do that. Overall, it really was an interesting process and it gave me insight into what Wikipedia is and how it works. As Will Richardson states in his book Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms, 3rd Edition (2010) Wikipedia is a “phenomenon” that has “tens of thousands of editors in chief, people just like you and me…collecting the sum of all human knowledge” (56). It is not a scary, unknown world that fills the minds of school children with wrong ideas and incorrect knowledge. It really is a place for humans (who do make errors,) can share information with the entire world. Because some of the information may not be accurate, it is our responsibility not to shy away from it and forget it exists, but rather challenge our students to research the information for verification (and perhaps edit a few pages themselves.)
4. If someone from the general public updated or edited your work, how did that make you feel? What types of changes did they make? Did you think that their revisions were appropriate? Did you make any additional changes as a result?
Someone did edit my work and he was not nice about the process either. Personally, I did take some offense to his (I’m assuming it was a male, but I could be mistaken,) comments because they did not appear to adhere to Wikipedia’s Neutral Point of View. For example, I had posted a line about breeding for calico cats being very difficult and he removed my post and commented it was impossible to breed for calico cats. He had no research backing up his statement (I had some for mine,) and his comments did not seem very nice to me. I, being new to the process, did not make any changes back, but when I looked at the page again today, somebody had restored my post. This person commented that though rare, it was in fact possible to breed for the cats.
5. If someone discussed your contributions, how did that make you feel? Was the discussion positive, negative, or neutral? Did you make any changes as a result?
At first, since it was the less-than-neutral comments, I was somewhat offended. There were a couple of tags removed due to incorrect references and I was able to make adjustments based upon that feedback. When I saw that my original post was restored, I felt good, but was thankful that someone else had done for me what I should have done the minute I noticed the original changes to my contributions.
6. Did you personally contribute to the discussion (talk pages)? If so, in what capacity? Did you receive any feedback/comments from others?
I did not personally contribute to the discussion page. It looked as though that was not updated for a few years. I also noticed it was not very Neutral and I wanted to adhere to the Neutrality principal. Since I was originally offended by the person who deleted some of my contributions and he was rude in his comments, I decided not to add to discussion. I was afraid I’d take a similar rude tone in my comments back and did not feel this was an appropriate forum to “duke it out” with a stranger. I really felt that adhering to Wikipedia’s Five Pillars of Use was important to uphold the integrity of the site and my posts.
7. Will you continue to check the pages that you updated/created in the future (after this course ends)? Why/Why not? Please explain.
I might check if I have a free moment just out of curiosity. Of course, life’s business may get in the way of doing that regularly, however, I am now very fascinated by the process and think it will be fun to monitor all the changes the page can make (in a manner of seconds, entire sections of information may disappear and/or appear depending upon who is watching.)
8. Do you think you will edit pages on Wikipedia in the future? Why/Why not? Please explain.
Personally, I think I will also do some further edits. Who knows what I become an expert on in the future and maybe I might “scoop” a story for all the world (similar to Richardson’s [2010] discussion about the Tsunami Wikipedia page.
9. Would you consider using Wikipedia in your current/future classroom? Why/why not?
Yes. I would love to do a demonstration for my students in the future. I think it will speak to the necessity to validate information on Wikipedia, but also hopefully encourage their desire to edit and make their own contributions.
10. What web site did you select for Part 2 for publishing student work online?
I chose sciencebuddies.org
11. What process did you use to locate a web site for publishing student work online? Why did you select the site? Was it difficult to locate an appropriate and relevant site for your classroom?
Once I devoted time to actually sitting down and getting to the process, it was not as hard as I thought it would be. However, I took my time “thinking of ideas” and came up short on my own (a classmate had a good one, but I did not want to steal her thunder.) I used Yahooligans search engine (because it’s kid-friendly and would most likely yield “school appropriate” sites. Through searching a few minutes under various headings, I found sciencebuddies.org.
12. Who (what audience) would provide feedback on your student(s) work?
This site is interesting because it is a combination of science teachers, scientists, and high school students who are on the “expert panel”. An inquiry can be directed and answered by anyone of these people. I especially appreciated the employment of high school students as “experts” because I think it’s a nice way to increase their interest and performance in science. I also think that younger children look up to high school students like heroes and hearing information from kids that are older rather than adults is usually better to understand. Also, younger students can have something to aspire to in their high school years if they are interested in science.
13. Would you use this web site in the future with your students? Why/why not? Please explain.
I would use this site because I feel my students always need help with science. I also noticed some topics on the site that my students tend to struggle with and to be able to find an expert and/or further information on these topics will help their understanding of the science curriculum being learned.
14. Would you continue to explore the web for other authentic audiences on the web? Why/why not? Please explain.
Yes, I really think students do enjoy performing for and receiving feedback from authentic audiences. Plus, work quality is usually just that much better when someone else is going to see it aside from me and my co-teachers. I know my apartment is cleanest when company is coming over; it’s the same philosophy with students and their work. But then, they also love sharing their work with others. It gives them a sense of pride in what they do.
15. Overall, what were your reactions to Part 2 of this assignment, both positive and negative? Please explain
Though at first I was hemming and hawing over completing Part 2 of the assignment, mainly because I did not know which direction to take, I found the experience much easier once I explored using a kid-friendly search engine. It just ensured sites I was located were appropriate for a classroom and mainly educational in nature.
16. Optional: If you had a student(s) submit work online, what feedback did your student(s) receive? What did your student(s) think about submitting work?
This question is not applicable. Due to the school year ending prior to being able to have students post work, I could not have a student submit work. I will, however, attempt the process within the next school year.
The page which I chose to edit was entitled “Tortoiseshell Cats” at the following URL: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tortoiseshell_cat
2. What is your Username on Wikipedia?
My username on Wikipedia is AWoronick
3. What is your reaction to the entire wiki project process? Please describe any positive and negative reactions.
I was pleasantly surprised by the Wiki project process. At first, I was very nervous about the process and afraid to “mess up” Wikipedia. Then, I also wondered what type of topic to post on. Fortunately, I pulled out my phone (which has a picture of my cat on it,) and I decided to talk about Calico Cats (I was linked over to the Tortoiseshell Cats page by Wikipedia and posted there.) With some research, I found some information to post and created a whole new section “Interesting Facts”. I was not sure how to reference at first, but I was able to go back and fix my errors. It was nice to know I could do that. Overall, it really was an interesting process and it gave me insight into what Wikipedia is and how it works. As Will Richardson states in his book Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms, 3rd Edition (2010) Wikipedia is a “phenomenon” that has “tens of thousands of editors in chief, people just like you and me…collecting the sum of all human knowledge” (56). It is not a scary, unknown world that fills the minds of school children with wrong ideas and incorrect knowledge. It really is a place for humans (who do make errors,) can share information with the entire world. Because some of the information may not be accurate, it is our responsibility not to shy away from it and forget it exists, but rather challenge our students to research the information for verification (and perhaps edit a few pages themselves.)
4. If someone from the general public updated or edited your work, how did that make you feel? What types of changes did they make? Did you think that their revisions were appropriate? Did you make any additional changes as a result?
Someone did edit my work and he was not nice about the process either. Personally, I did take some offense to his (I’m assuming it was a male, but I could be mistaken,) comments because they did not appear to adhere to Wikipedia’s Neutral Point of View. For example, I had posted a line about breeding for calico cats being very difficult and he removed my post and commented it was impossible to breed for calico cats. He had no research backing up his statement (I had some for mine,) and his comments did not seem very nice to me. I, being new to the process, did not make any changes back, but when I looked at the page again today, somebody had restored my post. This person commented that though rare, it was in fact possible to breed for the cats.
5. If someone discussed your contributions, how did that make you feel? Was the discussion positive, negative, or neutral? Did you make any changes as a result?
At first, since it was the less-than-neutral comments, I was somewhat offended. There were a couple of tags removed due to incorrect references and I was able to make adjustments based upon that feedback. When I saw that my original post was restored, I felt good, but was thankful that someone else had done for me what I should have done the minute I noticed the original changes to my contributions.
6. Did you personally contribute to the discussion (talk pages)? If so, in what capacity? Did you receive any feedback/comments from others?
I did not personally contribute to the discussion page. It looked as though that was not updated for a few years. I also noticed it was not very Neutral and I wanted to adhere to the Neutrality principal. Since I was originally offended by the person who deleted some of my contributions and he was rude in his comments, I decided not to add to discussion. I was afraid I’d take a similar rude tone in my comments back and did not feel this was an appropriate forum to “duke it out” with a stranger. I really felt that adhering to Wikipedia’s Five Pillars of Use was important to uphold the integrity of the site and my posts.
7. Will you continue to check the pages that you updated/created in the future (after this course ends)? Why/Why not? Please explain.
I might check if I have a free moment just out of curiosity. Of course, life’s business may get in the way of doing that regularly, however, I am now very fascinated by the process and think it will be fun to monitor all the changes the page can make (in a manner of seconds, entire sections of information may disappear and/or appear depending upon who is watching.)
8. Do you think you will edit pages on Wikipedia in the future? Why/Why not? Please explain.
Personally, I think I will also do some further edits. Who knows what I become an expert on in the future and maybe I might “scoop” a story for all the world (similar to Richardson’s [2010] discussion about the Tsunami Wikipedia page.
9. Would you consider using Wikipedia in your current/future classroom? Why/why not?
Yes. I would love to do a demonstration for my students in the future. I think it will speak to the necessity to validate information on Wikipedia, but also hopefully encourage their desire to edit and make their own contributions.
10. What web site did you select for Part 2 for publishing student work online?
I chose sciencebuddies.org
11. What process did you use to locate a web site for publishing student work online? Why did you select the site? Was it difficult to locate an appropriate and relevant site for your classroom?
Once I devoted time to actually sitting down and getting to the process, it was not as hard as I thought it would be. However, I took my time “thinking of ideas” and came up short on my own (a classmate had a good one, but I did not want to steal her thunder.) I used Yahooligans search engine (because it’s kid-friendly and would most likely yield “school appropriate” sites. Through searching a few minutes under various headings, I found sciencebuddies.org.
12. Who (what audience) would provide feedback on your student(s) work?
This site is interesting because it is a combination of science teachers, scientists, and high school students who are on the “expert panel”. An inquiry can be directed and answered by anyone of these people. I especially appreciated the employment of high school students as “experts” because I think it’s a nice way to increase their interest and performance in science. I also think that younger children look up to high school students like heroes and hearing information from kids that are older rather than adults is usually better to understand. Also, younger students can have something to aspire to in their high school years if they are interested in science.
13. Would you use this web site in the future with your students? Why/why not? Please explain.
I would use this site because I feel my students always need help with science. I also noticed some topics on the site that my students tend to struggle with and to be able to find an expert and/or further information on these topics will help their understanding of the science curriculum being learned.
14. Would you continue to explore the web for other authentic audiences on the web? Why/why not? Please explain.
Yes, I really think students do enjoy performing for and receiving feedback from authentic audiences. Plus, work quality is usually just that much better when someone else is going to see it aside from me and my co-teachers. I know my apartment is cleanest when company is coming over; it’s the same philosophy with students and their work. But then, they also love sharing their work with others. It gives them a sense of pride in what they do.
15. Overall, what were your reactions to Part 2 of this assignment, both positive and negative? Please explain
Though at first I was hemming and hawing over completing Part 2 of the assignment, mainly because I did not know which direction to take, I found the experience much easier once I explored using a kid-friendly search engine. It just ensured sites I was located were appropriate for a classroom and mainly educational in nature.
16. Optional: If you had a student(s) submit work online, what feedback did your student(s) receive? What did your student(s) think about submitting work?
This question is not applicable. Due to the school year ending prior to being able to have students post work, I could not have a student submit work. I will, however, attempt the process within the next school year.
Monday, June 28, 2010
Final Project Reflection
For my final project, I created a Wiki-Based Strategy lesson. You can access it
by clicking here.
Here are my questions and responses.
Did you encounter any problems/issues with student use? Did students adhere to your guidelines? How would you rate collaboration and participation from your students? Please explain.
Due to the fact that the school year ended before I had this project completed, I did not have any students participate in this project yet. I did ask my friends through Facebook to view the wiki and give me any feedback they could, however the one friend that responded could not access it for some reason. So, I am just waiting for feedback from friends at this point and am ready to go live with students during the next school year.
How did your students react to this project? What is your reaction to this project? Please discuss any positive and negative reactions.
I really found this project to be time-consuming and I procrastinated because
I had some fear of creating a whole lesson that all the world could see and
edit if they’d like. That can be a bit intimidating. As for the process itself,
I found it fairly user friendly except that I needed to remember that the wiki
Space was not Microsoft Word and there were times I’d hit enter and lose everything I’d just typed. This got frustrating and there was no “Undo” button to get it back. I had to type a few things over and over again. Also, formatting text was quite tedious. Otherwise, however the ability to go and just start editing a page at will is set up fairly easily.
As the process unfolded in your classroom, did you find yourself modifying the project requirements/activities? If so, what types of changes did you make?
While the project has not gone live in the classroom yet, I am open to all feedback from students. In fact, I keep reviewing it and looking for more things I can add or change. Today, when I thought I was done, I added two more pages to my wiki space (guidelines and assessment,) and a you-tube video to help present information in a different way to accommodate varying learning levels. I can’t wait to see what my students say about it next year and hope they become invested in the collaborative nature of the project.
I will say that I love the fact that this is a living document and I think I may even be able to use it to help show students the editing and revising phase in the process of writing, too. I think it’s important to expose students to varying ways in which we could publish (using technology,) and how even when something is posted online, it does not have to be set in stone forever.
What would you do differently (if anything) in future years? Would you use wiki writing in your classroom again?
Next time I create a wiki lesson, I think I will include the students in the creation process from start to finish more. Perhaps toward the end of next year, we can collaboratively create a wiki-lesson that can be used for the next school year. It’s a great way to keep learning alive for years and years.
Any final thoughts, comments, concerns?
At first, I was afraid to do this. This project also overwhelmed me (mostly due to procrastination on my behalf,) but when I was finished, it was well-worth the experience. I may attempt one of the other projects so that I can get a feel for using multiple forms of technology with my students (perhaps I will take on blogging with my students next.)
by clicking here.
Here are my questions and responses.
Did you encounter any problems/issues with student use? Did students adhere to your guidelines? How would you rate collaboration and participation from your students? Please explain.
Due to the fact that the school year ended before I had this project completed, I did not have any students participate in this project yet. I did ask my friends through Facebook to view the wiki and give me any feedback they could, however the one friend that responded could not access it for some reason. So, I am just waiting for feedback from friends at this point and am ready to go live with students during the next school year.
How did your students react to this project? What is your reaction to this project? Please discuss any positive and negative reactions.
I really found this project to be time-consuming and I procrastinated because
I had some fear of creating a whole lesson that all the world could see and
edit if they’d like. That can be a bit intimidating. As for the process itself,
I found it fairly user friendly except that I needed to remember that the wiki
Space was not Microsoft Word and there were times I’d hit enter and lose everything I’d just typed. This got frustrating and there was no “Undo” button to get it back. I had to type a few things over and over again. Also, formatting text was quite tedious. Otherwise, however the ability to go and just start editing a page at will is set up fairly easily.
As the process unfolded in your classroom, did you find yourself modifying the project requirements/activities? If so, what types of changes did you make?
While the project has not gone live in the classroom yet, I am open to all feedback from students. In fact, I keep reviewing it and looking for more things I can add or change. Today, when I thought I was done, I added two more pages to my wiki space (guidelines and assessment,) and a you-tube video to help present information in a different way to accommodate varying learning levels. I can’t wait to see what my students say about it next year and hope they become invested in the collaborative nature of the project.
I will say that I love the fact that this is a living document and I think I may even be able to use it to help show students the editing and revising phase in the process of writing, too. I think it’s important to expose students to varying ways in which we could publish (using technology,) and how even when something is posted online, it does not have to be set in stone forever.
What would you do differently (if anything) in future years? Would you use wiki writing in your classroom again?
Next time I create a wiki lesson, I think I will include the students in the creation process from start to finish more. Perhaps toward the end of next year, we can collaboratively create a wiki-lesson that can be used for the next school year. It’s a great way to keep learning alive for years and years.
Any final thoughts, comments, concerns?
At first, I was afraid to do this. This project also overwhelmed me (mostly due to procrastination on my behalf,) but when I was finished, it was well-worth the experience. I may attempt one of the other projects so that I can get a feel for using multiple forms of technology with my students (perhaps I will take on blogging with my students next.)
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
June 22 Assignment
Hi all,
Sorry it's so last minute, but it's 1:02pm and since it's not due until 4:45pm, I guess this assignment's in on time (end of the year has been crazy for me-the kids just left for the year, I have two more days to go and can't believe another year has gone by so quickly.)
Alright, enough of my blabbing-here's the assignment:
• Should all teachers be encouraged to create online activities for students within traditional classrooms?
Absolutely, all teachers should be encouraged to create online activities for students within traditional classrooms. With more and more students of varying abilities being taught within the regular education curriculum, teachers need to differentiate instruction more than ever. Differentiating online learning activities can be done easily and efficiently. Take for example online classes. According to November (2010), online classes offer a forum that is less-intimidating for some students as would the regular classroom be and teachers can post assignments ahead of time (though November only suggests posting 2-3 weeks ahead so students do not feel too overwhelmed or get too far ahead,) and then students can work at their own pace. Gifted students that prefer more challenge can work ahead and students that need to work at a slower pace can break assignments up and work on them little by little.
In addition to being able to differentiate with online learning opportunities, teachers can also expose students to the world outside of the classroom using the Internet. One example is that teachers can have students Skype (video-conferencing,) with people all around the world. Teachers can also offer students opportunities to expose work to global audiences whether it is community members or experts on the topics which are being studied. As the Internet is limitless in scope, possibilities for the classroom are also limitless in scope when the Internet is used.
• At what grade level should educators begin teaching students how to use social networks? Find documentation to support your answer.
Considering in “Did You Know 4 – IV” (DiBlasi, 2008), there is a slide saying “The fastest growing age group for using the Internet is…2 to 5 year olds (Net Day News, 2005)”, it seems obvious to me that we do need to teach students as early as the preschool years to begin using the Internet. Of course, at that age, we may not think they are ready to know about social networking, however, if they can use the Internet, they can use social networking. It’s a fact of our lives today that we must face head-on. I would have never believed it myself, however, I remember back in 2001 having my then eight-year old niece IM’g me on AOL. Not that I condone a child that young being able to do that (my brother has tightened the reigns as she’s gone on into high school,) but IM’g then was almost a precursor to social networking. The median age for use on the computer keeps dropping and dropping so it is our responsibility to start students, at least in Kindergarten, with some knowledge of social networking.
• How can teachers use social networking sites as teaching and learning tools?
Using social networking sites, teachers can have online discussions with their classes, post classroom activities/photos so the community can share, connect with other classrooms throughout the world, and bring experts into the classroom (I personally have a high school friend on Facebook who is now a marine biologist who next school year I’d like to connect with for some lessons/activities.) They are also great ways to share work with other classrooms throughout the world, like Kevin Honeycutt did with his ArtSnacks program which has grown to include live lessons and art work (Richardson, 2010). Once again, the possibilities are only as limited as one’s imagination. Unfortunately, due to some of the dangers of these sites, like cyber-bullying and online predators, many school districts may not share the same imaginative visions and have blocked many social networking sites. Once again, this is a testament to learning how to use them well and then teaching our children how to use these sites appropriately.
• Envision the role of social networking in 21st century learning environments. Write a brief description of this vision.
Social networking in 21st century learning environments is going to help break down the walls of the traditional classroom and make it more global. I see students being able to access learning from their homes, perhaps not even needing to come to class sometimes. There’s also sharing with people from around the world. No longer are we limited in who we have discussions with while teaching as many, many experts (authors, professors/teachers, medical professionals, etc.) have their own pages on social networking sites that we can follow and post to. It is beyond belief what we can do with social networking. Finally, I see social networking sites making classrooms more accessible to students who wouldn’t otherwise be able to access them. For example, students with severe health problems can access a classroom networking from home when they could not come to school. This would lesson the amount of work missed and increase participation more. Again, I’ve said it over and over, the possibilities are only limited by our thoughts and our imaginations.
Sorry it's so last minute, but it's 1:02pm and since it's not due until 4:45pm, I guess this assignment's in on time (end of the year has been crazy for me-the kids just left for the year, I have two more days to go and can't believe another year has gone by so quickly.)
Alright, enough of my blabbing-here's the assignment:
• Should all teachers be encouraged to create online activities for students within traditional classrooms?
Absolutely, all teachers should be encouraged to create online activities for students within traditional classrooms. With more and more students of varying abilities being taught within the regular education curriculum, teachers need to differentiate instruction more than ever. Differentiating online learning activities can be done easily and efficiently. Take for example online classes. According to November (2010), online classes offer a forum that is less-intimidating for some students as would the regular classroom be and teachers can post assignments ahead of time (though November only suggests posting 2-3 weeks ahead so students do not feel too overwhelmed or get too far ahead,) and then students can work at their own pace. Gifted students that prefer more challenge can work ahead and students that need to work at a slower pace can break assignments up and work on them little by little.
In addition to being able to differentiate with online learning opportunities, teachers can also expose students to the world outside of the classroom using the Internet. One example is that teachers can have students Skype (video-conferencing,) with people all around the world. Teachers can also offer students opportunities to expose work to global audiences whether it is community members or experts on the topics which are being studied. As the Internet is limitless in scope, possibilities for the classroom are also limitless in scope when the Internet is used.
• At what grade level should educators begin teaching students how to use social networks? Find documentation to support your answer.
Considering in “Did You Know 4 – IV” (DiBlasi, 2008), there is a slide saying “The fastest growing age group for using the Internet is…2 to 5 year olds (Net Day News, 2005)”, it seems obvious to me that we do need to teach students as early as the preschool years to begin using the Internet. Of course, at that age, we may not think they are ready to know about social networking, however, if they can use the Internet, they can use social networking. It’s a fact of our lives today that we must face head-on. I would have never believed it myself, however, I remember back in 2001 having my then eight-year old niece IM’g me on AOL. Not that I condone a child that young being able to do that (my brother has tightened the reigns as she’s gone on into high school,) but IM’g then was almost a precursor to social networking. The median age for use on the computer keeps dropping and dropping so it is our responsibility to start students, at least in Kindergarten, with some knowledge of social networking.
• How can teachers use social networking sites as teaching and learning tools?
Using social networking sites, teachers can have online discussions with their classes, post classroom activities/photos so the community can share, connect with other classrooms throughout the world, and bring experts into the classroom (I personally have a high school friend on Facebook who is now a marine biologist who next school year I’d like to connect with for some lessons/activities.) They are also great ways to share work with other classrooms throughout the world, like Kevin Honeycutt did with his ArtSnacks program which has grown to include live lessons and art work (Richardson, 2010). Once again, the possibilities are only as limited as one’s imagination. Unfortunately, due to some of the dangers of these sites, like cyber-bullying and online predators, many school districts may not share the same imaginative visions and have blocked many social networking sites. Once again, this is a testament to learning how to use them well and then teaching our children how to use these sites appropriately.
• Envision the role of social networking in 21st century learning environments. Write a brief description of this vision.
Social networking in 21st century learning environments is going to help break down the walls of the traditional classroom and make it more global. I see students being able to access learning from their homes, perhaps not even needing to come to class sometimes. There’s also sharing with people from around the world. No longer are we limited in who we have discussions with while teaching as many, many experts (authors, professors/teachers, medical professionals, etc.) have their own pages on social networking sites that we can follow and post to. It is beyond belief what we can do with social networking. Finally, I see social networking sites making classrooms more accessible to students who wouldn’t otherwise be able to access them. For example, students with severe health problems can access a classroom networking from home when they could not come to school. This would lesson the amount of work missed and increase participation more. Again, I’ve said it over and over, the possibilities are only limited by our thoughts and our imaginations.
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Website Project Post
You may access my website by clicking on the following link : http://homepage.scholastic.com/CHBuilderWeb/LoginAction.action or go to
Scholastic , Under Parents tab click “Class Homepage Login”. At the sign in, the User Name is “team6-3” and the password is “website”.
• What is your reaction to the entire web development process? Please describe any positive and negative reactions and obstacles that you encountered (if any).
Using a template-based web-page builder (I used Scholastic’s easy classroom
site builder,) made the entire process very easy. I found that Scholastic’s site
was very thorough and explained each step. It also was one of the easiest
projects I have done for this class so far as the builder I used had all the tools
I needed (including graphics, page choices, etc.) and was quick to use.
One drawback to using Scholastic was that some of the page choices (like
Software lists,) did not pertain to me and at first, I had a hard time figuring
out how not to include those pages I could not contribute to on my Home
page. I later realized, because I often signed in as a parent or student
looking at the site, that if I did not include information for the page, it would
be left off the home page. There was also a server problem I experienced
mid-way through building the project and I could not access the site to
preview my changes and edit my page as needed. I have not experienced
the same problem since then, however.
I also feel that with Scholastic, I’m limited in the style of my website and the page choices I have and I don’t feel the page is as easy to access as I’d like (the URL is a bit complicated.)
• Did you share this web site with your classroom? Family? Friends? If so, what type of feedback did you receive? Did this require you to make changes? Please explain.
I only showed the website briefly to my paraprofessional, Tom and the only
change I made from his feedback was to update my homework page (which
I actually have to do again.) After thinking about my site for a couple of
days though, there are some definite content edits that need to be done.
I’d also like to possibly add a page or two to the site, but I have not decided
what yet. As the summer ends and the new school year begins (I plan to
use this site for my team next year,) I am sure the ideas will come and
the appropriate changes will be made.
Another friend of mine at work had a great idea to have students update
and maintain the class website. This will be a great project and I have
some students coming in next year with some learning needs that may
find being the class “webmasters”(which is easy with the Scholastic
site,) will be a great way to boost confidence and engage them in learning.
• What errors/issues did you find when you tested your web site for 508 compliance? Based on 1 or 2 of those errors/issues, what changes would you make to your site?
I was in-shock to see all of the failures and warnings on my site. Many of
these I cannot understand at all and I tried to click on the link to view it
on a Website Map to better understand, but my browser did not support the
application (so maybe Truwex 2.0 fails its own tests – lol.) Anyway, one error
I received was that I had a “clickable image without Alt” which I gathered
from the explanation given means that 20 of my pictures do not have the
appropriate link or formatting to pass 508 standards. So, in trying to
investigate further, I copied a URL from the Truwex list and found what
they were talking about was the Scholastic logo. Now, I take responsibility,
but I did not design the Scholastic logo, so I wonder who would be the
real culprit here? I say Scholastic, but I’m pleading that it’s my first website
(well my first in 9 years,) and I can’t help that logo. To be on the safe side,
and to make myself look less guilty, I checked some of the other images
cited under this error and the ones I checked were also Scholastic site’s
images that are embedded into my site. Truthfully, I would not know how to
begin to make the changes needed.
For good measure and to try to find something I could fix, I looked at
another error which mentioned a data table not having headers. The only thing I could think of that would be causing this (Truwex did not indicate
exact what table it meant this time,) was that I’d linked a Google Calendar to
my announcements page. So, I removed it and tried Truwex once more.
Unfortunately, the same error came up so I am not certain where the error is
and how to fix it.
Personally, I thought that a company that is education and family-friendly like
Scholastic would be aware of Section 508 accessibility codes and ensure that
teachers building websites through their website building system would have
these issues taken care of. Again, I am unsure what I have control over (it
could all be me,) and am not shunning responsibility, but it just surprised me
to see so many problems with my site.
Scholastic , Under Parents tab click “Class Homepage Login”. At the sign in, the User Name is “team6-3” and the password is “website”.
• What is your reaction to the entire web development process? Please describe any positive and negative reactions and obstacles that you encountered (if any).
Using a template-based web-page builder (I used Scholastic’s easy classroom
site builder,) made the entire process very easy. I found that Scholastic’s site
was very thorough and explained each step. It also was one of the easiest
projects I have done for this class so far as the builder I used had all the tools
I needed (including graphics, page choices, etc.) and was quick to use.
One drawback to using Scholastic was that some of the page choices (like
Software lists,) did not pertain to me and at first, I had a hard time figuring
out how not to include those pages I could not contribute to on my Home
page. I later realized, because I often signed in as a parent or student
looking at the site, that if I did not include information for the page, it would
be left off the home page. There was also a server problem I experienced
mid-way through building the project and I could not access the site to
preview my changes and edit my page as needed. I have not experienced
the same problem since then, however.
I also feel that with Scholastic, I’m limited in the style of my website and the page choices I have and I don’t feel the page is as easy to access as I’d like (the URL is a bit complicated.)
• Did you share this web site with your classroom? Family? Friends? If so, what type of feedback did you receive? Did this require you to make changes? Please explain.
I only showed the website briefly to my paraprofessional, Tom and the only
change I made from his feedback was to update my homework page (which
I actually have to do again.) After thinking about my site for a couple of
days though, there are some definite content edits that need to be done.
I’d also like to possibly add a page or two to the site, but I have not decided
what yet. As the summer ends and the new school year begins (I plan to
use this site for my team next year,) I am sure the ideas will come and
the appropriate changes will be made.
Another friend of mine at work had a great idea to have students update
and maintain the class website. This will be a great project and I have
some students coming in next year with some learning needs that may
find being the class “webmasters”(which is easy with the Scholastic
site,) will be a great way to boost confidence and engage them in learning.
• What errors/issues did you find when you tested your web site for 508 compliance? Based on 1 or 2 of those errors/issues, what changes would you make to your site?
I was in-shock to see all of the failures and warnings on my site. Many of
these I cannot understand at all and I tried to click on the link to view it
on a Website Map to better understand, but my browser did not support the
application (so maybe Truwex 2.0 fails its own tests – lol.) Anyway, one error
I received was that I had a “clickable image without Alt” which I gathered
from the explanation given means that 20 of my pictures do not have the
appropriate link or formatting to pass 508 standards. So, in trying to
investigate further, I copied a URL from the Truwex list and found what
they were talking about was the Scholastic logo. Now, I take responsibility,
but I did not design the Scholastic logo, so I wonder who would be the
real culprit here? I say Scholastic, but I’m pleading that it’s my first website
(well my first in 9 years,) and I can’t help that logo. To be on the safe side,
and to make myself look less guilty, I checked some of the other images
cited under this error and the ones I checked were also Scholastic site’s
images that are embedded into my site. Truthfully, I would not know how to
begin to make the changes needed.
For good measure and to try to find something I could fix, I looked at
another error which mentioned a data table not having headers. The only thing I could think of that would be causing this (Truwex did not indicate
exact what table it meant this time,) was that I’d linked a Google Calendar to
my announcements page. So, I removed it and tried Truwex once more.
Unfortunately, the same error came up so I am not certain where the error is
and how to fix it.
Personally, I thought that a company that is education and family-friendly like
Scholastic would be aware of Section 508 accessibility codes and ensure that
teachers building websites through their website building system would have
these issues taken care of. Again, I am unsure what I have control over (it
could all be me,) and am not shunning responsibility, but it just surprised me
to see so many problems with my site.
June 15th Assignment
• What is the role of the teacher in helping students to make meaning of primary source material?
To help students make meaning of primary source materials, teachers have a
multitude of roles. One of these roles is to help students understand the perspective of the provider(s) of the primary source material. A perfect example November (2010) gives is of Lee Ann Potter’s class searching for information on the forced migration of Cherokees from their native land. At first, the students could not find any information using “Trail of Tears” (the term used to describe this from the Cherokee perspective,) because they were accessing U.S. government archives and the government referred to it as removal of Indians. If the students had understood the perspective of the primary source provider (here the U.S. government,) they would have saved much time and energy trying to complete their search.
Teachers also must guide students in analyzing and evaluate the primary source information. To do this, they can help students brainstorm questions to ask about the information so they can take a critical eye to what they are reading. One can also access the multitude of NARA worksheets, available at http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/worksheets/. These provide worksheets to help students analyze print materials, movies, sound recordings, artifacts, and visual materials (like photographs and posters.) It is especially helpful because the worksheets are not only easy to use and comprehensive, but they can be printed and shared (I wasable to post a link right to my Facebook account as a sort of “test” to see how it worked.)
Finally, teachers must also be able to help students identify source information (usually by contacting organizations that can provide further insights into the material,) help students take/track/organize data about the information (which November [2010] reminds us can be done very easily with today’s available technologies like PDA’s and SmartPhones,) and find experts and authentic audiences for students to have questions answered and/or receive feedback for the reports and research presentations they make after consulting the primary source materials.
• Explain the differences between blogs, wikis, and web-based word processors (e.g. Google Docs).? Briefly identify one classroom activity for each type of tool.
While all three help present information and harvest collaboration, the primary difference between blogs, wikis, and web-based word processors
like Google Docs is who has the authority to edit and contribute to the
document/project. With a blog, there is usually only one author or a select
few authors. While readers are usually more than welcome to comment on the content (though the blog author(s) may have the capacity to control/
limit who can comment,) they are not able to actually change the content,
even if they do disagree passionately about what the blog says. Though
feedback from comments left about the blog may prompt the author(s) to
edit content, it is only the author(s) who have the ability to make the
changes.
Wikis, however, are almost a free-for-all. Any reader can update, delete,
add to, and edit content at will. This makes wikis the ultimate public
forum to share information. A powerful example of this occurs in Richardson (2010) surrounding the immediate growth (and change) of the Wikipedia page on the 2004 earthquake/tsunami. Richardson relays to readers that within hours, the original page was up and grew exponentially as more news about the tsunami was reported. He says that the page continued to grow and change like this for about six months after that fateful event. [As an
aside, I just love how Richardson refers to managing Wikipedia as “the
job of collecting the sum of all human knowledge” (2010, p. 56). It really
brings into perspective the impact and responsibility that every user of the
Internet, particularly wikis can have.]
On the other hand, on-line word-processor programs, like Google Docs, are usually created by one or a few people, but do have the ability for the
creator(s) to invite people to make changes. What is different with these
programs than a wiki or even a blog, is that it is the author(s) who chooses
who it is that can make these changes. It is not everybody like a wiki, yet it
is more than the author(s) who are the only ones in charge of editing blog
content.
In the classroom, a great way to use blogs is to have a literary discussion.
Blogs offer the teacher or even a student/some students the opportunity
to pose a question and the readers of the blog (the students/peers,) to
answer. The opportunity for discussion with a blog is endless and comments
can beget more and more comments. This is a wonderful way to inspire critical thinking.
A wiki can be used to present research in a fun and interesting way. Students
can be the experts and post information on a subject for all the world to see
and possibly, edit. This can allow students to value the need for validating
their research and understand the need for citation. It also allows them the
opportunity to “watch” their wiki to see if anybody’s added, changed, or
deleted their information. The Wikipedia posting of our publishing online
project is a great example of this. For example, my posting was pretty much
torn apart by someone who simply disagreed with me and nearly erased
everything I posted. (You can view the Wikipedia page by clicking this link:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tortoiseshell_cat. If you go back in the history,
you can see I created the Interesting Facts section, but a user had a few
differing ideas than me. I think the discussion page, which I haven’t yet contributed to because I’m gathering my thoughts on what to politely say to the person who changed my posting, is a great example of how not to collaborate and negotiate with other users.)
An online word-processor not only allows students a free way to produce word-processed documents if they do not have access to programs like Microsoft Word, but can also be used for teachers/peers to help students revise writing drafts prior to the final copy being submitted. I can definitely see a usage for online word-processing in Writers’ Workshop in which students work collaboratively to help each other through the writing
process.
• After completing the treasure hunt, use specific examples (web sites) to briefly discuss some of the ways the internet can enhance instruction beyond simply facts for essays and book reports.
The treasure hunt opened my eyes to the many ways that we can use the Internet to make learning “come alive” for our students. One site that I particularly liked was The Jason Project which offered a plethora of science curriculum and explorations to help students better understand topics like weather (which we cover in my grade-level by book work and a few movies, but now have the opportunity to have students interacting, and problem-solving real-life situations involving weather.) Simulation sites, like River City are wonderful ways to hook students into learning under the format of being game-like. They also promote problem-solving through real-life simulations in which students are given information (for example in River City figuring out why certain diseases are spreading in the community.) Furthermore, teachers can help students connect with others around the world with some of these simulation sites (like Teen Second Life .) They can also forge lasting friendships with their students and other children in the world through e-Pals which helps match e-mail penpals and connect children on projects, etc. all over the globe.
There are some sites, however, that show potential but may not be the best choices for students. For example, some of the sites that help students publish online such as Fan Fiction , I felt there was not enough introduction (actually on this site no introduction,) explaining
the site and how to use it, so I would shy away from it unless the teacher makes him/herself extremely familiar with it first to properly guide students with usage of the site. Plus, it should be noted that there was some pornographic content (a “zine” about Jenna Jamieson is one example,) on Scribd so I would only use this site with students at the college level.
To help students make meaning of primary source materials, teachers have a
multitude of roles. One of these roles is to help students understand the perspective of the provider(s) of the primary source material. A perfect example November (2010) gives is of Lee Ann Potter’s class searching for information on the forced migration of Cherokees from their native land. At first, the students could not find any information using “Trail of Tears” (the term used to describe this from the Cherokee perspective,) because they were accessing U.S. government archives and the government referred to it as removal of Indians. If the students had understood the perspective of the primary source provider (here the U.S. government,) they would have saved much time and energy trying to complete their search.
Teachers also must guide students in analyzing and evaluate the primary source information. To do this, they can help students brainstorm questions to ask about the information so they can take a critical eye to what they are reading. One can also access the multitude of NARA worksheets, available at http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/worksheets/. These provide worksheets to help students analyze print materials, movies, sound recordings, artifacts, and visual materials (like photographs and posters.) It is especially helpful because the worksheets are not only easy to use and comprehensive, but they can be printed and shared (I wasable to post a link right to my Facebook account as a sort of “test” to see how it worked.)
Finally, teachers must also be able to help students identify source information (usually by contacting organizations that can provide further insights into the material,) help students take/track/organize data about the information (which November [2010] reminds us can be done very easily with today’s available technologies like PDA’s and SmartPhones,) and find experts and authentic audiences for students to have questions answered and/or receive feedback for the reports and research presentations they make after consulting the primary source materials.
• Explain the differences between blogs, wikis, and web-based word processors (e.g. Google Docs).? Briefly identify one classroom activity for each type of tool.
While all three help present information and harvest collaboration, the primary difference between blogs, wikis, and web-based word processors
like Google Docs is who has the authority to edit and contribute to the
document/project. With a blog, there is usually only one author or a select
few authors. While readers are usually more than welcome to comment on the content (though the blog author(s) may have the capacity to control/
limit who can comment,) they are not able to actually change the content,
even if they do disagree passionately about what the blog says. Though
feedback from comments left about the blog may prompt the author(s) to
edit content, it is only the author(s) who have the ability to make the
changes.
Wikis, however, are almost a free-for-all. Any reader can update, delete,
add to, and edit content at will. This makes wikis the ultimate public
forum to share information. A powerful example of this occurs in Richardson (2010) surrounding the immediate growth (and change) of the Wikipedia page on the 2004 earthquake/tsunami. Richardson relays to readers that within hours, the original page was up and grew exponentially as more news about the tsunami was reported. He says that the page continued to grow and change like this for about six months after that fateful event. [As an
aside, I just love how Richardson refers to managing Wikipedia as “the
job of collecting the sum of all human knowledge” (2010, p. 56). It really
brings into perspective the impact and responsibility that every user of the
Internet, particularly wikis can have.]
On the other hand, on-line word-processor programs, like Google Docs, are usually created by one or a few people, but do have the ability for the
creator(s) to invite people to make changes. What is different with these
programs than a wiki or even a blog, is that it is the author(s) who chooses
who it is that can make these changes. It is not everybody like a wiki, yet it
is more than the author(s) who are the only ones in charge of editing blog
content.
In the classroom, a great way to use blogs is to have a literary discussion.
Blogs offer the teacher or even a student/some students the opportunity
to pose a question and the readers of the blog (the students/peers,) to
answer. The opportunity for discussion with a blog is endless and comments
can beget more and more comments. This is a wonderful way to inspire critical thinking.
A wiki can be used to present research in a fun and interesting way. Students
can be the experts and post information on a subject for all the world to see
and possibly, edit. This can allow students to value the need for validating
their research and understand the need for citation. It also allows them the
opportunity to “watch” their wiki to see if anybody’s added, changed, or
deleted their information. The Wikipedia posting of our publishing online
project is a great example of this. For example, my posting was pretty much
torn apart by someone who simply disagreed with me and nearly erased
everything I posted. (You can view the Wikipedia page by clicking this link:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tortoiseshell_cat. If you go back in the history,
you can see I created the Interesting Facts section, but a user had a few
differing ideas than me. I think the discussion page, which I haven’t yet contributed to because I’m gathering my thoughts on what to politely say to the person who changed my posting, is a great example of how not to collaborate and negotiate with other users.)
An online word-processor not only allows students a free way to produce word-processed documents if they do not have access to programs like Microsoft Word, but can also be used for teachers/peers to help students revise writing drafts prior to the final copy being submitted. I can definitely see a usage for online word-processing in Writers’ Workshop in which students work collaboratively to help each other through the writing
process.
• After completing the treasure hunt, use specific examples (web sites) to briefly discuss some of the ways the internet can enhance instruction beyond simply facts for essays and book reports.
The treasure hunt opened my eyes to the many ways that we can use the Internet to make learning “come alive” for our students. One site that I particularly liked was The Jason Project which offered a plethora of science curriculum and explorations to help students better understand topics like weather (which we cover in my grade-level by book work and a few movies, but now have the opportunity to have students interacting, and problem-solving real-life situations involving weather.) Simulation sites, like River City are wonderful ways to hook students into learning under the format of being game-like. They also promote problem-solving through real-life simulations in which students are given information (for example in River City figuring out why certain diseases are spreading in the community.) Furthermore, teachers can help students connect with others around the world with some of these simulation sites (like Teen Second Life .) They can also forge lasting friendships with their students and other children in the world through e-Pals which helps match e-mail penpals and connect children on projects, etc. all over the globe.
There are some sites, however, that show potential but may not be the best choices for students. For example, some of the sites that help students publish online such as Fan Fiction , I felt there was not enough introduction (actually on this site no introduction,) explaining
the site and how to use it, so I would shy away from it unless the teacher makes him/herself extremely familiar with it first to properly guide students with usage of the site. Plus, it should be noted that there was some pornographic content (a “zine” about Jenna Jamieson is one example,) on Scribd so I would only use this site with students at the college level.
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