Just a note about my webquest post of earlier today. If you click on my Zunal Webquest site, you won't get to see the webquest, just the sign in page!
It's up and running now!!
About Me
- CTER Blog
- A Blog created for EPSY 556: Analysis of Advanced Instructional Technologies
Sunday, September 14, 2008
What about Webquests?
I have to say that beginning work on creating a Webquest this past week was much more enjoyable than updating my e-portfolio! I love the idea of webquests, allowing self exploration and creation by the students. I have used several webquests in the past while teaching in the traditional high school English classroom. My favorite was a Shakepeare quest, "Will the Real William Shakespeare Please Stand Up". I also have used "Life in Shakespeare's Time". I like both because my students liked them. I used to do a project about Elizabethan times and use library books and other research materials. While some of my students did a good job with it, others just lost interest while trying to sift through books and find information that pertained to the specifics parts they were looking for. Another problem with doing library research is that a school library is only stocked with so many books, so students can't check them out to use outside of class. Trying to get 6 classes of 25-30 students each enough print references to complete a project is a real teacher's nightmare!
Another great aspect of webquests is that the students are able to be as creative as they want. Most webquests ask the students to complete some sort of presentation of their knowledge. I am usually pleasantly surprised by the presentations I see. I don't require students to do power point presentations, but I have seen some great ones done, and also a variety of other kinds. Posters, videos and even a costumed plan! When I allow the students to come up with their own vision of how to present the knowledge they have gained, I find that they are much more innovative and creative than me!
Creating my own WebQuest this week, titled "Money, Money, What to do with the Money" has been fun. My idea comes from the fact Eagle Academy will be moving into a new building in about a month. We have computers and the basics needed for running an alternative school, but I wondered what sorts of things the students would think would be the ultimate in a technology based school. My webquests imagines that a fictitious booster club is giving us $25,000 to spend on technology. The students are to explore different types of hardware, software and other materials that they would like to have, and then present their ideas to the boosters. I am really excited to see what they come up with, and think I will put the webquest up for them to use in the next few weeks. I am using Zunal.com for this webquest, and while it is a really easy program to use, basically fill in the blank, I think over time I would want to move the quest off to my own page so I could be creative in the design. For now though, it is a great program and I think it's a great way to create quickly and easily. For a teacher who wanted to create lots of webquests, or practice with content without worrying about the formatting, it is perfect!
Another great aspect of webquests is that the students are able to be as creative as they want. Most webquests ask the students to complete some sort of presentation of their knowledge. I am usually pleasantly surprised by the presentations I see. I don't require students to do power point presentations, but I have seen some great ones done, and also a variety of other kinds. Posters, videos and even a costumed plan! When I allow the students to come up with their own vision of how to present the knowledge they have gained, I find that they are much more innovative and creative than me!
Creating my own WebQuest this week, titled "Money, Money, What to do with the Money" has been fun. My idea comes from the fact Eagle Academy will be moving into a new building in about a month. We have computers and the basics needed for running an alternative school, but I wondered what sorts of things the students would think would be the ultimate in a technology based school. My webquests imagines that a fictitious booster club is giving us $25,000 to spend on technology. The students are to explore different types of hardware, software and other materials that they would like to have, and then present their ideas to the boosters. I am really excited to see what they come up with, and think I will put the webquest up for them to use in the next few weeks. I am using Zunal.com for this webquest, and while it is a really easy program to use, basically fill in the blank, I think over time I would want to move the quest off to my own page so I could be creative in the design. For now though, it is a great program and I think it's a great way to create quickly and easily. For a teacher who wanted to create lots of webquests, or practice with content without worrying about the formatting, it is perfect!
Monday, September 1, 2008
Reflections 9/1/08
Evangeline said...
You have an interesting perspective given your current field of work. I wonder how many of your students might have excelled more in school had technology been more meaningfully integrated in their learning. You see yourself as a facilitator - which is good - but how do you see yourself facilitating. What do you do now that you didn't in the past?
Margie Says:
In the past, I thought of myself as a "fountain of knowledge". I learned to teach the way I was taught in the 70's. The teacher stood at the front of the room, spouting knowledge, and I took notes and listened, and hopefully either absorbed enough of the information, or could study and memorize it long enough to take and pass a test. After a few years in the classroom, I figured out that just wasn't working with my students. So, I learned to ask a lot of questions, guide class discussion, and try to ensure that everyone was involved in the learning process. I also went to a conference that changed my thinking... The speaker taught us that students remember more information when they find it for themselves that they do when someone tells them. Of course I knew this somewhere in my brain, but, I had just never processed it. I was too busy sharing my knowledge! :)
You have an interesting perspective given your current field of work. I wonder how many of your students might have excelled more in school had technology been more meaningfully integrated in their learning. You see yourself as a facilitator - which is good - but how do you see yourself facilitating. What do you do now that you didn't in the past?
Margie Says:
In the past, I thought of myself as a "fountain of knowledge". I learned to teach the way I was taught in the 70's. The teacher stood at the front of the room, spouting knowledge, and I took notes and listened, and hopefully either absorbed enough of the information, or could study and memorize it long enough to take and pass a test. After a few years in the classroom, I figured out that just wasn't working with my students. So, I learned to ask a lot of questions, guide class discussion, and try to ensure that everyone was involved in the learning process. I also went to a conference that changed my thinking... The speaker taught us that students remember more information when they find it for themselves that they do when someone tells them. Of course I knew this somewhere in my brain, but, I had just never processed it. I was too busy sharing my knowledge! :)
Do I think that my students would have been more successful if technology had been more integrated into the regular high school? You bet!! Now I know, on all levels that students have to be active learners. I see it with my 3 year old granddaughter when I try to tell her how to do something, but she really only learns it when she does it for herself, and I see with it my high school students who are exceeding all of our expectations for them because at long last, they are able to learn by doing. We have to ask the right questions, and give them a place to go to find what information they need, but they are learning.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
What about The Future of Education
Ahh... the perfect world! We all sit in our pajamas taking classes, doing homework, or teaching classes! Education is free to anyone who has the desire to log on and take advantage of the classes being offered. Gas money and commuting is no longer an issue or a barrier to getting a degree, and teachers no longer worry about discipline. The students who cause trouble are simply blocked. College is no longer about sororities and fraternities and the Young Republicans or Democrats.
Ok, so maybe it wouldn't be a perfect world. Maybe we all need more socialization and contact with 3 D people in a 3 D world. But I do believe the future of education is technology, whether through distance learning, Smartboards, webqests or podcasts. I believe the future of education will put much less emphasis on a teacher lecturing and leading, and more on the students being responsible and involved in the learning process.
I can see through my work at Eagle Academy that many students thrive on working independently, on self exploration, and self pacing. I, as a teacher, facilitate the learning process, acting often more as a travel guide as my students find information and put it to use. A few years ago asking my students to complete a project seemed the equivalent of asking them to harness the moon, but with the almost unlimited computer access my students now have, the tasks become much easier to complete, and sometimes amazing in what the students create! While I consider myself a bit of a techie, I am impressed with how much knowledge and experience the students come to school with.
I recently read that over 80% of all high school students have access to a computer and the internet on a daily basis. I think that is an astounding number when compared to the socio-economic break-down of our country. We as educators have to continue to build on the technological skills that the students already have and use it to prepare them for the world of college or work.
I may not really be ready to teach in my pajamas, although I have to admit to attending a few online CTER classes in my bath robe and fuzzy slippers, but I think that distance learning may well be the most important change in the high school. My high school offers lots of classes, but not everything that a college bound, or even work bound student could benefit from. My vision of the future is one of distance labs that would allow many school district to co-op some specialty classes. How cool would it be to learn Japanese or Engineering Basics in a school that can't offer it? I know some schools are doing this very thing, but I hope that someday it becomes the norm. As I see teachers preparing homework for students who are home sick or suspended I wonder why we haven't taken advantage of web cams so no student would ever have to miss a class session.
The future is always an interesting place to explore, but in education we have to have the foresight to meet it and be prepared for it. Including technology in teaching will enable us to do that.
Ok, so maybe it wouldn't be a perfect world. Maybe we all need more socialization and contact with 3 D people in a 3 D world. But I do believe the future of education is technology, whether through distance learning, Smartboards, webqests or podcasts. I believe the future of education will put much less emphasis on a teacher lecturing and leading, and more on the students being responsible and involved in the learning process.
I can see through my work at Eagle Academy that many students thrive on working independently, on self exploration, and self pacing. I, as a teacher, facilitate the learning process, acting often more as a travel guide as my students find information and put it to use. A few years ago asking my students to complete a project seemed the equivalent of asking them to harness the moon, but with the almost unlimited computer access my students now have, the tasks become much easier to complete, and sometimes amazing in what the students create! While I consider myself a bit of a techie, I am impressed with how much knowledge and experience the students come to school with.
I recently read that over 80% of all high school students have access to a computer and the internet on a daily basis. I think that is an astounding number when compared to the socio-economic break-down of our country. We as educators have to continue to build on the technological skills that the students already have and use it to prepare them for the world of college or work.
I may not really be ready to teach in my pajamas, although I have to admit to attending a few online CTER classes in my bath robe and fuzzy slippers, but I think that distance learning may well be the most important change in the high school. My high school offers lots of classes, but not everything that a college bound, or even work bound student could benefit from. My vision of the future is one of distance labs that would allow many school district to co-op some specialty classes. How cool would it be to learn Japanese or Engineering Basics in a school that can't offer it? I know some schools are doing this very thing, but I hope that someday it becomes the norm. As I see teachers preparing homework for students who are home sick or suspended I wonder why we haven't taken advantage of web cams so no student would ever have to miss a class session.
The future is always an interesting place to explore, but in education we have to have the foresight to meet it and be prepared for it. Including technology in teaching will enable us to do that.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
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