WebQuest

Green School

Finally it is finished and refined. I think it is a motivating concept and that students will really enjoy the project. I especially like how the tasks have a group and individual component. The students will be offered the ability to specialize yet still learn about the different areas of the project. Working with students of a similar interest they can become specialists and work together to explore their concept. After the research is complete they can then join their school team as the specialist. The group writing tasks requires everyone to collaborate and gain an understanding of the complete project.

Wiki Changes and Edits

Edits to Clare’s Geocaching Wiki Page by KatLeitch and gmitesses
Geocaching edited ... A Sport for Every Generation A new sport i... KatLeitch 6:53 pm
Geocaching edited ... Geocaching A Sport for Every Generation ... t.KatLeitch 6:44 pm
Geocaching edited ... Geocaching A Sport for Every Generation ... gmitesser 5:23 pm
CacheSg8.jpg uploaded  gmitesser 5:19 pm
locknlock.png uploaded  gmitesser 5:16 pm
matchstick.jpeg uploaded  gmitesser 5:12 pm
bisontube.jpg uploaded gmitesser 5:09 pm
nano.jpg uploaded gmitesser 5:06 pm


Clare’s Edits to Wiki Pages
Wikis edited ... Another idea is to use a wiki ….claretaylor05
iPad-iTouch edited (view changes)claretaylor05
iPad-iTouch edited ... in the Classroom Technical claretaylor05
Prezi edited ... Educational Uses Prezi can be used in a variety..claretaylor05
Google Docs edited ... See revision history Access from …...claretaylor05
iPad-iTouch edited ... This website lists useful educational apps alon... claretaylor05

On-Line Safety and Security

A code of ethics has a heightened importance in a technological world. The ease of access and the solitude of computer work increases the temptation to take intellectual property off the internet. In an education environment it is even more critical that children are taught safety and security rules early in their school years and often. The Internet is analogous to trying to teach in a candy store in this respect and children can be easily tempted to take and be detracted from learning. The district technology safety and security policy needs to include a complete summary of what is allowed and not allowed. The challenge is that as fast as the content changes no policy can cover everything. The policy also has to be reviewed often and all teachers need to be familiar with its contents.

When I worked in broadcasting licences to music, photo and graphic libraries were purchased by the TV station and we were under strict regulations to stay withing the legal rights we purchased. It is important that we protect the intellectual property of everyone who publishes. The online access to music, photos and movies offers access to many who are not educated in the legal issues of copyright and fair use. In fields that specialize in multi-media it is common knowledge but not so in other professions. The Creative Commons site offers education and a rating system that can be easily understood. The different licence offer levels of access and credit that creates an honor system that is easy to abide by. My student are aware of copyright law but they have to be reminded often to site sources. I have a lot of problems with their use of graphics, pictures and clip art. They will forget to cite or incorrectly cite Google as their source and not the original source where Google pulled in the graphic.

An online security filter or blocking needs to be in place in all schools. Years ago the filters were very strict and it was difficult to freely surf on the net. As restrictions are lifted more responsibility is placed on the teacher and student to act responsibly on line. Just today we had a presentation by our community police officer on Internet safety. I am glad that my district is actively education my students but I am concerned at the lack of education their parents receive. The district offers workshops and classes for parents but not many take advantage of this. Parents are not as aware of what their children can access and are not able to keep ahead of the technology pace that their children are moving. That is why it is critical that the moral issues are discussed and taught to all school children. The access students have to information and the access the internet users have to our children is daunting, The ability to discern right from wrong, good from bad and truth from fiction is critical today and teachers are key to this education when it comes to internet use.

We have had a review of the Webquest and have decided on how to present. I have been adding final edit to the Webquest. A GREEN SCHOOL

The Geo Caching wiki page is complete and it was fun seeing the changes others added. I went on to add to the Google Earth, Google Docs, Prezi and I-Pad pages.

Productivity Tools - WebQuests and Digital Stories

Animoto. Exciting vehicle to try on slide shows. I loved the Istanbul video and want to try the program with an educator account.

Shutterfly is like Winkflash or Blurb. It is a great tool.

Top 50 Web 2.0 sites
http://www.techlearning.com/Default.aspx?tabid=67&EntryId=3962

Google Docs Productivity Tools
I have been using Google Docs this year. I agree that Forms is the most powerful. I am glad tat non-google users can complete the forms.The privacy issues are very complexing. I never really thought about how that information is in the public domain. I have been hesitant to add too much to the the shared docs. I love the collaboration capabilities and have really utilized it this year. The district wide project Blazes has allowed me to share docs with teachers in other schools and gathers their data through forms int my Excel files. The new collaborative avenues offered to teachers this year have opened new doors.

Productivity Tools allow you to increase your capabilities in a shorter amout of time. Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Publisher are all Microsoft tools that allow higher efficiency. Open Office allows some Microsoft type files yet does not sve or format as well. It is a sub for some tools yet has compability issues. Zoho is a business productivity tools. I think we are only seeing the tip of the iceburg and

Webquests have a built in problem solution just as a Digital Story. We will be working toward completing the webquests by next week or the following. I have been frustrated with trying to fit in collaboration time and have been sending e-mails to Erkay. For some reason he does not want me to access the webquest program and sending word docs is difficult. The webquest is coming together aand it would be a good project to tie in with the architecture program I like the structure and think it would be a fun and educational project for a class.

Digital Story Reflection
I loved creating my digital story and felt I had a clear problem/solution structure on The Foundation of a Dream (Building a deck without money) The Digital Story was a real challenge and many students were frustrated to find they did not follow a story format. One challenge with technology is that the technical side can sway the academics and students will miss the structural components of an assignment. Each task that involves technology has to have more to it than just learning a new tool. There has to be focus, intent and an educational goal to make it a teaching tool. The process is also very important and planning through graphic organizers can often create a structure that forces a creator to include certain elements. A rubric is also a great tool that lets the student know how they can receive the best grade possible.

Wiki Feedback for the following topic:
Society 6
iPad
Animoto
Video
Prezi
Vodcasting
Google Docs
Teacher Tube
Academic Word List
Geo Caching
Museum Box
Wikis

On vacation in Florida. I learned how to use I Movie and completed my digital story. This is the story of the deck I built. Foundation of a Dream by Clare Taylor - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGCBKFUM5a8
My stepmother and I also published a test so she can start. http://youtu.be/35yhxJcWFjk

Drop Box

Great idea for working with students on docs they need to access. Google docs is limiting.

Blurb

I was really excited about publishing a book and making something so professional. I need to explore the best tool for my students with this boigraphy project. I will look into Shutterfly and Winkflash but I really think Blurb is a great tool.

Digital Storytelling

The assignemnt: Write a story and illustrate it. Story bird is an interesting approach. It can incorporate illustrations that are professional. I think that would be a motivator for the kids. I disagree that it is about the product though. The process in each of these projects is so extensive and packed with learning opportunities. I am fascinated with digital story telling. I think the students will enjoy this form of communication if I can give them the correct tools. It will be helpful to explore the sites the women presented and get an idea of the different tools available.

The power of storytelling has been passed down generation to generation and I am concerned that it is losing its place in our students’ lives. Students today are less apt to share stories, engage in adventures that lead to stories, or spend time listening to others share their stories. Our writing curriculum in 5^th grade is focused on expository writing and less on narrative stories. I have incorporated photo prompts in my teaching to move students to write about feelings and thoughts. Digital storytelling may help move them to a new challenge and one that will engage and excite them. It is important that they have guidance and a clear set of expectations. The first challenge is to create my own digital story and find a topic that will move an audience.

I think I will try doing a story on the Women's Deck. There is a great story to tell and I have images to share. I think it is inspiring and with the I-Pad I can learn how to use the tools. This will be a fun vacation project. I will explore the story map and incorporate the different challenges and ultimate solution to my story. If I win the CECA Award I will but a notebook for my classroom and have a tool made for video, audio and image recording. That hurdle will solve many of the stumbling blocks I am finding in my school.

WebQuests

Webquests are an exciting teaching tool. I was first introduced in webquests in a 4 day class in the late 90s. The quest was based on backward design and I created a task on creating a future colony. The students had different roles and specialized started with studying the past. The colony study allowed the perfect medium for collaboration and students worked in different teams to become specialists. I have used a trip quest to have my students research foreign countries and plan two days of sightseeing.  The final presentations included excel spreadsheets and many students made brochures or multi-media presentations. It is fun to work on a quest with Erkays and we are enjoying the collaboration. Creating a green school quest will be a fun project.

I have a lot on my plate with the launch of the new website. I want to save and update the quests I have created. I think there is value in adding some of the regular project I teach to this online format. It allows parents to see the rubrics and keeps the websites limited. This could be a great summer task.

Prezi

I am finding the technology exploration exciting but it is hard to not be on top of the new things I hear about. I have watched the students exceed me and they catch on so quickly. I love that they are enthusiastic and know that motivation is key in teaching today. With a large class I struggle with giving the individual technology training. The Smartboard offers great whole class instruction and the weekly lab helps. The prezi presentations showed me the importance of having some sort of quality standards to show the kids before starting multimedia projects. They leap in and forget about how important the content is.

MY HEAD IS SWIMMING

This class makes my head swim at times. It is so hard to explore everything and I want a week to just be alone to see what is out there.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/claretaylor05

I love the Flikr site and know that with the ap on my phone I can really use this. The students will love placing photos and I am wondering if we can incorporate it in the biographies. By having the residents in West Hartford pots or scan to flikr we can allow photos to be incorporated or linked to.  The project in the cloud is really amazing and I can see so many ways we can expand the collaboration in our room. I believe this next generation will be seeing and using information in so many different ways. As their teacher I want to offer opportunities and help them see the potential. The Prezi work they have done in the past 3 weeks is incredible and I have let them totally train one another. I have had some pressure from parents who feel I need to offer a tutorial. What the parents don’t understand is that the students are surpassing the teachers. Society 6 is definitely a site I want to explore and potentially purchase art. I am also thinking of posting the art work that I have created and adding it as a link to my memoir page.

I like the idea of stopping students from going on random searches. The Custom Search Engines are an interesting idea. I can see the advantage of creating a closed search environment for the younger students or setting boundaries for a search. With 5^th graders heading off to middle school I think having them know how to search on the global web is beneficial. As a teacher I am having difficulty keeping up with technology and searching for what I feel are the best suites may not be the best students find. I am wondering if the students are given the task of finding sites and collecting the best they find. Possibly creating a rubric of what makes a good site and a submission form if the site meets the criteria.

I love the screen capture sites but have yet to find the application in my teaching. It is good to have it in my back pocket and I know it will come in handy. I loved Cast-O-Matic and think that demos would be great to capture.  The Teacher tube and YouTube avenues for expression and searches are amazing. I have posted videos of my daughter and many people have viewed them. I love hearing the stories of unknown people having their videos go viral. This medium breaks down the traditional route to becoming a celebrity. I need to find a quicker means of shooting and editing videos. I will be getting two cameras this week and can’t wait for the students to start exploring the possible projects.

http://society6.com/

http://animoto.com/

New Great Sites
Today's class had my mind swimming with all the possibilities in technology. I am glad I am leartning about what is out there but I feel very far out of the loop.


http://delicious.com/ Social Bookmarking has been confusing for me and I now understand what the power is. I am not sure how I could use it with students but I am wondering about the education side of DIIGO for the students to collect their research sources. I am defiantly going to join Delicious and think the Common Core Exploring could be a powerful focus for this tool. In just seconds I fould this booknmark page that offers wonderful links.

http://delicious.com/stacks/view/P8bJok Common Core State Standards

I also want to explore special education sites and find out more about apps for preschoolers. I find my bookmark in favorites are too linier and it would be great to have a site to collect and save my research. It is also something I could share with special education teachers and parents of special needs students.


http://freerangestock.com/ I am looking for photos for biography project and think this could be a good source. The older shots to show a person age progression. It would be great to have another source for my students other than Google Images. Just today I was unable to scan photos from Time For Kids and the students ended up using the internet to get their own images.


http://www.doodle.com/ Calendar scheduling – I can’t wait to use this site to try to schedule with the Blazes teachers. I have 11 teachers to pull together for student field trips. It will be a lot simpler to have the Doodle to see when they want to schedule their student tutors. The kids will also enjoy being part of this process.


http://thinkfinity.org/ Teacher resources – I haven’t been back to explore Kathy Schrock’s site and need to check out what is new. The Verizon site seems more modern with be a great source.  areas http://school.discoveryeducation.com/schrockguide/authordate.html


Social Media- I am a used of Facebook and am seeing the obsession that happens. I am glad they there is a 12 year and older limit but think that age will come down soon. I have never friended parents or students but have had friends become parents and that can be awkward. I have tight privacy settings but I know many who do not even have privacy set. I love the idea of using Fake Book and am going to incorporate it in my next biography project.
http://classtools.net/fb/home/page


Second Life - This site is scary to me. I am not clear on the “normal” uses but think there could be a lot of people living in this world and not embracing real life. It is important as a teacher to be aware and I need to keep an open mind. My gut says that this is not a place I want to be part of. http://secondlife.com/?gclid=CN6IhcG04q4CFUPc4Aod_yh7ZQ Second Life

RSS

I love the idea of RSS and using it to streamline my tracking of information. In school we often follow the Patch as well as the local news. Students write and send out press releases to the West Hartford Press, West Hartford Press and West Hartford News. I think Google Reader will be a great tool to manage access stories. I tried Edmodo and discovered it will is not seen as a feed source. As we move into the new website of SharpSchool there will be more opportunities to add blogging for the students and I can have the ability to follow each one on my RSS feed. There have not been many blogging, newspaper, podcast or vodcasts sites that I have followed since much of this is new. I see the value and know that as time goes on this can be very valuable.

My current personal passion is understanding more about my daughter’s special education needs.  I would like to start exploring the world of special education and specifically DDS and Intellectual Disabled blogs. This will help me understand her needs but it also will help me be a better teacher. There is so much about PPTs, IEPs, goal setting and finding services for children with special needs. I think the RSS offers a great way to manage this information and I can see it being a tool to help parents of my students.

I loved the demo of Screen Cast-o-Matic. I can see the many possibilities in the class. We have been working with the document cameras with the audio recording and this site gives me the option of recording my complete smartboard lesson. I have printed my notes on the smartboard but how powerful would it be to record voice and allow kids to play it when they were absent. I am excited about Flipping Classrooms and know we will see more and more of this. The lecture and demo do not need to be whole class but the problem solving and collaboration need to be done with peers. The whole concept of homework misses the impact of learning with the teacher and working together toward a solution. Too often parents are asked to help and they were not privy to the instruction. It a situation with  struggling students having the parents be able to access the instruction could really aid the student’s understanding.  This Screen-o-Cast could really help in my lessons and its simplicity is beautiful!

FINALLY
I figured out how to post a podcast. This link will take you to the Testimony I gave at the Senate Hearing on Bill 24 Education Reform on February 21st:

PodCast Testimony on Senate Bill 24

I was able to get the mic to work on my school computer but not on my home computer. Then access to bean pod was restricted. I have a student who is thrilled about using audio recording with PowerPoint. He is researching Greek Gods and is going to interview Poseidon and Zeus. I have about 6 students learning how to do Prezi and they are grinning ear to ear. It is wonderful how excited they get about technology.

Podcasts

I see a real advantage of podcasts and know my students will enjoy this technology. Just today a student asked about creating a radio broadcast. He is researching the Greek gods and wanted to try something new. I suggested PowerPoint and now see how the audio can be added now. I think that audio offers an exciting avenue for publishing especially for the shy students. My previous career was in broadcasting and we worked with voice-overs and edited audio recordings. This technology is similar but it offers it to the masses. The poetry tea where the students show their poem illustrations can also incorporate a podcast so they can publish their poem and voice on-line.  There are other ways that we can add audio and I was thinking that Fake Book could be incorporated in my biography project and I already discovered that the acceptance speech the students write can be added to the site. How cool would it be to add a spoken speech? I push my students to do public speaking and believe this will be a new way to get them hooked. I plan on podcasting the testimony on the Senate Reform Bill 24 on Connecticut Education Reform. 

Vocaroo

This tool can be a great motivation for students who love technology and don’t enjoy writing. I have seen students’ blog more than they write and I know some who will talk more than they will blog. It all comes to motivation for many students and audio technology is a new tool I want to explore.

LoG Me In 

Is another tool that may finally allow me to access my school files. I have been tempted to use Google docs and send many files to the clouds but I am hesitant to move everything off my hard drive. I do not use many mobil devices but laptop at home, phone and the school network would be great to sync.  I will have to explore the district restrictions but I can at least start at home and access some files with my phone.

Over all these technologies are exciting and I can see how they can change the way I teach. My biggest challenge is having enough time to explore and being able to work closely with students to help them master the tool. In a classroom of 25 and having some very energetic students it is difficult to turn my back and give small group focus. I believe that this spring post CMTs will open up the schedule. Once I try a tool and learn the basics the next time is much quicker. I also find that the students are sponges and can learn quickly and pass on their knowledge to peers in a flash. It just takes the first step and I am willing to take it.

Wiki Class Reflection


I am excited about creating a wiki for my students to use. The power of collaboration on a wiki will be the perfect way to implement my next writing project and offers an exciting technology to explore. The students have been blogging and through the Blazes Fire Hydrant project they know what a basic Wiki is. The Who What Where When West Hartford grant needs a tool that will allow students to work together and add their feedback and input to the story they write together. The residents will also be able to keep track of the progress and the parent mentor will also be able to manage the process. I started the basic wiki and will add more info as I develop it. I am really excited to have the students start adding and contributing. There are so many ways I can go with this idea and I am excited to start and get the kids involved.

http://www3westhartford.wikispaces.com/

Class Wiki
https://edt615.wikispaces.com/


Wikis are a powerful tool that I have just started to explore. George's lesson showed a biology classroom site where the Wiki offered reflection on lessons as well individual student pages. I think this is a huge motivator for students. Wiki can also be a sort of website for a classroom and students can add their writings and research. Our school is leaving our current website software and moving to web based. I think a wiki offers a great way for me to continue the student internet publishing I used to do in the classroom. I got many ideas from the readings and the videos. I like the idea of using vocabulary and think that having students respond to other posts helps with accountability and offers a model to follow or improve on. The collaboration aspect of wikis is what makes this tool powerful. I will add more as I explore this week.

Reflection Guide

 

What Web 2.0 technology did you work on this week?

Did the course readings/videos help in your knowledge of this technology?

Was class time valuable in helping you understand this technology?

What, overall, do you think of this technology (good and bad)?

How can this technology be used in your professional practice/classroom?

Will your pedagogy have to change in order to employ this Web 2.0 technology?

What other thoughts do you have on the subject?

 

 

IGoogle

The topic of the week was exploring I Google for a repository of RSS feeds, web searches, e-mail access and widgets. I think it is a neat tool and one worth exploring. The use in my school would be limited due to their restrictions but those are opening up every day. You Tube which was blocked can now be accessed and it concerns me the door was open to all without expressing parameters or teacher training.

Citations

I have the students use a bibliography format guide for sighting their source and have the librarian support me in the introduction to plagiarism when we start their first research paper. Throughout the project I find they have to be reminded to record their sources especially when using the Internet. I like the on-line citation sites because they can save their work from home or at school and the forms are easy to use. Our school uses Noodletools and I found Citation Wizard which also is easy to use. I think having actual points in a rubric for the number of sources and the format of the citation helps teach kids the importance of giving credit where credit is due.

Acceptable Use Policy

In trying to find out the Acceptable Use Policy for West Hartford Public Schools I found that we don’t have it posted as such. I found Administrative Guidelines for Technology from 2002. In reading it I find it has to be very general to cover all the unknown areas people can explore. The main focus is that the Internet is a vast area of information and that individuals must use good judgment when accessing and avoid controversial sites.  As stated in the notice fro WHPS Administrative Guidelines for Technology, “The use of computers is a privilege, not a right,” The school has the authority to limit access and report to authorities if access is abused. The list of restrictions is not surprising and follows what I feel is common sense. I do feel that it is dangerous to assume all employees know what is sensible and feel that it should be mandatory to read the policy and share it with the students. Each age level would have to be considered for what is appropriate to share but as the new generations emerge the technical expertise and knowledge is going younger and younger. We can’t assume the innocence of any age group and never know what access the kids are given at home. In my classroom I ban blind searches and have told the students if you would x out the page if a teacher walked in that you are on the wrong site.

In a nut shell the policy is that we must follow all laws, that the access is not private and can’t be used for personal uses. We can’t add software or download programs without permission. We must follow copyright laws. As teachers we must monitor student use and not let the students publish without parent permission. I believe most teachers would find the policy straight forward and that is contains reasonable expectation. In order to avoid violations of the policy administrators should ask teachers to read the policy and sign that they are aware of the expectations and rules of computer use in our district.

Acceptable Use Policy for WHPS Called Administrative Guidlines

http://tinyurl.com/7zr96j6

Citation Wizard
http://citation.jsarkis.com/

Constructivism

When learners actively construct new ideas based on their their knowledge they are actively learning. The constructivism approach to teaching lends itself to project based teaching. As a teacher of 24 or more I can’t begin to direct each student in the variety of courses for optimal learning. For years I have enjoyed a project based approach because the outcomes are undetermined and the direction the students take is based on their background, interest and skill level. The manner in which the students select to research, present, and engage the class is open ended.  Rubrics allow me to give base guidelines but allow for individuality in expression. A webquest where they design a future colony and allows this self expression and a unique opportunity to truly understand colonialism. The colonies are refreshingly unique every year.  While researching the past for decision making the students develop a true understanding of what it takes to settle and create a successful colony.  High achievers do not have a ceiling and often head in unexpected directions once they delve into a topic or problem. Students with learning disabilities can enjoy great success and focus of the strengths they can share with the group. I recently went to a service learning training to learn how to implement a project in my district. Service learning offers students opportunities to actively explore their community to investigate problem.  I had to hold back my ideas and opinions to let the students select the problem and take the project in the direction of their interest.  The constructivism method of teaching allows teachers to guide and mentor but not direct the learning. The project was called “Where in the Blazes RU?” and through community conversations with the mayor, fire chief and police officers the students have launched a district-wide campaign to track fire hydrants and recruit adoptive parents for snow removal. The results are amazing and the students enjoy a sense of empowerment that I had not witnessed before. I am glad we are moving toward a constructiveism approach to teaching. The core lessons still have to give base skills but the creativity, collaboration and active learning is wjhat will excity and motivate our students.

Future Quest Webquest

A Glimpse of My Future

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Introduction

What will your future hold? What kind of life do you want? The sky is the limit as you plan your future through this WebQuest. 

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Task

 

Group Task  You and you classmates will look at your current life and dream of and design your future. Individual Task Take a snapshot of your current home, school, chores and transportation. Then select your college and career. Pick the car and home of your dreams.

You will need to:

• 1. Create a short HyperStudio presentation on your current life: School, jobs, home, transportation.
• 2. Select the COLLEGE and a part time job.
• 3. Select CAREER and interview a professional.
• 4. Choose a CAR and explore the costs.
• 5. Select a location to live and find a HOUSE.
• 6. Gather all the cost information in a spreadsheet.
• 7. Complete four HyperStudio slides representing your future.

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Questions

To plan your project you need to research and answer specific questions. We encourage you to use our link to Word Central's Student Dictionary or to use a classroom dictionary when reading through web pages.  Using your research you will make the critical decisions that will help your project be successful. Click on the graphic to reach the research questions.

CollegeWhat college or university would you like to attend? What will you study? What is the cost? What part time job will you have during school or over the summer?

CareerWhat would you like to do for a career? What sort of responsibilities would you have? What kind of advancement is possible? How much money can you expect to make?

AutomobileWhat kind of car would you like to drive? What are the extra features you think the car should have? How much will the car cost and how much is the insurance?

HomeWhere would you like to live? What kind of home do you dream of owning? How much will it cost and what will be the yearly insurance you will have to pay?

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Final Presentation

• A typed request letter that was sent to your college of choice.
• An interview sheet of someone in your field of interest.
• A spreadsheet containing all important cost information. (spreadsheet)
• A HyperStudio presentation outlining the highlights of your future.
• A presentation of your final glimpse of the future.

Future Web Links

Schools	Careers
Colleges	Occupational Outlook Handbook
College Choices	Careers
Cars	Homes
Automobiles	West Hartford Homes
Vehix	Real Estate
	Home Search
Connecticut Digital LibraryThis link works at Duffy School or by using your Connecticut library  card number as your ID

 

Evaluation

Use the following rubric to self-evaluate your  project. Keeping this rubric in-mind during your research, planning and writing will help ensure you get the best grade possible. Throughout this WebQuest remember to follow the "Student's Rights and Responsibilities". Your team's success depends on working cooperatively and being focused.

Conclusion

Congratulations! You have just completed a glimpse of your future. Changes will happen and it will be interesting to see if any of your plans come true. Remember to keep dreaming and reach for the stars. 

Reflections on class one - Blogging

Today we were introduced to blogging and the power it has to motivate students. I have some experience with blogging but I have a lot to learn. I am a personal journal keeper and I write daily. Writing for an audience changes the content and how you express yourself. The blogging site we are required to keep for this course is a great way to reflect and actually review and evaluate what we learned. I am excited about taking my students into the next step in blogging. Although it is fun to explore in the beginning, kids need to be instructed as to what is appropriate for blogging. I have been exploring blogging in my classroom and I find that having directed questions based on classroom topics or material helps keep the focus. It is difficult to come up with new ideas and trying to get all kids to have access can be hard. As a teacher I struggle with how to give enough time to each subject. I love to see my students so excited about writing that they do more homework than usual or want to skip recess to blog. I think blogging is a very powerful tool for elementary students and that if teachers monitor and give feedback great learning will take place. I am going to develop a rubric that the kids can self access their entries and see if it keeps them focused and more reflective.

Link to class info
http://uhaweb.hartford.edu/rking/edt615/

Tiny URL http://tinyurl.com/y9cvyjx

Find a blogging site for kids

I need to explore the new web site the school is launching and whether we can start blogging before the true launch.

New Technology

The start of new technology is always difficult. I do not grasp new interfaces quickly.