WebQuests

According to Dodge (2007) a WebQuest is an inquiry-oriented lesson design in which most or all the information that learners work with comes from the web. The model was developed by Bernie Dodge and Tom March at San Diego State University in February, 1995. Teachers and educators from all over the world have embraced WebQuests as a way to create excellent use of the internet while engaging their students in the kinds of thinking that the 21st century learner requires.
Authentic WebQuests are a scaffolded web structure that uses links to resources on the World Wide Web and a authentic task to stimulate students exploration of an open ended question (March, 2007).
A webquest task should have a connection to the real world, be real and relevant. The Productive Pedagogies framework states that lessons should have "value and meaning beyond the instructional context, making a connection to the wider social context within which students live" (Queensland Department of Education,2002).
Last year I created a WebQuest with a fellow colleague for the first time aimed at grade 2 students about 'Why are the frogs disappearing from our local area?. Students where required to investigate the causes of their disappearance. They then had to design a sustainable environment suitable for frogs to live. One of the last tasks was to report their findings and concerns to the wider community such as the local government. Throughout the webquest specific links were set up to guide the students investigations through the World Wide Web and Word Documents. We did find the process was very time consuming however well worth the effort to set up. There is also a bank of webquests on the internet to explore and use.

References
Dodge, B (2007)Research About WebQuests. Department of Educational Technology, San Diego State University. Retrieved on August 16, 2009 from http://www.webquest.org/index-research.php
March, T. (2003)The Learning Power of WebQuests. Association for Supervision and Curricculum Development. retrieved August 16, 2009 from http://coe.nevada.edu/nstrudler/MarchWQ03.pdf
Queensland Department of Education.(2002). Productive Pedagogies: Classroom reflection manual. Retrieved August 16, 2009 from http://education.qld.gov.au/public_media/reportscurriculum-framework/productive-pedagogies/

Google Earth

What an amazing tool for learning in all areas of education. I have been a user of Google Earth for 2 years now and love it. My children love google sky and spend hours looking at their planets. We can explore the earth, sky and now under the ocean. According to Google Earth (2009) your computer becomes a window to anywhere, allowing you to view high-resolution aerial and satellite imagery, photos, elevation terrain, road and street labels, business listings, and more. Here are five cool things you can do with google earth:
1. View an image of your home, school or any place on Earth
2. Tour the world
3. Get driving directions from one place to another and fly (follow) the route
4. View other cool locations and features created by other Google Earth users
5. View 3D terrain of a place
The possibilities of google earth are endless for the classroom setting. You could use this e-tool in units such as:
Under the Ocean: You can fly and navigate under the ocean and explore underwater terrain. You can also display the ocean surface.
Our place in space: Explore the solar system and planets such as Mars - View imagery and terrain of the red planet. The following YouTube clip gives you a short insight into google sky:



Kearsley and Shneiderman (1998) state "the fundamental idea underlying engagement theory is that students must be meaningfully engaged in learning activities through interaction with others and worthwhile tasks’. They believe that technology such as Google earth can assist engagement in ways which are hard to accomplish otherwise.

Enjoy your flight

References
Kearsley.G & Shneiderman.B (1998).Engagement Theory:A framework for technology-based teaching and learning. Computer citing 15 August, 2009 from http://home.sprynet.com/~gkearsley/engage.htm

Podcasting

Podcasts and Vodcasts are so popular these days in our busy world. Postcasting means we do not have to rely on tradtional media such as the television or radio at set times to listen to shows. The following YouTube by Lee Lefever explains podasts in the simplest terms:



I was not sure how Podcasts worked until I saw this YouTube clip. I now have an understanding of how podasts/vodcasts are either a audio or video file that is uploaded and then downloaded from anywhere at anytime for playback on a computer or any other playback device such as a ipod/mp3 player. I have since subscribed to various Podcasts relating to Education K-12.
According to a study by Stansbury (2008) of existing research it has been found that multimodal learning supports a notion that already has begun to transform instruction in schools across the globe. Multimodal learning uses different modes and strategies that cater to individual learners' needs and capabilities.
Hooked on Phonics is a Vodcast which could be used as a different form of teaching to introduce new letters and sounds in a Prep classroom. This would be an engaging tool that the students could see and hear. This could be used along side other forms of teaching the sounds in class therefore making it a multimodal way of learning phonics.

References
Stansbury, M (2008)Analysis: How multimedia can improve learning. Computer references cited 15 August, 2009 at http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/top-news/?i=53243

YouTube

YouTube and TeacherTube are phenomenons that continue to engage us online. YouTube and TeacherTube allow you to watch, make, upload, embed or download video/s on the internet. It is a good idea to think of video in two separate ways when using them in a classroom for teaching. Firstly 'technical' aspects of the video and how it is developed and distributed. Secondly 'pedagogical' relates to how you make it available to your students and how you use it. Videos can be used in a variety of ways such as to introduce a topic or explain different points of view. I think the possibilities are endless when it comes to using videos in class and with added music or sound they can be very engaging as long as they are kept short.
According to Kearsley and Shneiderman state that engagement theory for technology based teaching and learning places a great deal of emphasis on providing an authentic setting for learning. For students to be totally immersed and engaged in ICT learning environment they must be able to 'relate' to a real-world, authentic problem based scenario. They also need to, in small teams, 'create' solutions to this problem and then 'donate' the solution back into the real world. Students would be able to work in small groups to design, plan, problem-solve and make a authentic YouTube clip that relates to the unit task.
The following YouTube video could be used in class to teach students about the World Wide Web (www). I believe this video is real and relevant to students learning about technology and ICT's. I showed this video to my own children who are in grade 3, they were blown away about what they learnt. They surf the net on a daily basis, however, had no idea of where the information was coming from. This clip explained everything in plain English. It is a short explanation of what makes the World Wide Web work: browsers, packets, servers and links. I have used the 'keepvid' tool to save it to my computer and believe this should be shown to students from Grade 1 upwards. You may even learn something yourself.
Enjoy :)


References
Kearsley.G & Shneiderman.B (1998).Engagement Theory:A framework for technology-based teaching and learning. Computer citing 14 August, 2009 from http://home.sprynet.com/~gkearsley/engage.htm

Quizzes

Multiple Choice Quizzes offer the Learning Manager a number of advantages in the classroom. Some of these advantages include dismissing the use of paper based tests and offering the students a formative learning resource online. You can also structure these tests so the students can practice as many times as you like, this allows some students to be or become successful. Good and Brophy (1990,p.187) state that "practicing or rehearsing improves retention especially when it is distributed practice. By distributing practices the learner associates the material with many different contexts rather than the one context afforded by mass practice"
Oliver (1999) designed a learning framework which describes the best way for students to learn online. There are three elements that can guide the learning experience for students, particularly ICT learning experiences. These three element include: learning tasks, resources and support. Online quizzes can offer all of these elements provided the Learning Manager has appropriately designed the quizzes according to the particular unit.
The fantastic thing I believe about online testing is that they can be marked online automatically, saving the Learning Manager valuable time at home painstakingly marking. As I am currently in a Prep class I am not sure how I would be able to use this tool in class as a lot of my students cannot read. I did design a quiz as a chance to see how easy it was to prepare just click on the link if you dare Take our online test
I will however be able to use this online assessment tool for future classes in the lower and upper primary grades.

References
Good, T. L., Brophy, J. E. (1990). Educational psychology: A realistic approach. (4th ed.).White Plains, NY: Longman. Retrieved 14 August, 2009 from http://www.usask.ca/education/coursework/802papers/mergel/brenda.htm

Oliver, R. (1999). Exploring Strategies for Online Teaching and Learning. Distance Education, 20, (2), 240-254. Retrieved 14 August, 2009 from www.learningdesigns.uow.edu.au/project/learn_design.htm

Animations and Simulations

Well I have just finished my first "initial observations" of a bullfrog without feeling sick. Basically I dissected the froggy in cyber space! This simulation is found at http://www.froguts.com/flash_content/index.html and is one of the many online simulations from this site you can bring into your classroom depending upon the age of your student to enhance learning in biology and the environment. I did show this to my 8yr old son who was really engaged and managed to find all the organs with ease, he thought it was so cool.
According to Howard Gardner(1975) multiple intelligences is a theory that caters for students of various learning abilities. He goes on to state that there are eight different intelligences including: Visual, Auditory, Kinesthetic. By using these simulations and animations you would be fulfilling the needs of most learners.
'Explore Learning' also offers the world's largest library of interactive online simulations for math and science education. They call these simulations Gizmos. All these simulations and animations encourage students to use exploration and inquiry. They can be a stimulating tool for small group work, individual exploration, and whole class instruction using an LCD projector or interactive whiteboard. Being web-based they can be accessible not only in the classroom but anywhere there is internet connection. Can you imagine dissecting a frog using McDonalds WiFi connection? :) The possibilities are endless.

References
Gardner, H.(1975).Multiple Intelligences: Accelerated learning in practice - how to develop and access multiple intelligences. Retrieved 11 August, 2009 from http://www.gp-training.net/training/educational_theory/multint/multint.htm

Ken Robinson talks creativity

Sir Ken Robinson is a fantastic speaker this is a must watch for everyone :)