Friday, April 29, 2011
Monday, April 18, 2011
The Best and Worst of Webquest
The two examples from WebQuest I thought were the best were "Grow School Greens" and "Where is my Hero?" These two I feel would be great for students to do. "Grow School Greens" involves togetherness with the class and the students also get to see their project progress as the vegetables grow. "Where is my Hero?" is a great activity to get students creative sides thinking but also includes learning. The students are able to collaborate outside the classroom and analyze people they choose to be theuir hero.
The two WebQuests I found the worst were "We all Scream for Ice Cream" and "Ancient Egypt WebQuest." The ice cream activity to me does not seem very educational. They learn to make ice cream but what are they really learning? Also the site was somewhat confusing. The Egypt activity is not terrible but the creators probably could have taken a different approach to the idea. The site was very plain and boring which turns people away quickly. Also it seems like the project is very dry, there is not much room for kids to be creative in it.
The best sites mean to me that children are getting involved and learning. These activities are educational but allow students to show their creative side as well. The worst sites are the ones kids would not learn from. Either the activity is fun for students but they do not learn anything or the students learn but are very bored with the activity.
The two WebQuests I found the worst were "We all Scream for Ice Cream" and "Ancient Egypt WebQuest." The ice cream activity to me does not seem very educational. They learn to make ice cream but what are they really learning? Also the site was somewhat confusing. The Egypt activity is not terrible but the creators probably could have taken a different approach to the idea. The site was very plain and boring which turns people away quickly. Also it seems like the project is very dry, there is not much room for kids to be creative in it.
The best sites mean to me that children are getting involved and learning. These activities are educational but allow students to show their creative side as well. The worst sites are the ones kids would not learn from. Either the activity is fun for students but they do not learn anything or the students learn but are very bored with the activity.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
The Top Ten Video
When it came to activities in my K-12 education it all depended on the teacher to what activities we did. Some teachers strictly taught lectures, others liked worksheets, but my favorite kind of teacher was the one who liked us to interact. So I was able to experience a few times when I did little activities like the one in this video. I had a class where at one point in the year the students were put into groups and had to teach a chapter to the class. I also did group projects where we researched, wrote papers, and created games to go with our topic. So needless to say I did have a few times where I did some fun activities but nothing to this extreme and not in fourth grade. I think that this activity addresses all the learning styles, even kinesthetic. The students are involved in so many different projects everyone’s learning style seems to be incorporated. The students give lectures/presentations, research, have discussion, do a test on their pets, and more.
I am not very surprised that most of this project was done without the use of textbooks. The students did not need books they could find any information they needed on computers and from experience with the animals. I think students have more fun when they are not having to research a book. They want to go out into the world and figure information out on their own and in a fun way. I would definitely consider teaching in a similar way. Some concerns I might have are some students not getting into the assignment and other students having to do extra work because someone is slacking off. Also children at the age do not know much about researching so that may be a barrier we need to work on.
I am not very surprised that most of this project was done without the use of textbooks. The students did not need books they could find any information they needed on computers and from experience with the animals. I think students have more fun when they are not having to research a book. They want to go out into the world and figure information out on their own and in a fun way. I would definitely consider teaching in a similar way. Some concerns I might have are some students not getting into the assignment and other students having to do extra work because someone is slacking off. Also children at the age do not know much about researching so that may be a barrier we need to work on.
My Blogging Thoughts
I liked keeping a blog this semester because I have never had a blog before. I think it is a great tool to teach teachers and future teachers especially in this technology savvy world. It is a way to stay connected with your students and their parents outside of the classroom. This is definitely a great way for teachers to be more effective with their students. Most likely students have computers at home and are on them a lot. So by communicating to them through a computer you may be able to show them ways computers can help them educationally. I’m not sure if I will continue posting to my blog. I may try to start a new blog in the future focused on my classroom. Throughout my blogging this semester I have learned more about networking. Blogging has helped me learn new ways to communicate to people via computer and internet. There is no limit to the ways people can communicate and blogging is just one of the many. There are also education sites that are designed for teachers and students to communicate. Also, I cannot forget about skyping people, the new way to talk on the computer but still be face to face.
Wikipedia: Friend Not Foe
The class activity did not change my opinion much when it comes to the value of Wikipedia. I do not think we need to forbid students from using the sight just teach them how to use it properly. Students need to know Wikipedia is not a site you can cite information from but just a starting point site. You can search for your topic and see what information you can find. Then research that information. If I were to have my students use Wikipedia in my classroom I would first have a few lessons on how to use the site. I would probably try to explain the four points brought up in the article: familiarize yourself with the site, discuss the wiki concept with students, start small, and prepare for challenges. I believe these four discussions will help my students become knowledgeable on how to use Wikipedia.
Monday, April 11, 2011
Wikipedia
Wikipedia is a web-based encyclopedia operated by a non-profit organization called the Wikipedia Foundation. I would not say that this is the most trustworthy source to get information but it can help you get on the right track to finding reliable sources. The creators of Wikipedia put their faith in the “wisdom of crowds.” They hope that with so many people watching the website incorrect information and vandalism will be weeded out. Larry Sanger, Wikipedia founder, left the website because he believed a website like this one should give more authority to experts than the public. Abuse and vandalism on this site look like advertisements and self-interested editing by prominent businesses and governments around the world. The statistics reveal to us that Wikipedia is a site that people around the world use daily for many different topics. Wikipedia is so successful because it has a wide variety of topics and information plus is easy to access. The creator’s probably do not want to accept advertising because this non-profit organization relies on donations. Advertisements would take away some of the donators. Wikiscanner is a tool that allows IP addresses of anonymous editors of the site to be easily checked.
Monday, April 4, 2011
Friday, April 1, 2011
California's Velcro Crop under Challenge
Name of page: California's Velcro Crop under Challenge
Address/URL: http://home.inreach.com/kumbach/velcro.html
Date Accessed: April 1. 2010
How did you find the page?: recommended by my teacher
The domain of the page is .com which mean this is a commercial site and anyone could have posted it.
The author of this article is identified right under the titile. I assume the author is just an individual because there is only his name, no organization, corporation or organization is mentioned that he may be affiliated with. There is also no information about the author whatsoever. Nothing about his credentials, education or his career.
I believe that this man created the information himself. There are not any sources to back up his statements. With this information presented or lack of I might add, I do not believe this man is qualified to write about this issue. He clearly made this information up because there are no links to other websites that have information on this issue.
There really is not much of a purpose to this article. It mainly just talks about how over the years velcro is getting more difficult to grow and that it is hard for workers to manage it. The author wants people to realize there are special needs to grow velcro and get them to help solve those problems.
There are no adds so it is hard to tell who the audience is the author is targeting. I would say an older audience due to the vocabulary and people who use velcro.
There is no information provided that informs us when the article was last updated and there is no need to maintain this page because there is absolutely nothing on it but the article itself. The only information provided is when the article was written. This page is completely unreliable. The are no other sources, links, reviews, awards, or opinions from experts. Anyone could have written and posted this.
This site fits the criteria of my current assignment. This site is very questionable with no information to back up his facts. This is a perfect example of a website that has false information on it. This website would work for anyone researching questionable websites.
Address/URL: http://home.inreach.com/kumbach/velcro.html
Date Accessed: April 1. 2010
How did you find the page?: recommended by my teacher
The domain of the page is .com which mean this is a commercial site and anyone could have posted it.
The author of this article is identified right under the titile. I assume the author is just an individual because there is only his name, no organization, corporation or organization is mentioned that he may be affiliated with. There is also no information about the author whatsoever. Nothing about his credentials, education or his career.
I believe that this man created the information himself. There are not any sources to back up his statements. With this information presented or lack of I might add, I do not believe this man is qualified to write about this issue. He clearly made this information up because there are no links to other websites that have information on this issue.
There really is not much of a purpose to this article. It mainly just talks about how over the years velcro is getting more difficult to grow and that it is hard for workers to manage it. The author wants people to realize there are special needs to grow velcro and get them to help solve those problems.
There are no adds so it is hard to tell who the audience is the author is targeting. I would say an older audience due to the vocabulary and people who use velcro.
There is no information provided that informs us when the article was last updated and there is no need to maintain this page because there is absolutely nothing on it but the article itself. The only information provided is when the article was written. This page is completely unreliable. The are no other sources, links, reviews, awards, or opinions from experts. Anyone could have written and posted this.
This site fits the criteria of my current assignment. This site is very questionable with no information to back up his facts. This is a perfect example of a website that has false information on it. This website would work for anyone researching questionable websites.
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