http://www.zunal.com/webquest.php?w=56540

I enjoyed coming up with ideas for the Webquest and I felt that Zunal, the program I used, was very user friendly and easy to understand. I loved the explanation of what needed to be put on each page and the option to add pictures. The planning sheet really help to clear up in my mind exactly what I wanted to happen in my Webquest and how I was going to tie everything together. The peer evaluation was helpful to both receive and to do because when I was checking another Webquest I realized things on mine that needed improvement. I learned that in order to really put a great lesson together you need to have a plan. I think it would've been very difficult to make the Webquest on the spur of the moment. So for note to self if I ever want to use a Webquest in my classroom someday I will need plenty of time to prepare it and make it all work together.

Digital Photography!

I really think that in older and some younger grades that digital photography will be a fun way to help them lean! It's a hands on activity that allows them to express their creativity and learn a the same time! Also I think it'd be a great idea for a teacher to keep a running digital record of the years activities in photos! Then you could put them on a disc or into a slide show for each student to have and to remember the year!

Math comic book page! Nick Baker was the author of all captions!!

Web Applications!!

The web application provided to explore were great! I played around a lot with the colonial website and on the Nasa under the kids section. The colonial one would be great in educating students on how life was during that time from the type of clothing worn, careers, classes (ses), and everyday life. I think if you had discussed with your class about the colonial period and perhaps read some information from their text books. Provided them with a some background knowledge and then let them explore the website putting a visual and interactive part into their learning to help concrete it and increase comprehension. I explored the NASA website and found a great interactive games for students. I played one that had to do with the solar system, it asked questions about the planet and as you got them right a comet got closer to the sun. Once again if students had foundational knowledge of the planets, their order, and a little about each planet they would be successful enough to continue playing but they'd also be challenged and learn what they didn't already know.

Instructional Architect

Instructional Architect will be an incredibly helpful teacher resource! I found so many lesson ideas and resources that it would make it must simpler and more efficient to use technology for my students and me. I am thankful that we had someone to explain how it works because otherwise I would've been lost, but her instructions and information were helpful. I hope to be able to use Instructional Architect and contribute to it in the future!

Web Quests!!

Until today I had no idea what a Webquest was or what you could use it for. I think it is a great way to allow students to use there technological skills and complete an assignment linked to curriculum. It also is a great way to keep control of where the students are searching and web and the information they are browsing. I think when you add the technology into an assignment the students interest immeditely is increased and then if you can combine it with an project that engages them and is hands on or kinesthetic it can create a great way for the students to learn and have fun doing it!

For my "webquest-to-be" I'm studying the Civil War. I have found several websites that discuss the events of the Civil War. For their task the students would need to choose several events that they found most interesting and create a picture time line of the events.

Web Site Evaluations!!

The internet is so big and so vast that I often find myself lost and confused about what is legitimate and what is just plain crap. Through the years I've learned how to look at websites and decide if I can trust the information presented or if I should find somewhere else. As with everything students are learning things for the first time, they need to be taught the proper way to do things and the more strategies you can give them the better.

Today I pulled up a website called Facts about the Moon for Kids. It is produced by Woodlands Junior High School. When I checked out the website in the accessibility checker it only had 3 errors. I thought this was a lot but as I checked out other websites I soon realized that there were not many websites that had only 3 errors they often had many more. So as I checked the same moon website on another evaluation form and it checked out there as well. The information was current and up to date, the presentation was simple to use but eye catching and intriguing just the same. There were fun and easy to use interactive models that students would easily be able to use and enjoy. Overall I found that the site was great and it would be a perfect one for kids to explore and learn about the moon!!

As they worked through the website though it would be a great example for teaching them how to find good websites and what aspects to look for and to avoid.

Spreadsheets and Google Surveys!

I think that knowing and being efficient with using spreadsheets can make a teachers life much easier. As teachers we are not only expected to document grades but also to collect data. As teachers enter grades any shortcuts to save time would be excellent so knowing the shortcut functions will save time. Then being able to change them into graphs and present visual data to others will help keep this organized and simple.

Survey...

Copyright Laws!

I knew that copyright is huge but I never realized how many different areas it applied and how thoroughly work is protected. Of course there are loop holes and those that don't care but if you understand the ethics, laws and reasons behind you can see how empowering the law is and why we have it! It allows people their creativity without fear of it being stolen. It was interesting reading the case studies because those are such simple and common circumstances that could easily happen to anyone. Knowing the copyright rules will keep you protected while allowing you to be creative as well. I don't think the laws are in place to limit individuals because even though things are copyrighted doesn't mean we can't use it, it just means we need to take the time to get permission and give credit to those individuals who were the creators. In the case studies we felt that some of them were very clear cut and others were in a murky gray area, so we said if you don't know for certain it doesn't hurt to make sure that what you want to use is available or to get the proper permission.

Fruits of the YETC!

I was amazed at how many resources the YETC has available. I haven't been in there since my freshman year and I think it has broadened in what is available. The open computer labs with endless amounts resources available. Video downloads such as Reading Rainbow, Magic School Bus, and Bill Nye the Science Guy. It was really surprising that many of the resources available can be down loaded on a portable hard drive and kept forever. I loved the websites he showed us. I can easily see how I will be able to incorporate those asessts into my lesson plans, and make them much more memorable and engaging for my students. I also enjoy the welcoming atmosphere Nathan creates. He is open to question and loves to help and that is obvious in his passion for education and helping future teachers.

Using UEN!

I believe that UEN will be a a great layer to add to my teaching foundation. There are so many excellent resources available. Sample lesson plans will be great for ideas and a quick fix. The lesson plan creator will help me in making quality lesson plans where I don't leave any thing out. Sometime you have knowledge in your head that someone else may not have so the lesson plan may not be useful to them, but the lesson plan creator is complete in the information it asks for. Having a link into eMedia, Pioneer Online Library, and Wimba Room Management will add another dimension to my classroom as well as the resources and knowledge that I can offer my students. The students will be able to receive a variety of examples and learning techniques so that the information hits base to students of all learning styles, visual, audio, hands on. It will also be nice to have the core standards and objectives so accessible.

Blogs in Education!

I think that blogging is a great way to help children learn to use technology and improve their writing! If each student had a private blog that only the student, the teacher, and their parent could access they could keep a journal as they improve their typing skills and computer usage skills. Also with student blogs at the end of the year as a gift with funding help from parents you can print off the entire blog and they bind it into a book. I think this would be a fun keepsake for them to have and one that would keep better than the little journals normally given. I just thought of another pro to blogging journals. If you as the teacher want to read over them you don't have to worry about taking their journals home, having them get lost or ruined. You can just look at their posts where ever you are that has internet. Also I think blogging is a great way to keep parents updated on class activities that have taken place and what's coming up. Getting the parents involved with their students will be beneficial for the classroom as well as students individually. It's a simple and eco-friendly way to communicate with parents and get input. Simple give each parent the address and all the same password to login with and it would be easy-peasy!!