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.