Double Entry Journal # 13

I chose to do my WebQuest on Goldilocks and the three bears because it is a classic fairy tale that I have enjoyed since I was kid. I have used Goldilocks and the three bears in many lessons over the years for my preschoolers so I thought why not try a WebQuest with the fairy tale. I thought that by using it as a WebQuest I could make it more fun and interesting by adding the new technologies that I have learned over the semester. So far it has made for a new and creative way of letting the bears have a say about Goldilocks being in their house. The video I have on my introduction page I choose because it was very detailed in tell the story of Goldilocks and the three bears it had a combination of the interactive story that is being read aloud but also has the complete text on the bottom of the screen for the kids to follow.

Double Entry Journal # 12

1. Which two of example WebQuests are the best ones? Why?

        I think that the WebQuest Grow School Greens was one of the best because it offered the students a chance to see their project develop over time and it showed them that all of their participation was needed to make the project successful. The other WebQuest that I thought was one of the best was Underground Railroad because it gave the students a chance for fun by allowing them to act out their researched roles. 

     2.Which two are the worst? Why?

        I thought that the WebQuest Ancient Egypt was one of the worst because it required alot of research that was not even needed to complete the project. The other WebQuest that I thought was the worst was Ice Cream WebQuest because even though it seems fun their was not alot of critical thinking and research going on.

   3.What do best and worst mean to you?

         The best to me means that it provides the students with an opportunity to learn something new in a fun and creative way while promoting collaboration and interaction among their peers. The worst to me means that the project is done on a more individually level and that students do not really get alot of feed back or learn new skills or concepts.

WebQuest Worksheet

My Role:

Affiliator

WebQuest	Strengths	Weaknesses
Grow School Greens	It relies a lot on group participation and consensus. Every group member has a job in the project and they must collaborate and work together to make it succeed.	No real weakness
Where is My Hero?	It’s a group project that offers a lot of collaboration like interviews, several group discussions, group presentation and poster.	Each member researches a different famous person and they do not share the information until after
Underground Railroad	Emphasizes a lot of group woke and collaboration among group members. Also allows for group interaction by giving them a chance to act out their researched role	Students research their roles individually
Ice Cream	A lot of cooperation among the groups on deciding the flavor of ice-cream	Worksheet is done individually
Ancient Egypt	Work with a partner	No collaboration of group members. Even though working with a partner the work is mostly done individually

Web 2.0 Tools Questions

1. Choose a tool that could be used in the classroom.

           The tool I choose to use in the classroom is MeeHive

       2.  Describe the tool.
          This tool is used for creating you own personalized newspaper. It lets you talk about what is happening in your world and about the topics that are interesting to you. This tool also lets you read news articles, blogs, editorials, and watch videos about your interest anytime that you want.
     
       3. What content area would you use the tool?
            I would use this tool for the content area of writing and english.
    
      4. Briefly describe a lesson in which you would implement the tool.
         I would have the class produce their own newpaper. First I would have each student find something that is interesting to them to write about. Then I would have them been gathering information from other sources such as articles, interviews, etc on the subject that they choose to write about. Then have them organize and edit the information that they gathered and begin writing their article for the newspaper. After all the students have completed their articles you can use the MeeHive tool to produce the students newpaper.

      5. What do you need to consider before using the tool in a classroom?
           Before using this tool you would need to consider what topics you think would be and would not be approiate for the students to write about. Also need to consider the age group for which the tool is being used and you need to make sure that you have access to computers for the students to put the newspaper together.

Double Entry Journal # 11

The three things that I learned from watching the video "Thinking Creatively: Teachers as Designers of Content, Pedagogy and Technology" are first that Pedagogy and Content are messy when on there own but if we combine them we can make them easier to understand and by combining them we also makes it easier to understand how subject matters are put together for teaching. The second thing that I learned is that Quality Teaching is the Transformation of Content and that just because someone is an expert in their field of  study this does not mean that they would be a good teacher. The last thing I learned is that Technology is evolving so rapidly that some teachers can not keep up with it. I think this is why many teachers became frustrated with using technology in the classroom.

Google Form

If you were a crayon, what color would you be?

Double Entry Journal #10

Quote:

"In today’s rapidly changing world, people must continually come up with creative solutions to unexpected problems. Success is based not only on what you know or how much you know, but on your ability to think and act creatively. In short, we are now living in the Creative Society"( Resnick, 2007).

Response:

I think that the ability to think creatively is needed for success in today's society and for future generations. As it says in the article the world is rapidly changing and as it does we need to produce students that are both effective learners and have the ability to think critically and creatively. I believe the old saying of " thinking outside the box" should be encouraged in our students of today. We live in a digital world one where technology in the classrooms can be used to promote creativity among our students. So by encouraging this creativity and giving the students freedom to express their thoughts and ideas we are giving them the ability to succeed not only in education but the ability to succeed in life.

Reference:

Resnick, M. (2007, December). Sowing the seeds for a more creative society. Retrieved April 2, 2012, from https://online.fairmontstate.edu/webct/urw/lc15057011.tp0/cobaltMainFrame.dowebct

Related Resource:

Creative thinking leads to success- brief article (1999, December). In Find Articles. Retrieved April 2, 2012, from https://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m/272/is_2655./ai_58037922/