Inquiry Based Learning

I am in the process of creating my very own WebQuest! I want to focus on a science topic since my lessons of interest so far have all been about reading. I am excited to branch out and try something new. The TN State Standard that I have picked is Science, 1st grade. This lesson will be based off of GLE 0107. T/E.1 Recognize that both natural materials an human-made tools have specific characteristics that determine their use. I plan to give them an exercise that will open their eyes to objects that are natural vs man made objects that they use everyday.
I am excited to get into this, as it will be my first WebQuest!

WebQuest

WebQuests can be an excellent resource in the classroom if you find the right ones. After disecting a few of them that were geared towards elementary school aged children, I realized that there needs to be a fine tooth comb filtering process to ensure that it is right for your classroom. Just because there is a WebQuest available, does NOT mean that it will be appropriate for your students. However, when you do find the good ones, they are great way to teach your students about the internet while doing assignments that they would normally do out of a booklet. This goes to show how much more technologically inclined students are today then when I was growing up. It is great!

World of Wikis

Who knew what a wiki was or that it could be so much fun? Creating a wiki is like super sized texting. You can create a webpage, add pictures and comments, then wait for your friends to respond by adding to or changing it. Not only is it fun to create, but when I think about using it in my classroom, I realize how useful it can be to communicate with parents. It will be helpfull for parents who want to be involved in their childs schooling, especially if they do not have the time to come into to the classroom as often as they would like. I cannot wait to hear what the parents have to say about it!!

Wikkis

Ok, so now this is really getting interesting. Do you ever realize how much you love to do things that you KNOW how to do? Last week I was still a little hesitant when working with the new concept (to me) of Wikkis. Now that I am getting my feet wet and learning how to add links, backgrounds, pictures and modify the wikki, I am really starting to like it. I will invite you with a link soon after my team and I get our wikki looking presentable. Who knew it could be so FUN!?!

Starfall.com

I evaluated a website called Starfall.com. This exercise was brilliant, because it helped me realize what I need to look for in a site that I may want to use for my classroom. When I went to the site initially, I thought that it would be a fantastic website to use with my students. It was colorful, full of phonics lessons, and even discreetly separated by age/ reading levels.
With the evaluation sheet that I used to guide me in realizing what the important aspects are in a website, I realized that it was not quite as perfect as it looks to someone who does not know what details to look for. I feel that after going to different websites and picking them apart to ensure that they are “reliable, accurate, current, presented with no apparent bias and follow good design principles for accessibility,” I am more prepared to find websites that will be most effective for my students.
I never before thought to look for the date that the website was updated or for the author’s information. I now realize how important that could be when considering how frequently curriculum and the information that we give to children can change. If you do not emphasize the importance of updated information, you might be teaching children things that are outdated or no longer “the best” way to teach them. Also, all websites should have the author’s (or somebody associated to the website) contact information in the event that something is not working or the user is unsure of how to use it.
I not only enjoyed this exercise, but I learned a lot of things that now seem like common sense, but I had just never thought about before as important when it comes to using websites.

Howdy and Welcome!!

Hello and welcome to my blog!! Today is the first day of an exciting extravaganza called Technology Education. I am looking forward to seeing what this world of blogging has to offer my classroom and future students. I cannot wait to show you more about me and what I have experienced. Stay tuned...