Learning by Building Models
When I first think of models, I think of hands on representations of things that teachers build to demonstrate something to the class. Models can also be built by students to aid in their own learning. However, I do see computer programs as models that teach. As I learned from the book and definitely agree, technologies can really only teach students things that they can memorize. These technologies can also analyze students' answers to see if they have memorized these bits of information. Instead of using these types of models, students should use Mindtools. I had never heard of Mindtools, but these tools work better since they force students to teach the computer which implies that they truly understand the concepts. This also helps students think harder and use all of their knowledge from different areas of learning.
Modeling Knowledge with Concept Maps
Concept mapping is one way for students to model what they know. Concept maps are like people's brains since they show how information is connected and relates to other bits of information. Students must know the information in order to make a concept map. Concept maps are also useful as they can show students how to get to a new concept from one that they already know and understand. I will use concept maps in my classroom as a way to connect new information with prior knowledge. I have previously discussed concept mapping programs that I will use in my classroom. I also think a good way for students to connect all of the knowledge that they have learned throughout the year in all subjects is to create a large concept map that they will add to throughout the course of the year.
Modeling Systems with Systems Dynamic Tools
Systems are complicated concepts to teach and learn. I know I had trouble, particularly in high school, with various systems that I had to learn especially in my biology class. They are also more complicated so a simple model cannot show how the system works and the ways in which little parts of it can affect the whole thing. By having computer programs that can demonstrate how these systems work and all of the little things that go into a system, I think students will have a much easier time fully understanding these systems. Although there are fewer systems that are taught in the elementary school years, I will use some form of a systems dynamic tool to teach the systems to my class.
Modeling Problems with Spreadsheets
Spreadsheets are a good way for students to not only organize their own knowledge, but also to simulate concepts to understand them better. In high school, I used spreadsheets to form graphs by using collected data. This gave me a visual representation of what I had learned. The idea to input different data to change the graphs to show how different bits of data affect other bits is a excellent way to show how all things affect each other, especially when it is difficult to understand by just explaining. I will use spreadsheets in my classroom, but I do think they are a little difficult for young children to use. I will probably start by making a spreadsheet to show my students and then allow them to work together to make their own.
Modeling Thinking with Expert Systems
I had never heard of an expert system which is a system that is an artificial decision maker. An expert system is just like an expert person but as a computer. I think of this as being similar to a doctor verse webmd. Students can use these expert systems to reflect on how they would solve a problem. Students can use these to lay out the steps used when solving a problem.
Modeling Experiences with Databases
Databases are collections of things which can include stories, articles, ideas, and more. Students would most often use these in researching or sharing of their own ideas. They can also learn a lot of information from things they find in databases. Databases are also very well organized so information is easy to find. I looked up the website http://kite.missouri.edu and was fascinated by how many stories they had about using technology in the classroom. I tried using the database and found stories about incorporating technology with every subject in every grade level. I will continue to use that database as a resource.
Why Build Models with Mindtools
As I mentioned before, I was not really familiar with mindtools. Although the ideas I read about in the book were not new to me, I had not necessarily thought about using them in the classroom. I think these mindtools can be very useful in the classroom as they give students a way to construct their own knowledge in a way that makes the most sense for them.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Ch. 4 Response
Using technology is very helpful with supporting writing. I always knew that you could use some sort of word processing to write more quickly, but had never really thought of ways to incorporate other parts of writing with technology. Technology can be used to help with the organization and planning of writing. One way is through concept maps. You can just write out on a piece of paper concept maps, outlines, etc, but technology can make this process more organized. There are many online tools that can do concept maps. Many of these you have to buy, but I found several that were free to use.
Webspiration- This site seems easy to use and has examples to help get you started. It also has tips and tricks when you might get stuck. This could be very helpful as a college student and as an educator. For all uses and particularly for classroom use, you can make the concept maps very colorful which I think is great for kids and helps them follow along. You can also use lots of cool shapes. I would definitely use this site in my classroom.
http://www.bubbl.us/ - This is another site that is fairly simple to use. It also uses color and has good instructions. This site and webspiration also allow people to work collaboratively on the same project since it is on the web. I could also use this site in my classroom although I think I prefer webspiration.
Technology can also be used to present writing. I have known this for a long time as I and my teachers have been using this for presentations for a long time. I was somewhat surprised to see that the book recommended power point while it seems to get a negative reaction from some teachers these days. Of course, the text wants people to use many of the features that power point has to offer which many people do not. I did not even know about some of these features until reading the book. For example I did not know that there was an "AutoContent" wizard that has different types of slides depending on the type of presentation. I also was only somewhat familiar with adding links into the presentation. I have never done this but I have seen other presenters who have. I also learned that teachers need to make sure that students do not spend too much time on the visual design features of their presentation.
The text also gave suggestions for ways to use technology to help children become more creative writers. The texts mentions using online sites for publishing. I have learned in my previous teaching writing class that publishing students' writings definitely motivates them to write better and to enjoy writing more. I checked out some of the websites suggested in the book and some that I found on my own.
http://www.poetryforge.org/index.html0 This site was suggested in the book. I like that it seemed fairly simple to use for both teachers and students. It definitely seems like something kids could almost use on their own as it gives prompts and recommendations. However, this site was only for poetry and did not seem to have as much freedom as other sites.
http://www.biguniverse.com/ - This website is my favorite. Children can create and share their stories for free. Children can also add pictures and colors to their stories. Children can also read a ton of stories published by other children and some real published books. I think I will definitely use this site in my classroom.
http://www.kidpub.com/ - This is another website where students can write their own stories and read other children's stories. They can also get their books published and enter contests. I also liked that there is a "never-ending" story that children can just keep adding on to. This is a good site; however, it does cost $12.95 per year.
The text also discusses collaborative writing. I feel like I did not really collaborate with other students when in t came to writing in school. However, I do like the idea and learned that there are different types of collaborative writing: intensive collaboration (working side by side on the project), writing that is done apart but work together a little, and writing that occurs sequentially. By working together, students can learn other points of view and practice having different roles. Writing like this can at times used the sites listed above, but many other sites are better. Also these sites will allow students in your classroom to work with students all over the world.
http://docs.google.com/# - This site allows users to upload documents and other users to see and edit these documents. The site also allows the user to make their documents private if needed. The way the site is presented is a little boring so I think it might be more beneficial for older students.
http://www.kidsonthenet.org.uk/ - This website allows children to write their own stories, poems, etc and read those of other children. It also lets children write collaboratively. This site was very student friendly and I liked that it had lots of different topics that children can rite about and it puts all of their writings together.
The texts also recommends peer review and feedback on writing. I found that most of the websites allow people to make comments about the writings. Although this may not be the best form of review since some people might be writing things of little importance, it does allow some feedback.
I found this chapter to be the most useful for classroom use so far and I feel that I learned about a lot of tools that I id not even know existed until searching for them.
Webspiration- This site seems easy to use and has examples to help get you started. It also has tips and tricks when you might get stuck. This could be very helpful as a college student and as an educator. For all uses and particularly for classroom use, you can make the concept maps very colorful which I think is great for kids and helps them follow along. You can also use lots of cool shapes. I would definitely use this site in my classroom.
http://www.bubbl.us/ - This is another site that is fairly simple to use. It also uses color and has good instructions. This site and webspiration also allow people to work collaboratively on the same project since it is on the web. I could also use this site in my classroom although I think I prefer webspiration.
Technology can also be used to present writing. I have known this for a long time as I and my teachers have been using this for presentations for a long time. I was somewhat surprised to see that the book recommended power point while it seems to get a negative reaction from some teachers these days. Of course, the text wants people to use many of the features that power point has to offer which many people do not. I did not even know about some of these features until reading the book. For example I did not know that there was an "AutoContent" wizard that has different types of slides depending on the type of presentation. I also was only somewhat familiar with adding links into the presentation. I have never done this but I have seen other presenters who have. I also learned that teachers need to make sure that students do not spend too much time on the visual design features of their presentation.
The text also gave suggestions for ways to use technology to help children become more creative writers. The texts mentions using online sites for publishing. I have learned in my previous teaching writing class that publishing students' writings definitely motivates them to write better and to enjoy writing more. I checked out some of the websites suggested in the book and some that I found on my own.
http://www.poetryforge.org/index.html0 This site was suggested in the book. I like that it seemed fairly simple to use for both teachers and students. It definitely seems like something kids could almost use on their own as it gives prompts and recommendations. However, this site was only for poetry and did not seem to have as much freedom as other sites.
http://www.biguniverse.com/ - This website is my favorite. Children can create and share their stories for free. Children can also add pictures and colors to their stories. Children can also read a ton of stories published by other children and some real published books. I think I will definitely use this site in my classroom.
http://www.kidpub.com/ - This is another website where students can write their own stories and read other children's stories. They can also get their books published and enter contests. I also liked that there is a "never-ending" story that children can just keep adding on to. This is a good site; however, it does cost $12.95 per year.
The text also discusses collaborative writing. I feel like I did not really collaborate with other students when in t came to writing in school. However, I do like the idea and learned that there are different types of collaborative writing: intensive collaboration (working side by side on the project), writing that is done apart but work together a little, and writing that occurs sequentially. By working together, students can learn other points of view and practice having different roles. Writing like this can at times used the sites listed above, but many other sites are better. Also these sites will allow students in your classroom to work with students all over the world.
http://docs.google.com/# - This site allows users to upload documents and other users to see and edit these documents. The site also allows the user to make their documents private if needed. The way the site is presented is a little boring so I think it might be more beneficial for older students.
http://www.kidsonthenet.org.uk/ - This website allows children to write their own stories, poems, etc and read those of other children. It also lets children write collaboratively. This site was very student friendly and I liked that it had lots of different topics that children can rite about and it puts all of their writings together.
The texts also recommends peer review and feedback on writing. I found that most of the websites allow people to make comments about the writings. Although this may not be the best form of review since some people might be writing things of little importance, it does allow some feedback.
I found this chapter to be the most useful for classroom use so far and I feel that I learned about a lot of tools that I id not even know existed until searching for them.
Friday, September 11, 2009
Response to Ch 3
1. My first impression of Sodaplay was that it was somewhat boring. It also did not come right out and say what it was about. It took quite a bit of exploring with the various game things to figure out what to do. This microworld appears to be used to help with Science and more specifically physics. Its purpose seems to be to allow students to see how various changes in gravity, stickyness, or weight, etc affect physics by actually adjusting those variables. This could be used to help elementary students who are learning physics concepts to actually see how physics works by controlling the variables they are learning about. Without this, they can be taught how these various things affect our world but will not actually be able to see it. By being able to see what they are learning, they will have more meaningful learning about the concepts.
2. Net Frog- My first impression of this simulation was that it was alright, but not amazing and is definitely not the same as actually dissecting a frog. I am not a fan of using simulations for frog dissection. I remember dissecting frogs in 7th grade and absolutely hated it. However, by actually touching the frog and all of its grossness, I think I really learned about dissecting and biology. I also still remember the whole experience to this day. I think if I had used a simulation, I would not. I think students can learn from using this simulation, but they will not remember it forever so I do not think it is as meaningful. However, I think that if circumstances do not allow actual dissecting, this simulation is an acceptable alternative.
Funderstanding Roller Coaster- My first impression of this simulation was that it was somewhat boring but that it did get the idea across. I would probably use this simulation with students because I can quickly show them what we are learning about physics. I can also allow them to experiment with it. This can allow them to explore and learn without having to do something really complicated or costly. I think this does promote meaningful learning since the students are getting to visually see concepts that they are learning about and can physically affect what they see. By doing and seeing the effects of physics, they will most likely truly understand and remember the concepts.
3. http://www.smg2000.org/ The Stock Market Game. This simulation (for grades 4-12)helps students learn about the stock market by giving them "money" that they must invest. This simulation uses real stock market numbers to affect the students' investments. I think this simulation seems very interesting and a good way to learn many things at once. This promotes meaningful learning since students can practice what they are learning and really understand how the stock market works. This simulation affects multiple subjects including math, social studies, and language arts. It also helps students with critical thinking and decision making.
4. Darfur is Dying- My first impression of the game was that it was interesting but a little too complicated for me. I could not really figure out how to do the things necessary in the came. I might use the game with students. I would have to be teaching older elementary students or older and I would only allow it during free time or when students finish their work. I think students could learn about Darfur and see how difficult to do tasks such as getting water and how dangerous it is. I think the game promotes some meaningful learning but mostly I felt like it was just information and students would not necessarily even click on the question marks to get some of that information.
Aviti: The Cost of Life- My first impression was that I had played this game before so I was already familiar with it. I think this game is somewhat similar to the last game in giving information about the hardships of people in these areas. I pretty much feel the same way about this game as I do Darfur is Dying. It is only suitable for older students and I would only use this game during free times. I think this game promotes some meaningful learning by giving out information and by having the players suffer (by losing) in a representative way of the people in Haiti. However, I think some students might just see this game as a competition against the computer and may not actually learn anything.
3rd World Farmer- My first impression of this game and actually this relates to all the games is how depressing they are. My farm survived for 22 turns but I do not know what a good amount of turns is. I think this game shows students how difficult it is to be a farmer in a third world country. However, this game did not have little bits of information about the lives of these people; it simply lets the player experience loss and hardships. I would probably allow this game in my classroom in the same situation as the other two games.
5. http://www.primarygames.com/math/multiplication/index.htm This is a math game for children who know their multiplication tables which would be second grade to fifth grade. It is a fun way to practice multiplication tables while having to do some extra thinking to plan ahead to be competitive. In the game, the student plays against the computer to fill in four squares in a row. This is done by multiplying the given number by a number of your choice that will create an answer that will either block the opponent or help the student get to four squares. The game is fun and challenging but not in a confusing way. This game addresses several of Gee’s principles. It is active learning as the child has to actively come up with numbers to make the multiplication table. It addresses the practice principle as this is a fun way to practice multiplication tables without getting boring.
6. I researched virtual worlds for elementary students and found some examples of how they can be used. This includes interacting with famous people (past and present), exploring rocks, oceans, and other things outside of the classrooms, and connecting with students in other schools. I think the main concern when find virtual worlds for elementary students to use is content. The content needs to be appropriate for their age group as well as being able to actually teach something. I looked up this information on virtual world sites, teacher websites which had reviews, and different projects that researched the use of virtual worlds in classrooms.
http://horizonproject.wikispaces.com/Virtual+Worlds+-+Impact+on+Education
http://www.cs.ucf.edu/~moshell/CREAT/Caracol/TimeTravelRep.html
7. I have never taken any class that taught programming and I know nothing about it. I do not know anything about HTML code or any programming languages. I do not really even understand what programming is. Although I am willing to learn, I definitely struggle with some of these technological types of things.
2. Net Frog- My first impression of this simulation was that it was alright, but not amazing and is definitely not the same as actually dissecting a frog. I am not a fan of using simulations for frog dissection. I remember dissecting frogs in 7th grade and absolutely hated it. However, by actually touching the frog and all of its grossness, I think I really learned about dissecting and biology. I also still remember the whole experience to this day. I think if I had used a simulation, I would not. I think students can learn from using this simulation, but they will not remember it forever so I do not think it is as meaningful. However, I think that if circumstances do not allow actual dissecting, this simulation is an acceptable alternative.
Funderstanding Roller Coaster- My first impression of this simulation was that it was somewhat boring but that it did get the idea across. I would probably use this simulation with students because I can quickly show them what we are learning about physics. I can also allow them to experiment with it. This can allow them to explore and learn without having to do something really complicated or costly. I think this does promote meaningful learning since the students are getting to visually see concepts that they are learning about and can physically affect what they see. By doing and seeing the effects of physics, they will most likely truly understand and remember the concepts.
3. http://www.smg2000.org/ The Stock Market Game. This simulation (for grades 4-12)helps students learn about the stock market by giving them "money" that they must invest. This simulation uses real stock market numbers to affect the students' investments. I think this simulation seems very interesting and a good way to learn many things at once. This promotes meaningful learning since students can practice what they are learning and really understand how the stock market works. This simulation affects multiple subjects including math, social studies, and language arts. It also helps students with critical thinking and decision making.
4. Darfur is Dying- My first impression of the game was that it was interesting but a little too complicated for me. I could not really figure out how to do the things necessary in the came. I might use the game with students. I would have to be teaching older elementary students or older and I would only allow it during free time or when students finish their work. I think students could learn about Darfur and see how difficult to do tasks such as getting water and how dangerous it is. I think the game promotes some meaningful learning but mostly I felt like it was just information and students would not necessarily even click on the question marks to get some of that information.
Aviti: The Cost of Life- My first impression was that I had played this game before so I was already familiar with it. I think this game is somewhat similar to the last game in giving information about the hardships of people in these areas. I pretty much feel the same way about this game as I do Darfur is Dying. It is only suitable for older students and I would only use this game during free times. I think this game promotes some meaningful learning by giving out information and by having the players suffer (by losing) in a representative way of the people in Haiti. However, I think some students might just see this game as a competition against the computer and may not actually learn anything.
3rd World Farmer- My first impression of this game and actually this relates to all the games is how depressing they are. My farm survived for 22 turns but I do not know what a good amount of turns is. I think this game shows students how difficult it is to be a farmer in a third world country. However, this game did not have little bits of information about the lives of these people; it simply lets the player experience loss and hardships. I would probably allow this game in my classroom in the same situation as the other two games.
5. http://www.primarygames.com/math/multiplication/index.htm This is a math game for children who know their multiplication tables which would be second grade to fifth grade. It is a fun way to practice multiplication tables while having to do some extra thinking to plan ahead to be competitive. In the game, the student plays against the computer to fill in four squares in a row. This is done by multiplying the given number by a number of your choice that will create an answer that will either block the opponent or help the student get to four squares. The game is fun and challenging but not in a confusing way. This game addresses several of Gee’s principles. It is active learning as the child has to actively come up with numbers to make the multiplication table. It addresses the practice principle as this is a fun way to practice multiplication tables without getting boring.
6. I researched virtual worlds for elementary students and found some examples of how they can be used. This includes interacting with famous people (past and present), exploring rocks, oceans, and other things outside of the classrooms, and connecting with students in other schools. I think the main concern when find virtual worlds for elementary students to use is content. The content needs to be appropriate for their age group as well as being able to actually teach something. I looked up this information on virtual world sites, teacher websites which had reviews, and different projects that researched the use of virtual worlds in classrooms.
http://horizonproject.wikispaces.com/Virtual+Worlds+-+Impact+on+Education
http://www.cs.ucf.edu/~moshell/CREAT/Caracol/TimeTravelRep.html
7. I have never taken any class that taught programming and I know nothing about it. I do not know anything about HTML code or any programming languages. I do not really even understand what programming is. Although I am willing to learn, I definitely struggle with some of these technological types of things.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Respeonse to Ch. 2
1. After reading the section on Feeds (pp. 18-19), watch the online video 'RSS in Plain English' to further develop your understanding of how RSS works. Then, register for a bloglines or Google reader account. Follow the directions provided by the service.
I registered for a google reader account and began subsribing to my favorite websites.
2. Based on your reading (Information Gathering with Internet Resources, pp. 14-24), evaluate the following websites for accuracy of content. Be sure to identify the procedures you used to evaluate the website.
* Save the Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus
* Martin Luther King Jr. - A True Historical Examination
* Dog Island Free Forever
* All About Explorers
* History of Robots in the Victorian Era
* Dihydrogen Monoxide Research Division
* The First Human Male Pregnancy
* Which of these is the true World Trade Organization website? http://www.gatt.org OR http://www.wto.org
Procedures:
Relevancy- relates and has examples of things related to what you are searching.
Credibility- source of the information and treatment of the subject
Save the Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus- not accurate, relates to a topic that is a hoax but does have pictures, information about it, etc. It has date developed and last updated, no bibliography but does list other sites, not affiliated with an organization, came from a .net, it is biased in wanting people to save these animals. When searched for Wikipedia and other sources said it is a hoax.
Martin Luther King Jr. - A True Historical Examination- not accurate, little information about MLK, more about white pride, etc. No dates of development or updating, not affiliated with anything. It is biased against MLK.
Dog Island Free Forever- not accurate, no dates, no bibliographies or affiliated organizations, when searched came up as fake.
All About Explorers- not accurate for what it appears to be, information about the explorers is not true, the "about" part of the site explains it was designed by teachers to show students why they should be careful when researching.
History of Robots in the Victorian Era- not accurate, does have dates and related to topic but no bibliography or affiliated organization, when searched on other sites said these robots are not real.
Dihydrogen Monoxide Research Division- not accurate, does not have bibliography or legitimate organization affiliated with it, at very bottom of page in small print does say they do not claim to be telling the truth, when searched came up as a hoax.
The First Human Male Pregnancy- not accurate, no dates, bibliography or legitimate organization, when searched came up as false, although this site is false there was a man (who is transgender) who did have a baby in the last few years which this site did mention.
www.wto.org is the real site
3. On p. 24, Jonassen briefly mentions Internet scavenger hunts (AKA treasure hunts or knowledge hunts). Choose a content area and grade level, then do a search for a web-based scavenger hunt. How many do you find? Do any of them promote meaningful learning?
5th grade Christopher Columbus- 5 scavenger hunts, most just had fill in the blanks or short answer sort of questions but one site expected students to use their answers to have more meaningful learning by creating a time line, etc.
4. On pp. 25-26, Jonassen introduces webquests. Visit webquest.org and find a webquest you could use with a grade level you are interested in teaching, then provide an explanation for how that webquest you've selected is more than an 'electronic worksheet'. Use Jonassen's criteria for a well-designed webquest. That is, does the webquest incorporate cooperative learning? Does it incorporate consideration of multiple learning perspectives? Does it incorporate analysis and synthesis of information? Does it incorporate creation of original products that demonstrate knowledge gained? Is it open-ended? Is it student-directed?
A President to Lead Them All
Students are in groups and working together so it is cooperative learning. There are different learning perspectives involved as students have to use a computer to research, write a paper, and make a poster. Students are expected to analyze information about different presidents and synthesize it to decide which one they think will be the best. Students are required to present the information in their own way with the instructions given and present whatever information they think is necessary for the interesting facts portion. It is very open-ended as the students are expected to find whatever information is necessary with some guidelines to convince the class of their choice. It is student directed as students are finding the information with just a little bit of prompting and presenting the information to the class.
5. Search the web for an example of an elementary teacher who uses handhelds in his/her classroom. Provide an overview of how the teacher integrates handhelds. Does the teacher's use of handhelds allow her/him to do something s/he couldn't do before OR does the teacher's use of handhelds allow her/him to do something s/he could do before only better?
I found an example of a teacher who used handhelds in her 5th grade classroom. This specific time she was doing a social studies economics unit about the Great Depression. Students basically bought and then traded shares, started businesses and created a town by using their handhelds to beam information to the teacher and each other as well as used various programs similar to Microsoft Word and a calculator, etc. The use of handhelds allowed the teacher to do something she could do before but better. For example the students used the handhelds to calculate their losses and gains which could have been done with a calculator. They also bid on shares by beaming to the teacher instead of shouting out which the teacher said made this a quieter experience. Overall, the lessons could have been done without handhelds and really without any technology but the handhelds made the lesson easier (as in time in organization) and probably more fun for the students.
6. After reading the section on online survey tools (pp. 36-39), take this online survey. This survey was created using Zoomerang, one of the survey tools mentioned by the author.
I took the survey.
I registered for a google reader account and began subsribing to my favorite websites.
2. Based on your reading (Information Gathering with Internet Resources, pp. 14-24), evaluate the following websites for accuracy of content. Be sure to identify the procedures you used to evaluate the website.
* Save the Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus
* Martin Luther King Jr. - A True Historical Examination
* Dog Island Free Forever
* All About Explorers
* History of Robots in the Victorian Era
* Dihydrogen Monoxide Research Division
* The First Human Male Pregnancy
* Which of these is the true World Trade Organization website? http://www.gatt.org OR http://www.wto.org
Procedures:
Relevancy- relates and has examples of things related to what you are searching.
Credibility- source of the information and treatment of the subject
Save the Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus- not accurate, relates to a topic that is a hoax but does have pictures, information about it, etc. It has date developed and last updated, no bibliography but does list other sites, not affiliated with an organization, came from a .net, it is biased in wanting people to save these animals. When searched for Wikipedia and other sources said it is a hoax.
Martin Luther King Jr. - A True Historical Examination- not accurate, little information about MLK, more about white pride, etc. No dates of development or updating, not affiliated with anything. It is biased against MLK.
Dog Island Free Forever- not accurate, no dates, no bibliographies or affiliated organizations, when searched came up as fake.
All About Explorers- not accurate for what it appears to be, information about the explorers is not true, the "about" part of the site explains it was designed by teachers to show students why they should be careful when researching.
History of Robots in the Victorian Era- not accurate, does have dates and related to topic but no bibliography or affiliated organization, when searched on other sites said these robots are not real.
Dihydrogen Monoxide Research Division- not accurate, does not have bibliography or legitimate organization affiliated with it, at very bottom of page in small print does say they do not claim to be telling the truth, when searched came up as a hoax.
The First Human Male Pregnancy- not accurate, no dates, bibliography or legitimate organization, when searched came up as false, although this site is false there was a man (who is transgender) who did have a baby in the last few years which this site did mention.
www.wto.org is the real site
3. On p. 24, Jonassen briefly mentions Internet scavenger hunts (AKA treasure hunts or knowledge hunts). Choose a content area and grade level, then do a search for a web-based scavenger hunt. How many do you find? Do any of them promote meaningful learning?
5th grade Christopher Columbus- 5 scavenger hunts, most just had fill in the blanks or short answer sort of questions but one site expected students to use their answers to have more meaningful learning by creating a time line, etc.
4. On pp. 25-26, Jonassen introduces webquests. Visit webquest.org and find a webquest you could use with a grade level you are interested in teaching, then provide an explanation for how that webquest you've selected is more than an 'electronic worksheet'. Use Jonassen's criteria for a well-designed webquest. That is, does the webquest incorporate cooperative learning? Does it incorporate consideration of multiple learning perspectives? Does it incorporate analysis and synthesis of information? Does it incorporate creation of original products that demonstrate knowledge gained? Is it open-ended? Is it student-directed?
A President to Lead Them All
Students are in groups and working together so it is cooperative learning. There are different learning perspectives involved as students have to use a computer to research, write a paper, and make a poster. Students are expected to analyze information about different presidents and synthesize it to decide which one they think will be the best. Students are required to present the information in their own way with the instructions given and present whatever information they think is necessary for the interesting facts portion. It is very open-ended as the students are expected to find whatever information is necessary with some guidelines to convince the class of their choice. It is student directed as students are finding the information with just a little bit of prompting and presenting the information to the class.
5. Search the web for an example of an elementary teacher who uses handhelds in his/her classroom. Provide an overview of how the teacher integrates handhelds. Does the teacher's use of handhelds allow her/him to do something s/he couldn't do before OR does the teacher's use of handhelds allow her/him to do something s/he could do before only better?
I found an example of a teacher who used handhelds in her 5th grade classroom. This specific time she was doing a social studies economics unit about the Great Depression. Students basically bought and then traded shares, started businesses and created a town by using their handhelds to beam information to the teacher and each other as well as used various programs similar to Microsoft Word and a calculator, etc. The use of handhelds allowed the teacher to do something she could do before but better. For example the students used the handhelds to calculate their losses and gains which could have been done with a calculator. They also bid on shares by beaming to the teacher instead of shouting out which the teacher said made this a quieter experience. Overall, the lessons could have been done without handhelds and really without any technology but the handhelds made the lesson easier (as in time in organization) and probably more fun for the students.
6. After reading the section on online survey tools (pp. 36-39), take this online survey. This survey was created using Zoomerang, one of the survey tools mentioned by the author.
I took the survey.
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