CEP 812; CQ & PQ

So for my final assignment we were asked to "make something, using something and to be creative"

At fist I was a little stumped by the task.  I thought about creating an app and through a few websites I realized that the way that I want to use the app could be very costly but I was able to make one that I could add to be weebly website.  I thought this would make me happy, however I think I like the first app I made better.  

I then started to think that this wasn't creative enough.  So while my creative abilities are a little lacking due to time I came up with a concept of what I want to do.  I am passionate about technology in education and communicating with my students in a way that engages them.  I have a twitter that I share with my students and I decided to join Tumblr so that I could share photos that I like or that I have shared in class.  

If time and technology permitted I wanted to design an interactive game for Social Studies.

Ultimately I was inspired to create a digital introduction assignment.  I was trying to figure out what I would do if my classroom became paperless and I had to change my typical introduction assignment.  So I decided that the best thing would be a digital introduction assignment.  Students will have to use Glogster or Wordle to complete the assignment.  In typical teacher fashion I have to make an example and do it first.

So here is my Glog:

Here is my Wordle:

CEP 800: Lesson Plan Reflection

Course Subject: World History                   Student Body: Summer School class of 20 students.

For module 5 I wrote a lesson plan about introducing my students to the religions of the world.  The major religions that we study are: Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism and Buddhism.  I chose to present the information using an application called Nearpod.  With Nearpod I can keep track of who is logged in to the program and viewing the presentation.  I can also view and share student responses.  Thanks to a recent update in the system, students can also view the presentation online by entering the PIN code.   I had to make a few changes to my initial plan because I didn't have all of the necessary resources in my summer school classroom and I also had to work within the limits of Nearpod.  For example I found some wonderful videos that I would like to have used but they were longer than 3 minutes and I don’t have the ability to play sound in my classroom.  The only technology equipment I have access to is my personal iPad, a projector and my teacher computer.  

When I began presenting the information many of my students weren't quite ready for the presentation to start, nor were they ready to start discussing the essential questions.  In the future, I need to remember to prime them with journal questions and open dialog.  Or start with something that will grab their attention.   I like to ask students about stereotypes. I like to address the bias heads on.  In the past the students jump at the chance to speak their mind but this group was fairly quiet.  They claim that they were “still asleep” and that it is hard to get the day started.  For the initial instruction, they worked well and few students responded. 

Once we got into the topic, they started to participate more.  I like to present basic facts about each religion and then ask what they all have in common.  While the concept of comparing 5 religions might seem daunting, they handled it well.  Using the graphic at right, the discovered that all religions have a sacred text, believe in at least one god, have a place of worship, and promote nonviolence.   I then asked the students to select two religions that they would like to learn more about or that they could consider adopting as their own faith.  I instructed them to create a pamphlet comparing the two religions.  Their goal is to decide which one is better and why.   Overall by the end of the day the lesson seemed to be going well. 

The main issue I had was dealing with the students who are taking my class to get ahead in the high school credits as well as the students who have fallen behind and failed the class before.  One-third of my class works faster than the other two-thirds and that has made a difficult dynamic to plan for.  As for the technology component, I would love to have had the ability to show them videos about each religion to introduce some more detailed information and provide some support for the essential questions.  I only had a few students with the ability to interpret and answer the questions. 

I have yet to master the timing of lessons and transition in a summer school class.  I’m also having troubles with the limits being placed on our program by the school we are utilizing.   I don’t have access to everything that I need and as much as I ask, I won’t get anything else.   This lesson as planned would have been at least ten times better when utilized during a regular school year with appropriate access to technology.   This lesson really left me with more questions than answers.   I began to wonder if there is an effective way to use technology to help students master content in a limited amount of time.  Is there an effective way to use technology when all you have access to is a computer and a projector?  My students all have an electronic device of some kind however I’m not allowed to let them use it.  Overall I’m not sure how to reflect on this experience because I feel defeated by the circumstances of the classroom. 

This lesson will defiantly have to be revised further in the future.  However I want to try it again before giving in to the notion that it needs to be completely revamped.  I’d like to add components of website links to expose students to more information and have them research each religion.  Take the students on a digital scavenger hunt within the lesson.  

CEP 800: lesson plan

Module 5 Lesson Plan:
Standards: Clark County School District/State of Nevada
X 2.1 - Students will compare and contrast the characteristics of World cultures by utilizing one of the big 11 social studies skills.
H1.[9-12].10 - Compare and contrast the characteristics of dominant world cultures.
X 2.2 - Students will analyze the origin, development, basic beliefs, distribution, and ancient contributions for the five major world religions: Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, and Judaism by utilizing one of the big 11 social studies skills.
H1.[9-12].11 - Analyze how and why the five major religions gained new adherents in various parts of the world.
H2.[9-12].18 - Explain the development of monarchies and their effects on centralized government, commerce and trade, and religion.
X 2.3 - Students will compare and contrast the social, political, and cultural impact of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, and Judaism on the world today by utilizing one of the big 11 social studies skills.
H1.[9-12].11 - Analyze how and why the five major religions gained new adherents in various parts of the world.
H3.[9-12].15 - Explain the impact of the five major world religions on the world’s political and social fabric.
H3.[9-12].23 - Explain how literature, music, media, and the visual arts affect social change.
X 2.4 - Students will analyze the dynamics between religions in different regions; e.g., India (Hindu and Islam), Middle East (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam), and western Europe (Catholic and Protestant) by utilizing one of the big 11 social studies skills.
H3.[9-12].15 - Explain the impact of the five major world religions on the world’s political and social fabric.
X 2.5 - Students will describe the role of religion and warfare in ancient and modern governments and society by utilizing one of the big 11 social studies skills.
H1.[9-12].11 - Analyze how and why the five major religions gained new adherents in various parts of the world.
H3.[9-12].15 - Explain the impact of the five major world religions on the world’s political and social fabric.


Content: What is the content you are teaching and what are the big ideas? What are the challenging concepts that students struggle with or are difficult to teach? Consider your state standards (GLCEs or HSCEs) as you develop the essential questions you are trying to address.

Subject: World History - Unit 2: Religion
Concepts:  Basic background on Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddaism.  Discussion of religious principles, leaders and founders, sacred texts, and ancient religious practices vs current practices.

Essential Questions:
·         Why does religion impact politics around the world?
·         What role does religion play in society?
·         How do interactions between eastern religions and Western religions impact societies around the world?
·         How does religion influence religion practices?
Why have religious practices changed over time?
What influences shape our view of organized religion?

Pedagogy: What pedagogical strategies are you using and why? What theories of learning inform your strategies? What learner characteristics did you take into consideration?

Strategies: Venn diagrams, flip charts, and charts for visual representations of information.  Handouts and worksheets with summaries about each religion.

Theories and characteristics: I took into account the theories on multiple modalities. Not every student learning in the same way and graphic organizers help student focus on the important details within larger sets of information.  I use text summary handouts because the information on religion is disbursed throughout the textbook and can be difficult to utilize.  I also provide students with handouts so that they can take the essential information with them.  Most of the students that I have worked with have been low level, special education, or ELL.  I teach in ways that allows them to be successful. Once the foundation of the information is established, I can progress to more difficult tasks.

Content & Pedagogy: How do these particular strategies help you teach the content mentioned above? Why choose these strategies over other approaches? Are there any technical or physical constraints that figured significantly into your choices?

The stragies I use help me teacher because I can ask my students to pull out important information and highlight it.  I can have them develop connections between monotheistic religions and polytheistic religions.  Discover more about each by asking questions: what do they have in common? Why might people of these faiths and backgrounds not get along?  Why would they work together?   I chose these methods because they are the only ones I know. These are the methods that I understand and ones that I have seen be successful. Over time I might modify them to increase rigor.  There aren't any constraints that I figured into my choices.  Althought I'm sure I could add more technology stragies.

Technology: What technology will you be using and why? Is the use of this technology absolutely necessary to achieve your objective? That is, would be impossible to teach the lesson without it? Remember that content specific technology (e.g., probes, graphing calculators, Geometer’s Sketchpad, United Streaming videos) are used to teach a content-specific concepts, whereas content-general technologies (e.g., Flash animation, Web 2.0 technologies) may facilitate deeper understanding by allowing students to manipulate information, explore a “network of ideas,” and investigate multiple representations of material.

I typically use PowerPoint for this part of the course.  I could use NearPod to increase student involvement in the instruction. Technology isn't necessary to achieve the objectives associated with the lesson.  However the lesson can be quite boring without a technology component.  This lesson might also be more interesting if students had to explore two or three religions and created a digital "road map" for religious understanding. Do the paths of these religions cross anywhere? We'd have to wait and find out.

Technology & Pedagogy: How does the technology you have chosen fit with your pedagogical strategies and theories about learning? What types of learning strategies are employed by the technology?

The use of technology would create discovery learning,  the students would learn by doing and trying. The teacher would gain responses and interaction throughout the lesson.  Nearpod would allow for question and answers, class poll to check for understanding, website searchers being built in to the presented information.

Technology & Content: How does your choice of technology help you teach the "big ideas" and address the essential questions underlying the concept your lesson addresses?

The technology would help me present several valid sources of information that students can search through to develop responses to the big ideas and essential questions.  Many time I find myself limited to what I have access to when teaching.  Adding technology could change the depth of knowledge level that my students interact with.

Assessment: What do you want your students to know, and how will you know when they know it?  How will you assess what students have learned?  What role does technology play in these assessments?

I want to students to know what makes religions the same and what makes them each unique.  I want them to learn why each religion was foundedand why they are still around today.  Why does society and culture value religion?

I will conduct several formative assessments in the form of questions and discussion. I will also ask students to complete a summative  assessment that will be several Venn Diagrams along with a written portion for students to explain the information that they represented visually.

CEP 812: Teachers and Technology survey

 812 survey conclusions                                  (trends are highlighted)

Based on the survey I conducted this week: 

I can conclude that most of the teachers I surveyed are comfortable or extremely comfortable with the use of technology in their classrooms.  I can conclude that in all 10 classrooms technology is used at least 2 times a week.  All teachers have access to a computer and a projector.  Less than half of the teachers surveyed have access to a smart-board (either SMART brand, e-beam or Promethean)  and/or a document camera (Elmo).  Most teachers plan their lessons online. Less than half use software available on their computers.  Most teachers execute their lessons via presentation software and websites to present information and conduct instruction.  Some teachers also use online instruction tools.  All teachers surveyed said they would like to have a student response system in their classroom.  7 out of 10 teachers said they would like to have iPads for everyone in their classroom.  3 teachers said they would like to have an electronic assignment system (paperless classroom); a computer station with upto 10 computers, dual screens with mounted projectors.  8 out of 10 teachers said they would consider taking a professional development course focused on technology. 

In the written response sections teachers had some common elements about how they would integrate technology into their classrooms.

·         Utilize technology without taking away from the classroom environment

·         Would love for every student to have access

·         Student Response System (SRS) would make assignments simple and immediate

·         (technology) allow all students access

·         Flipped classroom or at least a paperless one

·         Only a class set of iPads (to prevent student abuse of internet and games)

·         I could have all my students working on websites

·         I would use clickers to play review games before match and social studies tests

·         I would make technology more available

·         Student access to the internet and programs selected for them by the teacher

·         I’d have access to everything that could help make my students successful

·         iClickers and iPads = increased student participation and increased level of interest

·         Easier grading

·         Differentiated instruction and more developed projects

The final question on the survey, also a written response question, lacked sufficient data.  The only themes I could infer are online/digital presentation of information and student response systems.  There was some interest into eReaders and iPads as well as paperless classrooms.  Some people didn't seem interested in attending technology professional developments.  

Most teachers, while they support technology use, have some concerns about the availiability of the tools they would like to use as well as how to maintain control over the use of technology.  While is sounds wonderful to many of us to have an iPad for every student, the reality is that not every student in every class will use it as it is intended, nor will every student in every school have access.  

After review that data that I have collected, I curious how this information will change when I switch schools in the fall.  I will be leaving a school where it is difficult to gain access to technology in favor of a Career and Technical Academy that requires all students to have computer user access.  I'm also curious about how this survey would look had I had the ability to get all teachers at either or both schools to take it.  Would the results be the same when 60 teachers participate? What about 80-100? 

CEP 812: My info Diet

Adding to my info diet was a little difficult.  I couldn't think about what else I wanted to know.  My main interest for a while has been educational technology and flipping my classroom.  That being said I decided to focus on some of the "problems" I had while teaching and where education is going besides the technology route.  How did I increase my info diet?  Well I decided to use Twitter and I chose to follow Education Next, We are Teachers  and  Khan Academy.  Khan Academy promotes lifelong learning and it can be used as a classroom research.  Our students can sign up for free, watch video, learn new things and review recommendations based on what you have already complete.  Education Next publishes an quarterly journal that is focused on education reform and the potential for major changes in education.  I chose Education Next because of its editorial view on education.  I didn't want another source that provides the weekly or monthly trends in education.   I decided to follow We are Teachers in the hope that it will inspire me to try something new.  Maybe I can forgo my need for a flipped classroom or maybe I can get ideas on how to improve and make it happen faster.  Overall my goal is to grow as an individual and as a teacher.  I wanted to select pages or Twitter members that I could learn from and that will challenge me to be better.  I looked at several that also addressed some of my classroom problems but they haven been updated in years! The problems and issues I've faced in my classroom include lack of innovation/imagination, social learning, some dysfunctional classroom management with my co-teacher and at times a lack of flow through a lesson.  In my opinion all of these sites have the ability to help me change my problems.

CEP 800 Digital Storytelling

This is my digital story about close reading.  I hope you like it.

How can we use technologies to support students’ special learning needs?

For this assignment I chose to focus on something that is close to my heart.  I conducted some research about students with learning disabilities.  Over the past 20 years that I have been in school I've compared myself to other students.  Approximately fifteen years ago, I was diagnosed with a learning disability.  As a child I didn't know much but as I grew as a student it became more and more aware of how it affected my learning.  With the advancements in technology, accommodations can be made to help all students with learning disabilities.

Based on my research most of the technology used with LD students consists of computers and recordings.  According to Maccini, Gagnon and Hughes, 

"Three practices appear promising for educating students with LD: (a) hypertext and hyper-media software programs; (b) videodisc instruction involving contextualized learning; and (c) multimedia software." 

I will be uses this as a guideline for choice of technology that is available today.  Most of the other research I looked at was outdated and referred to "videodisc instruction" as the preferred application of technology for students with learning disabilities.

  In the 21st century there are tens if not hundreds of methods that can be used.  Depending on the type of disability the student can use anything from Dragon Naturally Speaking, to help them take verbal notes and "write" essays, to screen readers and audio books.  Imagine setting a student up with a laptop that has access to everything they need to be successful in all of their subjects. For the purpose of this assignment I'm going to focus on the MacBook.  All MacBooks have a built in  Voice Over function.  Voice Over has several different uses as it was originally intended to assist people who are blind or have limited vision.  Voice Over will read webpages, emails, word processing documents, calendars, etc.  This will come in hand for LD students like me who have a hard time with lengthy text or who get caught up on words that they don't know.  The use of a laptop would give a student with a learning disability access to everything from digital textbooks to electronic math worksheets. The access would also allow the student to self accommodate in class.  Let's get all students to work with 21st Century skills.  

References:
Maccini, P., Gagnon, J. C., & Hughes, C. A. (2002). Technology-based practices for secondary students with learning disabilities. Learning Disability Quarterly, 25(4), 247-262. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/1511356

Bryant, D. P., Erin, J., Lock, R., Resta, P. E., & Allan, J. M. (1998). Infusing a teacher preparation program in learning disabilities with assistive technology. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 31(1), 55-66. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.msu.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/62555773?accountid=12598

Woodward, J., & Gersten, R. (1992). Innovative technology for secondary students with learning disabilities. Exceptional Children, 58(5), 407-407. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.msu.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/201212049?accountid=12598

Ellsworth, N. J. (1993). Technology and education: Applications for students with learning disabilities. Learning Disabilities: A Multidisciplinary Journal, 4(2), 45-51. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.msu.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/62786475?accountid=12598

CEP 800: Module 2 Interview

I interviewed one person about the process of electing the president to the United States. As you view the video you will see that I addressed some of the misconceptions.

Gee Chapter 2

What limitations prevent us from solving big, complex problems smartly?

We as humans limit ourselves to certain parameters. We try to solve the problem the best way we know how, often without considering prior experiences and our emotions.  We do not consider that others might be able to guide us through new problems or that having a plan is necessary to solving the big, complex problem.  

In order to solve problems we need to establish the conditions to be smart.  According to the book these conditions are:

1. Initial Mentorship
2. Prior Experience
3. Clear Goals
4. We need to get something out of it/What matters emotionally
5. Opportunity to act/elicit meaningful response from the world

So what does this mean? It means that in order to solve big, complex problems we need to seek help from others before considering prior experiences.  Once we set the foundation for solving our problem we need to establish a set of clear goals. Among those goals we need to answer the age old question, “What is in it for me?” Once we discover what we want out of the solution and take into account our personal emotions, then we can discover the opportunity to act.  Our actions should fulfill our goals and gain a meaningful response from the world or at least the other people involved (i.e the class, school, community, etc).   

At the end of Chapter 2 Gee defines what it means to be SMART.  Smart means:

1. Process of building simulations before acting
2. Acting
3. Assess the outcome in terms of goals met
4. Choose a new action or adjust the old one
5. Act again

I agree with this definition or process for solving problems.  As a teacher I see students solve problems everyday and they do not always solve them in a SMART manner.  Too often students react to a problem or situation, rather than stop to think and assess the problem.  The SMART system as described in this chapter encourages each person to do that.

 Gee says that humans are the only animals capable of simulating time and accounting for it in our simulations for solutions to problems.   With the knowledge that Gee has provided to me, I think it is my responsibility to educate others about this method.  If anything, it provides support for an argument that I already make to my students.  I tell my students that they can choose how they react to situations and solve problems.  No one can make them feel anything or force them to respond.  It is a choice that they need to be aware that they are making. 

I teach in a neighborhood where your reputation matters more than your education.  The standard problem for my students would be that someone has disrespected them or taken something from them.  Their typical solution is to fight and if they end up in jail or expelled so be it.  I keep telling my students that more often than not, someone is just trying to get a reaction out of the other person.  This may not be the same big, complex problems that Gee is referring too but it is one we deal with all too often.

As we as humans become more aware of the problems we face and learn to avoid our natural urge to react based on emotion, we can then advance to solving problems the SMART way.   The more informed we are, the easier it will be to solve problems.  We can work together to find a common solution and think about problems logically with little emotion (other than the satisfaction that there is a solution to our problems).  Overall I thinking this is a wonderful starting point and can be customized and improved on for each individual.  

Explore a problem

For my CEP 812 class we needed to solve a well-structured or ill-structured problem.  I chose the ill-structured.  Where I teach it can be difficult to get students to respond.  They are often shy and don't want to interact unless it is for a grade or if you tell them what to say.  In a perfect world I could walk into my principal's office and tell him that I need 40-50 iPads the WiFi password.  I could then take the iPads and have my students interact with the text digitally first, before sharing in class.  Hopefully soon I can make this a reality.  *I'm keeping my fingers crossed that my new school will have better technology access.*

For more information about Subtext, place check out their website!

CEP 811 Final Reflection

1. What are some things that you have learned about effective teaching strategies when integrating technology?  I've learn how to use StAIRs and Webquests and I can't wait to try them out.  I have learned that it is more than using technology for the sake of using technology.  When you incorporate technology into teaching it needs to have a purpose.  I know that I can use my iPad everyday to conduct lessons in my class however it isn't always necessary and it more showing off technology than using it for enriching the lesson.  
2. How did integrating web-based technologies help you think about and evaluate uses of technology? Integrating web-based technologies made me realize that is more to technologies assignments than using it to find information for a PowerPoint.  I can task my students with 21st Century skills assessments.  I can ask them to blog for journal points or complete webquests instead of your typical research project.  I can also create class wikis and ask to multi-class collaboration   
3. How have you met your own personal goals for learning about technology integration? I'm definitely  on the proper path.  I think over the next few months I'll be able to develop a good plan for meeting my goal of a blended and paperless classroom.  My goal for the fall semester is to go paperless on all homework assignments.  
4. Do you have any new goals? What are your plans for reaching your new goals and your long-term goals after this course is over? Integrate and implement what I learn.  As I mentioned above I'd like to have all of my homework be paperless.  At a minimum 75% of the assignments I give will also be available online.  There is nothing I hate more than having students ask for extra copies (when they already have one or two) because they left it at home or lost it.  Go online, locate it and print a copy.  

Teaching Online

What technologies can I use to help my students?  That is a tough question.  Not all of my students have access to the same resources.  They only thing they have consistent access to is basic school supplies.  Now if I imagine what it is like to teach online and know that my students have access to a computer and internet, then I can make some better choices.  

Edmodo is one of my favorite online sources for teaching and learning.  I think I would give Wikispaces a chance for cooperative learning groups.  Between these two I think I could successfully teach History.  The best part about teaching History is that most of the primary sources that you need can be found from the Library of Congress.  

The pedagogical strategies that I would use are: 

•  COIL: Checklist for Online Interactive Learning.  I would create a checklist to help keep everyone involved on track.  
• Webquests and cooperative learning groups
• Google Hangouts
• Video and Text instructions   

What technologies do you think would be harder to use with your students/peers? Why? 

Technologies that require me to be online or logged in to the work that they are working on could be harder for me to use.  It can be quite hard to find a time that everyone can work and I'd hate to have to stay logged into something all day just to make sure something is done.  I like freedom and flexibility to work with structure to help guide learning.  My perspective of online learning is that it is or can be mostly student led.  Anything that is too focused on teacher involvement is too teacher centered for online learning.  

How to study History StAIR

For CEP 811 we were asked to make a StAIR (Stand Alone Instructional Resource).  Here is a link to the folder of resources that helped me create this StAIR.  My StAIR is about How to study History.  Many students enter my classroom and don't have a clue to what it means to study History or what I want them to do when I say, "Analyze this primary source.  Then answer the questions"

So here is my StAIR   Most of the information is compiled off of the internet.  I've come to the conclusion that there are few sources that define primary and secondary sources in the same way and in a method that makes since to most people.

You can also find this StAIR posted to Merlot.

Let me know if you have any questions.


FYI!

How to Study History by LStark is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

Wiki Spaces

So this week we conducted a lab on the uses of Wikipedia and Wikispaces.  I chose to explore Wikispaces.  First off I want to identify by bias here because I'm not a fan of anything Wiki related.  Just the word makes me want to ignore the site.  So that being said, I was not looking forward to this assignment.  However, exploring Wikispaces opened up the idea that some parts of Wiki world are useful.  I like the idea of using something like this for collaboration.  However I believe that are other ways to do this just as effectively.  We were also asked to find the wikipedia page for our school and make changes on it.  I added to the sports section that our Basketball team won state for the first time.  This is a HUGE moment in school history as this is our first state title EVER! I understand the purpose of this part of the assignment but all it really did for me was prove WHY Wikipedia can't be trusted as a valid source for information.

I think I need to play around with this some more and I might use it for group work in the future.  Will this small interaction lead me to becoming a full supporter of Wikipedia and its extensions, probably not. I'll still give out zeros for using it unless otherwise instructed.      

UDL

Link to my UDL Checklist

UDL means Universal Design for Learning.  This week we were tasked with evaluating a previous lesson plan  with the UDL checklist.  Universal Design for Learning address different learning abilities and the way the brain reacts to learning.  As I began to analyze my lesson plan I realized that I couldn't exactly explain the why of learning.  The skills to interact with primary and secondary sources are essential skills for History learning.  My lesson plan addressed the what and how of learning.  It is missing some differentiation but I think with some review and enhancements it will meet many more parts of this check list.

The major components of the checklist are:

UDL Guidelines - Educator Checklist
I. Provide Multiple Means of Representation	Your notes: Recognition (What of learning)
1. Provide options for perception
2. Provide options for language and symbols
3. Provide options for comprehension

II. Provide Multiple Means of Action and Expression	Your notes: Strategic (How of learning)
4. Provide options for physical action
5. Provide options for expressive skills and fluency
6. Provide options for executive functions

III. Provide Multiple Means of Engagement	Your notes : Affective (why of learning)
7. Provide options for recruiting interest
8. Provide options for sustaining effort and persistence
9. Provide options for self-regulation

WebQuests - Ancient Civilizations

Ancient Civilizations WebQuest - This webquest reviews the River Valley Civilizations 

1. Synopsis of the WebQuest including its intended audience, its educational goals, and the curriculum standards addressed if stated.  The intended audience for this WebQuest is a secondary level student in a World History class. It could also be used for a World Geography class. 
2. What pedagogical strategies are employed in the WebQuest and are they effective? Is there use of metaphor? Are they using inductive or deductive strategies? Is there scaffolding? What other strategies do you see?   The students are required to analyze events and "decide what makes an event significant in history." These events are then added to a timeline the students are creating. This WebQuest seems to be using both inductive and deducting strategies   The students must deduce the order of events on the timeline. However they must also inductively decide what events are important enough to add to the timeline.  All the while this is producing a scaffolding for the later description of each event and their personal reflection.  
3. In what ways is the WebQuest taking advantage of technology? In what ways is it 'change without difference'? Could this WebQuest be done just as well by photocopying pages and handing them out to students? The students are required to post their timeline online, the internet is being used for research as well as the discovery of pictures and videos.  The WebQuest could be done just as well with photocopying pages and handing them to students.  If necessary it can be done but I don't think it will be to the benefit of the learner to be done in the manner.  There are several links for each region which provides the students with options for sources.  If all of this information were to be printed out no student would want to go near it because the packet along would be too overwhelming.  
4. Technically, does it work? Does it have bugs or flaws such as broken links or images? Is the material out of date? Does it credit its sources? I didn't find any broken links for missing images.  The material doesn't seem out of date.  It was created in 2009 and we are talking about history that is thousands of years old.  The only way it can be out of date is if we discovered that aliens created the early civilizations.  The site does credit its sources.  
5. How would you improve the WebQuest? I would have the links open up into new pages. As soon as you clicked a research link you lost the instructions.  

Merlot

Through Merlot I found a source called Eye Witness to History.  This site entrigued me because it entails exactly what History is... His Story!  Eye Witness to History provides first hand accounts of historical events. To quote their website it is, "History through the eyes of those who lived it." 

http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com 

Quality of Content:

1. Does the software present valid (correct) concepts, models, and skills? The content provided appears to be very valid.  Every section of the site it organized by time period and each article is supported by references   It will become a great teaching tool for research as it also includes information on "How to Cite this article. "
2. Does the software present educationally significant concepts, models, and skills for the discipline? The website provides first hand accounts of historical events.  Some of the articles are also interactive.  The site also includes Photos and Videos which students can use to develop better analysis skills of non-text Primary Sources. 

Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching-Learning Tool:

1. What stage(s) in the learning process/cycle could the materials be used? The material can be used for all states of learning.  Mainly it can be used for explanation and applying.  The first hand accounds can help students develope a deeper understanding of the events they are learning about.  They can also apply the skills they learn in history to the first hand accounts as a menthod of confirming events or discovering the bias displayed in their textbooks.  
   1. Explanation or description of the topic/stating the problem
   2. Demonstration of the curriculum/exploration of the problem
   3. Practice using the curriculum/analysis of the outcomes from solving the problem
   4. Applying the curriculum to "new" problems/application of the outcomes to other problems
2. What is(are) the learning objective(s)? What should students be able to do after successfully learning with the materials?  Students will analyze events and determine if one events causes a later event or preceded it.  They can also use the site to compare and contrast primary and secondary sources.  
3. What are the characteristics of the target learner(s) History Students and Teachers. 
4. Does the interactive/media-rich presentation of material improve faculty and students' abilities to teach and learn the materials? Yes 
5. Can the use of the software be readily integrated into current curriculum and pedagogy within the discipline? Yes 
6. Can the software be used in a variety of ways to achieve teaching and learning goals? Yes
7. Are the teaching-learning goals easy to identify? The goals can be identified by the teacher.  It would depend on the time period being studied and the goal of the teacher's instruction. 
8. Can good learning assignments for using the software application be written easily? Yes

Ease of Use:

1. Are the labels, buttons, menus, text, and general layout of the computer interface consistent and visually distinct? Yes 
2. Does the user get trapped in the material? No but the material is rather engaging. 
3. Can the user get lost easily in the material? It is possible to get lost if you get confused by the placement of advertisements. 
4. Does the module provide feedback about the system status and the user's responses? No 
5. Does the module provide appropriate flexibility in its use? Yes
6. Does the learning material require a lot of documentation, technical support, and/or instruction for most students to successfully use the software? No 
7. Does the material present information in ways that are familiar for students? It depends on what students are familiar with.  Information can be presented in a printer friendly format if the teacher wished to print out information rather than have the students access the site online.  
8. Does the material present information in ways that would be attractive to students? Somewhat.  They'd be more interested in the videos than most of the text.  

My Education

With the start of a new year came a new set of goals.  I am determined to enter into a master's program and graduate within the next year and a half.  I was fortunate enough to come across the MAET program at Michigan State University.  It is a fully online program and takes 5 semesters to complete and it begins with a certification program.  This gave me the chance to begin my goals of continuing education without having to wait until a program accepted me.

My first class was CEP 810 which is Teaching for Understanding with Technology.  This class truly ignited my passion for technology in education.  Confirming my path to pursue a Masters of Art in Educational Technology (MAET).  I was amazed at what I could learn and what I looked forward to trying.  The best part about learning new things in the spring is that you have the whole summer to plan how to use them for the fall.