It is my hope that this class will help you to develop a different way of looking at technology and where it fits into the classroom. Through discovery you will develop a thorough understanding of the different possibilities that open up to you as a teacher. Technology is a teaching tool, when utilized properly, which will allow your student learn better and differently then they have in the past. One way for you to develop your critically analyze of Authentic Technology Integration is to discuss lessons with your colleagues and develop multiple perspectives. That's your task this afternoon.
By the end of this exercise, you and your group will answer these two questions:
Here are the sites you'll be analyzing:
To answer the questions given above, you'll break into groups of four and work together on a computer. Within the group, each of you will take on one of the following roles:
Time Efficiency Expert: We all value time a great deal. You even believe
that time is wasted in today's classrooms on unfocused activity and learners not
knowing what they should be doing at a given moment. To you, a good Web Quest is
one that delivers the most learning bang for the buck. If it's a short activity that teaches a small thing well, then you like it. If
it is
a long-term activity, it had better deliver a deep understanding of the topic it
covers, in your view.
Developing
Group Activities: To you, the best learning activities are those in which students
learn to work together. Web Quests that force collaboration and create a need for
discussion and consensus are the best in your view. If a Web Quest could be done
by a student working alone, it leaves you cold.
Develop
Higher Order Thinking Skills: Higher level thinking is everything to you. There's too much
emphasis on factual recall in schools today. The only justification for bringing
technology into schools is if it opens up the possibility that students will
have to analyze information, synthesize multiple perspectives, and take a stance
on the merits of something. You also value sites that allow for some creative
expression on the part of the learner.
The
Technophile: You love this internet. To you, the best Web Quest is one
that makes the best use of the technology of the Web. If a Web Quest has
attractive colors, animated gifs, and lots of links to interesting sites, you
love it. If it makes minimal use of the Web, you'd rather use a worksheet.
Within your groups, then, examine each of the sites on the list of resources and jot down some notes of your opinions of each from the perspective of your role.
When everyone in the group has seen all the sites, then it's time to get together to answer the questions. One person in each group should open record the group's thoughts. The results will be shared with the group.
You'll need to examine each site fairly quickly. Don't spend more than 5 or 10 minutes on any one site. When you discuss he sites as a group, pay attention to each of the other perspectives, even if at first you think you might disagree with it.
Ideally, this exercise will provide you with a larger pool of ideas to work with on your final project. The best Web Quest is yet to be written. It might be yours!