Criteria for the selection of web-based materials

As I'm creating my webquest and hotlist, I see that consideration needs to be made about whether the sites are reliable and a good place for children to use when researching their topic. This is also a topic I should be teaching my students during their time in the computer lab. Last year was my first year of being the LMC Director and I felt it was a year of 'getting my feet wet.' I didn't cover everything I wanted to and this is one of those areas. I need to create some lessons or better embed this topic into their research projects.

I found a good place on Kathy Schrock's web site called The Five W's of Web Site Evaluation that helped me organize my thoughts when looking at an online resource.
Who - Who wrote the pages?
What - What does the author say the purpose of the site is? What information is included?
When - When was it created and/or last updated?
Where - Where does the information come from?
Why - Why is this information useful and why should I use this information?

I thought this simple approach would be useful when selecting online resources and an easy way to instruct my students when looking for information on the Internet. Along with my search, I found some decent student-friendly rubrics for students to use when evaluating web sites. I will definitely be incorporating this into their next projects in the LMC.

Second Life

I had previously heard of Second Life, but never realized how expansive it is and advanced. It took me awhile, prior to our class experience, to get used to moving my avitar around, looking in different directions, and viewing a 3D world. I also noticed how large the program must be because every time I had it on, the fan on my laptop would run the entire time.

Our class experience helped me more. I appreciated learning about the buttons on the bottom and how to navigate to new areas. We had so many people in such a small space that I got somewhat frustrated with trying to see everyone and reading the IMs. It was fun to partner up and go to various places together. It urged us to help each other. At times, I found myself worrying more about where my 2 other group members were, than viewing what was around me. I never got the full impact of why these were educational places and what can be done there. I'm going to need to do some more exploring on my own.

I certainly like innovative ideas for education and will be reading the chapter Craig has co-written. One thing I have noticed while taking classes at National-Louis: Many of the schools we all work in are on different pages in terms of technology, Internet usage, and Web 2.0. Some of us have fire walls that won't let anyone do anything, and others are much more liberal. I would be very frustrated with my school district if I was learning all the new tools possible on the internet and my district was highly restricting me. Luckily, I'm in a district that promotes this kind of use as long as it is well thought out and safe for the students. (I do have to admit that I'm getting tired of all the parent permission slips that are being sent out to get an OK for Internet usage and work posted. Ugh!)

Our class experience was very unique, fun, and interesting in Second Life. I would have never gone there on my own. I certainly need to spend more time to explore and understand the educational potential it might have.

Description of one or more resource depositories or lists with materials relevant to the candidate's interests

When I create blogs, a facebook account, etc. the first things they ask you are your interests. If you look at mine, they are reading, knitting, and traveling. Kristen and I are so similar (check out her blog entry!) Having the internet makes hobbies and personal interests that much more interesting with the availability of information at your fingertips.

Reading has always been my strongest interest. I started a book club that has been going on for about 8-10 years. We have a very diverse group of women in the group and read things I wouldn't always pick up. I also have begun to read a wide range of children's books to be able to recommend books to students at school and develop book talks for next year. I'm now trying to balance reading adult books with children's books. I'm an amazon.com nut. I have been with that site since it began and use it to browse for books, recommendations, book information, and BUYING! I also got a Kindle this year and read all my adult books that way and many of the intermediate level books before purchasing them for my library. Some of the Caudills are as cheap as $3-$5 dollars on the kindle. Many classics are now popping up for free!

I'm also using Follett Library Resources (http://titlewave.com/) for children's books. They have great book reviews on this site, good information about the book, and my resource for purchasing books for my LMC. This has been a good site for me to bookmark and use as I hear about the latest in children's books.

Knitting is another huge hobby of mine. My mother taught me to knit when I was a little girl, but I didn't fully take on the hobby until I was in my early 20's. I have started a number of knitting groups and taught adults and children. I used to only knit for myself, but now I mostly knit for gifts. I use Google to search for pattern ideas and receive a weekly newsletter that gives the latest in the knitting world:
"Knitting Daily"
I also do google searches when I come across directions in a pattern that I'm unfamiliar with. This gives me quick directions rather than going into the knit shop and asking someone who knows. I just heard today that there are more than 53 million knitters and crocheters in our country right now, so there is a lot on the internet to search for.

Finally, my last major interest is traveling. My husband and I have recently been going on interesting trips during my spring breaks. Our most recent years have taken us to Mexico City, France, Italy, Japan, Monaco, and China. We use the internet quite a bit to plan the trips. We don't go on tours or with any groups, so the internet has been a valuable tool. We do google searches which lead us down a path towards learning about the area, finding places to stay, and common sights. There are times we will just be driving by and decide to stay in that place over night. When we return from the trip we go on their internet site and see how the place was represented online and the ratings it had. It's fun to see if it looks better or worse online! Remember- anything can look good online!

It's hard to imagine how we did all this before the internet. We can now get more information, get it faster, and further develop our interests and hobbies.

Description and Evaluation of a WebQuest

Having a Blast With Volcanoes is a WebQuest intended for students in grades 3-5. The stated purpose of the activity is for students to learn about the physical, environmental, and social aspects of volcanoes. The information given in the task is that a hacker has stolen all worldwide information on volcanoes. The students are a chosen select group of scientists that need to replace this information. I felt the task set up the students to be spitting out information on the various types of volcanoes and left out the critical thinking aspect of a good WebQuest.

The process explained the project in further detail. Four students will be given a topic with a series of questions to be answered. They would each work on a different set of tasks based on their given volcano type.

The cognitive levels needed for each task is quite different. Task #1 (The Formation of a Volcano) requires basic spitting out of information. Task #2 (Location of Volcanoes) also works with fact-finding questions. Task #3 (Emergency Preparedness and Safety Measures) is where the WebQuest begins to improve. The questions in this section involve a higher level of thinking, transformation of information, and synthesis. An example question is: What would happen to your city if you lived near an erupting volcano? Finally, Task #4 (Global Effects of Volcanoes) also uses high level cognitive skills to complete the task. An example is: How can you, your family and your city plan for an emergency should you live near an active volcano?

The designer of this WebQuest may have differentiated the tasks, making some of them factual and others open-ended for the various types of learners in his/her class. I disagree with this position. Lower cognitive learners should still be given the opportunity to answer open-ended questions rather than just cutting and pasting information from the Internet. Designing an investigation with interesting questions and tasks is imperative to a successful WebQuest and all types of learners have the right to experience this.

All students, upon completion of their research, are asked to write a research paper and create a group presentation. This presentation is very open-ended with listed examples like slideshows, posters, drawing, models, etc. I like the opportunity the students will have to make choices, but the rubric written for this project is written in adult language and not student-friendly. I could see students becoming confused on the expectations of the final presentation. Allowing students to make choices is a good idea, but guiding them along the way is critical.

Overall, I saw positive and negative aspects with this WebQuest, therefore it received an average rating. There were high level thinking components, but they were not available in all tasks. The final product and ways to communicate what was learned was open-ended, but possibly confusing due to the rubric and basic expectations posted in the WebQuest. I am learning that writing a good, solid WebQuest is a difficult task but a valuable activity for students.

Here is the link to the WebQuest: Having a Blast With Volcanoes

The value of Internet resources for education

I can’t think of anything in our everyday world that is growing faster than the Internet. It is pumping out information at lightening speed and is allowing us to communicate in new ways. My 10 year career in teaching has drastically changed due to technology and the use of the Internet. I started out with a few computers in my classroom and now have portable laptops available to me at any time of the day. My lessons have become more engaging, thoughtful, and informative. Because of this growth, it is important for schools to get on board but also have goals and a direction to be taken with the students. I am now the LMC Director, which involves being the librarian and computer teacher. Internet usage has become an integral part of my job.

An area that is growing fast is website evaluation and being able to access reliable information. Today’s students starting in kindergarten are able to use the Internet. This fact makes it so important that children learn to be critical users of the technology, know what to look for, and evaluate fact verses fiction.

Internet communication is a topic that I see students needing guidance. Internet safety, cyber bullying … are key goals for my school. Younger and younger children are on the Internet both at home and at school. Parents need to guide their children, but if we are going to use it as a learning tool in the schools, it is our responsibility to teach them how to properly use it.

The Internet has basically displaced reference books in the library. It gives us quick, current information and can be one of the better tools used for research. I even had a representative from Follett Library Resources tell me not to order any reference books because they are costly and are out of date so quickly.

Working in the LMC with students from kindergarten to 5th grade allows me the opportunity to develop research projects that are interesting, exciting, and creative to present. The Internet is an essential tool in our classes when used in a responsible way. Schools need to attempt to stay as current as possible and instruct students how to gain this incredible amount of knowledge with the push of a few buttons.