Check it out! I have finally finished completing my first WebQuest!
Here is the link to my site. It was a HUGE project, but I am glad I have this as a resource. It was so much fun and I cannot wait to see the final product in action. I am looking forward to testing my ideas out on students. I hope that they find this project useful and meaningful, because of the implications water scarcity has on Earth now. I am not sure if humans really realize just how much water we use everyday! And the more products that we demand (food and materialistic items) then the more that is being used. Those who have water tend to take it for granted, and those without water get taken for granted (from millions dying of water borne diseases). It is a serious problem that we need to face for our future before Armageddon really does exist. Reaching out to 1 person can make a difference.
Technology is not only associated with computers and internet resources; technology also includes the history of advanced infrastructure throughout various cultures. It is amazing to think what has been accomplished throughout societies with or without technology. I found a few really cool websites that get students familiar with these concepts. For the subjects of technology throughout various cultures, students can view http://www.technologystudent.com/culture1/culindex1.htm.
Cultures & Advanced Technology
This website covers cultural societies and how they have used technology throughout the past. The great thing about this website is that it is extremely interesting and it is written on the students’ level (so they can easily understand the material). I can see myself using this website once I become a teacher. So many different projects can be built that integrates technology into various subjects.
I also wanted to point out that I came across this website through http://www.technologystudent.com/. I spent a few hours just looking at the vast amount of information they have displayed. From topics like designing, graphics, electronics, health & safety, and structures, this website covers a lot. There offer 23 additional pages; one including additional websites/links that can be helpful to students and teachers. Just the technology and environment page covers everything from solar/wind/tidal power, to damns and hydro electricity, to drinking water. Alternative energy sources, power generations, energy saving devices and nuclear power generation topics also included. This website is awesome. I am glad I came across this website. I plan on using some of the resources for the project based learning project I am creating.
Lastly, in viewing all the cool, different sub-pages located on technologystudent.com, I additionally came across another site that I wanted to share: http://www.howstuffworks.com/. This site can be found under the websites links sub-page, but I wanted to give it some attention. This also helps to incorporate technology throughout various subjects and there is tons of videos, lessons and information displayed for students. It is a site I would feel safe enough let students explore on their own. One could really get lost on this site as well.
I know that internet resources are sort of easy to come by, but it is always nice to come across new ones. Hopefully these sites will be useful to others too.
When it comes to creating rubrics for students, it is important to include the quantitative and qualitative aspects. I never understood what makes an A, an A because there are so many other aspects to consider when grading the quality and quantity of one’s work. As a student myself, I sometimes find it frustrating the way some teachers grade, and I am always questioning for an explanation. This is probably one of the most important reasons to create a clear rubric, which indicates whether the student is exceeding, meeting or not meeting the criteria.
Well, I finally created my first rubric. Out of all of my education major courses, I have not yet been assigned to create a rubric, although I have seen them many times. The rubric I created was for a problem based learning project I have been creating on water resources. I choose to have the students perform a final presentation either live or on video to present their solutions. Several portions of my rubric include both quantitative and qualitative grading. The portions that are graded include: graphic organizer, visual graphs and data charts, presentation content, and oral presentation. They all include descriptive information that represents the quality of their work. Some portions also include a quantity, for instance, visual graphs and data charts. Students are to complete a certain number of this product in order to meet criteria. If the student goes beyond that number, they are obviously exceeding. If the student does not meet all the criteria, then they will lose points based on their situation. To make it easy, I just included point sections for exceeds, meets and does not meet criteria with exceeds being the highest weighted. If the student does exactly what is expected of them, then they will only receive a B. If the student puts in more effort and goes above the expectations, then the student will have achieved an A with outstanding effort. I feel like if a student just shows up to school and does their work, then did a good job, but could have done better; hence the reason for a B. There are more details to my rubric, so I will just include a picture if you want to look it over.
Grading can become a sensitive subject, and the information should clearly indicate as to what constitutes the grade received. Once students know what is expected of them, they have a higher chance of aiming for those A’s.
This article is not from Edutopia, but I did come across this when I was searching. The author in this article brought up some really great points. I know this subject has been discussed before, but I wanted to share this because it reestablishes some important aspects when it comes to Social Media access in classrooms.
I just finished writing an essay questioning whether school districts should allow access to Social Media websites. I was sort of on the fence about this, because while I feel that some sites are appropriate for education, others may have little value. Twitter and Facebook, for example, are two sites I feel have minimal educational value when it comes to social media. YouTube, on the other hand, has so much educational value, but it can sometimes also have inappropriate content.
One of the great points in this article raises awareness to risks associated with allowing social media access. “Problems are associated with these social networking sites, but the sites themselves generally are not the problem.” Most of these sites, including YouTube have terms and agreements that users are expected to follow. The problem with this is that there are millions of users, and far less workers that are able to keep track of those rules broken. What is the solution to this? Well, with the proper education students would learn online social responsibility and etiquette. Teaching this responsibility to students and allowing them access to exhibit proper behavior can only increase success and cause less distractions.
Another great point was that “many parents are not paying attention to what their children are posting on the sites.” If parents are allowing students access to emails and internet access to social media sites, they should also continuously monitor their children. They should also help support the teachers by providing proper instruction and teaching good responsibility. Not posting personal information such as names, addresses, not spending hours on the computer so trackers are able to access, and not illustrating negative behavior or online bullying. These are risks generally associated with the user or lack of parent supervision, not the site.
Lastly, I wanted to touch on the topic of school administration and district participation. They should develop a clear policy that focuses on educational value. Plan ahead and evaluate some of these sites and weight out the positive and negatives. Collaboration is important when it comes to creating these guidelines. Additionally, properly educate the students about safety and responsible use. Monitor students and provide appropriate consequences when needed.
The video I came across happens to be with the use of Minecraft or an English assignment. I have an eight year old son, and he has been playing this game for a few years now, and I have seen it become increasingly popular. This student created a Minecraft world of Shakespeare’s Globe, and recorded a video tour of it.
There are many reasons individuals use social media websites. I think the main reason is for communication purposes, but it is also a way to keep up with new trends. When Myspace first came out, it quickly became one of the most popular websites. Then Facebook came around shortly after with a different, possibly easier to use set up and that also became one of the most popular websites. Sites like Pinterest and Instagram compliment some of these social media websites. They allow individuals to express their own interest and show who they are as a person. I can say that I have participated in these websites, including; Myspace, Facebook and Pinterest. Myspace and Facebook are great for keeping in touch with old friends and extended family. Pinterest has a number of great ideas that allows you to bookmark specific items. These sites have a great purpose, but I think that some people are so overly consumed with social media websites that it can stir up a lot of ruckus.
I was never a fan of Twitter, and I have recently deleted my Facebook account. People seem to forget how to communicate regularly (through phones, in person, by email) since they are always on Facebook. The public has become so consumed with it, anywhere you go business respond with, “like us on Facebook”. Phone or mailed copy invitations to weddings, birthdays, parties, etc. has now turned into Facebook invitations (only). If you meet up with someone new, it always turns into, “do you have a Facebook?” It becomes some huge popularity contest and ends up in drama. Couples fight constantly about who they added as a friend, or why they responded to someone’s post. It becomes a problem when people are so overly engrossed with it. I think when these sites are used in moderation; they can play a positive role.
Sites like Facebook and Twitter should not be allowed in the classroom setting. Pinterest would be the only exception since it has bookmarking capabilities. I do not feel they have an educational value and can even be an enormous distraction. These social media sites have definitely impacted our culture and the way we live and it will continue to do so in the 21st century. I don’t necessarily believe that these sites will be as popular in the future, because if some new type of technology is introduced, we will also become engrossed with that. Educational instructors really have no reason to introduce social media websites to students. They should even be monitoring the use at school. You hear of many stories throughout school districts where Facebook becomes an issue with bullying. Parents should also help support and monitor their child when it comes to using social media websites. Often times, it is the ONLY way their child is communicating, and can become a problem.
So don’t let it consume you!!! Be apart of this community and tune in to the REAL (not virtual) world.
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