Day Twenty (Nov 1)

WebQuests: Day One

What exactly is a WebQuest? What are its main characteristics? What are your initial reactions to WebQuests in terms of teaching and learning? What advantages and disadvantages do you see in teaching with WebQuests? What standards in your content area lend themselves to WebQuests?Viewing exemplary webquests is a good way to get started on your own.


Go to the main WebQuest page and click the words "Find WebQuests" on the left navigation bar. Using the Curriculum/Grade Level Matrix (in the middle of the page), spend a few minutes viewing 2 or 3 WebQuests in your content area. You can also see interviews with teachers who have used WebQuests here.

Hopefully, you're beginning to formulate an idea for a "hook" for your own WebQuest. It may be related to work you have already done in our class or work you are currently completing in other courses. It could even be something completely new in your content area. After you have some ideas together, review the WebQuest assignment so that you are clear on what is expected.

Before Thursday's class, you'll want to identify your WebQuest topic. Use this website to help you in the selection process. Generally, a good WebQuest topic should have some inherent complexity, such as controversial issues, multiple perspectives, unknowns, etc.

The topic needs to have your students take information in and transform it, using their own judgement and creative problem-solving techniques. The learning should be authentic. Certain topics tend to lend themselves more to the WebQuest format than others.

Here are some examples of previous EDIT 2000 students:
http://edit2000resources.googlepages.com/spring07portfolios

On Tuesday,

Get a start on your WebQuest. We'll be sharing ideas at the beginning of class Tuesday.

Day Nineteen (Oct 23)

Fall break is just a few days away!

Thanks to your hard work and persistence, we're a little ahead of schedule. So I decided to give you one more hour to work on Powerpoint game. Due date is still October 23 and you need to be present in class. I will start grading precisely at 5:00pm.

So you can finish up your Powerpoint assignment during the class time tomorrow. I will be there to assist you. I can work with you even after the class, if needed. I will hand out your I-movie assignment review as well.

Keep up the good work guys.

Day Eighteen (Oct 16)

PowerPoint Games - Improving Your Questions

As you continue work on your PowerPoint games -- it is important to focus on the instructional value of your game -- and value is added through good questions. What makes a good question?

Bloom's Taxonomy is an easy way to learn more about various levels of questioning. This website will help you to use the taxonomy to improve your questions.Even young children can use Bloom's Taxonomy to improve their work. Here's a video of a class of children who use it to design literature units. Learn even more about this project here.



You can checkout textbooks from the Curriculum Materials Center in rm 207 for more ideas for questions (just make sure you're not plagiarizing!)

As you work -- review student samples and the PowerPoint games project description to ensure that you are meeting the expectations of the assignment. You can earn additional "wow" points and the points will be used to cover up the score you lost for other projects.

Day Seventeen (Oct 11)

Some housekeeping:

• You all need to submit your peer-evaluation by today

PowerPoint Games:

Today we'll talk about PowerPoint games: what they are and how they help students construct their own knowledge. What were your favorite games? What characteristics made them your favorite? What experience do you have with instructional games? Are the characteristics of your favorite games found in most instructional games? How can PowerPoint be used to create an instructional game for your subject area?

It's important to know a little bit of background on the PowerPoint games project before we begin. Dr. Lloyd Rieber - a professor in my department - wrote a paper on this very topic that is an interesting read. Many EDIT 2000 students have created their own games and more and more K-12 classrooms are using PowerPoint games as a way to address content standards.

You'll want to view some sample games from the Homemade PowerPoint Games website . Also check out student portfolios from previous semesters and student examples from this summer.

Day Sixteen (Oct 9)

Some housekeeping

• Today is the due date for your iMovie project.
• Please click here to download the peer-review sheet. I need to have your reivew by October 11 (hard-copy or email).

Today is the Presentation Day for your iMovie

• Each group will have about 5-6 minutes to make a presentation
• Before playing movie, you can give a short overview of your movie, such as your motivation, subject, and target audience.You can also share your experience, such as incidents that happened and things that you have learned.
• In order to enjoy your movie with everyone, please bring your uncompressed high quality movie. Your group can bring it either in CD or in your memory stick.