Becky's Blog

Description & Evaluation of One or More Inquiry-Based Lessons

2009-08-09T10:25:00.000-07:00

For this project, I chose a science webquest, called "A Walk in Space" (http://www.taskstream.com/main/?/oneal4/AWalkinSpace.html). My first impression upon opening this page was...hmm... kinda bland. The borders of the page appeared to be red berries or something; something with planets or stars might have been a better choice. There is an image of planets on the homepage, but it's pretty small. It says it's for 3rd grade, and the authors are listed. Links for teachers and students show where to go. The teaching guide is very thorough. State goals and standards are clearly spelled out, as well as "student experiences." The task and process seem very easy to understand, and the resources and references are listed at the end. An evaluation rubric is listed at the end, as well.

The webquest itself asks learners to decide which planet (other than Earth) they want to live on and how they will survive there. They are to research the websites provided to learn about our solar system and make decisions based on what they learn. The activity is made up of 3 "Missions." The first part is reading a Magic School Bus book and asking, "Do you accept this mission?" (very cute). the next mission involves choosing jobs on the space crew, such as astronomer, space station engineer, etc. Lastly, the space crew is to design a diorama to display their space habitat.

I admit that my first impressions of the site were less than impressive, but as I read the content, I realized that it's a great webquest! Very well thought-out, clear objectives and process. Best of all, I think kids would love it. It's something that could take several days to a week, depending on how much depth you let the kids get into. The resources available to the kids are extensive, but not overwhelming. I think that the authors did a great job, and I'd like to use this one with kids some day.

Reflections on the Process of Creating Benchmark Assignments

2009-08-09T09:50:00.000-07:00

Throughout this summer, as we have been doing research for our various and extensive class assignments, my eyes have been opened to some amazing things on the web! It's very exciting to think of the possibilities. There are so many great websites out there that I can't wait to use with kids or as a teacher. This whole webquest concept is really intriguing to me and I think the possibilities are limitless. I have run across some really great ones, and some not so great ones. After completing the process myself, I have a profound appreciation for how difficult it is to put together something that is both (hopefully) valuable, useful, easy to use, and visually interesting. What I came up with is far from what I had envisioned, but I realized at one point that I needed to simplify, just for the sake of time.

The process of creating this project was extremely intimidating and overwhelming. For the longest time I felt really clueless about where to begin. I spoke with my head teacher and asked what we were going to be doing with our second graders this fall, and she mentioned doing an author study on Roald Dahl. Well. that sounded pretty interesting! So, as I began doing research on him, my list of ideas of what to include in the webquest grew and grew. I also realized that there's a lot of things that I'd like to do, but would really be more appropriate for older kids. As it is, I pretty much pushed the envelope as far as what to expect for second graders. It was really hard to narrow down the scope of the project. I would love to add other things like an author tribute, write a newspaper article, more arts, creating a photo gallery that the kids make, more reading of the books, repeating the character meetings, and more. Maybe in the future.

As far as the logistics.... learning to use Dreamweaver has been really frustrating for me. So many things felt counter-intuitive, or I could just not figure things out. Thanks so much to my classmates who helped me over the summer! I could not have done it without you! Now that I am here, the last day, I feel a bit more comfortable with the software, but I am very aware that i am a wee-novice, with lots to learn. I actually bought the suite of software, with the ambitious hope that I will slowly learn to use it, as well.

So, the project was several layers; learning to use the software, coming up with the content and structure, then putting it all together. In the end, it did not turn out as I had planned, but I have clearly run out of time. My other responsibilities this summer needed attention as well, so .... here it is, for better or worse. The process of doing this whole thing, however, has been invaluable. I now feel that I have a basis of experience that I can draw from in the future. I look forward to future projects, though probably less intensive!

Web 2.0 Resources

2009-07-24T09:31:00.000-07:00

There are so many way-cool Web 2.0 resources out there, that I had a hard time keeping my list to a manageable size. A new one I just learned about is Moof.com (Music Online OnDemand for Free). It's an online music player, browser and online library. You can export your entire itunes library to have an online back-up and you can check out other people's libraries as well.

ToonDoo.com is an online comic-creating tool that lets you customize online games of educational value for children of all abilities. You can also create your own comic strips. Another similar site is Pixton.com, where you can design your characters and move them around. You can sign up or a free or paid account; they also have school accounts that can link up with Smartboards or Promethean Board. You can even create comics that can be re-edited by others. Both are great and easy to use.

Check this out:

http://pixton.com/comic/voalo4m3

I would consider myself a bad mom if I didn't
mention several of my son's favorite places to
visit. I am not sure if Scratch is considered 2.0,
but it's a great program that is from MIT and it's
a free download. You can design your own
comics with audio and share them with others.

Lastly, anyone with a kid probably knows about
ClubPenguin.com, the online community for kids
where they create accounts, their own penguins,
and learn how to navigate around a virtual world.
They can interact with their friends and play
games and buy things. Webkins is similar, except
that characters are associated with actual stuffed
animals that can be bought in stores.

Lists of Resources Relevant to Me

2009-07-22T14:05:00.000-07:00

Stress! Yes, I'm very familiar with this feeling these days. I decided to write this blog about what is weighing me down at the moment, what is impacting my day to day life right now. Ironically, believe it or not, I used to spend my days helping other people relax. I have been a Massage Therapist for the past fifteen years, and up until last September, my life was very different than it is now. I would see a few clients a day, take my son to school and pick him up, have lunch with a friend occasionally, visit my sick mother everyday, take care of the house etc... It was a pretty great life. Unfortunately, arthritis in my hands and a bad back caused me to reconsider my career options. Now, I am a full time student enrolled in both the MAT program and the TIE program. I will resume my duties next month at Baker Demonstration School as a Teaching Associate/Intern in a second grade classroom. I will be taking three classes this fall. This summer I am taking four classes (I don't recommend this!) I have a nine-year old precocious boy at home, an aging mother in a nursing home that I visit several times a week, a house that is in desperate need of attention, a partner who works too hard, a bad back, and I've gained way too much weight. My health is not where I want it to be, I'm behind in all my classes and pretty much freaking out most of the time. All of this has got me thinking about how different my life is now. I still have some massage clients, but when I was doing it all the time, it really helped me to relax and chill out. Turns out it's a big deal to change your whole life at my age; it's had a huge impact on my family this past year. (And now you know a lot more about me than you ever cared to, but...) So, as I spend more of my time now in front of a computer or in class, I am reminded that I need to remember what I know from my previous life if I am going to get through this next phase of my new life.
So... this blog will be about my attempts to combat stress. Maybe some of it will help you too. The first thing that comes to mind is music! I love music; it can affect your whole outlook on life. You know how it is... we all listen to different kinds of music depending on what kind of mood we're in or what we're doing. I used to have certain CD's that I would always play when I cleaned the house. Now, I just don't clean the house - ha! Or if you're writing a blog or a paper, you probably want to listen to something without words. So, I just scroll through iTunes and find something to chill out to while I'm typing. (Right now, I'm listening to Peter Kater; great massage/woo-woo/mellow music). I'm guessing most of you are familiar with Pandora.com; it's an Internet radio station where you can set your own radio stations depending on your interests. I love this! When I'm bored with my ipod music, I just turn on Pandora. You select different artists, such as Shawn Colvin, and they connect you to "Shawn Colvin Radio," which will play her music, as well as various other artists who sound sorta similar. It's a great way to hear other people's music that I might not normally listen to.
Of course all the sitting and driving that I do related to school does a number on my back, so I put a plug in for bodywork. I highly recommend regular bodywork of some sort for everyone (of course, my own self-care has gone out the window). If you are looking for a massage therapist, you can always check the referral service at amtamassage.org. I used to be on this list... ahhh, my former life. Another great form of bodywork is CranioSacral Therapy, which is a gentle approach that works with the central nervous system. You can check their practitioner referral at craniosacraltherapy.org (I'm still on their list.) I also highly recommend finding a good acupunturist. There are several online referral sites for this, such nccaom.com and ilaaoam.com

While I am doing school work, it helps to remember to breathe. There are many relaxation videos and guided meditations are YouTube; just enter "meditation" or "relaxation." Just listening to the music is great.
Other ways to reduce stress include exercise, walking, being with friends and family, and doing something you love. Get outside! Be in nature! There really are trees and grass out there! Also, enough with the fast food. Eat more fruits and veggies -- really. The farmers markets are amazing! The main thing, it turns out, is to chill. Keep things in perspective, and try not to get so overwhelmed that you can't sleep at night and your family wants to send you away. Stress affects your immune system and your whole outlook on life. Of course, doing what I know, I preach to the choir, as a reminder to myself.

Criteria for the Evaluation of Web-Based Materials

2009-07-12T18:02:00.000-07:00

There are a number of resources out there that can be used to evaluate web-based materials. Anne listed several really great ideas in her blog this week. As I did my research, I found another wonderful resource that might be helpful, LibraryInstruction.com (“The Librarian’s Weapon of Mass Instruction”). They list an article titled, “Evaluating Online Educational Materials for Use in Instruction.” It also has an extensive list of other resources at the end of the article. The article lists seven major topic areas to consider, which I’ll summarize here.

Ask yourself questions, such as: Does the site provide evidence that it comes from a reputable source? Does the site contain any biases, errors, or obvious omissions? Is it current and up to date? Does it contain advertising which could limit the scope of the site or its validity?

Is the level of information appropriate for the intended audience? Does it contain unsuitable vocabulary? Is there any stereotyping?

Is the information presented clearly? Is there a clear tie to its purpose and procedures? Does it contain activities that are closely related to its purpose? Are there gaps in concepts? Are the activities challenging for the audience? Are they appropriate for the age groups they are designed for?

Is it well organized? Are there opportunities for learner engagement? Are there clear opportunities for learner action related directly to the topic? Will the learners have options and choices that are age-appropriate? Does it offer any differentiation for different students that are still engaging?

Here’s the link:

http://www.libraryinstruction.com/evaluating.html

I would also add: Is the site user-friendly? Are any links listed current and still valid? Does it clearly state somewhere who the author of the site is?

Right now, it seems very daunting to try and remember all these important pieces of evaluating web-based learning. I suppose with time and practice, we will learn to do this automatically, but right now, it’s very easy to find a resource that might have several parts that seem intriguing or fun, and to try to use it or even to adapt it without running through a list of criteria. I am learning that this can be a waste of time and perhaps even damaging. It’s our jobs as educators to be diligent and responsible in what resources we use with our students and how we teach them to use the web.

The Value of Internet Resources for Education

2009-07-01T12:15:00.000-07:00

The internet is an amazing resource available to us today. While many students (well, not just students, for sure), spend countless hours online looking things up, playing games, doing social networking, and many other activities, our job as educators is to assist and teach young people how to be responsible. Kids might start out on harmless sites like Club Penguin and may end up somewhere potentially dangerous. When my son was four, he was very interested in the human body, so he looked up "human body" on Google, and ended up at a very inappropriate web site. Luckily, I was right there and quickly redirected him, but if I had just been in the kitchen for that moment, I would have been answering some questions that I was not ready for! I'm sure this happens all the time at home, but in schools, we have the opportunity and the responsibility to give students the proper tools to make the most of their internet experiences. I think we need to be honest with children, at the developmentally appropriate levels. The point is not to scare them, but to educate them about safety.

In general, I think the internet is a wonderful place to learn. There are countless web sites that are educational in nature. One of my favorites is Brain Pop. This is an interactive, animated web site that delves into a variety of topics such as science, music, language arts, social sciences, health, math, and many more. Kids can pick an area of interest and explore many parts of that topic in a really fun way. They also have an educator section. This is a subscription based web site which can be purchased for home use or by schools. It's worth every penny! There are endless sites that are free and wonderful. However, a parent or teacher should really be the person to go through sites to find ones that are not only relevent by age-appropriate. I know that many teachers provide lists of useful web sites to their students, ranging from general education, to more specific sites that might relate to a particular unit they are studying. In my school, our Technology Teacher keeps a running list in her school blog with many sites that are helpful to what each classroom is working on. They can then access this information at home, in the classroom, as well as in the tech lab (way to go, Anne!). In this situation, she spent time doing research on what sites might be useful to enhance student learning.

Part of our job is also to teach students how to do research themselves. I have worked with students on several very basic research projects and they are sorely lacking in basic skills needed to do their assignments. I think that kids need to start learning these skills very early on, so they can keep building on this each year. Part of the problem I've noticed is that kids give up too easily; they either go with the first resource they find (wikipedia, usually), or they get frustrated and give up. We need to help students feel successful in their learning; to provide learning opportunities for using the internet in meaningful ways.