Our WebQuest is located at www.gypbec.weebly.com
Thanks for visiting!
Sunday, September 16, 2007
Friday, September 14, 2007
FInal Project Reflection
Gypsy Frix and I designed a WebQuest for our final project. The students take on the role of FBI agents working in conjunction with the CDC. Students work in pairs researching viruses and bacteria that pose a threat to mankind. The final culminating product is a poster that advertises the danger of the bacteria or virus to the public.
This project took a lot of planning. We decided to focus on bacteria and viruses because the topic is relevant to the science curriculum in Georgia. It was a bit overwhelming sorting through the thousands of websites and resources that are available online. We made a hotlist of sites that we thought would be beneficial for our students to explore. Eventually, we narrowed down the websites that we wanted our students to use to complete the WebQuest.
We designed rubrics using Rubistar. This program was extremely easy to learn how to use. It allowed us to set up our rubric exactly as we needed it for our WebQuest. The website also allowed us to see other teacher’s ideas and rubrics. It is very helpful to have the opportunity to compare your rubrics with other educators.
We used the website www.weebly.com to publish our website. We had not used Weebly before so this was yet another program to learn in order to complete our final project. We found Weebly easier to use than the Dreamweaver program we worked with in class. However, we would probably use another program the next time we make a website. Weebly limited us a little bit with our ideas but was a great introductory program for web design.
In order to use pictures we found online, we had to gain copyright permission. This consisted of emailing the person who had the rights to the pictures and gaining his approval. His stipulations were: we had to use images that contained the visible copyright, we needed to place a photo credit and link to his site (www.denniskunkel.com), and we had to provide him our URL once we published the website.
We believe this project is easily implemented into any science teachers plans. The teacher should have access to a computer lab and a basic understanding of viruses and bacteria before assigning this WebQuest.
Overall, while this project took a long time to complete, it is something that can be used more than once and be shared with other teachers. The project can easily be updated on the website to stay current and relevant with state and national standards.
This project took a lot of planning. We decided to focus on bacteria and viruses because the topic is relevant to the science curriculum in Georgia. It was a bit overwhelming sorting through the thousands of websites and resources that are available online. We made a hotlist of sites that we thought would be beneficial for our students to explore. Eventually, we narrowed down the websites that we wanted our students to use to complete the WebQuest.
We designed rubrics using Rubistar. This program was extremely easy to learn how to use. It allowed us to set up our rubric exactly as we needed it for our WebQuest. The website also allowed us to see other teacher’s ideas and rubrics. It is very helpful to have the opportunity to compare your rubrics with other educators.
We used the website www.weebly.com to publish our website. We had not used Weebly before so this was yet another program to learn in order to complete our final project. We found Weebly easier to use than the Dreamweaver program we worked with in class. However, we would probably use another program the next time we make a website. Weebly limited us a little bit with our ideas but was a great introductory program for web design.
In order to use pictures we found online, we had to gain copyright permission. This consisted of emailing the person who had the rights to the pictures and gaining his approval. His stipulations were: we had to use images that contained the visible copyright, we needed to place a photo credit and link to his site (www.denniskunkel.com), and we had to provide him our URL once we published the website.
We believe this project is easily implemented into any science teachers plans. The teacher should have access to a computer lab and a basic understanding of viruses and bacteria before assigning this WebQuest.
Overall, while this project took a long time to complete, it is something that can be used more than once and be shared with other teachers. The project can easily be updated on the website to stay current and relevant with state and national standards.
Thursday, August 23, 2007
RSS Feed - ABC Travel
I absolutely love to travel. I just read an article about people in Thailand dying becuase they ate puffer fish that had been dyed to look like salmon! I have not been to Thailand, but I have travelled to China and Japan where puffer fish is also eaten. This type of fish contains the poison tetrodotoxin and can be fatal. So far, fifteen people have died and more than a hundred are very sick. The thought that someone could knowingly put peoples lives in danger is scary. It is just another reminder to me that when travelling I should be aware and educated about what I am eating.
Saturday, July 21, 2007
Spilling his.... !
This LEGO creation is AMAZING!!! I am a huge fan of LEGOS and always looking for "art" made out of LEGOS. Flickr has given me access to many peoples creations and given me many ideas for my own things to build.
Reading Reflection Four
AUTHOR:
Jean Baker
TITLE:
Smart Board in the Music Classroom
SOURCE:
Music Educators Journal 93 no5 18-19 My 2007
I found this articel on the Lesley website through the HW Wilson database. I was a little overwhelmed at the number os resources I have access to through the Lesley website. However, the search capabilities within each database help to narrow down your options.
I am currently in the process of getting my school to install a smart board in my classroom. Therefore, I thought the article “Smart Board in the Classroom” by Jean Baker would give me some insight in how to incorporate the board into my lessons.
I found it impressive that 85 percent of K-2 classrooms in Gasconade County have smart boards. I teach in a fabulous and well known county and I am not sure that we have that many smart boards in our classrooms.
Baker uses the board to teach lyrics, show pictures, and incorporate video depicting various musical genres. Her students are comfortable with the technology and often help the teacher. The more I read about technology in the classroom, the more I realize that teachers must be willing to learn from their students. Learning is becoming a more collaborative effort, with the teacher guiding student learning, instead of pouring information down their throats.
My classes are around 80 students. If I had a smart board I could use Finale (a music notating program) and project it onto the board to teach different rhythms and bowing styles. Hopefully, by the end of this course, I will have a smart board in my classroom.
Jean Baker
TITLE:
Smart Board in the Music Classroom
SOURCE:
Music Educators Journal 93 no5 18-19 My 2007
I found this articel on the Lesley website through the HW Wilson database. I was a little overwhelmed at the number os resources I have access to through the Lesley website. However, the search capabilities within each database help to narrow down your options.
I am currently in the process of getting my school to install a smart board in my classroom. Therefore, I thought the article “Smart Board in the Classroom” by Jean Baker would give me some insight in how to incorporate the board into my lessons.
I found it impressive that 85 percent of K-2 classrooms in Gasconade County have smart boards. I teach in a fabulous and well known county and I am not sure that we have that many smart boards in our classrooms.
Baker uses the board to teach lyrics, show pictures, and incorporate video depicting various musical genres. Her students are comfortable with the technology and often help the teacher. The more I read about technology in the classroom, the more I realize that teachers must be willing to learn from their students. Learning is becoming a more collaborative effort, with the teacher guiding student learning, instead of pouring information down their throats.
My classes are around 80 students. If I had a smart board I could use Finale (a music notating program) and project it onto the board to teach different rhythms and bowing styles. Hopefully, by the end of this course, I will have a smart board in my classroom.
Final Project Proposal
This is an evolving entry and will change as I work on my final project.
Currently, I will be working with my partner, Gypsy Frix, on creating a WebQuest. Students will be an FBI detective or a biologist for the CDC and research a molecular or chemical threat such as anthrax. They will need to devise ways to prevent the spread of the chemical and infrom the public about how to deal with threat.
Currently, I will be working with my partner, Gypsy Frix, on creating a WebQuest. Students will be an FBI detective or a biologist for the CDC and research a molecular or chemical threat such as anthrax. They will need to devise ways to prevent the spread of the chemical and infrom the public about how to deal with threat.
Reading Reflection Three
http://www.infotoday.com/MMSchools/jan04/richardson.shtml
After the first weekend of class I felt like I needed a little more background about blogs and RSS. I read “Blogging and RSS: The “What’s It?” and “How To” of Powerful New Web Tools for Educators” by Will Richardson.
This article gives a basic introduction to blogging. It suggests websites to start your own blog – including the one we used in class. More importantly, it discusses how RSS (Real Simple Syndication) can benefit education. RSS allows blogs to list new and current information. In the future, I could make a page dealing with my orchestra class but also linking to news sites about the music world and industry.
I enjoyed exploring some of the links off of the main page. http://www.blogforamerica.com/ is an example of how the internet, websites, and blogs are changing the way the current presidential campaign is being advertised. Many candidates and political parties have websites which are aimed at younger citizens who spend a lot of time on the web.
I looked at my school website and realized that it could be much more informative if the webmaster incorporated some RSS feeds and links.
After the first weekend of class I felt like I needed a little more background about blogs and RSS. I read “Blogging and RSS: The “What’s It?” and “How To” of Powerful New Web Tools for Educators” by Will Richardson.
This article gives a basic introduction to blogging. It suggests websites to start your own blog – including the one we used in class. More importantly, it discusses how RSS (Real Simple Syndication) can benefit education. RSS allows blogs to list new and current information. In the future, I could make a page dealing with my orchestra class but also linking to news sites about the music world and industry.
I enjoyed exploring some of the links off of the main page. http://www.blogforamerica.com/ is an example of how the internet, websites, and blogs are changing the way the current presidential campaign is being advertised. Many candidates and political parties have websites which are aimed at younger citizens who spend a lot of time on the web.
I looked at my school website and realized that it could be much more informative if the webmaster incorporated some RSS feeds and links.
Web Presentation
I will be working with Gypsy Frix for the web presentation.
We will be evaluating and sharing our findings from the site www.brainpop.com
This site is particularly useful for all subject areas.
We will be evaluating and sharing our findings from the site www.brainpop.com
This site is particularly useful for all subject areas.
Reading Reflection Two
http://www.lesley.edu/faculty/myoder/webquest.pdf
I chose to read “The Student WebQuest: A productive and thought provoking use of the Internet” by Maureen Yoder. I have never constructed a WebQuest before so I though this article would help broaden my knowledge.
I really liked the author’s definition of a WebQuest. Yoder states that “A well-written quest demands that students go beyond fact-finding: It asks them to analyze a variety of resources and use their creativity and critical-thinking skills to derive solutions to a problem. The problem is often “real world”—that is, one that needs a genuine and reasonable solution.”
I did not know that the term “WebQuest” or the idea was invented in 1995 by Bernie Dodge and Tom March. I thought WebQuests were much more recent. After all, I graduated with my bachelor degree in 1999 and don’t recall ever hearing or learning about a WebQuest.
This article gives many links with examples of WebQuests. Three websites that are highly recommended are: http://edweb.sdsu.edu/webquest/webquest.html
http://ozline.com/webquests/intro.html, and http://discoveryschool.com/schrockquide/webquest.html
I found these websites quite helpful and good enough to be bookmarked for future use. The neat thing about WebQuests is that teachers have posted their lessons online. Educators from all over the world can share their ideas, lessons and knowledge.
The article also discusses the elements of a good WebQuest – introduction, task, process, resources, evaluation and a conclusion. This will be very helpful as I work on my final project. I may go back to this article as my project starts to take shape.
I chose to read “The Student WebQuest: A productive and thought provoking use of the Internet” by Maureen Yoder. I have never constructed a WebQuest before so I though this article would help broaden my knowledge.
I really liked the author’s definition of a WebQuest. Yoder states that “A well-written quest demands that students go beyond fact-finding: It asks them to analyze a variety of resources and use their creativity and critical-thinking skills to derive solutions to a problem. The problem is often “real world”—that is, one that needs a genuine and reasonable solution.”
I did not know that the term “WebQuest” or the idea was invented in 1995 by Bernie Dodge and Tom March. I thought WebQuests were much more recent. After all, I graduated with my bachelor degree in 1999 and don’t recall ever hearing or learning about a WebQuest.
This article gives many links with examples of WebQuests. Three websites that are highly recommended are: http://edweb.sdsu.edu/webquest/webquest.html
http://ozline.com/webquests/intro.html, and http://discoveryschool.com/schrockquide/webquest.html
I found these websites quite helpful and good enough to be bookmarked for future use. The neat thing about WebQuests is that teachers have posted their lessons online. Educators from all over the world can share their ideas, lessons and knowledge.
The article also discusses the elements of a good WebQuest – introduction, task, process, resources, evaluation and a conclusion. This will be very helpful as I work on my final project. I may go back to this article as my project starts to take shape.
Reading Reflection One
http://davidwarlick.com/ff_article/
I read “A Future Fiction” by David Warlick. It is a story based on existing, and soon to be available, technology. The article focuses on how technology can be used in the classroom for student presentations.
As I was reading the article, I found myself wishing I could actually see and hear the presentations instead of just reading about them. I believe the pictures, maps, and sound effects made the presentations extremely interesting and informative for the students. I like the fact that the groups still had to plan a verbal presentation to accompany the videos and images used to present their topic.
A new age media center is also described – with interactive display tables that can be connected to each student’s electronic tablet. I did find the idea of the media center, or library, only having a small corner of actual books, a bit disturbing. I love reading from an actual book, and find it hard to imagine ever having to read solely off a computer screen or similar device.
I also found it slightly creepy that a teacher could access a student’s location from their nametag chip. It would be nice to not have to call roll but I am not sure that I would want to be tracked around my school campus.
This article definitely opened my eyes to possibilities in the classroom for the near future. However, I think it will be a while before these ideas are implemented in the public schools. Many districts are still struggling to give every student access to a computer and basic technology needs.
I can see myself using the technology mentioned in this article for music history presentations as well as teaching music theory.
I read “A Future Fiction” by David Warlick. It is a story based on existing, and soon to be available, technology. The article focuses on how technology can be used in the classroom for student presentations.
As I was reading the article, I found myself wishing I could actually see and hear the presentations instead of just reading about them. I believe the pictures, maps, and sound effects made the presentations extremely interesting and informative for the students. I like the fact that the groups still had to plan a verbal presentation to accompany the videos and images used to present their topic.
A new age media center is also described – with interactive display tables that can be connected to each student’s electronic tablet. I did find the idea of the media center, or library, only having a small corner of actual books, a bit disturbing. I love reading from an actual book, and find it hard to imagine ever having to read solely off a computer screen or similar device.
I also found it slightly creepy that a teacher could access a student’s location from their nametag chip. It would be nice to not have to call roll but I am not sure that I would want to be tracked around my school campus.
This article definitely opened my eyes to possibilities in the classroom for the near future. However, I think it will be a while before these ideas are implemented in the public schools. Many districts are still struggling to give every student access to a computer and basic technology needs.
I can see myself using the technology mentioned in this article for music history presentations as well as teaching music theory.
Sunday, July 15, 2007
CNN.com
http://www.cnn.com/
Has a great technology section plus many others - travel, education, and of course news.
http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/ptech/07/12/ipods.lightning.ap/index.html
This is an article about being struck by lightening when wearing an IPod. Tough times!
Has a great technology section plus many others - travel, education, and of course news.
http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/ptech/07/12/ipods.lightning.ap/index.html
This is an article about being struck by lightening when wearing an IPod. Tough times!
First post - TEST
Hey everyone,
This is my first post. I am basically writing this as a TEST because I don't really know what I am doing. Hope all is well.
This is my first post. I am basically writing this as a TEST because I don't really know what I am doing. Hope all is well.
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