Check In

In TPTE class thus far, I am learning more about technology than I would have expected! In the first few weeks of class I thought that at the speed we are going we will run out of things to talk about. Now, I am beginning to think that not even a semester is long enough to review all the tools on the web. I am thoroughly enjoying the class and am excited about the new things I will learn in the future. I just hope I can remember it all!

Quest of Webs

This past week, we did an activity on WebQuests! I had never heard of a WebQuest before, but I really enjoyed critiquing a few examples with other students in my class.  As we reviewed various sites, I noticed a couple things that set WebQuests apart from each other.  First, is organization of the site.  WebQuests are so useful because they provide all the directions, links, and tools that one needs to research a topic and accomplish an activity . However, if the objectives and instructions of the activity are disorganized, this process becomes much more difficult.  The layout of the site is very important as well.  Even simple things like colors and pictures when you first visit a site are so influential in your perceptions of it.

I could definitely see myself using WebQuests in a Science Classroom.  There are many biological concepts that relate to issues going on in the world today such as genetic engineering, gene cloning, etc. A WebQuest would help students become familiar with topics like these while learning about the biological processes behind them and then formulating their own opinion about them.  Similarly, WebQuests would help organize group activities and discussion with other students that would aid in their understanding.  By creating my own WebQuest or utilizing one from the internet, there are many ways that this web 2.0 tool could be used in the classroom.

The next time I am searching for a specific WebQuest to use in an activity, I will be aware of sites like QuestGarden where they are organized into various subject areas.  I will know how to critique a specific WebQuest through the site evaluation that we completed in my TPTE class. I will know that it is important for there to be an author, reliable contact information, and consistent revisions made to the site. 

Website Evaluating

This past week I evaluated a site called Cells Alive which has multiple demonstrations, animations, and models representing various cellular structures and processes.  A few of my favorite interactive tools are the model of the prokaryotic and eukaryotic cell as well as the demonstration of mitosis and meiosis. I appreciate that you can watch the process as a whole or focus in on one particular step.  I can really see myself utilizing a site such as Cells Alive in the classroom.  It is so important for students to study the particular parts, steps, and functions of cellular processes through scientific resources such as textbooks, articles, and lectures.  However, allowing students to visually see these processes often helps incorporate all that information.

This activity taught me various practical ways to evaluate a website that can be used in the classroom.  I learned that it is important for there to be contact information on the site as well as an author.  Having the credentials of the author posted helps the reader to know that the information on the site is reliable.  Also, as technology is always changing, it is important that the site is consistently under revision so that information is portrayed in a current and applicable way.  Finally, I learned that the most successful sites are those that are user-friendly to various age levels.  I appreciate that the Cells Alive is not difficult to navigate with clearly identified links and headings on the side of the page. 

Overall, this activity was very beneficial for me as a future educator. In the "Internet Age" that we live in where information can be so instantly accessed, I must be able to decipher between valuable and invaluable sources.  This activity provided me with questions to ask concerning various websites which will be beneficial as I conduct my own online research and as I teach my students how to conduct theirs.