My hopes of gaining access to more technologies to enhance my teaching effectiveness have certainly been met. I am so excited about all the web-based tools that we have learned in EDTP 504, that I recently updated my resume just so I could include them under the "Technological Skills" subheading. From Microsoft MovieMaker to Flickr to WebQuests, RSS, Wikkis, Podcasts and Weblogs, I could not be more thrilled with the scope of technolgical tools I have learned. I look forward to enhancing my instruction next year with this vast variety of tools.
Thanks so much to Amy for great instruction! Good luck to all the future teachers!
Sunday, April 22, 2007
Monday, April 9, 2007
Web-Quest Supports Differentiated Instruction
Dear Mr. Black,
The free website questgarden.com offers an exceptional opportunity for teachers in all content areas to guide students through web-based research in a structured, easy-to-facillitate manner. Web-Quests also serve as easy and exciting ways to incoporate technology into the classroom and implement differentiated instruction to students of all learning styles and ability levels. I propose that Knight offer an hour long PD in August to explain how, when, and why to use Web-Quests in any content area.
As stated above, Web-Quests are well-structured research guides that can aide teachers in the facillitation of a research project. Teachers need only to create (or borrow) a web-based guide through which students direct themselves through the World Wide Web to answer guiding questions or create any sort of research based projects. The easy one-step creation of the online guide aides teachers in facillitation. The structure aides students who could easily be lost in the maze of webpages and (some false) information online.
In addition to the ease of facilitation and structure for students, Web-Quests provide teachers and easy way to differentiate instruction for various ability levels and learning styles. Web-Quests can easily be altered to match an individual or group's ability level. A "Challenge" could be included on the Web-Quest. Also, teachers could provide small-group instruction to students struggling in one area while students who have successfully mastered a skill could work on their Web-Quest, which could easily span the length of a grading period.
Finally, if Knight were to offer a PD on Web-Quests this August, teachers could learn the varieties of ways in which this tool could aide them in any content area. They could learn how to use the tool with ease, when it is appropriate, why it is beneficial, and decide how to "make it their own." Knight would be a more technologically advanced place for the information, and its students would have the opportunity to build confidence in an activity that would provide them the skills they need to be successful researchers and technology users.
Knight needs to offer an August PD on Web-Quests. This free, technologically advanced tool provides the structure students need to develop research skills. It also provides ease of facillitation for teachers, and makes differentiating instruction easier as well. Finally, if all of Knight's faculty understood how, when, and why to implement Web-Quest, the school-wide knowledge would put Knight on the fore-front of technological advancement. Please consider my idea for an August PD to incorporate Web-Quests!
Thank you,
Ms. Yost
The free website questgarden.com offers an exceptional opportunity for teachers in all content areas to guide students through web-based research in a structured, easy-to-facillitate manner. Web-Quests also serve as easy and exciting ways to incoporate technology into the classroom and implement differentiated instruction to students of all learning styles and ability levels. I propose that Knight offer an hour long PD in August to explain how, when, and why to use Web-Quests in any content area.
As stated above, Web-Quests are well-structured research guides that can aide teachers in the facillitation of a research project. Teachers need only to create (or borrow) a web-based guide through which students direct themselves through the World Wide Web to answer guiding questions or create any sort of research based projects. The easy one-step creation of the online guide aides teachers in facillitation. The structure aides students who could easily be lost in the maze of webpages and (some false) information online.
In addition to the ease of facilitation and structure for students, Web-Quests provide teachers and easy way to differentiate instruction for various ability levels and learning styles. Web-Quests can easily be altered to match an individual or group's ability level. A "Challenge" could be included on the Web-Quest. Also, teachers could provide small-group instruction to students struggling in one area while students who have successfully mastered a skill could work on their Web-Quest, which could easily span the length of a grading period.
Finally, if Knight were to offer a PD on Web-Quests this August, teachers could learn the varieties of ways in which this tool could aide them in any content area. They could learn how to use the tool with ease, when it is appropriate, why it is beneficial, and decide how to "make it their own." Knight would be a more technologically advanced place for the information, and its students would have the opportunity to build confidence in an activity that would provide them the skills they need to be successful researchers and technology users.
Knight needs to offer an August PD on Web-Quests. This free, technologically advanced tool provides the structure students need to develop research skills. It also provides ease of facillitation for teachers, and makes differentiating instruction easier as well. Finally, if all of Knight's faculty understood how, when, and why to implement Web-Quest, the school-wide knowledge would put Knight on the fore-front of technological advancement. Please consider my idea for an August PD to incorporate Web-Quests!
Thank you,
Ms. Yost
Sunday, April 8, 2007
The Importance of Free Information
Reading chapter 9 in Richardson's book reinforced an idea I already held strongly: that it is of the utmost importance to keep the web public and free. Some people in powerful positions of business and government are currently making arguments in favor of privatization of the Internet's web pages. I don't believe there could be a more harmful idea. The world wide web needs to remain public and free to everyone with Internet access.
As a teacher, I cannot imagine something more harmful for my students. Were the government to allow or mandate that web pages be privatized, only those with the proper means could access information, while those without - such as underprivileged students and teachers working in financially stringent conditions - would be censored for the free information we now take for granted. An electronic caste system would be created, in which those who hold power would get more powerful in their access and control of knowledge, while those with less power would grow weaker in their ignorance. The web must remain public so that all people can access information, and decide for themselves what is true and what is not.
Some argue, however, that privatization of the Internet would cut down on the misinformation published on the web. When in history has putting the power of censorship in the hands of politicians and business leaders ever led to more accurate and unbiased information? Richardson says that students now need to learn how to be editors to determine what is true and what is inaccurate on the Internet. This is the perfect opportunity to give students the critical thinking skills they need to be knowledgeable, aware citizens. If web pages are privatized, that opportunity would be taken away from them, if not their easy access to information and knowledge.
Privatization of the Internet would ultimately make the country less democratic. The less fortunate and public school students would lack the same information that their wealthier counter-parts had access to, and the information allowed on the web would be controlled not by regular, common citizens, but by big business leaders and politicians. Keep the Internet public for the ideals of American equity, liberty, and democracy.
As a teacher, I cannot imagine something more harmful for my students. Were the government to allow or mandate that web pages be privatized, only those with the proper means could access information, while those without - such as underprivileged students and teachers working in financially stringent conditions - would be censored for the free information we now take for granted. An electronic caste system would be created, in which those who hold power would get more powerful in their access and control of knowledge, while those with less power would grow weaker in their ignorance. The web must remain public so that all people can access information, and decide for themselves what is true and what is not.
Some argue, however, that privatization of the Internet would cut down on the misinformation published on the web. When in history has putting the power of censorship in the hands of politicians and business leaders ever led to more accurate and unbiased information? Richardson says that students now need to learn how to be editors to determine what is true and what is inaccurate on the Internet. This is the perfect opportunity to give students the critical thinking skills they need to be knowledgeable, aware citizens. If web pages are privatized, that opportunity would be taken away from them, if not their easy access to information and knowledge.
Privatization of the Internet would ultimately make the country less democratic. The less fortunate and public school students would lack the same information that their wealthier counter-parts had access to, and the information allowed on the web would be controlled not by regular, common citizens, but by big business leaders and politicians. Keep the Internet public for the ideals of American equity, liberty, and democracy.
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