Wedding Party 6

And yet another!

Wedding Party 5

And here are some more.

Wedding Party 4

Some other good ones.

Wedding Party 3

Oops one I forgot.

Wedding Party 2

Here are the boys.

Wedding Party

Here they are!

Maid of Honor

Here is a Maid of Honor!

First Came Students, Then Came Webquests

WebQuests are a relatively new learning tool for me. I have yet to facilitate students in completing one. I am familiar with them because I have used portions of ones created by others that I found on the internet. My initial impression of WebQuests was they are an interesting way to find basic information. In other words, do a worksheet on the computer instead of a paper and look at web pages instead of books. Through the readings, lectures, and examples of my EPSY 556 class, I have learned this is not necessarily the case. WebQuests are much like any learning tool; they are only as effective as you make them. I now understand that WebQuests can and should be a means of deep inquiry to help students learn information through higher order thinking. With this in mind, the idea of using WebQuests with students is very exciting.

It is so exciting because this learning tool, in my opinion, is very empowering for students. First, WebQuests use the medium of digital information which today's kids are all too familiar with. This is especially important because I believe that students today process information differently than before. Twenty years ago, people, such as myself, found information in books but today most people go straight to the internet. Adjusting lessons to the current way of "researching" will most likely make them more effective. Second, WebQuests push students to be active learners. In the past, the teacher would "feed" students information and students would be required to "spit" it back out. With WebQuests, this is not the case. Students are responsible for gathering the information along a semi-directed path. I have learned that, initially, WebQuests can be a lot of work for the teacher which may serve as a deterrent for some. For me, though, I think any amount of work is worth it when it results in a student's development of deep conceptual knowledge instead of a laundry list of forgettable facts.

Free, Free, Free

Educators are very funny. In general, we love free things. I think it comes from trying to do so much with so few resources. So when I saw the word FREE I was eager to investigate the educator resource sites:
http://www.edutopia.org/
http://www.thejournal.com/
http://www.techlearning.com/

Overall, the sites were rather similar in their webpage formats, topic selections, and reading flow. After review, I could see how any of the sites could be a useful tool for finding information regarding current technology and news in schools, especially because they support access to archived issues. The only aspect I found disappointing was they were covered with advertisements. I found the advertisements very distracting and sometimes could not easily navigate what would actually link to just information.
My favorite of the three was Edutopia. I liked it because it was very easy to navigate and a variety of related resources were available at the push of a button. I am a busy person and finding time to read through an entire article is often difficult so I especially liked the quick related video clips. I was also pleased that it was sponsored by the George Lucas Foundation and therefore lacked the annoying advertisements. I decided to subscribe. I guess only time will tell if my initial impression was correct.

What About A Webquest?

It is my belief students learn best by experiencing what they are learning. For this reason, I take my students on eight to ten field trips a year. One of my favorite places to visit with my students is the farm. I teach in a very urban area of Chicago and my students have little understanding of animals beyond squirrels, cats, dogs, and birds. Taking them to the farm could be equivalent to taking other kids to the moon. To them, it is like another world.

An important topic we learn about is the different types of animals on a farm. I think it would be a great idea to utilize a webquest to cover this topic. My idea is to have the students build their own farm. The challenge will be that they will only be allowed to choose a certain number on animals to live on their farm. I will provide them with several animal choices such as pigs, cows, horses, chickens, etc. to research and learn about what each animal provides. Once they have looked at all their options, they will create their final product farm and explain which ones they would include and give reasons why and also which ones they would not choose and give reasons why not.

I believe looking at the animals’ unique characteristics more critically will help students develop a deeper understand of the animals which will stay with them longer than just learning the animals’ names.

"20 Technology Skills Every Educator Should Have"

During my last four years of teaching, I have been very privileged to work in a school that has an abundance of technology resources. In my classroom, I have a television, four desktop computers, a laptop computer, a Smart board, Audio Enhancement, and a Palm Pilot. In my school, we also have video conferencing equipment, dvd/vcrs, scanners, digital cameras, and two computer labs. So when I read Laura Turner's article, I was pleased with myself because I basically accomplished her list.

I believe there were two major reasons for this accomplishment. The first reason was the resources were available to me. I was able to gain all these skills because I had the materials in front of me to use. Hands-on learning is as important to adults as it is to students. The second reason is I have an interest in technology. This interest drove me to take Intel and Office Suites classes where I acquired advanced skills with digital cameras and electronic presentation and I, also, gained knowledge in areas such as educational copyright and computer networking. In essence, I am living proof that understanding the twenty skills is definitely possible.

However, I am not convinced the skills are realistic. I am very much aware that the resources available at my school are far from the norm. Also, not all teachers are as interested in technology as I am. To make matters worse, teachers are often overloaded with lesson plans, standards, report cards, etc. Limited resources, interest, and time make a list of twenty more skills to acquire seem impossible.

The twenty skills are still valuable though and acquiring them is crucial in creating more effective teachers. I feel ranking the skills by importance might make the list more manageable. With the input of a few teachers at my school, I evaluated the frequency and depth at which we use each of these skills. I used this evaluation to separate the skills into three main categories.

Level 1 - Basic Skills
(These skills must be mastered for success with technology.)

• Word Processing Skills
• Spreadsheet Skills
• Electronic Presentation Skills
• Web Navigation Skills
• E-Mail Management Skills
• File Management & Windows Explorer Skills
• Computer Related Storage Devices

Level 2 - Intermediate Skills
(These skills should be mastered for success with technology.)

• Database Skills
• Web Site Design Skills
• Digital Cameras
• Computer Network Knowledge
• Downloading Software From the Web
• Installing Computer Software onto a Computer System
• Scanner Knowledge

Level 3 - Advanced Skills
(These skills could be mastered for success with technology.)

• WebCT or Blackboard Teaching Skills
• Videoconferencing Skills
• Knowledge of PDAs
• Deep Web Knowledge
• Educational Copyright Knowledge
• Computer Security Knowledge

It is my vision that teachers utilize this list by starting with level one, then level two, and so on. My hope is after they have mastered some of the skills in level one that they will be inspired to move on the next levels and even beyond.