Web Quest

After learning about webquests and looking at a few in class, i will use them in my future classroom. It is a great way for students to work in collaborative groups under specific roles and use the web in order to research and present on different topics. Not all the webquests on the internet are "good" for students to use, some have complex instructions that would take weeks to complete. These type of webquests require a lot of time for students to work together in class on completing their projects. Sometimes long term quests have their advantages, they focus on deeper understanding and reach the evaluation and analysis levels of bloom taxonomy. Short term quests are better when focusing on specific content, students reach the lower levels of blooms taxonomy (Knowledge and Comprehension). Personally i think that web quests are more beneficial for students and allows them to participate in high order thinking. Scavenger hunts are good for introdutions but webquests have an end product produced by students.

Assistive Technology & Inquiry-Based Learning

If your a standard education teacher or a special education teacher, it does not matter, you will come across assistive technology. Especially with today's focus on inclusion and differentiated instruction, students with special needs will more than likely will be present in your classroom for either the entire day or a certain period of time. Learning about different types of assistive technology and how they work is important because if the student doesnt know how to use it, you will need to be able to activate it or attempt to get it to work in order for the students in your classroom to recieve the best education possible. These technological devices allow students to participate in tasks that they were not able to do before or tasks that they previously had difficulty in completing. Keyboards with pictures inplace of keys is a common type of assistive technology. This keyboards can be used independently of a computer or connected. They may spell a word on the computer screen or say the word aloud. If a student is unable to speak they can use a series of keys to communicate what they want/need (communication boards(. Another type of assistive technology is a device that holds a book and turns the page for students. There are also simple adaptive devices such as books with large print, computer screen magnifiers, hearing aids that connect to a microphone that is worn by the teacher and much much much more.
Inquiry-based learning engages students in an active process of learning based upon scientific methods. Students are to create new models that tie into what is learned in calss, they are parallel but using their own knowledge and ideas to make a connection to the real world. This type of learning pulls on prior knowledge encouraging and boosting the self eestem of students. My favorite part of inquiry-based learning is that it makes a connection to the real world, students can reach a deeper level of learning when they connect it to their life experiences.

Bloom's Taxonomy and Scavenger Hunts

Bloom's Taxonomy is a classification system of learning objectives in the field of education. It's main purpose is to help educators figure out what level of vigor they are requiring students to use for the completion of school work. Also to ensure that students have using high order think whenever possible, because just having the knowledge of something doesn't help a student to become fluent in the area. The skills in the cognitive domain of Bloom's Taxonomy are 1) Knowledge 2) Comprehension 3) Application 4) Analysis 5) Synthesis and 6) Evaluation . They range from lowest order processes to highest. Each level has key words associated with them, for example knowledge: list, find, name, state etc. Having key words that are associated with each level is helpful to teachers when constructing test questions, essays, and projects because using the right words depends on what outcome you expect for your students.
I believe that Bloom's Taxonomy is necessary for all teachers to use. It is a great way to ensure that you measure learning correctly according to your goals and the curriculum's goals. I also think that using Bloom's Taxonomy with technology is a great way to ensure student progress and the new verbs associated with each level make it easier for educator to apply the objectives. The new verbs are 1) Remembering 2) Understanding 3) Applying 4) Analysing 5) Evaluating and 6) Creating. It removes a lot of confusion to what each verb means.
In class we participated in a couple of scavenger hunts, i believe conducting them in the classroom is a great way to boost student participation. They are fun, can be challenging and adaptable to all subjects. Students can be given scavenger hunts or create they're own for their classmates. Competition can be introduced or the teacher may feel that it is better not to include it. Competition can make student learning/participation more desirable because there is often a reward following. The teacher may break the class into teams and have them race to answer the most questions correctly or individually challenge them to beat there best score. The Internet can provide information that students to know off hand and encourages them to use the web to search for answers. Infusing technology is always a plus in the classroom, as long as you do it right. Scavenger hunts are easy for teachers/students to create and a great way for teachers to introduce new subjects, they can be used in all subjects/ grade levels and follow bloom's knowledge or remembering level but teachers can make them more difficult to reach high order thinking.

Podcasts

After learning all about podcasting and creating one with my classmates, i have found that they are fun and enjoyable. I believe that students would love to create a podcast that have educational value. They incorporate voice narration, sounds (jingles etc.), and pictures. It makes education fun, informational, visual, technical and interactive. Garage band is a software that is not too difficult to use with a small amount of basic training. Students can easily record their prepared information and add sounds/pictures to illustrate their ideas.
Some problems that i can foresee happening when creating podcasts in the classroom are time and software. The main reason i would decide not to have students create pod casts is that they take time and preparation to create. Students need to prepare a script, find pictures, edit and save their podcasts. This can take a long time, especially if it is a large part of a students grade. In order to carry out this project student would need lots on in class time to work on their projects. Especially because some students may not have access to a computer at home, or one with the software required to make and publish a podcast. Even the school may not have garage band and itunes installed on every computer in the school.
Young children may also have problems with creating podcasts, and may need more help then provided. In this case, a teacher could become overwhelmed and the project may fail miserably. I think podcasts would work best with upper elementary school age children, middle school and high school students. Some good ideas to have students create projects are for a travel brochure, creating stories, reporting on a broad topic and making newscasts. Having students work together will encourage teamwork, problem solving and creativity.
Another way to use podcasting in the classroom is for the teacher to create a podcast to teach a lesson to his/her students. This can spice up a lesson and engage students in learning. It is a different and interesting way to incorporate technology in the classroom. The music and pictures enhance the lesson. When teachers use podcasting they do not have to worry about teaching all the students in the class to use the software required.