Journal Post #6 Teaching with Educational Websites and Other Online Resources

Photo Credit to Violinha on Flickr

What are WebQuests and virtual field trips?

      The definition of a WebQuest is very similar to it's title. It's a trek via a website that then leads you to one site after the other in order to gather the information you're trying to accumulate. Similar to searching a library and copying excerpts of multiple books to review for a research project, WebQuests differ in that they are solely electronic. Rather than searching book by book, students are told to visit website after website. This is a great way to integrate technology into the classroom and it also ensures that the sites the WebQuests link to are professor approved. Assuming there is a specific task at hand and an understood process, students are able to complete their projects by exploring the world wide web. The rapidity of internet search results encourages students to continue as there tends to be a lack of search frustration. I love the idea of a WebQuest, though I've never had a professor that's assigned one. I think they're a great way to encourage student interest and involvement. 

      Virtual field trips are exactly as they sound as well. Though students may have to be in school six and a half hours a day, virtual field trips can take away from the mundane classroom setting and enhance reading comprehension, studies say. Many companies including “museums, science centers, and historical sites have developed online field trip programs that do not require any human-to-human interaction, so no reservation is needed.” This allows students to not only learn about various organizations, but to begin to comprehend other cultures as well. For example, sites like “ePals” allow classrooms from across the world to connect with each other. After connecting, professors can work together to have students join forces and complete projects. Projects like these are much more possible with the presence of virtual field trips and even WebQuests. I wish that virtual field trips had been around when I was in high school, I feel as though I could have gained a lot of insight on outside perspectives. Overall virtual field trips are a great way to expose students to places they might not otherwise be able to attend.

Photo Credit to Orphanjones on Flickr

Tech Tool 6.1 Using Bookmarks in Your Teaching Portaportal and Filamentality

      Tech Tool 6.1 discusses teacher approved sites for students and giving them easy access to a list of links. In class we've used both Symbaloo and Delicious, both great examples of this kind of technology. With a site called Portaportal educators are able to create a compilation of teacher-approved sites for their students to use. By doing this, the possibility of both distraction and using unreliable sites is heavily lessened. A great advantage to sites like Portaportal is that users can access their favorites from any computer. This eliminates all issues involved with bookmarking on home computers, as links are saved to an account that can then be logged into by accessing the site's homepage. I didn't expect to use my Symbaloo and Delicious accounts to the extent that I have but I've found them to be incredibly helpful with my schooling. When professors bring up sites in class, I go ahead and bookmark them just in case I'd like to access them when I'm studying later on. I've found sites like these to be a bit of a lifesaver, I just wish they were better advertised!

Photo Credit to Hdz on Flickr

Summary

      In short, chapter six discusses integrating online resources in the classroom and using educational sites within the curriculum. A big portion of the chapter discusses online bookmarking, which involves sites like Portaportal, Delicious, and Symbaloo. These sites allow users to keep all of their favorite links on one account, easily accessible from any computer. This eliminates confusion and allows students to access sites used in class while studying later on. Another section of the chapter discussed WebQuests and virtual field trips. Both of these encourage students to use the internet to research for their projects. However, they especially encourage the use of professor approved websites that follow the rules of AAOCC (Accuracy, Authority, Objectivity, Currency, and Coverage). Aside from virtual field trips and WebQuests the chapter includes a short section on videoconferencing with others whether they be a block away or five countries. This too is a good method for enhancing student's understanding of various cultures and ethnicities whilst integrating technology into the classroom. The chapter then goes on to discuss educational websites and their many uses. Not only does the section mention websites for teachers to use but it mentions potential classroom activities as well. Overall the chapter provided multiple methods for using educational websites in the classroom and simple ways to keep track of them. I especially enjoyed the section on WebQuests and virtual field trips and would love to try either or in the near future. 



References
Maloy, R. W. (2011). Teaching with Educational Websites and Other Online Resources. Transforming learning with new technologies (p. 155). Boston: Pearson/Allyn and Bacon.