WebQuest Evaluation

There are so many Webquests available to educators online now a days. They are easy to find, but not all Webquests are useful in the classroom. I found a Webquest that focuses on internet safety and can be found here. It is directed towards grade levels third through fifth with a reading level of 3.6. The task provided for the students is “You will be working with a partner to create a “Top Ten Internet Safety Tips” word document to display by your home computer. In order to decide what your “Top Ten Internet Safety Tips” are, you will be visiting 5 different Web site links.  Each of these Web sites will introduce you to or remind you of how to be Cybersmart” (Jackson, 2013). The creator lists the following as the standards for this Webquest:

• Students will recognize safe and responsible use of websites, chat rooms, electronic mail, and instant messaging
• Students will identify risks of sharing personal information
• Students will identify and avoid unsolicited or deceptive online communication
• Students will recognize and report online harassment and cyberbullying

I believe this Webquest does incorporate the above standards, but here are the specific Michigan Educational Technology Standards I would use as well:

• 3-5.DC.3. describe precautions surrounding personal safety that should be taken when online
• 3-5.DC.4. identify the types of personal information that should not be given out on the Internet (name, address, phone number, picture, school name)

Teaching Strategies

This Webquest has students work collaboratively with a partner to create ten internet safety tips. The students are not assigned specific roles (typist, fact finder, etc) but rather are asked (as a pair) after each task to write two tips in a Word Document. The teacher doesn’t seem to have an instructional role during this Webquest. They use inductive strategies by ways of videos for students to learn about internet safety. The students watch the video and type two tips about internet safety they learned or were reminded about.

Technology Use

The use of video media is a great way to use technology in the classroom. Instead of the teacher showing these videos the creator has taken the time to place all these useful videos in one location with directions for her students. This Webquest couldn’t be done by just photocopying pages of the site because it uses embedded videos. The use of audio and visual aides is a way that this creator has taken advantage of technology for her classroom.

Technical Aspects & Improvements 

The first thing I noticed in this Webquest is that none of the links open into a new tab or window which bothers me. This isn’t such a big deal for the first link (step 1), but does become a pain for the second link (step 5). The reason being that the second link has several steps in order to get to the video which are listed on the original Webquest site. I kept having to click the previous pages button in order to see what my next step had to be. I can see this being very frustrating for a 3rd grade student. All the links work and it states on www.webquest.org that is was last edited in January of 2013. The creator has credited her sources by making a page with the three websites she used, but only made one of them hyperlinked to the exact website.

Merlot Review

This week’s assignment task for CEP 811 is to evaluate a MERLOT resource using the following guidelines:

• Quality of Content
• Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching-Learning Tool
• Ease of Use.

The selected resource I chose comes from Tammy's Technology Tips for Teachers and was featured on the MERLOT database as reference material.

Quality of Content:

Tammy Worcester Tang has over twenty-five years of educational experience and is currently an Educational Technology Specialist. She has provided many tips ranging from ABCya to iFake Text. She provides valid and educationally significant concepts, models, and skills for any teacher who is looking to integrate technology into their classroom.

Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching-Learning Tool:

What stages in the learning process/cycle could the materials be used?

• Explanation: Tammy explains the each technological tool she presents as a tip each week
• Demonstration: She shows how to use it with easy step-by-step instructions both in text & screen shots

What is the learning objective? What should students be able to do after successfully learning with the materials?

• Students will be able to use technological tools in the classroom

What are the characteristics of the target learners

• Teachers
• Any subject area
• Want to integrate technology into their classroom
• Have basic computer skills

Does the interactive/media-rich presentation of material improve faculty and students' abilities to teach and learn the materials?

• Tammy provides her viewers of screen shots of the technological tool addressed in each tip, but doesn't provide interactive or media-rich presentations in any other form

Can the use of the software be readily integrated into current curriculum and pedagogy within the discipline?

• Yes, teachers can easily find a tool they want to integrate into the classroom by browsing through Tammy's tips. She even provides a search bar to search her website for exactly what you are looking for.

Can the software be used in a variety of ways to achieve teaching and learning goals?

• No, it is a simple text/picture tutorial website. Educators who struggle with technology may have to use another resource in order to properly learn how to use these technological tools.

Are the teaching-learning goals easy to identify?

• No, there are many resources provided on this website. The author of the site allows the teachers using this resource to create their own learning goals in order to use it in their own classroom.

Can good learning assignments for using the software application be written easily?

• No, this is a resource not something students who would be using.

Ease of Use:

Are the labels, buttons, menus, text, and general layout of the computer interface consistent and visually distinct?

• Yes, the website is easy to navigate.

Does the user get trapped in the material?

• No.

Can the user get lost easily in the material?

• No, it is organized by tips and each section has its own tab.

Does the module provide feedback about the system status and the user's responses?

• No.

Does the module provide appropriate flexibility in its use?

• No, it is only a simple, informational resource.

Does the learning material require a lot of documentation, technical support, and/or instruction for most students to successfully use the software?

• No, this is mainly a resource for educators in order to start using a technological tool in the classroom. It isn't meant to fully learn all the components of said tool.

Does the material present information in ways that are familiar for students?

• Yes, students are use to being given step-by-step instructions with visuals. It isn't as detailed as one might need if they are not familiar with computers.

Does the material present information in ways that would be attractive to students?

• No, this resource is directed for educators and doesn't have the appeal for students.

Game Based Learning Lesson Plan

CEP 811 Lesson Plan

Alien Rescue Tour