WEBQUESTS!

This week we learned about webquests, something that I had heard my other teachers say but wasn't quite sure what they were talking about. Webquests are created by teachers for the students to use the technology of today to help them learn. This is mainly a form of Inquiry learning and helps gives your students the chance to explore the "web" in a safe environment. You can make a webquest for any age student and there are endless topics you can choose from. Webquests include a student view and a teacher view, that way you know you are covering all the bases. Included in your webquest is a introduction, task, the process, a form of evaluation(rubric) and credits for anything you used while creating it, then a link to the teacher's page which allows other teachers to use webquests that have been created and then put on the web but know from a teachers perspective how it worked and who it is targeting. Think how great this is, it is online lesson plans that can be shared from classroom to classroom all over the globe.

So why is this important or something we are learning about? Well our world is growing and changing and technology is a huge part of that and we as teachers must see how important it is for our students to utilize their computer skills. By using webquests you are integrating a core content area with technology and also freeing up some of your time because you are allowing the students to teach themselves in a way, which will allow you to go around and help students one on one. The direct model of teaching is not the best way for all students to learn and giving them the freedom to explore and take on a character gives learning some excitement.

Now that I have learned about the amazing world of webquest and I will be creating my own, I know that this will be a very valuable tool for me in my teaching career. Yes setting up webquests do take time and there is no way that you would use them for everything in your classroom but it is a wonderful way to add variety into your teaching. I know that I would have loved to do things like this in my elementary and all through my education. Teachers don't always have time to do everything they want to and now there are so many ways through UEN and the webquest site Doc Waters showed us in class that we can share wonderful ideas and that again frees up time for more teaching and learning to occur in your classroom. I plan on having technology be a fun creative integration tool in my classroom. I want my students to feel free to explore the Internet but through a safe avenue that has been created by teachers, because there are so many sites and things that I don't feel students should be on.

Surface Computing

The video for the week blew me away! I didn't really realize how everything in our world is changing to touch screens. With the Iphone, TV's, computer screens, even the self checkouts at the super markets. In a way it makes the technology come alive and changes the way you use things. The new surface computer was so awesome, in fact I wish I had one. It does give you that feeling of using paper again. When they put the camera on the surface and it automatically uploaded the picture they had just taken I thought that was the coolest thing I have ever seen. Then with a flick of a finger you can then transfer that picture to your phone without any cords at all. Another thing that just blew me away was the fact that this technology is even available. I am not a very tech savvy person and I don't even know where you would begin to create something like this. Humans so amazing that they can continually change and grow and create new amazing things. I hope that someday I can have these surface computers in my classroom, how amazing would that be to for our students to use. It could ultimately change the world of teaching, if every student had a surface computer for a desk think of how that would transform teaching and learning. You could keep track of their progress and still be very hands on and sure save a lot of tress.