Digital Badge # L-Chapter 6

Digital Badge #L-Chapter 6

In chapter 6, “Fostering Online Learning with Educational Websites and Apps”, it considers information management a requirement when classroom teachers and students use learning resources that are provided by educational links and other online resources.  There are many technology tools that help extend learning while using the web.  These are a few tools to be useful in the classroom. 

The first section I found resourceful, was “Designing Successful WebQuest.”  WebQuests serve as facilitator for students learning fundamental Internet literacy skills of information retrieval and analysis.  It was mentioned that there are five steps for a WebQuest.  These steps are: stage setting, task, process, evaluation, and conclusion.  A stage setting is an introduction by the teacher before the students begin their activity.  A task is the activities, in which the students will be expected to do or create while on their quest.  The process is step-by-step instructions that students will follow throughout the quest.  An evaluation is how the instructor will assess the students to make sure that they have met the requirements of a quest.  The conclusion is a summary of the key understandings or learning goals that were embedded in the quest.  WebQuest are a great teaching tool to help motivate and encourage students to be aware and make connections.  They essentially ask the student a question that needs answering.  Through this process, students are asked to understand, hypothesize or problem-solve.  After completing our WebQuest, I quickly understood how this could be a resourceful tool in the classroom.  Students are responsible and accountable for their own project/assignment when maneuvering through the tabs.  When instructors choose a topic that they consider their students would respond to, they could add to the relevance of the given project/assignment.

The second section I discovered to be helpful was “Using Educational Websites and Apps Interactively.” It was stated in this section, that “teaching” in a classroom is more than telling information to students, a quality educational website is more than information on a computer screen.  Students are now required to interact with the online material to discover its relevance and meaning.  Using educational websites shift the teaching from the teacher to the student and interactively show how things work.  Educational websites that include interactivity, exploration, and engagement are the most successful with the students.  When students have the ability to interact with online content, it teaches them to analyze and be prepared to ask questions about their topic. Exploration is another feature that some websites are equipped with to make exploring easier for students when conducting their research.  They can take different various avenues while they are engaged in a lesson/assignment.  When educational websites are engaging, students are intrigued with the use of a compelling storyline, interesting characters, a perplexing mystery, or a controversial issue or idea.  Students are drawn to online material in ways that could not happen with information presented in a text-based, less interactive format.  The key to be an effective teacher when using educational websites and apps is to keep your students intrigued while working effectively and diligently.  There are several resourceful educational websites to incorporate within the classroom and I found this link to be beneficial.

"This picture displays an educational website that a student could access to research, various graphs."

The third section I found intriguing was, “Taking Virtual Field Trips.”  In this section it states that students have the capability of traveling to various locations around the world without ever leaving their classroom or school.  Virtual field trips are a flexible teaching approach.  A group of students can access a virtual trip, while other students work independently on a given assignment.  It was also mentioned that a computer could also be connected to a projector, so that the whole class can participate in a virtual field trip.  Google Earth has an impressive collection of virtual tours, including famous cathedrals, castles and palaces, art museums, skyscrapers, and other historical sites.  Students have the capability when exploring virtual sites, to use the information and pictures for research/projects.  When teachers incorporate virtual field trips in the classroom, it can provide opportunities for new discoveries in the classroom.  One of the most interesting virtual field trips, I found was a trip to Antarctica.  Students had the capability of following a team of explorers through their trip across the continent.  Wow! This is such a creative way to strike the interest of those students who are a visual learner.  Students will value this way of learning and open a world of traveling possibilities.

"This is a wonderful video to display how effective virtual field trips can be in the classroom" 

References

Get Outta Class With Virtual Field Trips. (n.d.). Retrieved November 18, 2014, from http://www.educationworld.com/a_tech/tech/tech071.shtml

Maloy, R. (2011). Transforming learning with new technologies. Boston: Pearson/Allyn and Bacon.

Why WebQuests. (n.d.). Retrieved November 18, 2014, from http://www.internet4classrooms.com/why_webquest.htm