INTERNET WORKSHOP 3:
Using Central Curriculum Resources and WebQuests to Prepare Students for their Literacy and Learning Future
Overview
This Internet workshop will explore the wonderful curriculum resources available on the Internet as well as a final instructional model: WebQuests. The experiences are intended to prepare you for your important leadership role in this area.
Central Curriculum Sites
There are a number of central curricular sites that many educators use in their classrooms. Central sites are organized around specific curricular areas: math, science, social studies, and Literacy/Language Arts.
Webquests
WebQuests are complete teaching/learning units for students on the Internet. Students simply follow the directions and complete their learning experiences at a WebQuest site. WebQuest pages usually contain the following sections:
- Introduction
- Task Definition
- A Description of the Process
- Information Resources
- Guidance in Organizing the Information
- A Concluding Activity
WebQuests may be developed by anyone but they are often developed by teachers. Because they appear on web pages, they are then available to other teachers. Many different examples may be found by doing a search for a WebQuest in the area you are studying. Use search key words such as: Geometry WebQuest, Panda Bear WebQuest, Eric Carle WebQuest, etc.
Be Careful! Can a WebQuest meet these standards?
More information about this instructional model, and others, may be found at:
- Does this WebQuest meet important curriculum goals and learning objectives? How? What would students learn from this experience? What does it teach? Is this important?
- How much time will this take my students? Is this time well spent or could we accomplish more in less time with another learning experience?
- Does the WebQuest require students to think critically about information and evaluate the information they encounter? Does higher order thinking take place during the WebQuest or are students only required to develop literal, factual knowledge?
- Is this WebQuest developed so as to accommodate individual learning needs and interests? Will all of my students be able to benefit from this activity? If not, what must I do to meet individual differences?
- Is there an opportunity for students to share the results of their WebQuest with the rest of the class for discussion and additional learning? How do students share their learning with the rest of the class, enriching everyone's insights about what took place?
- Do students know, in advance, how their work on the WebQuest will be evaluated? Will students know what is important to accomplish in the activity based on how it will be evaluated?
- Are all of the links on the WebQuest active and appropriate for students? Have I completed the WebQuest myself, and checked each of the links to resources that appear?
- Leu, D. J., Jr. & Leu, D. D. (2000). Teaching with the Internet: Lessons from the classroom (3rd ed.). Norwood, MA: Christopher-Gordon. Available: http://www.sp.uconn/~djleu/third.html
On the next few pages, we will complete an Internet Workshop experience together around the use of central curricular sites and WebQuests. You will have 30 minutes to explore and gather information on the Internet in one area. You will bring the information you gathered back to our workshop session where we will share and discuss it for 15 minutes.
Click on one of the following areas to explore in the next 30 minutes.
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Using Webquests |
Webquest Sites |
CENTRAL CURRICULUM SITES IN MATH AND SCIENCE EDUCATION
Explore the central curricular sites below. Take notes and be prepared to share what you discovered about these issues:
- Which resources did you locate that will be most useful to your district in integrating Internet technologies into the curriculum?
- What ideas and resources can you bring back to your faculty to be used right away in the classroom?
- How might you make these resources quickly available to your faculty?
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CENTRAL CURRICULUM SITES IN SOCIAL STUDIES AND LITERACY EDUCATION
Explore the central curricular sites below. Take notes and be prepared to share what you discovered about these issues:
- Which resources did you locate that will be most useful to your district in integrating Internet technologies into the curriculum?
- What ideas and resources can you bring back to your faculty to be used right away in the classroom?
- How might you make these resources quickly available to your faculty?
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ARTICLE ABOUT USING WEBQUESTS
Star, L. (2000). Creating a webquest: It's easier than you think! Available at Education World:
- How do teachers use WebQuests Project in their classrooms?
- Why might this be a useful instructional model?
- What problems might arise?
http://www.education-world.com/a_tech/tech011.shtml
SEVERAL WEBQUEST SITES Explore the four resources below. Take notes and be prepared to answer these questions:
- Where might you go to locate a useful WebQuest for a particular topic?
- Which WebQuests can you locate that you like for the classroom?
- Which WebQuests can you locate that you don’t like for the classroom?
- Do you think a WebQuest model might be useful at your school? Why or why not?
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SELF-EVALUATION RUBRIC FOR ACTIVITY 3:
Your Score
I gathered all the appropriate information for one of the areas. (2 points) During the workshop session, I shared the information I found. (2 points) I did this exceptionally well or I did more than was required. (Describe) (1 point) TOTAL (5 possible points)
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