Digital Blog Post # K

Chapter 6 was a fun extension to this week’s assignment of creating a WebQuest. Reading through, it made clear the positives of what a WebQuest can bring to the classroom, as well as the benefits of virtual field trips and the benefits and drawbacks of using educational websites. All of these concepts are great advantages to those who want to become educators and should be used as tools to help them in their classrooms.

This week’s main assignment was one of the best so far. To read more about WebQuests in a more in depth manor throughout chapter 6 gave me a better understanding of their benefits, not just for students but for teachers as well. One of the merits I like about the WebQuests is that it uses less disposable resources. Teachers don’t have to print out 130 copies of the assignment to pass out to all of her classes. Even just 25 copies of a 5 page packet is 125 pages being used along with the ink required, the staples not to mention the time all to be used only one time before having to be thrown out. A WebQuest can be used hundreds of times without ever having to be thrown away or recycled. Another benefit is the simplicity it creates for students. It can be used as an electronic map or to take an online tour, moving from one web resource to the next to gather information and learn about a particular topic. (Transforming Learning With New Technologies) WebQuests also offer a variety of techniques all in one assignment. One task can be split into a single student endeavor, or a group activity by assigning different responsibilities to different students throughout a group. I think these WebQuests have an abundant amount of benefits and should be used in this technology revolved day in age.

Something that could go hand in hand with WebQuests would be virtual field trips. This was something I have seen firsthand in a classroom I was volunteering in. At first I was skeptical of the benefit (if any) of what watching a screen could to compared to actually being there. I was completely wrong. I was in a kindergarten classroom and the students were going on a field trip of the Mall of America. I didn’t understand how a broadcast could even compare to being there in real life. It far surpassed my expectations. The students were able to see every square inch of the mall in 30 minutes or less, compared to only being able to see a quarter of the mall had they really been there. They were able to hear facts and construction details (though I doubt at the kindergarten level that was something of interest). But the point being made is that virtual field trips enable students to go to places all over the world without ever leaving their classroom or school computer lab. (Transforming Learning With New Technologies)

When you google any topic, whether it be the Civil War or the periodic table, there will be thousands of websites that come up, a good majority of them claiming to be educational. The key to utilizing educational websites and resources is finding reputable sites that are of high quality (Transforming Learning With New Technologies) The information needs to be accurate and depending on the audience its directed towards, needs to be understandable and engaging. I think a big key to knowing which sites are worthy of an educational status is for the teacher to do a “test run” first. Go through the site and see firsthand what your children will be learning and the techniques being used. If it is an informational website, see if the site is reliable. There are also sites that will compile a list of educational sites that they recommend for teachers and parents to expose their children to. Great!Schools has a great arrangement of helpful links that help get students organized and engaged. It also helps give support and guidance to parents, teachers and students who may be struggling with some aspect of the educational system or its requirements. 
Chapter 6 was a great learning experience and a great expansion to the WebQuest assignment. Learning the different ideas behind interactive technology for students is such an amazing opportunity to see what benefits students within the classroom. Learning how to differentiate between a good and bad educational resource and understanding the benefits behind utilizing virtual field trip tours are all concepts that can be used everyday within a classroom. This week was a great stepping stone in putting what we've learned so far this semester into affect and enlarging the picture of what technology can do for a classroom.