TechQuest: Project Implementaion

Here is the link to my podcast. Below the podcast is a transcript of what is said in the audio portion.

http://web.me.com/learend/Site/Podcast/Entries/2010/2/18_TechQuest__Project_Implementation.html

EPALS Video

TechQuest: Internet Research

I have researched this project extensively on the Internet. I used the google search engine and mel.org. On mel.org I used ERIC as my primary database for articles related to using the Internet to connect the real world to a social studies classroom.

Internet Tools for the Classroom

• http://earth.google.com/: A fantastic resource to use in the classroom. Google earth can take you anywhere in the world without leaving the classroom. This site takes field trips to a whole new level. You can see 3D images of buildings (historic and modern), there a pictures, and street views. This is a fantastic resource for the classroom.

• http://www.epals.com : This site it "the largest global community of connected classrooms". You can connect with students from 200 countries and territories. It is free and safe to use. Please watch video in the post above for more information on epals.com.
  

• http://www.howthemarketworks.com/: This site provides a free Internet stock market game. This is great for an economics classroom. There is even a place where teachers can set up private classroom stock market contests. They also include the teachers guide.

Related Articles

An article I found on ERIC directly relates to the how the market works site. It is called "MainXchange in the Classroom: The New Internet Stock Market Game. Teachers Guide and Student Activities". This guide wasn't by anyone author but by many contributors. This is very useful if you are to use the stock exchange game in your classroom. It was written in 1998 so there may have been some updates since then.

Another article I found was:
Maskin, Melvin R. ""Infotectives" on the "Infobahn": Designing Internet-Aided Projects for the Social Studies Classroom." NASSP Bulletin. 80.582 (1996): 59-70.
Unfortunately this was only an abstract and not the full article. It is a little dated, as it was published in 1996.

When doing an ordinary google search I found a site for a middle school in Hawaii where they are using technology to enhance learning. http://www.edutopia.org/nuuanu. They are using technology to enhance both learning and teachable moments.

Overall I found a lot of great material. I was unable to find more recent articles but was happy with the resources I found for the classroom. I look forward to being able to use these sites in a future classroom.

TechQuest: Project Description

In a social studies classroom it is always important to find ways to connect the students with content material. Social studies has long been considered by many a subject of memorization, who, what, when, and where. However, the most important question to ask ourselves is why. Why did these events occur? Having a better understanding in social studies can foster future positive contributors to our society. So how can we make real world connection from the material to our students? In the past we have accomplished these feats through newspapers, CNN, and field trips. While some of these solutions are still very viable others have become daunting. Field trips is a great way to make real world connections, however, these can be both time consuming and expensive. Both CNN and newspapers are wonderful resources, but they can become boring and over used in the classroom. Technology has increasingly become more mainstream. Most schools have a computer in every classroom and a computer lab. According to Bransford, Brown, and Cocking's 1999 book, How People Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience, and School, "An important use of technology is its capacity to create new opportunities for curriculum and instruction by bringing real-world problems into the classroom for students to explore and solve" (Chapter 9, pg 195).

Since teachers are able to access technology in the classroom it should be utilized to the fullest. Lets take real world applications to the classroom. Using the Internet, for interactive activities, in the classroom is has more impact on student learning than watching CNN or reading a current event in the newspaper. Using technology that we already have in the classroom is far less expensive than taking 180 students on a field trip. If implemented correctly in the classroom, technology will give students the opportunity to see, hear, and understand what is happening in the world around them. Some schools have already attempted to make these connections with their students. The Nuuanu Elementary School in Hawaii (http://www.edutopia.org/nuuanu) has used technology to "learn and to learn how to solve problems". There are many ways to use the Internet in the classroom. Such sights like google earth (http://earth.google.com/) make it possible to see places that a textbook just can't show. Two wonderful features of google earth are historical imagery from around the globe and ocean floor and surface data from marine experts (useful in a science classroom).

Proper implementation in the classroom is important. I am not currently in the classroom, however, I plan to implement an active lesson plan which is based on curriculum standards and which uses technology to enhance learning. After the implementation of the lesson I hope to use similar lessons in my future classrooms. This project will address the four common places of education, teacher, student, subject matter, and environment. Each will be addressed with proper research. I will look into websites that can be used in the classroom for practical real world connections. Also, I plan to research articles on the benefits of using technology in the classroom and look forward in finding similar areas of research from other teaching professionals.

TechQuest: Educational Oppportunity

Social studies is a subject that comes with a stigma. People believe that all social studies is, is the memorization of facts. Memorizing people's names, dates, places, and outcomes. I strongly disagree with this belief. Social studies isn't about memorizing facts, it is about learning why something in our past happened and how it affects us today. For most students lessons learned in a social studies classroom are so abstract and often say, "Why do we have to know this". The key to making social studies a subject of importance is connecting key concepts to the "real" world, in other words making these concepts more concrete.

Social studies consists of four subjects; economics, political science, geography, and history. All of these subjects need real world applications in order to make a significant impact in learning. I'm not suggesting that every lesson every day needs a connection to the present, however, connecting key concepts would give more of an impact to those everyday lessons. For example, students in high school learn about the Great Depression. If there were a way to connect that concept with today's economic crisis, students could have a better understanding of what it might have meant to be unemployed in the 1920's. In civics students learn about U.S. foreign policy. This can be a very difficult concept for students to understand. However, if we could connect this classroom lesson to what is happening now in Haiti, students might have a better comprehension of this very difficult subject.

People might suggest looking at newspapers, journals, and news stations for making connections. These resources are all great for information but they aren't student engaging. Students generally don't want to read articles or watch CNN; they would prefer an activity in which they can interact. Activities that can grab their interest and create a learning environment would be better suited for the classroom. Now we have to explore our options. What can be done? I will attempt to discover new and engaging ways to make connections from the world to the classroom.

Reflection

Throughout the last eight weeks, I have learned a great deal about integrating technology into the classroom. I have been simultaneously taking CEP 810 and 811. These two courses have helped me gain a better understanding of how to effectively integrate technology into my classroom.

When integrating technology in the classroom it is important to have effective teaching strategies to accompany online learning. One teaching strategy I believe would be most effective is constructivism. This gives students the opportunity to discover on their own. This strategy encourages students to participate in an active dialogue. The teacher is a facilitator and not the source of the information.

Web based technologies can be very important in the learning process. Throughout the semester I have been able to share and view different tips and tricks. I will definitely be using some of those sites for my class. One site that I was interested in using is Rubistar. This site assists the teacher is creating a customized rubric for any assignment.

As I go forward through the masters program my will keep evolving. I have set some new goals for my self and the future. I would like to learn more about new technologies and get even better at using the technologies that know. Sometime in the future, when technology is more readily available to my classroom, I would like to make my classroom completely wireless. I would like to use technology everyday in my classroom. Technology is a great way to engage students in their learning. When my students enjoy what I am teaching then I enjoy my job.

Online Learning

There are many on line learning technologies that I could use in my classroom. Webquests, and RSS Feeds are the two that I would use most often in my classroom. When using a webquest in my classroom students are able to gain more in depth content knowledge. In Social Studies there are many websites which provide great additional detail for lessons. When using a webqust students are more involved in gathering the information needed to produce an end product. Students feel more accomplished and involved when using a webquest.

An RSS Feed in a social studies classroom is very useful. Students are able to keep up with blogs, current events, and articles. These feeds would be greatly beneficial to my students. In a social studies classroom we are constantly keeping up with current affairs. By using an RSS feed keeping up with these reports is a whole lot easier.

When using web based instruction like a an RSS feed, constructivism becomes the instructional design. Students are able to discover information on their own, and are involved in active dialogues. Another instructional design that is used when using webquests is project based learning. Students perform research, develop solutions, and "defend" their solutions, as well as consider other solutions.

As with anything else pedagogical strategies are used when implementing both technologies. You can use Scaffolding when setting up a webquest. You can set up supports for the learner and then take those supports away once learning becomes more independent. Another strategy is simulation and problem solving. When using an RSS feed students interact with content they are to learn. They are to gather the information on their own or as a class.

There are however some technologies in which I would not use regularly in my classroom. Excel (spreadsheets) is not a technology that I see using on a regular basis. Spreadsheets more often than not are used for mathematical reasons. There are very few situations in a social studies classroom in which I would use Excel. Some situations in which I would use Excel are for population comparison or to teach economical situations like a family budget.

Technology will continue to grow and it is my job as an educator to introduce as much technology into my classroom as possible. Once students leave my classroom and continue on to higher education or enter the real world technology is something they will have to be versed.