Caroline Marie

While researching webquests online, I came across one that would be very useful to use in my second grade placement class. The webquest was titled The Four Seasons and can be found at http://questgarden.com/46/99/3/070221124247/index.htm. It was created by Kelli Minnick and was designed specifically for students in the second grade. The webquest aids students in researching information about the four seasons and leads them through the process of creating a travel brochure to share the information they learn. The webquest consists of a Student’s Page and a Teacher’s Page. The Student’s Page has several different pages outlining the entire project. The Teacher’s Page provides teachers with information such as the learners who can benefit from this webquest, the standards covered in the webquest, the teachers’ role in the process, and valuable resources the teacher may use while using this webquest in their classroom. 

First, students are introduced to the project and the specific task at hand, including what information each group will be responsible for gathering and how the group must present that information. Next, students are guided through the process of researching information on the four seasons and provided with links to different websites where they may find that information, including the months, holidays, and weather found in each season, and also fun things to do in each season. Four students are assigned to each group, and each group member is responsible for researching a different season, either Spring, Summer, Fall, or Winter. Students are responsible for gathering information on their season and answering all of the questions in the task, and then sharing what they find with their group. The group then works together to create the travel brochure to be presented to the class. Student are provided with a rubric so they may see what they are responsible for completing and how their work on the project will be evaluated. The final step in the process is presenting the travel brochure to the class. 

This webquest is extremely useful for several reasons. First off, it can be used to teach a science lesson while integrating technology at the same time. The Teacher’s Page highlights the different standards covered in the webquest, giving teachers an idea of what standards they will cover by using this webquest and leaving room for teachers to integrate additional standards. The Teacher’s Page also provides links to sites the teacher may find useful for this webquest and a list of materials that will be needed to use the webquest in their classroom. It also outlines the teacher’s role in the process and anticipates when the students may need help or guidance such as in creating groups, accessing the Internet, and navigating the site. The Student’s Page is easy to navigate and the instructions are clear and to the point. Students are given a list of tasks to complete and provided with links to sites where they may find information on their particular season. The rubric that student’s find on the webquest is particularly useful because it provides students with an idea of what they should be accomplishing and where their research should take them. 

All together the webquest would probably take about one hour class period to complete. If I were to use this webquest in my placement classroom I would need computers, Internet access, paper, and art supplies. I would consult my cooperating teacher to find out the appropriate time to use The Four Seasons webquest and where it might fit into the curriculum. I think this webquest would be a wonderful way to introduce students to the four seasons and build on the existing knowledge they have about the four seasons. It is also a fun, different way to approach learning about the four seasons and gives students the opportunity to be creative. Finally, it allows students to be investigators in the process of researching the four seasons and puts the responsibility of learning the material in their hands.

Last Wednesday, I received my field placement and learned that I will complete my practicum and student teaching at D.J. Montague Elementary School in Mrs. McClellan’s second grade classroom. This past Wednesday, I went with my classmates who are also placed at D.J. Montague to meet our teachers and team members that will be working with us throughout our entire student teaching experience. I was really excited to meet my cooperating teacher and visit the school where I will spend the next three semesters. My cooperating teacher, Dorothy McClellan, is very warm and friendly, and was happy to have me as a student teacher in her classroom. It is Mrs. McClellan’s first year teaching at D.J. Montague, and she has had a few student teachers in her classroom in the past. Mrs. McClellan showed me around her classroom, gave me her class schedule, and explained some of the dynamics of the classroom. I will start on Monday and am really excited to begin my student teaching experience. 

Since I began my School of Education classes, I have become more familiar with locating useful websites online pertaining to elementary education. In the past, I generally used Google or Yahoo to find information, but have increasingly learned the benefits of seeking out quality and reliable websites for use in elementary classrooms. I explored several educational websites provided by my professor and checked a few out on my own. I came across mounds of resources for teachers’ use in elementary classrooms, and also many sites geared towards students.

One site that I found particularly enjoyable was an elementary science website titled Cycles in Nature, which can be found at http://oncampus.richmond.edu/academics/education/projects/webunits/cycles/. The website is geared towards elementary students and encompasses four main topics in cycles of nature, including Day and Night, Seasonal Changes, Phases of the Moon, and Tides. Each of the four main topics have their own page, where students can read information, learn vocabulary terms, participate in experiments, view slide shows, and find links to other sources to learn more about the topic they are studying. The website is very informative and not too broad in scope, covering the basics of the four main topics. It is easy to navigate and aesthetically appealing, making it fun and accessible for elementary children. It is also interactive, in that it engages children and allows them to participate in the process of investigation and discovery, and emulates real world scenarios. In addition to the student features, the website has a teacher’s resources page that provides links and resources for teachers to use while teaching the information found on the site. The site was designed to help teach towards the Virginia Standards of Learning for third grade and includes suggested activities and class experiments. Another reason that I found this site particularly interesting is the fact that it was set up by students at the University of Richmond studying in the department of Education. I was really impressed with the site they created and found it encouraging that students I can relate to created such an impressive and useful educational Web site. 

The second Web site I found intrinsically useful was titled Dumptown Game, which can be found at http://www.epa.gov/recyclecity/gameint.htm. The site is geared towards elementary students and focuses on technology in society by explaining how communities can help keep people safe by managing waste. I immediately found this site appealing because it merged technology, society, and the environmental issue of waste management into one interactive site for elementary students. Students who access the site begin the game as Dumptown’s new City manager. As the new City Manager, the student must address the environmental issue of waste and must start programs to encourage the town’s citizens and businesses to recycle and reduce waste. The site requires students to use their technology and mathematics skills and knowledge and to develop an environmentally conscious mindset. It also teaches students useful information about pollution, waste, recycling, and waste management. The website is organized, easy to navigate, general in scope, and provides a fun way for children to make connections between, technology and their everyday lives. 

In all honesty, the idea of blogs and podcasts still blows my mind, even though I have gently been introduced to them over the past few weeks and have experimented a little bit on my own. I feel as though these new technological advances crept up on me and I’m the only one in the dark, unaware of the vast opportunities they provide. Why wasn’t I ever told about blogs and podcasts? Probably because I was too scared to explore that which was new and unknown to me, and unconsciously never let myself in on the big secret. Now that I am required to explore blogs, podcasts, and a host of other resources on the Internet, I am actually quite excited. Today I reviewed several of the educational blogs and podcasts on the course site and was amazed with what I found. I couldn’t believe that elementary and middle school children participate frequently in online discussions about subject material from class, post blogs and comment on each other’s blogs, and produce advanced podcasts that display what they are learning in the classroom.

The blog that I enjoyed the most was The Secret Life of Bees, which can be found at http://weblogs.hcrhs.k12.nj.us/bees/. The blog was created by Modern American Literature students at Hunterdon Central Regional High School. It serves as a weblog and reader’s guide as students read the book, The Secret Life of Bees, by Sue Monk Kidd. I was attracted to this blog because I have also read, and love, The Secret Life of Bees. Students enrolled in the class are able to post discussions on characters, themes, and symbols found in the book and may also post chapter summaries, ask questions, and add any other thoughts and ideas. In addition, students are able to post artistic interpretations that they find relevant to the book and material covered in class. I found this application the most interesting and was very impressed with the artwork the students posted. My favorite artistic interpretation was a collage of different bits of information relevant to the book or found in the book. Images included a bee, a picture of Abraham Lincoln and one of William Shakespeare, bananas, a music note, a heart, and a depiction of the Virgin Mary and Jesus. All the images tie into The Secret Life of Bees in one way or another. I thought that this was a creative and clever way to encourage discussion about the book. If you are a fan of The Secret Life of Bees or interested in reading and literature I urge you to check out the site! 

My relationship with technology is a little rocky. I don’t consider myself a technology savvy individual, and I am not the first one to run off and buy the latest gadget on the market. I even had trouble setting up my ipod, for Christ’s sake. Luckily, I am able to operate a computer fairly well, given that computer skills are essential for a college student in the 21^st century.  In general, I would say that I am a little afraid of my skills and competence when it comes to operating a computer and navigating the Internet, but I have improved greatly since I came to college. 

Growing up, I was fortunate enough to have a computer in my home and learned basic computer skills in elementary school. I mostly used the computer for games, such as Oregon Trail, and for keeping track of my Reading Record. My first formal instruction with computers began in 7^th grade, where I was required to pass Computer Science. The course focused on improving typing skills and familiarizing students with the Windows applications, including Microsoft Works, Word, Excel, Power Point, etc. I used these skills throughout high school to complete papers, projects, and other assignments. In high school I was also required to learn how to research topics on the Internet and navigate our school databases.  

When I got to college I quickly learned that I was behind my peers in my computer-based skills and knowledge. It was a daunting task for me to learn how to operate Blackboard for the first time and I always felt there was some icon I had missed that held more class information I would remain unaware of. I believe that because I was never encouraged nor took it upon myself to explore computers when I was younger, I developed an attitude towards computers that hindered my ability to operate in our fast-paced, ever-evolving world of technology. Computers just weren’t for me, so I thought. However, after being throw into this mix and required to quickly learn how to use Blackboard, correctly navigate the Swem databases, research scholarly articles, document a paper in APA, etcetera, I’ve greatly improved my computer-based skills and knowledge. Hopefully this class will help my relationship with technology grow.

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