For my Knowledge Product assignment I was working with a 3rd grade teacher on a Science unit about weather. I developed a Wall Wisher for her to use as a pre-assessment and another for a post assessment.
http://www.wallwisher.com/wall/makweather
http://www.wallwisher.com/wall/makpostweather
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Lincoln Voki
I added a new Voki to my blog tonight that helps illustrate difference between technology for techno-sake as opposed to technology for higher level thought. When I first made the Joyce Voki, my daughter and I were learning about the basics of the tool and having fun for the sake of having fun. When I created the Lincoln one, my goal was to share knowledge and make the viewer think about the impact of a different outcome in history.
While Voki's area fun tool to play with, they can be a great tool to catch the interest of the students and make a lesson more fun and the knowledge long lasting.
When using Web 2.0 tools in education, the possibility is always there to just have fun. I think it is an important part of the process to learning what the tools are capable of. But when the user focuses on the tools as knowledge sources it is incredible what the tools are able to bring to the lesson.
While Voki's area fun tool to play with, they can be a great tool to catch the interest of the students and make a lesson more fun and the knowledge long lasting.
When using Web 2.0 tools in education, the possibility is always there to just have fun. I think it is an important part of the process to learning what the tools are capable of. But when the user focuses on the tools as knowledge sources it is incredible what the tools are able to bring to the lesson.
Assignment Using Web 2.0 and Inquiry
I am pretending I have been given the following research packet by a teacher and I need to add some web 2.0 and Inquiry-Based Curriculum ideas to the project. http://www.madison.k12.ct.us/teacher_benchmarks/Gr%206%20Social%20Studies%20Country%20Cube%20or%20Brochure%20or%20PPTa.pdf
• An educational - curriculum content area first. What is the content?
European Countries Research Project
• What is the learning standard?
Standard 3: Geography – Students will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of the geography of the interdependent world in which we live—local, national, and global—including the distribution of people, places, and environments over the Earth’s surface.
• What do you want the students to know when they are finished?
Students will learn about a country in Europe. They will present information on the geography, topography, population, history and a special interest topic of their choice about their European country. The students will share their projects and gain knowledge about other European countries from their peers. The students will be required to use several information searching techniques and the final project will contain a Works Cited.
• How will the learning be assessed?
Students will be creating a cube displaying the information they have researched about their country. Each side of the cube will contain information from a category and the final side will contain the Works Cited. Students will be given an outline of the types of information they are expected to find about their country and they will be expected to include this information on their cube.
• What technology have I embedded into the project?
The class will be using a wiki page as a ‘home base’ where they can find information about the project requirements, the categories and the research questions for each, the Diigo bookmark sharing page and a link to the databases and a map of Europe such as the one found here: http://go.hrw.com/atlas/norm_htm/europe.htm. These tools would involve the Expore and Connect and the Focus Phase of Inquiry and the map would even serve as part of the Investigate phase.
I will be hosting a Diigo page with bookmarks for quality information on European countries to aide in the Investigation portion of the Inquiry Phase.
• What will be the "knowledge product" infused with technology?
The teacher is planning on having the students create 6 sided cubes to present their information about their country. I would like to also create a collaborative slide show presentation to be viewed at the end of the research period. A tool like Slideshare would allow each student to present their countries information on a slide or two using the information they have included on their cube and allow the teachers to create a ‘walk through Europe” feel to the slide show. In this way, all of the students will be able to see information about all of the countries.
• What 21st Century characteristics does my assignment embrace?
This assignment teaches students to use inquiry and fits into the inquiry cycle in many areas. Students will be learning how to cite their work and give credit where it is deserved. They will learn about several technologies available to them as researchers and presenters. The tools I will use will be available at the library to ensure each student has access to them. Students will have a component of sharing information, which will enhance the social learning process.
• Have I embraced the inquiry cycle?
The inquiry cycle is present throughout the project. Students will connect with the knowledge they already have and focus their research by using the information provided on the wiki page. They will be investigating using the databases and research tools the library has available to them as well as websites that have been chosen for them and websites added to the diigo account. They will be able to prepare and create a presentation in two forms, allowing for more thought about their topic. They will be expressing themselves through the cube and the simple slide show presentation. Finally, they will be reflecting on what they have learned and assess others work when they view the slide show and the cubes.
• An educational - curriculum content area first. What is the content?
European Countries Research Project
• What is the learning standard?
Standard 3: Geography – Students will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of the geography of the interdependent world in which we live—local, national, and global—including the distribution of people, places, and environments over the Earth’s surface.
• What do you want the students to know when they are finished?
Students will learn about a country in Europe. They will present information on the geography, topography, population, history and a special interest topic of their choice about their European country. The students will share their projects and gain knowledge about other European countries from their peers. The students will be required to use several information searching techniques and the final project will contain a Works Cited.
• How will the learning be assessed?
Students will be creating a cube displaying the information they have researched about their country. Each side of the cube will contain information from a category and the final side will contain the Works Cited. Students will be given an outline of the types of information they are expected to find about their country and they will be expected to include this information on their cube.
• What technology have I embedded into the project?
The class will be using a wiki page as a ‘home base’ where they can find information about the project requirements, the categories and the research questions for each, the Diigo bookmark sharing page and a link to the databases and a map of Europe such as the one found here: http://go.hrw.com/atlas/norm_htm/europe.htm. These tools would involve the Expore and Connect and the Focus Phase of Inquiry and the map would even serve as part of the Investigate phase.
I will be hosting a Diigo page with bookmarks for quality information on European countries to aide in the Investigation portion of the Inquiry Phase.
• What will be the "knowledge product" infused with technology?
The teacher is planning on having the students create 6 sided cubes to present their information about their country. I would like to also create a collaborative slide show presentation to be viewed at the end of the research period. A tool like Slideshare would allow each student to present their countries information on a slide or two using the information they have included on their cube and allow the teachers to create a ‘walk through Europe” feel to the slide show. In this way, all of the students will be able to see information about all of the countries.
• What 21st Century characteristics does my assignment embrace?
This assignment teaches students to use inquiry and fits into the inquiry cycle in many areas. Students will be learning how to cite their work and give credit where it is deserved. They will learn about several technologies available to them as researchers and presenters. The tools I will use will be available at the library to ensure each student has access to them. Students will have a component of sharing information, which will enhance the social learning process.
• Have I embraced the inquiry cycle?
The inquiry cycle is present throughout the project. Students will connect with the knowledge they already have and focus their research by using the information provided on the wiki page. They will be investigating using the databases and research tools the library has available to them as well as websites that have been chosen for them and websites added to the diigo account. They will be able to prepare and create a presentation in two forms, allowing for more thought about their topic. They will be expressing themselves through the cube and the simple slide show presentation. Finally, they will be reflecting on what they have learned and assess others work when they view the slide show and the cubes.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Voki Joyce
My seven year old daughter helped me make my first Voki. We modeled her after our cat Joyce. Abby sang the song while I recorded. It was a really fun time! :) Enjoy Joyce's song about Chicken Wings and Dinosaurs.
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Happy Birthday Tim
Today is my brother Tim's 40th birthday and he probably won't have many people blog about it, so I thought I would. This is your present Tim. :) Enjoy.
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Assignment- Week 3
What is the difference between being Technologically Literate and being Information Literate?
When someone is Technologically Literate, they are able to understand and use the new hardware technologies that we have available to us. They are 'tech savvy', understanding how things like computers, phones, etc work.
When someone is Information Literate, it means they know where to find information and how to go about searching for answers. Being able to use technology is very important in order to use the tools available to find information, but they also have to understand how to dig in databases, the internet, the library and other sources to find answers and information and evaluate the quality of the information I have found.
Which is more important?
I think it depends on the person and what their needs and goals are. My husband is extremely Technologically Literate. He works with technology every day, that I know nothing about, at work. He orders, manages, monitors and evaluates huge amounts of computers, servers and other technology to keep a huge company's researchers up to date with fast and powerful technology. At home, he is able to help anyone with their computer, phone, tv or anything technical.
I am well on my way to being Information Literate. I know how to use tools to find information for myself and other people. While I understand computers and I am a more able than some to use technology, I am miles away from what my husband understands. However, I understand metadata, cataloging, information organization and where to go, depending on a topic, to find the information one seeks.
For students, being information literate means they are able to organize their information in a way that makes recalling it and using it simple. It is about teaching them how to use and store information in a useful way. Web 2.0 tools are all about using, sharing and storing information for later use.
What is this "Inquiry" movement and how does it relate to the school library?
I have not been in charge of a classroom since my student teaching years in the late 90's. We were not using the idea of Inquiry Based Learning or the essential question. Both ideas seem somewhat obvious to me, now that I am learning about them in this class.
There are six phases to Inquiry Based Learning. The first is asking the students to connect the topic with what they already know and can involve sharing that prior knowledge with others.
Then the students need to think about questions they have about the topic in the wonder phase.
The investigation phase is when students seek out information to help them better understand the topic. They may come up with more questions or find a direction to take their research in during this phase.
Construct is when they begin to bring all of the information together to see what they now know and layout their organization for their inquiry project.
Then they are ready for the express phase, where they are able to share what they have learned with others and use the information.
And finally, they reflect on the process and what they have learned throughout the inquiry.
Inquiry learning gives the student a direct connection to the topic he or she is focused on. Every phase lends itself to the use of web 2.0 tools and those tools would strengthen the learning process.
When someone is Technologically Literate, they are able to understand and use the new hardware technologies that we have available to us. They are 'tech savvy', understanding how things like computers, phones, etc work.
When someone is Information Literate, it means they know where to find information and how to go about searching for answers. Being able to use technology is very important in order to use the tools available to find information, but they also have to understand how to dig in databases, the internet, the library and other sources to find answers and information and evaluate the quality of the information I have found.
Which is more important?
I think it depends on the person and what their needs and goals are. My husband is extremely Technologically Literate. He works with technology every day, that I know nothing about, at work. He orders, manages, monitors and evaluates huge amounts of computers, servers and other technology to keep a huge company's researchers up to date with fast and powerful technology. At home, he is able to help anyone with their computer, phone, tv or anything technical.
I am well on my way to being Information Literate. I know how to use tools to find information for myself and other people. While I understand computers and I am a more able than some to use technology, I am miles away from what my husband understands. However, I understand metadata, cataloging, information organization and where to go, depending on a topic, to find the information one seeks.
For students, being information literate means they are able to organize their information in a way that makes recalling it and using it simple. It is about teaching them how to use and store information in a useful way. Web 2.0 tools are all about using, sharing and storing information for later use.
What is this "Inquiry" movement and how does it relate to the school library?
I have not been in charge of a classroom since my student teaching years in the late 90's. We were not using the idea of Inquiry Based Learning or the essential question. Both ideas seem somewhat obvious to me, now that I am learning about them in this class.
There are six phases to Inquiry Based Learning. The first is asking the students to connect the topic with what they already know and can involve sharing that prior knowledge with others.
Then the students need to think about questions they have about the topic in the wonder phase.
The investigation phase is when students seek out information to help them better understand the topic. They may come up with more questions or find a direction to take their research in during this phase.
Construct is when they begin to bring all of the information together to see what they now know and layout their organization for their inquiry project.
Then they are ready for the express phase, where they are able to share what they have learned with others and use the information.
And finally, they reflect on the process and what they have learned throughout the inquiry.
Inquiry learning gives the student a direct connection to the topic he or she is focused on. Every phase lends itself to the use of web 2.0 tools and those tools would strengthen the learning process.
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