Wiki Evaluation

The  Wiki that I looked at was Mrs. Ibrahim's 2nd grade classroom. This Wiki is a really good example of how elementary school teachers can use Wikis in their classrooms. On the front page, there are links to each individual students' own personal page that they can use to upload their work. I think this is a great way to showcase student progress. Mrs. Ibrahim also included several other page links in the sidebar, such as health and P.E., reading, writing, thinking maps, and word study. Students also are allowed to contribute to these pages and use them as resources. I could definitely take some ideas from this Wiki and make it my own for my future classroom. Overall, I really like this Wiki. The only downside is that it is a few years outdated, however the content and structure are still v ery well done.

Inquiry Based Activity

 

I found that making an inquiry based activity for students was a little more difficult than I expected. I really had to search for an internet website that would be easy for students to navigate and that provide useful information. The subject that I did my Inquiry Based Activity on was 2nd Grade Reading. The standards that I focused on were exploring folktales and fables and identifying what they are. I created a worksheet with multiple choice and one short answer question for the students to answer. After I located a good website, I found that creating the questions wasn't hard at all. I plan on using inquiry based activities with my students in the future because they are hands on and a good way for students to work independently and also expand on and apply what they have learned.

Why WebQuest?

Before taking this course, I had never heard of a WebQuest. I think that they are a really awesome tool to use in the classroom. WebQuests are especially helpful when working on group activities. They are also a good way to get students to practice their computer skills. Out of all of the WebQuests that we viewed in class, my group decided that the Unraveling the Underground Railroad was the best one. My role was to be the Affiliator; I determined whether the WebQuest truly encouraged students to work together. The Underground Railroad WebQuest did just that! The student roles were explicitly stated and everyone had specific tasks to do in order to complete the activity. There were also several discussion questions provided to get students to communicate with each other. I believe that WebQuests, if done correctly, can definitely enhance a students learning and proficiency in certain content areas. I could use this tool in the classroom in various subjects. For example to expand on a students knowledge of a story for Reading, to explore historic events in Social Studies, and to conduct experiments in Science. I also am glad that we have a resource to look at WebQuests that other educators have created here. This will be very helpful in the future when I start teaching!

Website Evaluation - Arcademic Skill Builders

Arcademicskillbuilders.com was the first website that I have evaluated. Prior to this assignment, I never really thought about some of the qualifications that a good website should have, such as a way to contact the author and the site interface. The website evaluation forced me to take a closer look at the site in order to determine it's reliability and usefulness. This activity help me learn how to find certain information on a website, such as the copyright date. Through searching the site, I discovered where various information is located and learned a lot about the creation and purpose of the site. It also helped me know what I need to look for in order to determine if a site is reliable, current, accessible, and useful. I will definitely take what I learned during this activity and reference it in the future. As a teacher, I know that I will use the internet in my classroom to teach and to supplement the curriculum. It is important that the websites I use as resources for myself and my students are reliable and contain accurate information. With the knowledge I gained from this activity, I can ensure that I provide my students with valuable website experiences from trustworthy sites.

The Wonderful World of Wikis!

I think that Wikis are a great tool to use in the classroom. Wikis can be edited by multiple people so they would make it easy for students to collaborate on projects and assignments. For elementary education, I believe that Wikis will be most beneficial in 4th, 5th, and 6th grade because these students will have more experience using the internet.

One way that students can use Wikis in the classroom is literature circles. Students can be divided into groups of about 4 or 5 and each group chooses a book that they want to read. Everyone in the group would have a certain role/task to contribute. For example, one student could summarize the assigned reading, another student could connect the reading to other concepts that they have been learning, and another student could define important vocabulary words. Each student would add their portion of the assignment to the Wiki. Also, having a class Wiki would allow students to view the pages of other literature circles to learn about the books that they are reading. I think that this is a great way to get students excited about reading and to introduce them to several kinds of books.