Rene’s thoughts…

http://mail.pittsfield.net/bwli/academy/01919B56-000F6E5A.0/webquest_intro?src=.PNG 

(Google in Creative Commons)

This week there were two articles to be read, both articles focused on webquests. I understand a webquest to be an interactive web based task, where the teacher has given the students a direction to follow and the students follow the direction, but are given freedom to explore and learn. There is a main question that needs to be answered and the students will complete a range of activities to find out the answer. It is an excellent way to have students using technology in their learning. The students don’t realise that the fun web based activity could actully be an assessment task. Each webquest is can range in time, one being a short term webquest which last 2 to 3 lessons, the other being a long term webquest which is can take 3 weeks to a month to complete.

In the first article – Some thoughts about Webquest the article details about what exactly what is a webquest, the lengths of webquest and what is involved in webquests. The article is a great source to be referred to when completing a webquest, because it gives a great skeleton or outline with regards to putting one together.

In the second article – The answer is the question the article is an unusual article where the reader reads the page and is able to click to the next page using an arrow. There is also many links to other websites and articles with more information. I found being the reader, that I found it very difficult to make sense of the article, I became very confused and disinterested in reading the article. The article focused on webquests as well, with information about what makes a good webquest, links to examples of webquests and questions that need to be asked.

First Question – Which learning style does this ICT support? Pictures or graphics are a very valuable tool in using technology. This particular form of ICT supports student who are visual learners. The graphics can display many different ideas and allow for visual learners to grasp the concepts.

Second Question – How could this ICT be implemented as a good cognitive tool within the learning environment? Using online graphics is a great way for students to gain meaning or information in a different light. It is completely different to look at an image on the interent than it is in a book. Using online graphics allows students to explore other pictures or articles in the same category. It is a another way of presenting information.

Third Question – How is this ICT enabling the development of creativity? Using pictures from the interent is a great way of allowing students to explore different topics and find new information in a different form. A picture can tell 1000 words is the perfect saying for exactly what a picture can do. It does not restrict, but it allows freedom to express!

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