WebQuest

Describe the grade level and course that the lesson is designed to cover. For example: "This lesson is anchored in seventh grade language arts and involves social studies and math to a lesser extent." If the lesson can easily be extended to additional grades and subjects, mention that briefly here as well.

Describe what the learners will need to know prior to beginning this lesson. Limit this description to the most critical knowledge and skills that could not be picked up on the fly as the lesson is given.

[Questions to consider: What student needs, interests, and prior learning guide this lesson? What conceptual difficulties might students have?]

Organization

When presenting your WebQuest in our educational technology class, assume the role of the teacher introducing a new project to his or her class. This will require you to stand with intention, to use visuals with a purpose, and to speak clearly and loudly.

Write a narrative describing what the learning environment(s) looks like. (Visualize the learning environment as if you were there observing). Your descriptions need to compliment the Process section of your design.

From the perspective of an observer, what are the students doing and where are they doing it? Are they seated in neat rows in a classroom? Are they at city hall or at the local dump? Are they quiet and attentive to a lecture? Are they collecting, analyzing, representing data? Perhaps, the students are working individually or collaboratively in small groups? Do these initial arrangements continue for the duration of the learning experience or will the students move to a new learning environment? What are the students holding in their hands/what are they working with? Are they reading? If so, is it a book, a website, etc. Are they operating a machine, a scientific instrument, a webcam or some other hand-help digital devise? If they are engaged in conversation, who is it with, what is it about? Is the other person even present or is s/he even in the school?

What is the role of the teacher throughout this technologically enhanced learning experience? How is s/he guiding the learning experiences of the students? Perhaps s/he’s circulating from group to group answering questions, posing questions? Is she setting up the smartboard for an interactive or standing before the class giving a mini-lecture? Perhaps the teacher is modeling a behavior, helping set up an experiment... Of course she’s never at her desk with her feet up reading the newspaper!!!

As the observer, what do you see, hear, feel, smell? How is the class or learning space arranged? Would it be helpful to use Classroom Architect or some other web 2.0 application to design a map or a series of maps?

Further, describe how the lesson is organized. Does it involve more than one class? Is it all taught in one period per day, or is it part of several periods? How many days or weeks will it take? What is the subject(s) it a single discipline, interdisciplinary, multidisciplinary?

What help is needed with computer hardware or software, digital devises, the Internet, or other technology applications? How are students with special needs to be provided for? Are additional personnel present to help with this lesson? If so, who: another teacher, a parent, a specialist, an expert?

Credits & References

List here the sources of any images, music or text that you're using. Provide links back to the original source. Say thanks to anyone who provided resources or help.

Plagiarism or any other kind of unethical behavior may subject the student to severe academic penalties, including expulsion (JCU Undergraduate Bulletin, 2001-2003, p. 104).

List any books and other media that you used as information sources as well.

References are to include:

· Author

· Date of publication

· Name of publication

· Publisher

References to web sites are to take the form:

· Web site name

· Web address

· Date visited