WebQuest

What is a WebQuest?

A webquest is an online journey students take in order to learn about a particular topic. WebQuests can be used to teach any subject, and are safe and fun for students. Students are being allowed to use computers and technology which they love, and they are only going to sites the teacher specifies so they stay safe and on task.

How will I have students use the WebQuest I created?

I would have students view the WebQuest I created to introduce them to amphibians. My Webquest has several different websites for the children to view so they can learn more about amphibians. I think that WebQuests are a great way to get students interested in learning.

Some awesome WebQuests to check out!

http://www.tenafly.k12.nj.us/~teisenberg2/worldcultures/

http://www.rockwood.k12.mo.us/itech/webquests/su2003elem/colbert/skyarial/index.html




http://docs.google.com/Presentation?id=dc38zrtp_2gf4v25gx

Technology Lesson Plan

Utah Valley State College
Teacher Education Program
Lesson Planning Guide

Veteran’s Day Lesson Plan


Name: Jamie Barlow, Carrie Nuckles Date: November 11, 2008 Time: Morning
Grade Level: 5th Subject: Social Studies Cooperating Teacher: Mr. Nicholes

I. Utah State Core Curriculum Standard(s)
Standard 3: Students will understand the roles of civic life, politics, and government in the lives of Utah citizens.

The student will understand what a veteran is and will write a thank you letter to a veteran or to someone currently in military service.

II.Lesson Objective(s)/Goal(s)
a. The student will know ways that citizens can participate in civic responsibilities (e.g. letter writing).

b. The student will do: Given instruction on “what is a veteran?” the students will write a thank you letter to a veteran or someone currently in military service. (see Rubric)

III. Preparation (teacher materials, student materials, etc.)
a. Teacher materials:
i. “The Wall” by Eve Bunting
ii. A way to show a video
iii. Digital story: “Who Is a Veteran?”
b. Address to mail completed letters to.
c. Student materials:
i. Paper for writing a letter
ii. Writing / Coloring Utensils

IV. Technology Use:
a. Photo Story 3: for the creation of “Who Is a Veteran?”
b. http://www.va.gov/kids/ Unlimited information, games, activities, posters, and quotes can all be found from this web page.

V. Instructional Procedures:

a. Hook: Read the book “The Wall” by Eve Bunting. Ask: “Why is November 11th a special day?” Wait for a response indicating that November 11th is Veteran’s Day.

b. State the Objective: Today we are going to learn about Veteran’s Day

c. New Material: Show the video “Who Is a Veteran?” Ask the students if they know anyone who is a Veteran. How do they know this person? Why are Veterans important?

d. Guided Practice: Say, “As a class, we are going to write someone who is a Veteran or currently serving in the military.” Review correct letter-writing procedures. Discuss appropriate topics to write about in letters. Give a model of what they could write. (Example – to someone currently serving- Dear Soldier, I am a 5th grade student at a school in Utah. It is Veteran’s Day and we are writing to thank you for serving our country and keeping us safe and free. I hope you can come home and see your family soon.)

e. Independent Practice/Assess: Give students paper and writing/coloring utensils and have them write a thank you note to a Veteran. If they do not personally know a Veteran, they may write to someone currently serving in our military. Let them know that the letters will actually be delivered to real Utah Soldiers serving overseas.



VI. Closure/Review: Ask students if anyone would like to share what they wrote to the soldier/Veteran.

VII. Accommodation(s) for Diverse Learner(s)
VIII. Evaluation of Student Progress:
a. Pre-assessment – Why is November 11th a special day?
b. Formative Assessment – Observe students during the movie and class discussion.
c. Post-assessment – Given instruction on “what is a veteran?” the students will write a thank you letter to a veteran or someone currently in military service. (See Rubric)




Rubric for Letter:
Name on Letter 5pts
(Only first name if being sent to an unknown soldier)
Spelling / Grammar 5pts
Creative in design 5pts
Expresses a positive attitude to individual addressed 5 pts
Total: 20pts






IX. Reflection:

We thought this lesson went pretty well. The students all seemed to be interested and engaged. They liked the book we read in the beginning. The students liked writing the letters to the military, and it would be fun to see the responses they get back from the soldiers. One thing we would have added to the lesson plan is we would have the students practice some of the military drills. We would teach them what the different phrases are “right face,” “about face,”, and “left face.” Then we would have them stand and practice the drills with us. We thought it would be fun to teach them about how disciplined members of the military must be

Third Week in Field

This last week flew by! I can't believe we're already done with our field experience and are going to be back in classes. Carrie and I finished teaching the last lesson we had to teach, and were able to relax and participate in some of the fun things our school did this week. They had Junior Engineering Day where the students spent the day going from one activity to another. They got to shoot rockets made of 2 liter bottles, operate robots, and learn about sound. The day after Junior Engineering, they had someone come from some Gateway Center and that was way cool too. They had a "mad scientist" who did awesome experiements with the kids and had them predict what would happen. I'm glad we were able to be at the school for both of those days. The kids wrote us notes thanking us and telling us they enjoyed us being in their class. They're good kids. I'll miss them.

Second Week in Field

This second week in field seems to have gone better than the first. We started out the week by teaching lessons on Monday and Tuesday (Veteran's Day) that went well. Our cooperating teacher is still not planning much of anything from day to day. That has been so interesting to see. On Friday, he randomly had everyone go outside (it was about 40 degrees with a freezing wind blowing) and run around and play kickball. The kids were all shivering. That was strange to me that he randomly decides to go outside on such a cold day and run to the fence and back 3 times. It has definitely been interesting to see how one individual has structured his classroom.

I'm getting to know Carrie better every day and I absolutely love working with her. She is so great and has so many good ideas. I'm having a good time.

First Week in Field

This has been an interesting week so far! Carrie and I are in a 5th grade class in American Fork.

The teacher we areworking with is... different. He doesn't plan anything, and therefore the students have a LOT of time to just do whatever they want. Luckily, most of them like to read so they spend a good majority of their time reading. When we arrive in the morning they students do a little literacy activity where they correct sentences that are written incorrectly on the whiteboard. After that they spend 45 minutes copying spelling words out of the dictionary. Once the first hour of school is over, they get into groups where they read together. They do this until lunch time. It's the same thing every day. They do not have a morning recess. They don't even get out of their seats much. I have found it very eye-opening. I work in a different school that is completely the opposite. They have 3 recesses a day, and are constantly doing interactive things with the students.

We had our first opportunity to teach Thursday.. We did a lesson on Immigration and Emigration. I thought it went well. The students were engaged and were able to use a little bit of their creativity. I want to know what the students thought of it. They seemed to enjoy the lesson. Most of the students in the class are from lower-income families and a few have come from other countries. The lesson was something that many of the students could relate to. At one point we had the students share where their families or ancestors had come from. They were so excited to share. I think every student had their hand raised and wanted to tell us where they came from.

Friday's lessons also went extremely well. We did a lesson on Freedom of Speech and Press, and also an Art lesson. The students loved it and were all so engaged. Even those who do not typically speak up or say anything in class were involved. They seemed to have a lot of fun, and that made it fun to be teaching. I am liking the students more and more every day. They all have such fun personalities and are so different. It's been a good experience getting to know them so far.

We'll see what the next week holds!

Halloween Fun!

Come inside my Halloween page to learn about some of the icons we associate with Halloween!! It has fun information about jack-o-lanterns, black cats, and bats!

Welcome!!

Hello and welcome to all of you! My name is Mrs. Barlow and I am so excited to get to know each of my students and their parents this year! I know we will be able to learn so much from each other and become great friends in the process. I believe we should be able to have fun while we learn, and promise to do all I can to make sure we achieve both. I am going to need help and support from all of you in order to best help everyone succeed. Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns; my door is always open to students and parents alike! Thanks, and I plan on having a fantastic year with all of you!!

About Me/ Welcome!!!

:: JAMIE LEE BARLOW ::

My name is Jamie Barlow. I am 22 years old and have lived in Utah all my life. I lived in a very small town for the first 18 years of my life. Then I moved to the "big city" of Orem. I met my husband while living here through one of my room- mates. We were set up on a blind date and married 2 years later. We have only been married a few months, but so far I love it!!

:: SCHOOL ::

I am currently attending school at UVU to become an elementary teacher. I have wanted to be a teacher for as long as I can remember. I remember playing "school" with my friends. My grandma was a teacher, my mom is a teacher, 2 of my 3 aunts are teachers, and several of my cousins are teachers. I love children and want to be someone who makes a difference in their lives. I can't think of many other careers that would be quite as rewarding.

:: HOBBIES ::

I like camping and being outdoors. I really like to fish, although I'm not very good at it. I love spending time with my nieces and nephews. I enjoy books and reading. I also love my cat, Jasmine.

Professional Development Profile

TECHNOLOGY IN THE CLASSROOM

I believe technology in the classroom could be used in a very positive way to increase interest and learning in students, particularly in the older grades. From the experiences I have had in younger grades (Pre-K, Kindergarten, and 1st grade) the students seem satisfied with the “old-fashioned” approach used in the classroom. Sitting on a rug listening to stories and watching the teacher use white boards seems to suffice for the younger students.

I think that older students would definitely benefit from having more use of technology in a classroom. They have grown up with computers, cell phones, and video games so if those things are taken away from them they may adopt an attitude of apathy for what they are learning. However, I truly do believe that a good teacher can bring anything to life for students with or without the use of modern technology. Someone who has true talent and skill in teaching has the power to make any student become involved and interested in any given subject. I also believe that if a teacher has an intense passion and excitement for a subject, the students will feed off of it and the intensity may help to increase interest for the students.

Now that I think about it, I guess my feelings about technology in the classroom are mixed. I feel that technology can and has been a vital asset to many as they have used it to increase student interest and learning. However, I do not believe that learning and interest is dependent on have the use of modern technology in the classroom. Having power point presentations to use does not necessarily guarantee that a teacher will have a successful lesson that will be engaging to students. I have been in classes where power points are just another method of lecturing for teachers. I think I need to be more informed about the kinds of technology that could be used in the classroom. Computers and power point presentations are the only things I can think of that have been used in the classrooms I have been involved in.

WHAT ARE MY BELIEFS CONCERNING TEACHING AND STUDENT LEARNING?

The articles and videos made me realize just how big a part of our lives technology is. My life is influenced by technology in so many ways. I use my phone, particularly for text messaging, for a huge part of every single day. I believe my last phone bill said I sent a total of 5,000 text messages last month. I figured that is 166 messages every day, and about 10.5 messages every hour I am awake. Obviously my phone has become a big part of my life. I also use myspace, facebook, and email on a daily basis. Typically I use all 3 of them on multiple occasions every day. I had never realized just how much I used the internet and other sources of technology every single day of my life. To go a week without my phone or the internet would be a disaster. It would cut off my communication with the world. As sad as it is that I have become so dependent on technology, I don't think I am the only one in that situation. With that being said, we may as well embrace the technology that we are so dependent on and use it in ways to enhance student learning.

WHAT DID I LEARN?

From the articles I read and the videos I watched, I learned that 77% of students between 16 and 18 use the internet daily for things such as myspace, facebook, blogging, emailing, chatting, and gaming. The students say that they learn technology skills, creativity, and how to communicate from these websites. If this is true, and they are learning all of those vital skills, I don't see how we can deny having as much technology in the classroom as possible. I had never thought about all that can be learned from the internet. I have my own myspace page, and as I think about it, I really spent a lot of time in making it what it is. I had the opportunity to use anything I wanted to make it my own. It truly did allow me to use creativity and make something I can be proud to share with my friends. It has also allowed me to communicate with people I would otherwise have lost touch with, so I guess it does truly teach communication as well.

HOW DOES WHAT I LEARNED IMPACT MY PREVIOUS BELIEFS?

I do believe that my view of the importance of technology has changed since watching the videosa nd reading the articles provided on the class blog. It is no surprise that computer and technology skills are an absolute must in the work world today. My father honestly can not turn on a computer. He recently decided to apply for a job that would not require as much physical labor as his current job, and was turned down because he had no computer skills. The employer told him the majority of what he would be doing would be on the computer. He was very disappointed. Seeing him go through that experience really opened my eyes as to how important computer and technology skills are. This generation has literally been raised on technology, and it's going to be a huge part of life whether we like it or not. We may as well embrace it and use it to its full advantage if it's not going anywhere.

Technology also offers us so many things we never had before. I loved the video that talked about how having the internet allows children who would never hold a book in their lives, learn to read. That struck a soft spot for me that really made me evaluate the endless possibilities technology and the internet open up for us. If you really sit and think about all that could be done because of the advances in technology, it's so exciting.

WHAT DO I THINK ABOUT STUDENTS AND TECHNOLOGY?

I think that many of the teachers around today did not grow up on the computer, and having cell phones, and all that we have today. Perhaps they do not feel they are comfortable enough with the technology to really incorporate it into all that they do. Maybe it is scary to them to leave the comfort zone they have known for years in their teaching and adopt new ideas that would cause them to learn right along with their students.

Another thing that may be an issue in why technology is not used as widely as it could or should be is funding. How amazing would it be if every student could have their own computer to use during school? Papers could be turned in online via email or blogging. That would eliminate a big chunk of paper that is used annually if all schools did not require students to turn in papers. That may be a far reach as to how dramatically using technology could take us, but it is something to think about. So as awesome as it would be for every student to have their own computer to work on, is it even a possibility given the funding schools have today?

Text books could be published online eliminating a huge cost for college students. I know it would save me about $500 EVERY SEMESTER if I could read the text for my classes online rather than buying the books that will be obsolete in a few short months. Perhaps some of the money that would be saved by students not having to purchase books could be used for increasing the amoung of technology we could have available in schools.

RESULTS OF MY UNI SURVEY & NET STANDARDS

I realized that I do not know nearly as much as I thought I did about technology. On the UNI surveys I scored Novice in almost every area. There were a few areas in which I was an Apprentice, however I would like to become much more familiar than I am with technology. The NET Standards did make me feel slightly more familiar with technology than the UNI survey. As I was reading through the list of standards, I did not feel I was too far from the majority of the standards. Hopefully I will be able to obtain the knowledge and skill I will need before I hit the classroom!

STRENGTHS:

- I am very familiar with the Web and can use it to obtain almost any information I need. I am able to use basic search engines and can sort through results from a search to find the legitimate sites with accurate information.

- I use e-mail on daily basis, typically multiple times a day. I have specific folders in my email to help maintain organization.

- I use word processing programs regularly for all my written professional work including papers and resumes. I use spell and grammar checks. I try to incorporate graphics or tables whenever possible.

WEAKNESSES:

- I do not produce audio/visual products. I know how to upload graphics and use them, but that is the extent of what I can do. I feel that if I was able to do more with audio/visual products I could use that in the classroom in many different ways.

- I am not familiar with copyright laws and when things are able to be used and when they are protected by copyright laws. I feel I would benefit from learning more about what is and is not ethical or legal to use.

- I could definitely become more familiarized with special services/adaptations to help students with special needs. I am vaguely aware of a few such products/services but knowing more about it would benefit me tremendously if I am faced with students with special needs.

GOALS TO IMPROVE MY WEAKNESSES

I would like to become proficient in all 3 areas I described as weaknesses. I feel that they are all things that will be vital to me if I am to be successful in using technology in my classroom. I would really like to familiarize myself with, and begin to use, audio and visual products to enhance the lessons I prepare and bring another aspect of creativity to the classroom. It is my goal that by the time I am teaching, I would like to be able to use those products in ways to engage the students in learning.

As far as the copyright laws go, it is my goal to become knowledgeable in what is and is not ethical or legal. I will need to know when it is and is not okay to use graphics, and how to determine if they are protected or if I am able to use them in my lessons.

The special services/products that are available for students with special needs are something that I need to familiarize myself with because chances are that I will at some point have a student with a speical need. If there is something available that could make school and learning easier for them, it is my obligation as an educator to be familiar with those things and be able to obtain them so that every student gains as much as they can from spending time in my classroom. It is my goal to become familiar with services and/or products that would benefit those with the most common special needs, such as ADD, ADHD, or autism.

TUTORIALS

http://www.loc.gov/teachers/copyrightmystery/

http://www.wilmu.edu/studentlife/disabilityservices/servicesavail.html

http://www.mypreciouskid.com/special-needs-children.html