Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Task:
You are an historian embarking on an adventure. You will be looking for clues about the culture, land, and lifestyle of the Mesopotamian people. You will find detailed information within this webquest. You will also explore artifacts uncovered by previous archaeologists. Artifacts can help tell the story of a people and their civilization. As a historian you will use these discoveries to put together the clues about the ancient Mesopotamian civilization.
You are an historian embarking on an adventure. You will be looking for clues about the culture, land, and lifestyle of the Mesopotamian people. You will find detailed information within this webquest. You will also explore artifacts uncovered by previous archaeologists. Artifacts can help tell the story of a people and their civilization. As a historian you will use these discoveries to put together the clues about the ancient Mesopotamian civilization.
Double Entry Jornal #10
"We must imagine and create new educational strategies and technologies,share them with one another, and interactively refine and extend them."
In Tygarts Valley Middle and High School in Mill Creek, WV students participate in Globaloria curriculum; a social networking and video game design developing. For the students their computer lab has turned into a mini-software company. They have spent the entire course working individually or with partners developing a game that teaches an educatinal concept of their choosing, there's critical thinking needed to understand and communicate to players what exactly is toughest
http://www.edweek.org/dd/articles/2012/06/13/03games.h05.html
In one row, juniors Jacob Currence and Tyler Gum test the gun-shooting level of "Finding Mr. X," a film noir-flavored game they've created to test players' acumen in quadratic equations. Behind them, Kasey Meadows demonstrates how the protagonist in "The Lost Llama" weaves through a maze and solves riddles about mathematical sines, cosines, and tangents.
The incessant low din suggests chaos, but White insists it's the sound of productivity.
"It's just a different type of classroom," she says.
White is the pioneer here at Tygarts Valley Middle and High School in Mill Creek, W.Va., where for one period a day for the past two years she has taught the Globaloria curriculum, a creation of the New York City-based ed-tech nonprofit World Wide Workshop built around students participating in social networking and video game design. It's an effort to transform much more than the classroom vibe.
For the students in this computer-lab-turned-mini-software-company, who spend the entire course working individually or with partners developing a game that teaches an educational concept of their choosing, there's the critical thinking needed to understand and communicate to players what exactly is toughest to teach about a subject. There are also the transferable skills of proposal writing, storyboarding, AdobeScript software coding, informational blogging, and presentation of progress reports, as students follow a development plan similar to those in the commercial gaming industry through tools available through their account on Globaloria's wiki site.
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
Monday, December 3, 2012
DEJ# 12 (Due by Sunday Midnight)
Reaction:
Digital Youth is ooked at differently by different people and in different cultures and can't be said to just be one thing
Public- youth to many people is a negative thing, some have they a closed mind about it based on what they have heard or seen.
Age- Is most definitely affected by the digital media. The older a person the harder to understand new technology. But with appropriate opportunity, an older person can acquire technological knowledge. Older persons have overcome many challenges in their life, technology can easly learn and adapt.
The technological revolution is affecting the digital youth because technology is being used in every aspect of our lives. It effects our checking account, and dominates our lives in entertainment.
The technological revolution will have a great impact on education because as teachers become more and more technological savy they can incorporate their newly learned skills in their classroom; which can make a classroom enjoyable for all.
Digital Youth is ooked at differently by different people and in different cultures and can't be said to just be one thing
Public- youth to many people is a negative thing, some have they a closed mind about it based on what they have heard or seen.
Age- Is most definitely affected by the digital media. The older a person the harder to understand new technology. But with appropriate opportunity, an older person can acquire technological knowledge. Older persons have overcome many challenges in their life, technology can easly learn and adapt.
The technological revolution is affecting the digital youth because technology is being used in every aspect of our lives. It effects our checking account, and dominates our lives in entertainment.
The technological revolution will have a great impact on education because as teachers become more and more technological savy they can incorporate their newly learned skills in their classroom; which can make a classroom enjoyable for all.
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
iPad Assignment
I would be able to keep track of activities I want to incorporate into the class along with discipline problems I may have. This would enable me to have the information readily available and would allow me the leisure I may need to transpose information into another file. Also, the notes can be organized and placed in appropriate files for use later.
The Maps application is fun and easy. This would serve me well since I am a person that seems to get lost every time I go somewhere new. I do not have a good sense of direction and need all the help I can get. All I had to do was type in the location that I wanted to go. The app not only pin pointed the location on the map but also gave me the mileage and told me how long it would take to get to my desired location if I drove, walked, or used public transportation. I feel that the map app would help me get to places without getting lost. It seems that my husband likes to send me in gas station to ask for directions. This would help prevent me from this task, but would also the eliminate the guess work of where I want to go and how long it takes to get there.
The I-Pad was easy to use but I felt that the glare on the screen made it hard to see. I also was unfortunate to check out the I-Pad in the library that was not charged. I thought that I could plug the I-pad in an electric circuit and continue to work; at least that is how my laptop works. Apparently, I-pads do not work like my laptop. It must be charged first.
I used an I-pad in my 30 hour clinical for my host teacher. I took a video of the seventh grade students performing a skit. I was amazed, that all I had to do was hold it. It's very light and I did not have any trouble, at least for the first 35 minutes. My arms began to hurt. I ask my host teacher if Apple made a tripod for the I-pad. She said, they did not. That would be a nice piece of equipment if one was to use the I-pad to take videos. I must say, that the I-pad is much easier to hold than the old, huge, bulky camcorder.
Monday, November 19, 2012
Redesigned Webquest
Task:
After reading the information on the websites, view the maps, watch videos, and try playing the games. There are questions throughout the quest. Be careful and answer carefully. and rely on what you have learned in this site. Have fun and enjoy the quest!
After reading the information on the websites, view the maps, watch videos, and try playing the games. There are questions throughout the quest. Be careful and answer carefully. and rely on what you have learned in this site. Have fun and enjoy the quest!
Process:
2. Where was Mesopotamia?
8. Why did the Sumerians decide to use symbols instead of pictographs?
9. What type of written records did they leave?
10. What other civilizations adopted cuneiform writing? How was this helpful to historians?
17. Who was Hammurabi? What did he create? What did he believe?
18. Where were the laws found, and by whom?
19. Read through the first ten laws of Hammurabi's Code. List three that you thought were most surprising.
20. What is a city-state? (this link will take you to World Book - an encyclopedia database - you'll need to search the term).
Read about Ziggurats.
Before you look at the artifacts some background information is needed.
1. The Greek meaning for ‘land between two rivers’ Mesopotamia, refers to the land between the Tiqris river and the Euphrates river and forms the main part of Iraq and the country.
Using the maps, answer the questions below.
3. What present day country includes the area that was Mesopotamia?
4. What two rivers surrounded Mesopotamia?
5. Why do you think this was a good area for people to live?
Mesopotamia is often called the “cradle of civilization". It is believed to be the first civilization developed in the southern section of Mesopotamia called Sumer.
6. Why was this area called the 'Cradle of Civilization'?
7. What were some of the other major city-states during that time?
11. Look at the numbers in this form of writing. Write your age using this writing.
13. Why do you think it is historically important?
14. Who was Gilgamesh?
15. Why did Gilgamesh want to go on an adventure with Enkidu?
16. What did they accomplish on their adventure? (Summarize in your own words).
21. What is the Standard of Ur ?
22. Examine Ur's location on the map; why do you think it became such an important city-state?
23. Take a look at this slide show of Lost Treasures from Iraq. Describe three of the artifacts.
24. Why were they built (explain the people's beliefs)?
25. Where were they built (in the community)?
Explore how ziggurats were built over time: Building Ziggurats. Click on the arrow to continue with the story.
26. Where was one of the oldest ziggurats built?
27. Who was C. Leonard Wooley? What did he do?
28. This image allows you to click around on it. Choose three areas on the ziggurat and explain them.
FOR FUN!!! Attempt the challenge of building a ziggurat:Ziggurat Challenge!
Matthew Bogdanos
Read the article: Chasing Down History and the 'Thieves of Baghdad'
29. Who is Matthew Bogdanos and what is he doing? (Explain in your own words)
30. Name three antiquities he helped recover.
Read the page and watch the video at the bottom.
31. How does the environment make it difficult for archeologists to uncover artifacts?
32. Weather greatly affects archeologists work. What kind of affect do you think it had on the Mesopotamians? (think about it!!!)
See how much you know about Mesopotamia. Take the quiz.
Good work - you have completed the webquest!!! Pick a partner and play The Royal Game of Ur. Have fun! 
Friday, November 9, 2012
WEBQUEST: Evaluation
|
Beginning
|
Developing
|
Accomplished
|
Score
|
|
|
Overall Aesthetics (This refers to the
WebQuest page itself, not the external resources linked to it.)
|
||||
|
Overall Visual Appeal
|
0
points
There
are few or no graphic elements. No variation in layout or typography.
OR
Color
is garish and/or typographic variations are overused and legibility suffers.
Background interferes with the readability.
|
2
points
Graphic
elements sometimes, but not always, contribute to the understanding of
concepts, ideas and relationships. There is some variation in type size,
color, and layout.
|
4
points
Appropriate
and thematic graphic elements are used to make visual connections that
contribute to the understanding of concepts, ideas and relationships.
Differences in type size and/or color are used well and consistently.
|
2
|
|
Navigation &
Flow
|
0
points
Getting
through the lesson is confusing and unconventional. Pages can't be found
easily and/or the way back isn't clear.
|
2
points
There
are a few places where the learner can get lost and not know where to go
next.
|
4
points
Navigation
is seamless. It is always clear to the learner what all the pieces are and
how to get to them.
|
4
|
|
Mechanical Aspects
|
0
points
There
are more than 5 broken links, misplaced or missing images, badly sized
tables, misspellings and/or grammatical errors.
|
1
point
There
are some broken links, misplaced or missing images, badly sized tables,
misspellings and/or grammatical errors.
|
2
points
No
mechanical problems noted.
|
2
|
|
Introduction
|
||||
|
Motivational Effectiveness of
Introduction
|
0
points
The
introduction is purely factual, with no appeal to relevance or social
importance
OR
The
scenario posed is transparently bogus and doesn't respect the media literacy
of today's learners.
|
1
point
The
introduction relates somewhat to the learner's interests and/or describes a
compelling question or problem.
|
2
points
The
introduction draws the reader into the lesson by relating to the learner's
interests or goals and/or engagingly describing a compelling question or
problem.
|
2
|
|
Cognitive Effectiveness of the
Introduction
|
0
points
The
introduction doesn't prepare the reader for what is to come, or build on what
the learner already knows.
|
1
point
The
introduction makes some reference to learner's prior knowledge and previews
to some extent what the lesson is about.
|
2
points
The
introduction builds on learner's prior knowledge and effectively prepares the
learner by foreshadowing what the lesson is about.
|
2
|
|
Task (The task is the
end result of student efforts... not the steps involved in getting there.)
|
||||
|
Connection of Task to Standards
|
0
points
The
task is not related to standards.
|
2
point
The
task is referenced to standards but is not clearly connected to what students
must know and be able to do to achieve proficiency of those standards.
|
4
points
The
task is referenced to standards and is clearly connected to what students
must know and be able to do to achieve proficiency of those standards.
|
4
|
|
Cognitive Level of the Task
|
0
points
Task
requires simply comprehending or retelling of information found on web pages
and answering factual questions.
|
3
points
Task
is doable but is limited in its significance to students' lives. The task
requires analysis of information and/or putting together information from
several sources.
|
6
points
Task
is doable and engaging, and elicits thinking that goes beyond rote
comprehension. The task requires synthesis of multiple sources of
information, and/or taking a position, and/or going beyond the data given and
making a generalization or creative product.
See WebQuest Taskonomy.
|
6
|
|
Process (The process is the
step-by-step description of how students will accomplish the task.)
|
||||
|
Clarity of Process
|
0
points
Process
is not clearly stated. Students would not know exactly what they were
supposed to do just from reading this.
|
2
points
Some
directions are given, but there is missing information. Students might be
confused.
|
4
points
Every
step is clearly stated. Most students would know exactly where they are at
each step of the process and know what to do next.
|
4
|
|
Scaffolding of Process
|
0
points
The
process lacks strategies and organizational tools needed for students to gain
the knowledge needed to complete the task.
Activities
are of little significance to one another and/or to the accomplishment of the
task.
|
3
points
Strategies
and organizational tools embedded in the process are insufficient to ensure
that all students will gain the knowledge needed to complete the task.
Some
of the activities do not relate specifically to the accomplishment of the
task.
|
6
points
The
process provides students coming in at different entry levels with strategies
and organizational tools to access and gain the knowledge needed to complete
the task.
Activities
are clearly related and designed to take the students from basic knowledge to
higher level thinking.
Checks
for understanding are built in to assess whether students are getting it.
See:
|
3
|
|
Richness of Process
|
0
points
Few
steps, no separate roles assigned.
|
1
points
Some
separate tasks or roles assigned. More complex activities required.
|
2
points
Different
roles are assigned to help students understand different perspectives and/or
share responsibility in accomplishing the task.
|
1
|
|
Resources (Note: you should evaluate
all resources linked to the page, even if they are in sections other than the
Process block. Also note that books, video and other off-line resources can
and should be used where appropriate.)
|
||||
|
Relevance & Quantity of Resources
|
0
points
Resources
provided are not sufficient for students to accomplish the task.
OR
There
are too many resources for learners to look at in a reasonable time.
|
2
point
There
is some connection between the resources and the information needed for
students to accomplish the task. Some resources don't add anything new.
|
4
points
There
is a clear and meaningful connection between all the resources and the
information needed for students to accomplish the task. Every resource
carries its weight.
|
4
|
|
Quality of
Resources |
0
points
Links
are mundane. They lead to information that could be found in a classroom
encyclopedia.
|
2
points
Some
links carry information not ordinarily found in a classroom.
|
4
points
Links
make excellent use of the Web's timeliness and colorfulness.
Varied
resources provide enough meaningful information for students to think deeply.
|
2
|
|
Evaluation
|
||||
|
Clarity of Evaluation Criteria
|
0
points
Criteria
for success are not described.
|
3
points
Criteria
for success are at least partially described.
|
6
points
Criteria
for success are clearly stated in the form of a rubric. Criteria include
qualitative as well as quantitative descriptors.
The
evaluation instrument clearly measures what students must know and be able to
do to accomplish the task.
See Creating a Rubric.
|
6
|
|
Total Score
|
42/50
| |||
Double Entry Journal #11
Technology, Education and the Discourse of the Digital Native
"Mobile technologies and social media, if leveraged appropriately, have the potential to maximize student learning and engagement, and transform the concept of the classroom from four walls to an interactive space where student-centered learning takes place," said Frameworks Institute President Susan Bales, also in a prepared statement. "While there are a variety of challenges, there are enormous opportunities, and if we--educators, technology leaders and school decision makers--find ways to harness the power of these tools, the benefits to our young people and our education system are countless. There are also legitimate concerns that must be addressed, but they must be weighed against the potential benefits." Schools should use the adoption of social and mobile tools as an opportunity to reach students on issues of digital citizenship, digital literacy, and responsible use of online tools in a supervised environment.
According to Deconstructing Digital Natives, there are some schools that wants technology to be banned in the classroom since it causes distractions in the class,( cell phones, individual laptops, IPads, etc). I agree somewhat; I believe that cell phones, and IPods should be banned from the classroom. Or at least a students cell phone should be turned to silent; as to not interfere with the whole class. However, laptops and other educational devices should be allowed. According to the book; "Faculty often argue that banning laptops makes students more attentive in content-based classes" (Thomas, 2011). I believe that not allowed a laptop in the classroom is depriving a student of a full education, it would be the same as saying that an encyclopedia (before the technology age), in the classroom was distracting. Just because a student has a laptop does not mean that they are not paying attention. As long as the student is using the technology for taking notes or further exploring the topics being studied, I believe the technology should be encouraged.
The book makes reference to technology evangelists. A technology evangelist is, "a person who attempts to build a critical mass of support for a given technology in order to establish it as a technical standard in a market" (Wikipedia, 2010). The author states that, "It is difficult to get excited about a research paper that takes two years to write, especially as the technology in question may have changed dramatically in the intervening time" (Thomas, 2011). A research paper that takes two years to complete would be completely outdated before it is finished. Technology is rapidly changing and subjects related to technology would be completely outdated before the research paper is concluded.
A Digital Native, "a young person who has grown up with digital technologies and the Internet as ever-present parts of he or her life" (Thomas, 2011). The students that have been raised-up with technology are the digital native. Children at a very young age are being exposed to technology and are quickly to understand the concept. It is only logical that exposure to technology at a very young age will grow as the child grows.
Examples:
(6+ Months) The Laugh & Learn Apptivity Case lets babies enjoy their very own apps while protecting mom or dad's iPhone or iPod touch device! Simply place the Apple device into the case, twist the lock, and the electronics are protected from baby's dribbles and drool. The durable rubber case has a clear film to cover the screen, plus a home button lockout feature to prevent unwanted call-making. Easy-grasp handles are sized just right for baby to hold.
(2-4 years) The LeapFrog My Own Story Time Pad offers personalized play, stories and activities on a tablet just for little learners! Children can watch fun animations and listen to stories, emails and music as they explore the world of Scout & Friends.
(3-5 years) the VTech Brilliant Creations Beginner Laptop. This innovative learning toy looks like the real thing and comes loaded with 80 activities featured on a brilliant color screen to educate your child in essential skills.http://thejournal.com/Articles/2012/04/11/Banning-Is-Not-the-Answer-to-Mobile-and-Social-Tools-in-Schools.aspx?Page=2
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2396744,00.asp
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