End of Semester

Well, I'm very excited that it is the end of the semester. I am pleased with what I have accomplished in the Instructional Technology class. Before the class began, I knew little about the Web 2.0 programs and all the other technologies that are available to us as educators.

I especially enjoyed creating the webquest. Although, it took me a very long time to create, I felt that I learned a lot about creating an assignment that required students to research information and then use higher level thinking and problem solving skills to put together a final product. My project required the students to produce quite a bit and it would have to be a multi-week process but I think students would learn important skills and information.

A webquest is an inquiry based, on-line learning activity. A situation or problem is presented to the students to solve which takes some research and higher level thinking skills. Students usually work in groups of 3 or 4 and each have their own role. The teacher provides all the information they will need through reliable, interesting and age appropriate links that are already set up. (Students don’t have to search for good sites for hours – you’ve already done that.) A webquest includes an Introduction, Task, Process, Evaluation and a Conclusion. It should be easy for students to follow and they should know exactly what is expected of them.
I loved the QuestGarden website that helped me put it together. I highly recommend this site to any teacher that is planning on making their own webquest. There are also many already made webquests available at this site.

Here is a link to the webquest I created. Moving to an Earthquake Zone?