Digital Blog Post #K

Chapter 6 is titled "Fostering Online Learning with Educational Websites and Apps", and includes information about how we can use the web to assist us in teaching.  We have all been instructed to create a WebQuest this week.  I had never heard of a WebQuest and found it quite interesting, fun, and an easy way to create sort of lesson plan.  It really helps that WebQuest's are broken up into pieces to be filled in by the teacher and guides the students thoroughly to complete the lesson.  I found  this very informational website which helps break down what a WebQuest is and how it helps in the classroom.

One of my favorite subject when I was in grade school was social studies.  When it was time to learn about past times, wars, battles, victories, etc, I was ecstatic.  I plan to involve fun activities to this part of the school day with one being a field trip to a nearby exhibit or place that is full of interesting facts from our history.  History is endless and there are countless places to see and visit, unfortunately it is impossible to visit some of the most fascinating places on earth.  I plan to take a day out of the year and plan a virtual field trip for my students.  I know I will enjoy creating an unforgettable experience for my students in which we can visit a historic place together and learn.

Photo credits to Iqbal Osman from Flickr

At the rate technology is taking over, I will definitely be using educational websites as teaching resources in my future.  I will have to learn by experience and tips from other teachers on which websites to trust and use for successful teaching.  Lesson plan websites (from what I have heard) can be day saving resources.  Teachers come together to create lesson plans for themselves and others to edit and use in their own classroom.  This is an awesome use of technology because why not share what has worked great for you to benefit others as well?  Here is a video to watch about a teacher who involves technology into her classroom.  Technology is an amazing tool and I plan to use it wisely in the classroom.

Resources

Learning Futures. How can we use technology to enhance learning? (LEARNING FUTURES - NITA'S STORY). Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bv02p3i2YP0

Maloy, Robert, Verock-O'Loughlin, Ruth-Ellen, Edwards, Sharon A., and Woolf, Beverly Park (2013). Transforming Learning with New Technologies. 2nd Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.

Using a WebQuest in Your Classroom. (n.d.) Retrieved from http://www.internet4classrooms.com/using_quest.htm