How can we use the resources and capability of the Internet to enhance our classroom curriculum? We present three types of Internet-based projects for the classroom: email collaboration, virtual field trips, and WebQuests. Participants will also view teacher-created model projects and uncover resources to help them create Internet-based projects of their own.
How can we use the resources and capability of the Internet to enhance our classroom curriculum? The possibilities are seemingly endless, so here we have presented three options for Internet-based projects you can create for your classroom: email communication and collaboration; virtual field trips; and WebQuests.
Email and online communication can be used as a way to connect with experts, other classrooms, and for student-to-student exchanges. Virtual field trips can be used to extend the classroom and “visit” locations using online multimedia resources. WebQuests are dynamic web-based projects requiring students to complete a task using Internet resources.
Each type of project is just a starting point. All three types can be used with varying age groups and subject areas. For each session we’ve introduced the subject, linked you to some model projects created by teachers, and provided resources to help you replicate, adapt, and create web-based projects for your own classroom.
Objectives
Participants in this course will be able to
Understand how email can be used for communication and collaboration.
Recognize how virtual field trips can be used as a classroom tool.
Know what a WebQuest is and what types of curricular uses it has in the classroom.
Overview Email and online communication can be used in all sorts of educative ways. Experts can be contacted via ask-the-expert web sites, students can email students in other countries (called “epals”), online classroom structures can be created using message boards and chat rooms, blogs can be created for individual students or for entire classes, and even Instant Messaging (IM) can be used for instructional purposes.
A blog, short for “web log,” is a web page that permits a user to post his or her writing online. Blogs are often written in the style of a journal, and readers are usually able to leave comments for the writer. Instant messages (IM), or chats, allow users to have conversations entirely over the Internet. Unlike email, people participating in an online discussion have to be on the web at the same time. IM used to be text-only; these days, it’s not uncommon to see online chats incorporating audio and video as well--also transmitted over the Internet.
Below you will find links to projects that use some form of web-based communication. The links to articles discuss some further ideas and offer tips on how to create a project using email in your classroom.
Readings
In the How to Use the Internet in Your Classroom book, read Chapter 2, “How to Use Email for Online Collaboration.”
Reflection In what ways can email collaboration enhance student learning? What skills can these activities foster in our students? Provide at least three examples of ways to use email collaboration in different subject areas.
Overview
Virtual field trips are pretty much what they sound like—Internet-based guides through a particular place. While few would argue that a virtual field trip could replace an actual field trip, this type of online activity (a class trip to the Taj Mahal, for example) can be a stimulating experience. Additionally, virtual field trips often contain significant bits of information about a particular place (such as historical data), and media that often creates a unique experience (such as panoramic photos or video taken from specific vantage points).
So virtual field trips sound like a lot of fun, but how can they fit into a classroom? The next time you study a particular place, you can take your students there on the Internet rather than having them read about it from an encyclopedia or a textbook. And while an online experience can’t trump an actual one, a virtual field trip can take your students to places that might otherwise be impossible, and provides a well-rounded experience and sense of place.
In the readings below you’ll see some examples of virtual field trips, examples of teacher-created VFTs for use in the classroom, and articles and resources to assist you in creating your own virtual field trips.
Readings
In the How to Use the Internet in Your Classroom book, read Chapter 6, “How to Escort Your Students on a Virtual Field Trip.” The chapter discusses virtual field trip and includes many ideas for ways in which to incorporate them into the curriculum.
On the How to Use the Internet in Your Classroom CD-ROM, view the section on virtual field trips, located under the “Design Classroom Activities” section. There are several virtual field trips listed. Choose to view three of the trips that could fit into your curriculum.
Several teacher-created online projects are linked below; all contain a virtual field trip. Choose two that are best suited to your grade level and/or subject area and review them.
Reflection
Create an idea for a virtual field trip to a place that would enhance your curriculum. In what ways does this trip enhance your curriculum? Why did you choose this trip? What destination will students visit and what type of cultural information will be included? What questions would you expect your students to be able to answer after visiting this place?
Overview
A WebQuest is an inquiry-based project in which the resources are chosen by the teacher from the Internet. WebQuests require students to address a task, either individually or in groups, and utilize Internet resources to complete that task. “WebQuests are designed to use learners' time well, to focus on using information rather than looking for it, and to support learners' thinking at the levels of analysis, synthesis and evaluation,” says Bernie Dodge, one of the original WebQuest designers.
WebQuests are designed with very specific structures, but the possibilities for using them in class are many. They support higher levels of critical thinking and performance-based tasks, so they are not as appropriate for memorization tasks or fact-finding assignments.
In this session, you will learn what a WebQuest is, what they look like, and how to find WebQuests already created by teachers. WebQuests are a major undertaking; they can be time-consuming to create, plan, and design. The effort pays off, however, as WebQuests can be an authentic and meaningful learning experience for your students. There are thousands of high-quality WebQuests created by teachers already online; adapting one and tailoring it to your own students’ needs and skills is an excellent way to understand how WebQuests work.
Readings
In the How to Use the Internet in Your Classroom book, read, Chapter 5, “How to Design WebQuests.” This chapter provides a well-rounded overview of the WebQuest model.
On the Making the Most of the Web with Your Students CD-ROM, read the section on WebQuests (located under the “Making the Most by Technology” section. There are several examples of WebQuests listed on this page. Review each of them and choose one WebQuest that you feel is the best example of the medium. Pay particular attention to the task, how much higher-order thinking is required, and the quality of the web resources chosen.
Reflection
Which WebQuest did you choose for Part 3 of the reading assignment? Provide us with the title, web link, grade and subject area. In what ways do you feel this project is a superior example of the WebQuest model? In what ways can you adapt this WebQuest to use in your classroom?
Create a unit plan for your classroom, incorporating one of the three Internet projects (email collaboration, virtual field trips, or WebQuests). What goals do you want your students to accomplish through this project? Describe what students will do, what tasks they will complete, the grade level and subject area, and how the technology chosen supports and enhances classroom learning.
