TiE 542 Week 4 Reflections

This week I had a moment of disappointment. I have been introduced to some really great web 2.0 tools throughout the course of my NLU class. To say that I am overwhelmed with great ideas about tools I can use in the classroom and my personal life is a vast understatement. I just finally came to the realization that many of these tools provide the same services, so I just need to pick one and stick with it. For instance, I currently use Delicious, which is an online bookmarking site. I was recently introduced to Diigo, which is very similar. I can't really see that one tool is better than the other, so I just have to choose. Some people get frustrated with technology because they can't use it or are unwilling to lean about all of the different tools available. I am frustrated because I want to use it all.

As part of an assignment for my NLU class, I had to design a student lesson that incorporated a web 2.0 tool in some way. Of course, since I am not teaching, I had difficulty determining what the lesson should be about. In the end, I decided to update an old lesson that I had created, which was a career webquest. The original webquest was simply a paper version of career related website links with questions pertaining to each site. The assignment was for students to go to these sites and answer the questions. That was it. What did they learn? Probably not much. As a disclaimer, I will say that the lesson was not my idea and I was simply following the instructions of my cooperating teacher.

I saw this NLU assignment as a chance to make this lesson meaningful. The lesson that I ended up creating in no way mirrors the original. Therefore, hopefully students would actually learn something. I began by creating a Wiki for the lesson. This way, students wouldn't have to type in each web address and paper would be saved by eliminating a printout. Then, I found a short questionnaire for students to complete that will guide students in their search. After completing the questionnaire, students will choose a career that appeals to them and search various websites to learn more about that career. Once finished, students will create an online poster, using Glogster, to provide information and present their career.

I feel that this lesson will not only be appealing to the students, but will be a great introduction to a research paper, which is usually done in 8th grade. My biggest obstacle was deciding where to draw the line with the complexity of this project. There are so many tools available for free use, the sky is the limit! Please check out my Wiki and let me know your thoughts. Is this a good lesson? What are some possible suggestions for improvement? http://careerwebquest.wikispaces.com/