Thanks for the answer to my question regarding wequests. My concern is
rather the age at which children are subjected to computers.
Personally, I would rather see elementary school age children spending
much less time on computers and more on tactile activities - concrete
objects possessing feel, smell and dimension. This, at least will give
many youngsters a break from all the little appliances that seem to
capture too much of their attention. I see, on a limited basis, that
webquests could be valuable thanks to your posting.
David Di Gregorio
Supervisor Library Media Services
Tenafly High School
Tenafly, NJ USA
www.librarymedia.net
201-816-6617
-----Original Message-----
From: Ann Marie Gordon [mailto:agordon@livoniacsd.org]
Sent: Saturday, February 10, 2007 12:25 PM
To: LM_NET@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU; DiGregorio, David
Subject: Re: [LM_NET] Target: Web app / a defense of "webquests"
My question about a tech topic related to a webquest prompted this
question from David: "Why are webquests so in fashion? How would such
an activity be of benefit to eight year olds? It seems to me that there
are better ways to educate eight year olds. I would rather see them
doing something other than sitting at a computer."
My answer: Why Webquests? Because a computer connected to the internet
is a fabulous way to get information.
Here's a great quote: "The advantage...of interactive media is that it
can complement and encourage more interest in research and reading,
support the curriculum, and substantially advance the potential of any
school library media center." That's from an article by David Di
Gregorio, from Bookmark, the Newsletter of the Educational Media
Association of New Jersey, May 2005. The author was referring to using
broadcasting as a tool for teaching, but I think the same holds true for
using the internet, Google Earth, and streaming video to teach.
Using the computer is not the only way we're getting information for the
project, nor is "sitting at a computer" all the kids will be doing-nor
is the internet the only medium I use to teach. (Rest assured: the
"highlighting the page" request was a wistful thought on my part that I
could somehow point my young researchers to the right part of the
webpage, the way I'd use a bookmark to mark the right place in a book.)
This project, a collaborative effort of the library teacher, the art
teacher, and the classroom teacher, is just a lens for looking at a
place in the world. We could study European animals, make a traditional
written report on a country, make a podcast, or read European
folktales-each of those would just be a different lens through which to
look. This particular way of looking at Europe, through its art and
architecture, really needs the computer.
Their Europe webquest is part of a project that addresses learning
standards in several content areas. NY learning standards for third
grade in the area of social studies focus on the continents: the kids
might do a project on penguins for Antarctica, or research a particular
country in South America. One of the learning standards for the Arts
calls for knowing and using various resources--including electronic
media--to find out about art, as well as to use art as a way of learning
about other cultures. Information Literacy standards call for kids to
use information accurately, creatively, and ethically.
They do the "research" part with me, the geography of Europe with their
classroom teacher, and finish by doing an art project with the art
teacher. Each child finds out about one European landmark: (the Eiffel
Tower, or the Brandenburg Gate, or one of more than thirty others) and
make a small label with basic information. (When was my famous landmark
built? What city is it in? Why is it famous?) and find out a few other
things along the way (Where is the country on the map? Why do so many
places in the United States have the names of European cities?) They
print out a photo (a Creative commons-licensed photo that permits
derivative works to be made) which shows a symmetrical view of the
landmark--symmetry being an art term they have learned with their art
teacher. Information Literacy standards are addressed when the kids
learn to cite a photo source as they would any other source of
information, find accurate information, and when they make a cool piece
of creative art.
In the Art room, their pictures are folded in half down the line of
symmetry and glued down. The kids create the "mirror half" of the photo
with colored pencils, and also make a frame made to look like a train
window--when all the finished pictures are hung down the hall outside
the library, the effect is of looking out a window and seeing different
places while on a train journey--and it's pretty cool, because every
picture is different.
I don't think I could do this particular project any other way than with
online resources. They could, of course, simply da famous place in
Europe, but the detail the kids notice when they're working from a photo
is remarkable. We could use the print encyclopedia, or books about
individual European countries, but they've done graphic organizers for
other continents, and I don't want every one of their seven continent
"journeys" to be the same. We could just use photos out of travel
magazines-but I have over 120 third graders, and they'll all need a
symmetrical photo to use with the art teacher-that's a lot of National
Geographics! (And I don't want to teach them that they should use
copyrighted images as a basis for original artwork, even if it's okay
for educational purposes.)
The computer can be overused, or used in the wrong way: cut and paste,
slap in a little clipart, and hey presto! A "project."
But my students won't be just "sitting at a computer." They're writing,
researching, discussing, drawing and sharing information. I don't know a
better way of educating eight year olds.
Well, I could actually take them all to Europe...but that could get
expensive! :-)
Phew! Sorry this was so long.
Anne-Marie Gordon
Library Media Specialist
National Board Certified Teacher
Livonia Primary School
Livonia, NY
http://www.livoniacsd.org/class_webs/agordon
http://squareone.pbwiki.com
>>> "DiGregorio, David" <ddigregorio@TENAFLY.K12.NJ.US> 02/10/07 1:00 AM
>>>
Why are webquests so in fashion? How would such an activity be of
benefit to eight year olds? It seems to me that there are better ways
to educate eight year olds. I would rather see them doing something
other than sitting at a computer.
EDU
Subject: Target: Web app for bookmarking a spot on a webpage
Hello, folks. I'm hoping someone is going to know just the tool I need!
I'm reworking a webquest for a group of 3rd graders. Some of the kids
need a little more help locating their information from webpages--for
example, on a webpge on windmills near Amsterdam, I'd like to have some
way of marking the paragraphs on a particular windmill... Does anybody
know of a (free!) web application that will let me highlight or mark a
particular spot on a webpage for my students?
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