WebQuest Progress

1. Describe what you chose to do for your WebQuest.

I chose to have the students learn to distinguish a good web site form a bad one in terms of bias, documentation, and historical accuracy.  It’s a project I’d been wanting to do for quite some time.  So this makes me feel very good that I’ll have a neat online project that I can actually assign my students.  Now if I can just find a slot of time in my school schedule and let’s hope the computer lab still has enough working computers to allow it to happen.

2. Have you had any problems or frustrations with QuestGarden itself?

I was having issues uploading the photos and video sample; it turned out to be that I was clicking the icon for a link rather than an image in the first case; in the second, I’m not sure exactly what made the difference; I went back in and repeated the paste of the URL for the film and it worked. 

It’s not very clear how to use the html in QG; I used to work a little with html when I was helping out with a website, but QG doesn’t function quite like that forum environment did.

I’m particularly frustrated with the problems I’ve had with the formatting of my text.  It’s not satisfactory to me that I can’t have my margins and tabs the way I’d have them on a Word page.  I know that I was able to format decently when posting things in the forum environment with html, so I’m annoyed that it’s not easier.  I don’t like having to settle for a less than perfect-looking text.

3. What have you finished?

At this point I have most of the student stuff posted, I’ve been putting off the rubric as I’m in a dilemma as to how I want that; I think I’m over-thinking it.

I have some sites that will be great to show subtle bias; at least it’s subtle to the students; it was pretty glaring to me.  It will be interesting to see how that turns out when I do the lesson.

4. What would you still like to add?

I still have several sections to finish and the appearance to work on.  I need images and will perhaps link a couple of humorous political videos to show the difference between a very biased piece and one that does equal opportunity political critique (assuming that the piece on JibJab that I’m thinking of is still out there).

5. Any other thoughts/comments?

I’ve learned something about the process of doing all these different things all at once in an ongoing progression.  Or really, I’ve re-learned it or reinforced what I’ve known, but not had to do from the student perspective for a long time.  It’s important to stay organized, keep calendars – mark due dates, it helps to do the easier things first – it not only gets them out of the way and helps you clear your head for the harder things, but also it gives you confidence that you can tackle the bigger, tougher things.

The WebQuest is a great example of this.  Piece by piece, it’s not hard and by doing bits of it over time, it is much easier.  I’ve known this from my own teaching for some time, but I haven’t assigned a large involved project in a very long time, so I’d forgotten how helpful and important it is to have intermittent due-dates and work on specific things a little at a time.  Of course I do that with the units that I’m doing now, but you don’t generally assign students all the work from a given unit all at once like you might do for a very large project.

It’s funny how exhausted and disheartened I was the other night when I felt lost regarding a couple of assignments that I was having trouble with (spreadsheet/mail merge thing -- integrated project and the Adobe Acrobat form). I was up until 2 two nights in a row struggling with glitches (or in the form assignment, I’d accidentally changed a setting and it was interfering with the alignment of buttons).  It was a struggle to keep going; I was determined, but ultimately failed.  I was feeling that I couldn’t even complete the course and might have to drop or file for an extension if there is such a thing.  After tonight, upon getting extra help and getting those two assignments sorted out and finished, I felt invigorated and could keep going until 2am getting other things (like this blog) caught up.  If I didn’t have to go to work tomorrow, I’d push on through and get more done.

WebQuest Topic Update

1. WebQuest Idea

Students will learn to distinguish good historical websites from poor ones; they will learn to recognize balanced commentary, careful documentation, as well as bias and lack of supporting evidence.

2. Standards

California History-Social Science Skills Standard:

Historical Research, Evidence, and Point of View (HR 1, 2, 3)

1. Students distinguish valid arguments from fallacious arguments in historical interpretations.

2. Students identify bias and prejudice in historical interpretations.

3. Students evaluate major debates among historians concerning alternative interpretations of the past, including an analysis of authors' use of evidence and the distinctions between sound generalizations and misleading oversimplifications.

ISTE: National Educational Technology Standards:

1. Creativity and Innovation: Students demonstrate creative thinking, construct knowledge, and develop innovative products and processes using technology. Students:

a. apply existing knowledge to generate new ideas, products, or processes.

b. create original works as a means of personal or group expression.

c. use models and simulations to explore complex systems and issues.

d. identify trends and forecast possibilities.

3. Research and Information Fluency: Students apply digital tools to gather, evaluate, and use information. Students:

a. plan strategies to guide inquiry.

b. locate, organize, analyze, evaluate, synthesize, and ethically use information from a variety of sources and media.

c. evaluate and select information sources and digital tools based on the appropriateness to specific tasks.

d. process data and report results.

3. Final Product

Students will demonstrate these skills with a PowerPoint presentation that examines a historical question using a variety of internet resources.

WebQuest Topic

1. WebQuest Idea

Students will learn to distinguish good historical websites from poor ones; they will learn to recognize balanced commentary, careful documentation, as well as bias and lack of supporting evidence.

2. Standard

California History-Social Science Skills Standard:

Historical Research, Evidence, and Point of View (HR 1, 2, 3)

   1. Students distinguish valid arguments from fallacious arguments in historical interpretations.

   2. Students identify bias and prejudice in historical interpretations.

   3. Students evaluate major debates among historians concerning alternative interpretations of the past,

       including an analysis of authors' use of evidence and the distinctions between sound generalizations

       and misleading oversimplifications.

3. Final Product

Students will demonstrate these skills with a PowerPoint presentation that examines a historical question using a variety of internet resources.

Study Shows Teacher Bonuses Did Not Boost Student Achievement In Tennessee Schools.

I’m going to be posting things that I read or hear about education.  I subscribe to NEA’s daily email news, so much will come from there.  Feel free to post comments about these articles on my blog.  Here's today's "big news."

Study Shows Teacher Bonuses Did Not Boost Student Achievement In Tennessee Schools.

The AP (9/22) reports that a three-year study "conducted in the metropolitan Nashville school system by Vanderbilt University's National Center on Performance Incentives" found that student performance did not increase when teachers were offered "big bonuses." The teachers could earn "bonuses of up to $15,000 a year for improved test scores." But, researchers said, third through fifth graders whose math teachers were offered the bonuses "registered the same gains on standardized exams as those whose [math] teachers were" not offered the bonuses. The AP adds that half of the 300 teachers who "started out in the study...were eligible for the bonuses." Each year, about 40 teachers got bonuses.

        The Washington Post (9/23, Anderson) reports that the studies authors and "other experts described [it] as the first scientifically rigorous review of merit pay in the United States." The Post adds that "there were no additional variables in the experiment: no professional development, mentoring or other elements meant to affect test scores." USA Today (9/23, Connell) notes, "The study was conducted from 2006 to 2009 in partnership with the nonprofit RAND Corporation. A local industrialist and Vanderbilt benefactor, Orrin Ingram, put up the nearly $1.3 million in bonuses."

So what does this mean?  I would question whether 3 years is enough to prove anything, but perhaps that isn’t an issue if just the incentive of earning more money would be enough to get teachers to teach to the test better.  I think teachers are already doing as much as they can to teach to these tests; the problem is that the tests aren’t valid indicators of achievement.  Kids learn at different rates and some don't test well on standardized tests no matter how well they learn.  I think it's time we started realizing that -- well, or making sure the "big shots" in charge realize that and act on it.  

Teachers don't usually teach for the pay; we teach because we love learning and kids.  I started teaching as a mission to help kids be ready for college because I didn't feel all that prepared for college even though I was an A student in high school.  Most of us didn't go into it for the money, so merit pay isn't going to make us better teachers. 

Welcome!

This is my first official blog.  Too bad I have nothing to say.  Yet.  But just get me started...