Weaving the Web into Your K-12 Curriculum

A WebQuest designed for use with pre-service and in-service teachers

Introduction:

Some folks say the Web is a dangerous place for kids. Others say the Web is a great place to learn. There is a measure of truth in both these seemingly opposing points of view. This WebQuest will help you sort out the fact from the fiction when it comes to weaving the Web into your K-12 curriculum. You'll think about issues involved with learning online and figure out ways to deal with them. You'll also discover a bunch of tools that will help you effectively integrate the Web into your K-12 curriculum. Careful planning and preparation on your part will lead to your students looking for learning everywhere all the time, since the Web will soon be available to them all, every waking hour.

To accomplish this WebQuest, you're going to work as a team. Each of you will have a different job to do, but you'll all come together at the end to share what you've learned, both with the other members of your team and with the class as a whole.

Everything you accomplish while working this WebQuest will help you fulfill the requirements of the National Education Technology Standards (NETS) for teachers. These standards are the outcome of an International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) Project in collaboration with a distinguished group of partners and contributors through the U.S. Department of Education's PT³ grant program.

On a technical note, should you be using a computer that has web filtering in place, some of the links provided in this WebQuest may be blocked. Please make allowances if that should be the case.

Task:

Your overarching task will be to analyze the Web as a medium for learning. In the accomplishment of this task, you will, as a team:

make a judgment about the Web's risks and rewards in the context of K-12 education;

examine effective strategies for finding quality, trustworthy, appropriate information on the Web;

consider the value for learning of various web-based communications tools;

learn about prepared Web-based learning environments;

use group bulletin boards set up by your instructor for purposes of communication and collaboration;

make a presentation to the rest of the class, giving the outcomes of your investigation.

Individual team member roles are specified in the Process section below.

Process:

Each member of the team will assume one of the following four roles and responsibilities:

Information Specialist:
Reviews, digests, and presents background information about the Web and examines and presents the Risks involved in using the Web with kids (see resources below). Specifically, the Information Specialist will:

check out some of the Facts and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about the Web;

learn about the following Web Risks and how to handle them:

objectionable material;

cybercrime;

invasion of privacy;

inaccurate or biased information;

information literacy;

information overload;

netiquette;

ethics issues in general

garbage...;

The Information Specialist will present findings in an oral presentation to the team and contribute to the PowerPoint slide show prepared by the team for presentation to the class as a whole.

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Web Search Strategist:
Considers and explains various Strategies for successfully finding relevant information on the Web (see resources below). These strategies will include:

understanding the meaning of information literacy;

becoming aware of, and familiarizing oneself with, indexed and professionally-maintained websites devoted to the specific information needs of K-12 education;

learning about search engines in general, recognizing and learning how to make best use of those which are best able to serve K-12 information needs;

identifying specialist search engines for multimedia information other than text, including still images, video, and sound;

The Web Search Strategist will present findings in an oral presentation to the team and contribute to the PowerPoint slide show prepared by the team for presentation to the class as a whole.

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Communicator:
Makes the case for Communication as a key Information Age skill and examines the web as a tool for effective written and oral communication (see resources below). In the accomplishment of this task, the Communicator will:

learn about communication, especially writing and speech, as a fundamental learning tool;

evaluate the best of the web-based e-mail servers;

research listservs devoted to discussion of K-12 learning needs;

consider the place of Bulletin Boards, Chat and instant messaging (IM) in the general discourse involved in K-12 education;

The Communicator will present findings in an oral presentation to the team and contribute to the PowerPoint slide show prepared by the team for presentation to the class as a whole.

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Toolsmith:
Examines and evaluates the growing number of online learning tools available to the K-12 teacher and student (see resources below).

These tools include (among others):

Scavenger Hunts;

WebQuests and ThinkQuests;

Brainstorming tools such as Inspiration;

Rubric creation tools;

Test generators;

Virtual Field Trips;

Simulations;

Quick Time VR.

The Toolsmith will present findings in an oral presentation to the team and contribute to the PowerPoint slide show prepared by the team for presentation to the class as a whole.

Resources:

For the Information Specialist

	Gimme the Facts: Where in the World did the Web come from?
	Some Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about the Web
	Web Risks and how to handle them
	Information Literacy
	Albion's Responsible Netcitizenry
	University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign's excellent set of online ethics resources for teachers

For the Strategist

	Texas Information Literacy Tutorial (TILT) Information literacy resource
	Marylaine Block's When and How to Search the Net
	Strategies for searching the Web

For the Communicator

	Writing to Learn: e-mail, instant messaging and other online communication tools
	Smilies:-) make folks smile *:0)...

For the Toolsmith

	El Ed ScavengerHunts and Sec Ed Scavenger Hunts
	WebQuests: A practical application of the web for learning
	Inspiration / Kidspiration brainstorming and project planning software
	RubiStar rubric generator; Landmark4school's Rubric Builder
	4Teachers' QuizStar and Easy Test Maker's online test/quiz creation tools
	Kim Foley's Virtual Field Trips web site
	Tramline, Inc's TourMaker software
	Simulations
	QuickTime Virtual Reality

Evaluation:
Click here to access the Rubric for this project

Read it very carefully to see how your team and individual work will be evaluated at the end of the project.

Print a copy for yourself.

Write your name in the space provided for the Student Name.

Keep a copy of the rubric in your portfolio.

Use the rubric as a checklist as you complete your assigned tasks.

At the end of the project, you will be assessed against this rubric by your team mates and your instructor.

Conclusion:
Congratulations! You have successfully completed a pretty tough assignment. As you worked your way through the various tasks, you have discovered how much more there is to the Web than you ever imagined, especially when it comes to integrating the Web into your K-12 curriculum.

In this WebQuest, you learned about the risks and rewards of integrating the web into your lesson planning. You learned about what it takes to prepare powerful learning environments for your students--environments that you are confident they can safely enter because you have prepared the way. You also reinforced and further developed the skills you need as teachers to effectively present your research using graphic organizers and desktop presentation software. Your efforts are commendable and they will stand you in good stead when you apply them in your K-12 classrooms.

PGP (Pretty Good Privacy) Tutorial:

Here's an extension activity that will challenge you and take some time. For that reason, it is for extra credit. If you are successful in completing the activity, you will gain a deeper understanding especially of the privacy issues raised by the increasingly all-pervasive presence of the World Wide Web. Click on this link to my PGP tutorial which will help you download the PGP software and show you how to use it to encrypt your personal documents and e-mail messages. The tutorial will explain how to access my public key, and will also explain how to create and send me your own public key, Then send an encrypted e-mail to me at poole@pitt.edu. I will reply using your public key so that only you will be able to read my note. I will ask you a special question to which you will need to provide the answer in your reply.

Teacher Page:
Who is the teacher for whom this WebQuest is designed?

You're likely one of the following:

An IT instructor in a School of Education at a college or university who might want to use this WebQuest as part of a course;

A School District Technology Coordinator who runs IT training sessions for in-service teachers;

A Technology Coordinator for a single school who's asked to run IT training sessions for fellow teachers;

A teacher or small group of teachers who just want to take some time to deepen their understanding of how to integrate the Web into their curriculum.

A teacher-computerist who's been asked by the principal if you'd run a workshop for other teachers to help them learn about integrating the web into their curriculum.

Project management:

Overall: It would significantly enrich team projects if the team members were provided group communication tools such as group e-mail. This can easily be done using BlackBoard's CourseWeb product, or WebCT. Schools where neither of these products is available can use Yahoo groups at no charge. Go to the Yahoo groups website and click on the button to Start a new Group. Do this for each team, including yourself, the teacher, as a member of the group. Give each group a distinctive name related to your school and the project. The members of the Yahoo! group account can easily exchange e-mail, with everyone being able to read everyone else's postings . This can be done on an ad hoc basis from semester to semester, or within a semester from project to project.

Project Management Option 1: For the most part, pre-service and in-service teachers should be able to work through this WebQuest without further direction from the instructor. It will help students, however, if a timeline with deadlines is provided for the completion of various stages along the way. These stages might be as follows:

Investigation: where the student understands his or her role, reads the material provided above, checks out the online resources, and assembles the information that will be the basis for the oral presentation to the other members of the team.

Planning, preparation, and delivery of the oral presentation.

Team and instructor assessment of the oral presentations with ensuing discussion and feedback.

Planning and preparation of the team PowerPoint presentation.

Delivery of the team PowerPoint presentation to the class as a whole.

Final assessment and project feedback from the instructor.

How long students take to complete tasks is invariably an individual affair. Students will generally take as long as you allow them to get the job done. Often, they tend to do the burden of the work shortly before it's due, so breaking the project into small sub-sections with clear deadlines will encourage students to spend an appropriate amount of time and effort on each task.

Project Management Option 2: Students could, as a team, assume one or other of the four roles outlined above. The class could then be divided up into four or eight teams, each team being given a role. On a duly assigned day, the teams could come together to make role-based presentations, thus "jigsawing" their learning as they share their knowledge with each the other teams involved in putting together the pieces of the puzzle.

Project Management Option 3: The project could be spread out over five weeks of a semester where each team would research one role per week, putting together their PowerPoint presentation week by week as they go along. Week 5 would be for the team presentations to the class as a whole. Attending each team's presentation would reinforce everyone's learning of this very important subject matter.

Project Management Option 4, 5...?: If you have other ideas, please share them with me (poole@pitt.edu) so that I can add them to this list. Thanks!

Standards:

As mentioned in the Introduction to this WebQuest, the tasks involved have helped the pre-service or in-service teacher to measure up to the National Education Technology Standards (NETS) for teachers. These standards are the outcome of an International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) Project in collaboration with a distinguished group of partners and contributors through the U.S. Department of Education's PT³ grant program.

Specifically, the following NETS standards for teachers have been addressed in this WebQuest:

I. TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS AND CONCEPTS.

Teachers demonstrate a sound understanding of technology operations and concepts. Teachers:

demonstrate introductory knowledge, skills, and understanding of concepts related to technology (as described in the ISTE National Education Technology Standards for Students).

demonstrate continual growth in technology knowledge and skills to stay abreast of current and emerging technologies.

II. PLANNING AND DESIGNING LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS AND EXPERIENCES.

Teachers plan and design effective learning environments and experiences supported by technology. Teachers:

design developmentally appropriate learning opportunities that apply technology-enhanced instructional strategies to support the diverse needs of learners.

apply current research on teaching and learning with technology when planning learning environments and experiences.

identify and locate technology resources and evaluate them for accuracy and suitability.

plan for the management of technology resources within the context of learning activities.

plan strategies to manage student learning in a technology-enhanced environment.

III. TEACHING, LEARNING, AND THE CURRICULUM.

Teachers implement curriculum plans, that include methods and strategies for applying technology to maximize student learning. Teachers:

facilitate technology-enhanced experiences that address content standards and student technology standards.

use technology to support learner-centered strategies that address the diverse needs of students.

apply technology to develop students' higher order skills and creativity.

manage student learning activities in a technology-enhanced environment.

IV. ASSESSMENT AND EVALUATION.

Teachers apply technology to facilitate a variety of effective assessment and evaluation strategies. Teachers:

apply technology in assessing student learning of subject matter using a variety of assessment techniques.

use technology resources to collect and analyze data, interpret results, and communicate findings to improve instructional practice and maximize student learning.

apply multiple methods of evaluation to determine students' appropriate use of technology resources for learning, communication, and productivity.

V. PRODUCTIVITY AND PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE.

Teachers use technology to enhance their productivity and professional practice. Teachers:

use technology resources to engage in ongoing professional development and lifelong learning.

continually evaluate and reflect on professional practice to make informed decisions regarding the use of technology in support of student learning.

apply technology to increase productivity.

use technology to communicate and collaborate with peers, parents, and the larger community in order to nurture student learning.

VI. SOCIAL, ETHICAL, LEGAL, AND HUMAN ISSUES.

Teachers understand the social, ethical, legal, and human issues surrounding the use of technology in PK-12 schools and apply those principles in practice. Teachers:

model and teach legal and ethical practice related to technology use.

apply technology resources to enable and empower learners with diverse backgrounds, characteristics, and abilities.

identify and use technology resources that affirm diversity

promote safe and healthy use of technology resources.

facilitate equitable access to technology resources for all students.

For more information on the NETS Project, contact:

Lajeane Thomas, Project Director

Telephone: 318.257.3923

E-Mail: lthomas@latech.edu

Acknowledgments:

Tom Snyder Productions, who organized the 2002 Summer Institute for Advanced Technology Integration, for ideas and the training that led to the production of this WebQuest.

Mandi Axmann, Instructional Designer at Technikon Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa, for help defining the topic for this WebQuest.

Co-conspirators at the Summer Institute for Advanced Technology Integration for a wealth of ideas and encouragement.

Numerous web sites, all hyperlinked above, which provide a wealth of information and tools to support teachers in their work with children.

Graphics provided by Animation Factory.

	make a judgment about the Web's risks and rewards in the context of K-12 education;
	examine effective strategies for finding quality, trustworthy, appropriate information on the Web;
	consider the value for learning of various web-based communications tools;
	learn about prepared Web-based learning environments;
	use group bulletin boards set up by your instructor for purposes of communication and collaboration;
	make a presentation to the rest of the class, giving the outcomes of your investigation.

	Read it very carefully to see how your team and individual work will be evaluated at the end of the project.
	Print a copy for yourself.
	Write your name in the space provided for the Student Name.
	Keep a copy of the rubric in your portfolio.
	Use the rubric as a checklist as you complete your assigned tasks.
	At the end of the project, you will be assessed against this rubric by your team mates and your instructor.

	An IT instructor in a School of Education at a college or university who might want to use this WebQuest as part of a course;
	A School District Technology Coordinator who runs IT training sessions for in-service teachers;
	A Technology Coordinator for a single school who's asked to run IT training sessions for fellow teachers;
	A teacher or small group of teachers who just want to take some time to deepen their understanding of how to integrate the Web into their curriculum.
	A teacher-computerist who's been asked by the principal if you'd run a workshop for other teachers to help them learn about integrating the web into their curriculum.

	Investigation: where the student understands his or her role, reads the material provided above, checks out the online resources, and assembles the information that will be the basis for the oral presentation to the other members of the team.
	Planning, preparation, and delivery of the oral presentation.
	Team and instructor assessment of the oral presentations with ensuing discussion and feedback.
	Planning and preparation of the team PowerPoint presentation.
	Delivery of the team PowerPoint presentation to the class as a whole.
	Final assessment and project feedback from the instructor.

	Tom Snyder Productions, who organized the 2002 Summer Institute for Advanced Technology Integration, for ideas and the training that led to the production of this WebQuest.
	Mandi Axmann, Instructional Designer at Technikon Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa, for help defining the topic for this WebQuest.
	Co-conspirators at the Summer Institute for Advanced Technology Integration for a wealth of ideas and encouragement.
	Numerous web sites, all hyperlinked above, which provide a wealth of information and tools to support teachers in their work with children.
	Graphics provided by Animation Factory.