WebQuest

Despite the chaos of my life recently, I finished my WebQuest...Is it truly a WebQuest? That is the question. I only know that I researched a topic of personal interest and found some really neat stuff, slowly figured out Google sites and how to make a multi-page production, and then began to "build"...I enjoyed this activity even though my OCD had me continuously editing the pages. The assignment was a satisfying one, as it was a culmination of the many skills to which I was introduced and allowed to practice throughout this semester. I plan to use these skills to keep myself current and to give my students a fair shot at becoming part of a global learning community. Who knows, I may even reach the "mastery" level myself one day!

My topic is the WV Coal Mine Wars, with a focus on the Company Store and the events at Matewan, WV. My grandfather immigrated to the US from Sicily in 1928 and went to work in coal mines in PA near Johnstown (east of Pittsburgh). His father was already in the US and had met my grandmother and her family (also miners)...he thought my grandmother (then age 13) would make a good (hard-working) wife for his 17-year-old son...and there you have it...an arranged marriage that lasted 75 years. Hearing the many horror stories led me to investigate the history...Italian immigrants also settled in West Virginia...in fact, one of the authors of a book I recommended in my WebQuest also had a grandfather who immigrated to the US from Sicily and worked in the coal mines (only in WV). This is interesting to me...I am trying to contact her. Anyway, my grandfather, who only attended three weeks of first grade before quitting school to work on an artichoke farm, made his fortune stripping coal, using his experiences in the mines as he became a true entrepeneur. If you have never seen the movie Matewan, take the time to watch it, as it is based on true events; be prepared for some difficulty in understanding some of the dialogue, but it is definitely worth the effort.

I had to publish my rubric once I uploaded it go Google Docs in order to make it "viewable" on the Guidelines page of my WebQuest. That was the only gliche. Here is the link:

WV Coal Mine Wars

Even though it may seem to be a convenient and simple task to complete a WebQuest due to the quick and easy access to all of the resources, when designed properly, it requires critical thinking and as well as an analysis and synthesis of a lot of information. Students must pull information from a wide variety of sources by weeding through the relevant and non-relevant in order to gather what they need to perform their portion of the task. Because WebQuests are new to my Special Education students, I will evaluate them mainly on their collaborative efforts and their storytelling ability (as evidenced by their Windows Movie Maker artifact) to start. Of course, factual accuracy will be necessary, so the content of their "movies", rather than their digital ability, will be the main focus. As they complete this type of assignment, they will practice a wide range of 21st century skills.

Debbie

Jeopardy - The Outsiders

Here is my Jeopardy game that I plan to use as a review of my students' current literature assignment, The Outsiders. If you have read the book, try the review; if not, read the book...it is a must-read story about a multitude of critical issues faced by many of our students. This is the link to my game:

Jeopardy - The Outsiders

You must view this as a slide show to play. It is saved as a pps file, but computer quirkiness may cause it to come up as a ppt "read only" file. Once you start the slide show, just click on a point value for a category, and the question slide (well, "the answer", as this is, after all, Jeopardy) will come up. Click on the same slide, and the answer slide (i.e., the "question") will come up. Click on the action button (I chose a ? for mine.), and you will be taken back to the board. The color will change on the point values as you click on them to indicate they've been used. Pretty slick!! Once you have this set up with the point values, action buttons, and links, it is easy to change the text for new games. My classes finished reading The Outsiders just yesterday; today we began watching the movie. We will use this Jeopardy game to review for the test and as a starting point for our discussion about the differences between the book and the screen adaptation. I will definitely keep this tool in my kit (and wish I'd have had it earlier this school year).

I found online directions for creating a Jeopardy game from scratch, which were extremely helpful, and which gave me a whole new look at the options available in the PowerPoint program. The actual assignment asked students in this class to use a provided template, to fix the mechanical errors, and to add appropriate text. I think I took the long way around, but I feel pretty happy about my success on this one! Sorry, Dr. Pierce, for straying off the path; luckily, I found my way despite myself.

Debbie

Self-Portrait

From Bits of Fun, I was directed to Mr. Picassohead to create a self-portrait. This is kind of neat. The link I have provided will take you to the site where you can make one of yourself. Check it out at:

Debbie as Abstract

I also experimented with the Jackson Pollack paint site...colors are random, but I made several "paintings", all in the spirit of amusement park spin art. A relaxing activity, but I couldn't figure out how to save it.

Debbie

Podcasting

Downloading Audacity was easy, but figuring out how to use it was not so easy. After a few hours of "practicing" my co-teacher and I were finally able to record our podcast. We chose a lesson on the Gettysburg Address and did a demonstration of a read-aloud. You may listen to it here, but there are a few blips and hiccups; my first effort is FAR from perfect! All in all, I believe we did quite well. Click on this link to get to my Podbean page (That is one of several venues for publication that I explored.):

My Podcast

Once you get there, click on the arrow under "Debbie's Gettysburg Address".

You can view my script for this audio creation by clicking on the following:

Script

This was a difficult assignment to complete, but I feel encouraged that I can offer my students even more in the way of digital learning experiences. I also believe I will become more proficient at the process as I practice and perfect it and that I can model it, and, hopefully, transfer my new skills to my students. Equally important, I now have access to a large number of other podcasts that I may be able to use in my teaching; I can ask questions and comment on these podcasts, and others who view mine can do the same. I am a member of the staff development committee at my school; I now have a topic (and a skill) to offer as a workshop.

Debbie