3.3 Online & Blended Learning
Candidates develop, model, and facilitate the use of online and blended learning, digital content, and learning networks to support and extend student learning and expand opportunities and choices for professional learning for teachers and administrators. (PSC 3.3/ISTE 3c)
Artifact: Multimedia WebQuest
Reflection:
The Multimedia WebQuest was created for ITEC 7445 Multimedia Design and Web Development and implemented at the beginning of the year in my 9th grade Literature and Composition class. The project is focused on teaching students about recognizing plagiarism, as well as how to address plagiarism issues using citations, paraphrasing, and quoting. The project culminates with students creating an online interactive poster using Glogster in which students provide an original definition of plagiarism, include examples of correct citations, paraphrasing, and quoting, and offer suggestions for how to correct several plagiarism scenarios. The entire project is completed online in the WebQuest format.
The WebQuest was created using a free website from Weebly and demonstrates my ability to develop online and blended learning, digital content, and learning networks. I located all of the digital resources using the Internet and YouTube and then hyperlinked these sources into the WebQuest. I also created an original video to provide a context and background story for the WebQuest using iMovie. The WebQuest includes original embedded quizzes that I created to monitor student progress; it also adheres to principles of Universal Design because I recorded audio versions of all text using Audacity. The Glogster poster, the culminating portion of the project, is the final component of the online learning experience. Students create an online poster, with relevant links and embedded resources that can be viewed and commented on by their peers.
The WebQuest also demonstrates my ability to facilitate the online and blended learning experience. The lesson plan begins with a learner analysis that describes my choices of texts and other accommodations made for my specific group of learners. A context analysis and instructional plan are also included so that other teachers could re-create or modify the existing lesson plan. The lesson is aligned to content and technology standards and contains essential questions and objectives. Suggestions for differentiation and accommodations for students with disabilities are provided, as well as rubrics and grading requirements used.
By creating this WebQuest, I learned much about Universal Design Principles and the importance of designing online learning environments that can be accessed by all users, regardless of ability or computer operating system. I also was able to practice selecting appropriate digital resources and digital tools for completing the assigned tasks. In reflecting, I do not think Glogster was the best choice for the final component of the WebQuest. Students were required to provide too much information so the online poster became cluttered and difficult to read. I think that an online presentation tool such as Prezi or PowerPoint or even Photostory3 or iMovie would have been a better choice since these programs would have allowed students to break the information into manageable chunks, rather than place all information on a single page. Also, Glogster presented some issues with the network firewall and I had to request several times that the program be unblocked for students to use.
Quiz scores and final presentations were clear evidence of the type of student learning that occurred using the WebQuest. Likewise, students seemed to commit fewer instances of plagiarism than in previous years, perhaps because they had extensive practice identifying and correcting plagiarism during the first few weeks of schools. Those students who continued to struggle with plagiarism or citing were referred back to specific sections of the WebQuest later in the school year.
The Multimedia WebQuest was created for ITEC 7445 Multimedia Design and Web Development and implemented at the beginning of the year in my 9th grade Literature and Composition class. The project is focused on teaching students about recognizing plagiarism, as well as how to address plagiarism issues using citations, paraphrasing, and quoting. The project culminates with students creating an online interactive poster using Glogster in which students provide an original definition of plagiarism, include examples of correct citations, paraphrasing, and quoting, and offer suggestions for how to correct several plagiarism scenarios. The entire project is completed online in the WebQuest format.
The WebQuest was created using a free website from Weebly and demonstrates my ability to develop online and blended learning, digital content, and learning networks. I located all of the digital resources using the Internet and YouTube and then hyperlinked these sources into the WebQuest. I also created an original video to provide a context and background story for the WebQuest using iMovie. The WebQuest includes original embedded quizzes that I created to monitor student progress; it also adheres to principles of Universal Design because I recorded audio versions of all text using Audacity. The Glogster poster, the culminating portion of the project, is the final component of the online learning experience. Students create an online poster, with relevant links and embedded resources that can be viewed and commented on by their peers.
The WebQuest also demonstrates my ability to facilitate the online and blended learning experience. The lesson plan begins with a learner analysis that describes my choices of texts and other accommodations made for my specific group of learners. A context analysis and instructional plan are also included so that other teachers could re-create or modify the existing lesson plan. The lesson is aligned to content and technology standards and contains essential questions and objectives. Suggestions for differentiation and accommodations for students with disabilities are provided, as well as rubrics and grading requirements used.
By creating this WebQuest, I learned much about Universal Design Principles and the importance of designing online learning environments that can be accessed by all users, regardless of ability or computer operating system. I also was able to practice selecting appropriate digital resources and digital tools for completing the assigned tasks. In reflecting, I do not think Glogster was the best choice for the final component of the WebQuest. Students were required to provide too much information so the online poster became cluttered and difficult to read. I think that an online presentation tool such as Prezi or PowerPoint or even Photostory3 or iMovie would have been a better choice since these programs would have allowed students to break the information into manageable chunks, rather than place all information on a single page. Also, Glogster presented some issues with the network firewall and I had to request several times that the program be unblocked for students to use.
Quiz scores and final presentations were clear evidence of the type of student learning that occurred using the WebQuest. Likewise, students seemed to commit fewer instances of plagiarism than in previous years, perhaps because they had extensive practice identifying and correcting plagiarism during the first few weeks of schools. Those students who continued to struggle with plagiarism or citing were referred back to specific sections of the WebQuest later in the school year.