Rodriguez Journal Post #6

What are WebQuests,virtual field trips,and video conferencing?

According to our textbook the follow are the definitions of :

WebQuests: are online inquiries by students that are designed and guided by teachers.

A WebQuest is distinguished from other Internet-based research by three characteristics. First, it is classroom-based. Second, it emphasizes higher-order thinking rather than just acquiring information. And third, the teacher pre-selects the sources, emphasizing information use rather than information gathering.Finally, though solo WebQuests are not unknown, most WebQuests are work groups with the task frequently being split into roles.(WebQuests Explanation, 2014)

Virtual field trips: are also called online field trips or virtual tours take students to places all over the world without ever leaving their classroom or school computer lab.

Virtual field trips have many benefits such as:

• Reduce lesson planning time

• Support visual learning

• Support ELL and IEP student

• Easily incorporate the motivational value of technology

• Budget and liability friendly

• Uses 21^st century learning tools with the learners

Video Conferencing: is a powerful learning technology that offers real-time access to people and places that students are unable to visit.

Videoconferencing provides students with the opportunity to learn by participating in two-way communication forums. Furthermore, teachers and lecturers worldwide can be brought to remote or otherwise isolated educational facilities. Such students are able to explore, communicate, analyze and share information and ideas with one another. Through videoconferencing, students can visit other parts of the world to speak with their peers, and visit museums and educational facilities.       

Tech Tools

Click the links and explore something new

http://zunal.com/index.php

Zunal WebQuest Maker - FREE

The easiest way to create a WebQuest with more than 261.5 thousand users. It is a web-based software for creating WebQuests in a short time without writing any HTML codes.

http://www.field-trips.org/vft/index.htm

The virtual field trips here at Tramline were developed with the goal of making the best use of the web in the classroom. These annotated trips take students to some of the best web sites on each trip subject. We have a Trailhead (Intro) and Teacher's Resource that set the stage for most of our trips. The TourMaker field trips format makes learning fun, and makes using the Internet in the classroom simple, efficient and focused. You will find virtual field trips on science, literature, social studies, and other topics.

Post Recap

The use of WebQuest, virtual field trip, and video conferencing are the way to help students explore and research new information.  Florida virtual school incorporates all of this technologies into the learning.  The students are engaged in video conferencing with their teachers daily.  My daughter is part of the virtual school community of students and she has a video conferencing with other students on and her teachers daily.  They use Skype and she thinks its awesome.  They also have virtual field trips. My daughter had to do a project on a career she was interested in and took a virtual field trip to an oncology lab. She was greeted by a lab tech who walked her through the life of an oncology lab technician. She said she learned so much about what is done in the lab and how they determine the treatments that will work for the patients.  Therefore, these technologies give education a new meaning and the are all convenient to the both the teacher and the student. 

Resource:

WebQuests Explanation". Concept to Classroom Workshop: Webquests. Educational Broadcasting Corporation. 2004. Retrieved 21 February 2014.

Edwards, S.A., Maloy, R.W., Verock-O’Loughlin, R.E., Woolf, B.P. Transforming Learning with New Technology. 2^nd ed. Upper Saddle River, N.J., Person, 2011