Chapter 2 Thoughts

1. Registered for Google Reader.

2. The first website (Save the Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus) is a made up website and doesn't have accurate information. Although the website information isn't accurate, the website is set up correctly. When evaluating this website I looked for the problem being presented, why this is a problem, what the issue is about, and how we can help to change the problem. It also has other resources that could be used to get more information on the issue at hand. After evaluating the website I also noticed that the layout was easily accessible with the tabs to different pages at the top and bottom of the main page. It is also up to date and has the latest information on the issue being presented. I saw that there was a date at the bottom right hand corner to inform viewers that the website is up to date. I also looked at how well the words and information was easily read.

The second website (MLK) is not one that I would recommend as being accurate. After evaluating this I realized that this website couldn’t be trusted to teach anyone on the life of Martin Luther King Jr. First of all when I clicked on the links the information didn’t reflect to what the tab said. Also the author is a "White Pride" organization, which proves that the information was biased. Instead of historical information and I saw opinions and other information that was important. It also seems like there isn’t one group or person including the information on this website. It seems like each link has different information from different sources and people. Since there really isn’t a main author it’s hard to realize if the information is credited and when the information was updated.

The third website (Dog Island Free Forever) is another made up website. The first thing that I noticed was the disclaimer about the website being made up. If the website was correct and accurate it would have all the information that someone would be looking for concerning this topic. The website is very user friendly and allows the user to easily look through the information. Another thing that I looked at when evaluating this website is the links for people looking for further information. This website was loaded with further information for whatever someone would be looking for concerning dogs, dog food, and taking care of dogs. I also liked that there was a Google link at the top in case visitors to the site needed to search something while looking through the site. Another key thing that I saw when I evaluated the website is that the website is copyrighted.

The fourth website (All About Explorers) is also a website that someone set up to try and trick visitors. The one thing that really stood out to me was how useful this website is for teachers. It has many different links, lessons, and ideas to use in the classroom. Also when evaluating this website I noticed the information had disclaimers. The website was only made for teachers to show how their students how to search for things on the internet. the characters on the website are fictional. I also evaluated how easy it was to view the website and understand the information presented. This website presents information in an easy to read way and the layout makes its user friendly. Being user friendly is a must for visitors to be able to use without having any trouble.

The fifth website (History of Robots…) is another false website. When searching through this website I noticed that the links take me to some other website that isn't credible and could not be taken as fact. Although the information is bogus, compared to the other websites this website is not as complex. I first looked to see if the website had been updated and had an author to give credit for. I also evaluated the layout of the website. It did an excellent job of stating its purpose and intent.

The sixth website (Dihydrogen Monoxide) is a research website presented by a National Assessment Center. This website is not real and has been put up by an organization that is factual. If I'm not mistaken, Dihydrogen Monoxide is water. Although the information is not correct the website itself is set up very nicely. I evaluated what type of information was given. The way it is presented is easy for visitors to follow. The website states their purpose, the problem, and what being done to try and fix it.

The seventh website (The First Human Male Pregnancy) is a website used for people’s opinion about this particular topic. Although there is some information on what is happening with this man, most of it is people’s opinion of the situation. I don’t feel as though this website would be useful for finding out facts or other information. After evaluating this website, I noticed that this website is more about informing the public on the man’s status through his pregnancy instead of actual facts on why this is happening. At the bottom of the page, the name of the author is present along with a disclaimer. Although this happened to a man (who was a women), this isn't real because men cannot have babies.

(www.wto.org) This website is the true website for the World Trade Organization. This website is copyrighted by the organization. The layout of the website seems to be more authentic than the other which makes me think that this website is the true website for the World Trade Organization.

3. After searching the internet for scavenger hunts on Civil War lessons, many examples are found. The ones that are mostly found don’t remind me of meaningful learning. Most of them are interactive and allow for students to be the ones to find information. But I think that students will become more involved in using the internet than learning the information on the Civil War. After searching for cites on Civil War scavenger hunts I searched in general for internet scavenger hunts. After searching for this I found a website that had lots of scavenger hunts that could promote meaningful learning. The website had tons of hunts that were broken down by months. The one thing that I noticed was that these hunts weren’t as heavy as the topic of the Civil War. I think this makes a difference when using scavenger hunts to help to teach students. The lighter the material the more meaningful learning can take place, which can be helpful when using the internet and scavenger hunts.

4. The wequest that I chose deals with 6th grade students and researching women in science. This webquest is more than an electronic worksheet because it allows for research on a famous women scientist. The students are also taking the information and making something out of it. The students have to make a newspaper article with important information and pictures at the end of the assignment. If this was a mere electronic worksheet then students would just have to fill in the wanted information and do nothing with it at the end. The webquest is well designed according to Jonassen. First of all the webquest promotes cooperative learning. In order for the students to complete the assignment, students must partner up and assign each other roles. This will allow students to bring prior knowledge to the assignment and help each other complete it with the best information. The webquest also incorporates many learning perspectives. When the process of the project is introduced, the teacher does not give explicit instructions on how complete the project. I think this helps to incorporate different learning perspectives because it allows students to find the information the best way they know how or the way that they learn the best. Giving students an option is an excellent way to get student involved and making them want to learn the information they are looking for. The webquest also incorporates analysis and synthesis of information. The way that this occurs is when students have to take the information that have found and make a newspaper article from the pertinent information. In order for students to be able to understand what needs to go into the article they must analyze and synthesize the information found through the various websites given. The article is an excellent resource in order to demonstrate knowledge gained from this webquest. The article is something that will be original among all the groups and will show that each of the groups have gained knowledge from the information found. The way that they gain knowledge from this project is from having to put the information into an article format with only the information used in an article. The webquest as a whole is student-directed because they are able to use resources that the teacher provides as well as other websites they feel are important. The teacher only gives an outline of what the assignment is about and the students take that information and use it to complete the project on their own. In a sense the webquest is open-ended. It can allow for further research on a women scientist and can allow for further information on why this person is important.

5. The teacher uses handhelds to help teach fables in a third grade reading class. The teacher pairs the students up and allows them to use a handheld together. Each student must choose a fable to read and then compare their fable with the other student. They will then use programs in the handhelds to make a Venn Diagram comparing the two fables. The teacher could have done this before but by using handhelds the teacher can make it more interactive and interesting for the students to complete. If the teacher was not using the handhelds this would be done with a book of fables and paper and pencil to make the Venn Diagram. Instead the students can use handhelds to read and explore their fable and another program to help compare their fables by making a Venn diagram. So even though the teacher could have completed this lesson before the use of handhelds, it only makes the lesson better by having the students use them.

6. Completed the survey about Facebook and MySpace.