WebQuests

Finally I understand what a webquest is. I was wondering though, have any of you actually seen it being used in a classroom? I am new to the world of using webquests in the classroom and was just wondering how practical they really are. I can understand where the students would be engaged in learning lessons on the computer. Let me know your thoughts.

I enjoyed reading your blog. It has been very interesting learning about Smart boards and I look forward to presenting our information to the class on Wednesday.
Small districts do have an additional challenge when it comes to keeping up with technology. The initial overlay of equipment and material is expensive, not to mention the upkeep and maintenance. Staffing of qualified technology personnel is often a challenge in rural communities. Districts must be very creative in fundraising, grant writing and tapping in to community resources and private organizations for assistance.

Schools struggle to keep up with technology

This week my group is presenting a PowerPoint on Smartboards. I walked into last weeks class not even knowing what a Smartboard was and walking out thinking every classroom should have one. I was really motivated to find out why I had been working in a school for two years and attending college for quite some time now and I didn't know what a Smartboard was. I was really shocked to learn that some schools in the area have one in every classroom. This got me thinking....I wonder how schools can afford such expensive equipment?? I think that the lack of funds has definitely contributed to my lack of knowledge of new technology. I consider myself to have a fair amount of skills in working with technology but I am finding out more and more that I don't know near as much as I did a few years ago. As I was discussing the information I had learned about Smartboards with a teacher I work with, she was very interested. She thought it was such an interesting topic that she spoke with our superintendent about how to obtain some of the smartboards. She learned there was a list of places the smartboards would be purchased for first. Places like the library, media center, and computer labs were top on the list. It is the goal to one day have smartboards in every classroom in the school. However, as I was thinking about what she had said I realized this would not be happening soon. Small schools just do not have the funds to purchase expensive equipment like that in bulk without some kind of grand or government funding. This is so sad since there are many students who may not get the technological education they may need to work after they graduate.

Computers in Elementary School

For me, computers were taught along with various subjects in elementary school. There were programs that helped teach math, reading, and typing. Every class had a set time for their class to have a half hour or hour of computers every week. Every computer had a set of headphones and articles were read to us through the computer programs. At Liberty every sixth grader was forced to take keyboarding. This was very beneficial to me in later classes. As I got older, I began taking more classes in computers and computer programs. I took various classes in Word, PowerPoint, and others. I was the editor for the yearbook at my highschool for two years. There I learned the basics of Photoshop and Adobe.

Once I was in college, I was able to understand the basics of some of the most common programs. I now use computers at work in the classroom at Liberty. I help organize lessons where the students do scavenger hunts online and assist them in completing their work in Word. I find it simply amazing that we have computers in our preschool classroom and how familiar some students are with computers by the time they reach school. We have three year old students who can use a mouse, play games on the computer, and are now learning where letters are on the keyboard. Now most of my time on the computer deals with the Internet or a word processing program. I research lessons online, obtain new ideas for activities in the classroom, type papers and letters, and use the Internet many different aspects of research. I find that the internet is more entertaining than television so I spend a fair amount of my free time online too. Hopefully I have obtained enough skills through classes and experiences to successfully educate students for their roles in our technological world.