Our final project: Teaching in the 21st Century
The team:
Denise Ambrose - project manager
Herbert Baker - technicial
Mary Hitt - technical writer

Ted Talk YouTube and Copyright

For this assignment, I needed to watch Margaret Stewart: How YouTube Thinks About Copyright
and provide 3 things I learned, 2 things I agree or disagree with, and 1 question.

3 Things I Learned:

• YouTube performs copyright checks on each video uploaded to their site, which translates into approximately 100 years of video each day. This astonishing amount is compared to millions of reference files already in YouTube.

• Most content owners allow a copy to be uploaded because its generally a good marketing practice - more exposure.

• YouTube describes its site as a creative ecosystem in which amateurs, large corporate studios and everything in between benefit from each other by borrowing content, building on it, recreating it etc. This is how all parties involved can benefit from something going 'viral'.

2 Things I Agree with:

• All parties involved can benefit when something goes viral - including the amateurs. I love the fact that we can all put out great works; that it is no longer the realm of movie and music celebrities. It is a great opportunity for some to give their careers a boost!

• I agree with their system of checking for potential violations and allowing the content owner to set their policies and have the final say. 

Which segues nicely into my question: Will the grayness over video copyright issues ever become clearer? I don't see how it can...but who knows what options are out there, or will be in the future.

It seems especially messy when copyright issues have to be sorted for mash ups!

 

When I become a teacher

Digital storytelling reflection

Digital storytelling could be a powerful tool in the 21st century classroom. As a future science teacher, I can see this being an innovative way for my students to present research analyses as well as instructional videos - an example that comes to mind immediately is a lab safety video created by the outgoing class for the next semester newbies.

According to The Digital World of Storytelling by Jason Ohler, this could be a great tool for educators "...to enhance students' skills in critical thinking, expository writing and media literacy". Rather than submit a report on, say, lightwaves, students could collaborate to come up with a story line about 'Photon Man'. In addition to reporting their research on light waves, this would be a more engaging way to strengthen their writing skills. This form of media also helps students develop their oratory skills, something which becomes increasingly important in the closely connected global workforce.

I also like the fact that this type of project teaches students (and teachers alike) about media literacy.
Ohler states that, "Digital stories provide powerful media literacy learning opportunities because students are involved in the creation and analysis of the media in which they are immersed.". This helps students see how powerfully persuasive today's electronic culture can be.

This is a wonderful way to combine creativity and imagination with factual content and data analyses.

Here is a high school student's digital storytelling project called Following Today

It is not the science oriented type of stories that would be found in my classroom however, it is still a good one. A personal reflection following the Sandy Hook tragedy, a powerful combination of images, music and her words. This is an excellent exercise in written and oral storytelling as well as the persuasive power of digital media.

Webquest: Gas Laws & Reflection

Webquest: Gas Laws
Partner in this project: Jonathan Mitchell


The article, "The Learning Power of Webquests" was used for the following reflection.

This Webquest project was exciting and informative as, once again, I see the multitude of ways the internet can be harnessed in the classroom to change the very way subjects are taught! I love the idea of Learner-Centered Professional Development which, according to the reading, states that, "When teachers facilitate well-designed WebQuests, they gain in-process professional development, moving them toward learning-centered practice. As they internalize and share their experiences, we all benefit."

This type of setting teaches me to focus on my students' learning and how best to engage them rather than focusing on rote memory that does little to inspire the learners, as well as myself.

The three characteristics that I believe my Webquest speaks to are:

• Scaffolded Learning Structure: "...WebQuests aren’t anything new except that they provide a way to integrate sound learning strategies with effective use of the Web." 

  My webquest, Gas Laws, encourages effective use of the web through researching articles, web pages, videos, images etc. and keeping notes in a blog rather than a paper notebook. This provides a richer, more dynamic format in that my students can link everything they've researched in addition to integrating apps and using their creativity to design a applicable site. This also provides an excellent mechanism for homework submissions - everything is on record in one place and, hopefully, in order.

• Individual Expertise: :...WebQuests support differentiation of content and process and give teachers the flexibility to vary final products and classroom routines as needed."

Gas Laws incorporates the use of role play in which students imagine themselves to be aliens studying a human biologic process. They are viewing the lungs from an outside perspective, as if studying a new creature for the first time. How do they go about their task? How do they teach their scientific colleagues about this process, considering they don't know how it works either. Changing their perspective in this way could encourage new questions and a more novel approach to the research.

• Transformative Group Process: "A quick litmus test for the WebQuest’s group process is to ask two questions. First, we ask, Could the answer be copied and pasted? If the answer is no, then we ask, Does the task require students to make something new out of what they have learned?"

Every article, webpage, video the students research for Gas Laws requires some form of feedback, typically a summary in their own words, however, the summary is a lot more involved than it sounds. Students are encouraged to use images, create pictures, incorporate apps or anything else they can find to aid in their summaries. This is more than just a regurgitation of concepts in that they find and use applicable tools and compile the information in their own personalized way.

Finally, the partners collaborate on a final product they will use to "teach" others about what they have learned.

A Rubric for Evaluating WebQuests

The WebQuest format can be applied to a variety of teaching situations. If you take advantage of all the possibilities inherent in the format, your students will have a rich and powerful experience. This rubric will help you pinpoint the ways in which your WebQuest isn't doing everything it could do. If a page seems to fall between categories, feel free to score it with in-between points.

(This refers to the WebQuest page itself, not the external resources linked to it.)

Beginning	Developing	Accomplished	Score
Overall Aesthetics (This refers to the WebQuest page itself, not the external resources linked to it.)
Overall Visual Appeal	0 points There are few or no graphic elements. No variation in layout or typography. OR Color is garish and/or typographic variations are overused and legibility suffers. Background interferes with the readability.	2 points Graphic elements sometimes, but not always, contribute to the understanding of concepts, ideas and relationships. There is some variation in type size, color, and layout.	4 points Appropriate and thematic graphic elements are used to make visual connections that contribute to the understanding of concepts, ideas and relationships. Differences in type size and/or color are used well and consistently.  See Fine Points Checklist.	2. The graphics and fonts can be improved.  The colors clash pretty bad.
Navigation & Flow	0 points Getting through the lesson is confusing and unconventional. Pages can't be found easily and/or the way back isn't clear.	2 points There are a few places where the learner can get lost and not know where to go next.	4 points Navigation is seamless. It is always clear to the learner what all the pieces are and how to get to them.	2. no division of tasks. clear steps provided.
Mechanical Aspects	0 points There are more than 5 broken links, misplaced or missing images, badly sized tables, misspellings and/or grammatical errors.	1 point There are some broken links, misplaced or missing images, badly sized tables, misspellings and/or grammatical errors.	2 points No mechanical problems noted.  See Fine Points Checklist.	1. 1 broken link, could use a table to convey info better.
Introduction
Motivational Effectiveness of Introduction	0 points The introduction is purely factual, with no appeal to relevance or social importance OR The scenario posed is transparently bogus and doesn't respect the media literacy of today's learners.	1 point The introduction relates somewhat to the learner's interests and/or describes a compelling question or problem.	2 points The introduction draws the reader into the lesson by relating to the learner's interests or goals and/or engagingly describing a compelling question or problem.	1. It relates but doesn't draw the learner in. Talks more about web research than project focus.
Cognitive Effectiveness of the Introduction	0 points The introduction doesn't prepare the reader for what is to come, or build on what the learner already knows.	1 point The introduction makes some reference to learner's prior knowledge and previews to some extent what the lesson is about.	2 points The introduction builds on learner's prior knowledge and effectively prepares the learner by foreshadowing what the lesson is about.	1. Not sure how to tell prior knowledge but it does give preview on lesson
Task (The task is the end result of student efforts... not the steps involved in getting there.)
Connection of Task to Standards	0 points The task is not related to standards.	2 point The task is referenced to standards but is not clearly connected to what students must know and be able to do to achieve proficiency of those standards.	4 points The task is referenced to standards and is clearly connected to what students must know and be able to do to achieve proficiency of those standards.	3. The goals are fairly clear and standard is referenced in intro.
Cognitive Level of the Task	0 points Task requires simply comprehending or retelling of information found on web pages and answering factual questions.	3 points Task is doable but is limited in its significance to students' lives. The task requires analysis of information and/or putting together information from several sources.	6 points Task is doable and engaging, and elicits thinking that goes beyond rote comprehension. The task requires synthesis of multiple sources of information, and/or taking a position, and/or going beyond the data given and making a generalization or creative product. See WebQuest Taskonomy.	4. students present research but will also create a word problem
Process (The process is the step-by-step description of how students will accomplish the task.)
Clarity of Process	0 points Process is not clearly stated. Students would not know exactly what they were supposed to do just from reading this.	2 points Some directions are given, but there is missing information. Students might be confused.	4 points Every step is clearly stated. Most students would know exactly where they are at each step of the process and know what to do next.	4. very clear steps to follow
Scaffolding of Process	0 points The process lacks strategies and organizational tools needed for students to gain the knowledge needed to complete the task. Activities are of little significance to one another and/or to the accomplishment of the task.	3 points Strategies and organizational tools embedded in the process are insufficient to ensure that all students will gain the knowledge needed to complete the task. Some of the activities do not relate specifically to the accomplishment of the task.	6 points The process provides students coming in at different entry levels with strategies and organizational tools to access and gain the knowledge needed to complete the task. Activities are clearly related and designed to take the students from basic knowledge to higher level thinking. Checks for understanding are built in to assess whether students are getting it. See: Process Guides A Taxonomy of Information Patterns Language Arts Standards and Technology WebQuest Enhancement Tools Reception, Transformation & ProductionScaffolds	5. quizzes and Q/A after each step in the process. One part asks learner to draw a diagram
Richness of Process	0 points Few steps, no separate roles assigned.	1 points Some separate tasks or roles assigned. More complex activities required.	2 points Different roles are assigned to help students understand different perspectives and/or share responsibility in accomplishing the task.	1. group project, no assigned roles
Resources (Note: you should evaluate all resources linked to the page, even if they are in sections other than the Process block. Also note that books, video and other off-line resources can and should be used where appropriate.)
Relevance & Quantity of Resources	0 points Resources provided are not sufficient for students to accomplish the task. OR There are too many resources for learners to look at in a reasonable time.	2 point There is some connection between the resources and the information needed for students to accomplish the task. Some resources don't add anything new.	4 points There is a clear and meaningful connection between all the resources and the information needed for students to accomplish the task. Every resource carries its weight.	2. resources there but mostly reading. could have vid or pics to help understand
Quality of Resources	0 points Links are mundane. They lead to information that could be found in a classroom encyclopedia.	2 points Some links carry information not ordinarily found in a classroom.	4 points Links make excellent use of the Web's timeliness and colorfulness. Varied resources provide enough meaningful information for students to think deeply.	0. links are mundane. Needs spice.
Evaluation
Clarity of Evaluation Criteria	0 points Criteria for success are not described.	3 points Criteria for success are at least partially described.	6 points Criteria for success are clearly stated in the form of a rubric. Criteria include qualitative as well as quantitative descriptors. The evaluation instrument clearly measures what students must know and be able to do to accomplish the task. See Creating a Rubric.	6. rubric is clear on point scheme
Total Score				32/50

Webquest being evaluated:
http://questgarden.com/05/60/0/051020151227/conclusion.htm


Applicable CSO located under Science, Chemistry:

SC.S.C.2 Content of Science

Students will demonstrate knowledge, understanding and applications of scientific facts, concepts, principles, theories and models as delineated in the objectives. demonstrate an understanding of the interrelationships among physics, chemistry, biology, earth/environmental science and astronomy. apply knowledge, understanding and skills of science subject matter/concepts to daily life experiences.

WebQuest

Your Role

___Efficiency Expert

_X__Affiliator

___Altitudinist

___Technophile

Your Impressions

WebQuest	Strengths	Weaknesses
Gorillas	Guiding questions and charts for student and groups to follow	Possibly a little more group activity, overall seemed good
Shakespeare	very organized. each member of the group had clear tasks	could let students choose some of their own links to research
Earthquake	I like that it included an individual and group reflection of the project	doesn't specify division of tasks clearly
Foreign Country	i like the idea of a contest, a group contest would be best	no collaboration, a group project would have been a richer learning experience
Waves & Sound	looks like a good project overall and could be easily tweaked to allow group learning	no collaboration, a group project would have been a richer learning experience

Bernie Dodge, Department of Educational Technology, SDSU

My impressions:
I liked the Shakespeare and Gorilla Webquests the best because there was good collaboration among the students. The tasks were organized and each person had a clear role.

The two I liked the least were the Foreign Country and Waves and Sound because there was no student collaboration at all. These were geared toward individual learning.

Group impressions:
We liked Shakespeare and Foreign Country. They each had different elements that could be tweaked however both were more well rounded than the others.
Shakespeare - was not good from an efficiency standpoint because there was just too much involved, and redundant. If there were less projects to do, it would be a great project overall.
Foreign Country - was good from most standpoints except there was no student collaboration. If it were tweaked to add group participation, this would also be a great overall project.

We didn't like Waves and Sound because it was like a textbook, there was no collaboration and aside from some good images, the content was boring.

We also didn't like Earthquake. It was somewhat ok for each of us, kind of lukewarm to it.

Prezi presents: History of Life on Earth