Wow - I have graded all the classroom websites and this group have outdone themselves! The websites were amazing and so very professional. No wonder they are hating the HTML task as their pages are difficult for the new comer to html to replicate.
Students - if you haven't looked at each other's sites, I strongly recommend you do!
I have also responded to blogs about the Instructional project. Some of you have not yet posted your initial thoughts for the WQ. Please make sure you do that as it was part of your Week 7 task.
From the posts who did most of you are on target - the Instructional project for this class is a BIG project. It is worth 40% of your grade so that is why we are taking most of the remainder of the semester to work on it. You should plan on working on it each week.
Once you have worked on the WQ evaluation assignment for weeks 8 and 9, you will have a better sense of what makes a good WQ and what makes an okay WQ. To me, the biggest thing is the level of thinking that the students are required to do. You should aim high!
I will continue to check blogs.
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Week eight
First and foremost I have to thank the students for their patience with and compassion for me during this time in my life. Thank YOU students!
I have begun grading websites - very impressive!! I will continue and hopefully have them all finished soon.
I have also looked at the web pages created with HTML. HTML is something that anyone who wants to create a web site should have a 'working knowledge of, especially in these times where it is easy to create a website using sites such as google sites, yahoo, freewebs and so forth that provide a template that we just add content to. Knowing the basics of HTML allows for us to use these tools but also individualize our sites.
Now that we have looked at the different features important to a website, and have actually created a classroom website we are moving into instructional sites. In week seven, students previewed the assignment that is 'the big project' for the course. I haven't checked blogs but will do that on Sunday to clear up misconceptions and answer questions before they begin to actually plan their project this week.
So - this week, it's time to start thinking about your Instructional Project for the course. My recommendation to you is to begin the WebQuest evaluation assignment BEFORE you start to 'make plans' for your own project. That said, if you are working with a partner for the Instructional Project, then you can talk about roles, interests, content areas,... but wait until you've looked at a few different examples and the rubric before actually thinking about activities and websites that will be part of your own project.
The weekly expectations outlines ALL the tasks for this week. You need to first off get started on the WQ evaluation assignment (check Assignment Dropbox) for due date. Once you have started that you will be in a better position to think about your own and add to your blog. If you are working with a partner, each of you needs to post to your own blog. You also need to submit your Research Paper/Lit Review by Saturday.
I have begun grading websites - very impressive!! I will continue and hopefully have them all finished soon.
I have also looked at the web pages created with HTML. HTML is something that anyone who wants to create a web site should have a 'working knowledge of, especially in these times where it is easy to create a website using sites such as google sites, yahoo, freewebs and so forth that provide a template that we just add content to. Knowing the basics of HTML allows for us to use these tools but also individualize our sites.
Now that we have looked at the different features important to a website, and have actually created a classroom website we are moving into instructional sites. In week seven, students previewed the assignment that is 'the big project' for the course. I haven't checked blogs but will do that on Sunday to clear up misconceptions and answer questions before they begin to actually plan their project this week.
So - this week, it's time to start thinking about your Instructional Project for the course. My recommendation to you is to begin the WebQuest evaluation assignment BEFORE you start to 'make plans' for your own project. That said, if you are working with a partner for the Instructional Project, then you can talk about roles, interests, content areas,... but wait until you've looked at a few different examples and the rubric before actually thinking about activities and websites that will be part of your own project.
The weekly expectations outlines ALL the tasks for this week. You need to first off get started on the WQ evaluation assignment (check Assignment Dropbox) for due date. Once you have started that you will be in a better position to think about your own and add to your blog. If you are working with a partner, each of you needs to post to your own blog. You also need to submit your Research Paper/Lit Review by Saturday.
Friday, March 4, 2011
Week seven
I am looking forward to seeing student's web pages. Many of them had grand ideas and it will be great to see how they manifested into an actual website. I am definitely going to be looking to see if they took into consideration the design features we as a class feel are important (e.g. clear purpose, appropriate content for purpose,...).I wonder if they linked to their blog? Considered privacy and safety issues and I'm really hoping they did not break copyright law or plagiarize!!
This week students will be doing two new things. In addition to reading from our textbook and working on their research paper, students will be trying to program a computer to make a web page. This sounds like a VERY daunting task, but it is actually a lot easier than one might think- as long as one is procedural and has a clear vision of what they want the computer to do for them ;-) I'm sure some of them will get frustrated - and I usually have to step in and have them explain what the actual problem is and once they stop and have to think about things, they aren't as overwhelmed. It's the same as when they took EDEL515 and had to be able to clearly explain the problem they were having. Students please read the weekly expectations for the html task carefully.
The other new task this week is to actually start using their blog. (students if your name is not on the list to the right of this post, you need to create your blog and share it with me- asap) The first official blog post will be having students reflect/journal about what they understand about the major project for this course - the instructional web page. They have created an 'informational' web page and now will create an instructional one. Students - please visit the Assignment Dropbox for the assignment description and the weekly expectations to see exactly what I am looking for as your blog post.
Personally - I really like this assignment and I find that many students find it helpful. In week eight we look more at the concept that is behind this assignment, but I want students to get a sense of what their next few weeks will look like.
A final reminder for students -
This week students will be doing two new things. In addition to reading from our textbook and working on their research paper, students will be trying to program a computer to make a web page. This sounds like a VERY daunting task, but it is actually a lot easier than one might think- as long as one is procedural and has a clear vision of what they want the computer to do for them ;-) I'm sure some of them will get frustrated - and I usually have to step in and have them explain what the actual problem is and once they stop and have to think about things, they aren't as overwhelmed. It's the same as when they took EDEL515 and had to be able to clearly explain the problem they were having. Students please read the weekly expectations for the html task carefully.
The other new task this week is to actually start using their blog. (students if your name is not on the list to the right of this post, you need to create your blog and share it with me- asap) The first official blog post will be having students reflect/journal about what they understand about the major project for this course - the instructional web page. They have created an 'informational' web page and now will create an instructional one. Students - please visit the Assignment Dropbox for the assignment description and the weekly expectations to see exactly what I am looking for as your blog post.
Personally - I really like this assignment and I find that many students find it helpful. In week eight we look more at the concept that is behind this assignment, but I want students to get a sense of what their next few weeks will look like.
A final reminder for students -
- an upcoming due date: March 18- Research paper
- no BlackBoard access March 4 from 5-10 pm
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