WebQuest Evaluation

After a long day of study, I opted to do an evaluation of a WebQuest of something not for my class, but something that has interested me independently of my class (OK maybe something I could use or adapt to my class someday), the Beat Generation. Luckily, after a quick search, I was able to find WebQuest: The Beat Movement. Let the good times roll! For the sake of simplicity, I opted to place the areas of evaluation in bold with my responses below them in plain text.

Synopsis of the WebQuest including its intended audience, its educational goals, and the curriculum standards addressed if stated.

This WebQuest is a study of the Beat Generation of the 1950s along with how those writers and the topics which they discussed are still relevant today. It's written for English Language Arts classes from grades 9-12. While no content standards were explicitly mentioned, there are several which could easily apply to this lesson.

What pedagogical strategies are employed in the WebQuest and are they effective? Is there use of metaphor? Are they using inductive or deductive strategies? Is there scaffolding? What other strategies do you see?  

This WebQuest makes use of both inductive and deductive instruction by introducing students briefly to the Beat Generation and some of it's major figures (Ginsberg, Kerouac, Burroughs), then giving students free reign to explore various authors and works of that time period. In the end, students will be responsible for a literary analysis of a major, a biographical sketch of its author along with a collaborative performance of an original work inspired by the piece.

In what ways is the WebQuest taking advantage of technology? In what ways is it 'change without difference'? Could this WebQuest be done just as well by photocopying pages and handing them out to students?

Many of the resources required to complete the task are digital (Youtube videos), along with the tools needed to complete the performance aspect of the assignment, but also relies heavily on hand-outs previously given and can be exported to a Word or Pdf format. In short, while it could work by photocopying pages, it work not work nearly as well.

Technically, does it work? Does it have bugs or flaws such as broken links or images? Is the material out of date? Does it credit its sources?

Everything seems sound and all the links work. Citations could be clearer, especially for the pictures.

How would you improve the WebQuest?

I would like to have seen more resources on the content itself. The tutorial videos dealt only with the software they'd be using. 

On a side note, after some research, I found a complete documentary on the Beat Generation here.

Review of Guide to Grammar & Wrtitng

For my CEP 811 class, I was given the task of evaluating a material I found on Merlot and quickly decided to check out Guide to Grammar & Writing. Since almost any mention to grammar, writing, and  especially writing sends my students into a panicked frenzy which makes them hide under their desks, any material I can use to help my students grasp the various concepts of grammar is readily and happily accepted. Upon first glance, I really like the program and am looking forward to utilizing it with my students. The official review follows. The questions are in bold while my comments are in plain text.

1. What stage(s) in the learning process/cycle could the materials be used?
1. Explanation or description of the topic/stating the problem
2. Demonstration of the curriculum/exploration of the problem
3. Practice using the curriculum/analysis of the outcomes from solving the problem
2. What is(are) the learning objective(s)? What should students be able to do after successfully learning with the materials? Students should have a better grasp of not only basic rules of grammar and writing, but also how to prepare and produce essays. 
3. What are the characteristics of the target learner(s) This page is wide open and can EASILY be useful for students of all ages, though would be be suited for middle school learners through college.
4. Does the interactive/media-rich presentation of material improve faculty and students' abilities to teach and learn the materials? I would say "yes," though the page is as much of a doorway as it is a tool in and of itself. 
5. Can the use of the software be readily integrated into current curriculum and pedagogy within the discipline?  Yes and no. In terms of proper essay productions, it is readily and easily applicable. While grammar, and as a result, clear and cohesive communication, is an invaluable skill, it rarely pops up in junior high and high school curricula. This is a shame and hase been a thorn in the paw of several English teachers including me. That being said, most do find ways to incorporate grammar into various lessons. This would be a great tool.
6. Can the software be used in a variety of ways to achieve teaching and learning goals? Very much so! Simple reviews, interactive quizzes, powerpoint presentations and even section where students can submit their own questions are all included.
7. Are the teaching-learning goals easy to identify? Yes.
8. Can good learning assignments for using the software application be written easily? Very easily!

Ease of Use:

1. Are the labels, buttons, menus, text, and general layout of the computer interface consistent and visually distinct? Yes.
2. Does the user get trapped in the material? Unfortunately yes. A "home" button would be nice, though it's pretty easy to backtrack using the back button.
3. Can the user get lost easily in the material? This may be a hazard, though that is simply because the quantity of material presented on the page.
4. Does the module provide feedback about the system status and the user's responses? Not that I easily saw.
5. Does the module provide appropriate flexibility in its use? Yes (see previous responses for examples).
6. Does the learning material require a lot of documentation, technical support, and/or instruction for most students to successfully use the software? No
7. Does the material present information in ways that are familiar for students? Yes. The sections, especially on the parts of speech are in a format very similar to textbooks.
8. Does the material present information in ways that would be attractive to students? Frankly it does, but only inasmuch as the average student can get excited about and be attracted to grammar and composition.

A Lesson Plan I'm Working On at the Moment

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1SDk1M5xRxWojjTDViFkortUFYcbSbORWQLd6NDr6F-g/edit?usp=sharing

Here's a lesson I'm doing with my junior level students as a wrap up of our unit on The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn using Scratch (www.scratch.mit.edu).

First Go At It

This is the first post of my new blog. Honestly, I've never paid too much attention to blogs in the past, though I did not question their existence; I just mentally pigeonholed them in with other things which never really interested me like celery farming or prairie dog breeding. Nonetheless, it's good to try new things and, since this is a new thing, I'll give it a shot. That being said... I really cannot think of much else to discuss at the moment, so I'll close.