Photo Story: When I Become a Teacher

Edgar Allan Poe WebQuest

A Journey Through early American Gothic Literature

Double Entry Journal #12

Digital Generation: The migration from mass traditional media towards digital media
Technology Revolution

Thomas pg. 101-105
Rischard pg. 13-15

     As  I was reading the assigned material something rather interesting jumped out at me. It was within a section entitled "Studying Digital Youth" in the book Deconstructing Digital Natives by Michael Thomas. "Today, there is a lot of empirical data on digital youth. One line of research is directed towards quantitative studies of use patterns and frequencies. For example, in a recent study of media use among American youth, the Kaiser Foundation used the term 'Generation M2' to describe the increasing time spent with such media by American youth, tracing developments from 1999-2009" (pg 102). The passage continues by saying that in order to better grasp the more qualitative aspects of media use, certain focus areas of media use need to be specified, such as fan fiction cultures, gaming cultures, and media production cultures. This statement just makes sense. It is understood that a large amount of people are using digital technologies more frequently but it isn't addressed as to how they are being used and why they are being used. Digital Natives are always the ones in which tests and studies are being completed concerning the amount of technology they use. They give inadequate reports that have nothing to do with the needed information and then publishing companies report this information to the general public. However, as mentioned before, it is not being publicized as to what the digital natives are doing with the technology they use. Some use it for entertainment purposes such as, gaming, blogging, and writing fan fiction but then there are other young users who use the technology they have to better their education and the knowledge they posses. So when digital natives are being analyzed and critique more needs to be asked other than the typical question of, "how much technology do you use on an average day and do you consider yourself to be tech-savvy?" 

iPad Evaluation

iPad Evaluation

2 different Apps

• ·         iCell
• ·         Building Titanic

     It is obviously safe to say that the world we live in is bombarded by mass amounts of technology. Whether it’s considered a burden or an aiding device however, is solely left for the determination of the user. There are individuals who use certain technological advancements to prompt and keep in operation major businesses, which is a great use of the material. However, there are also individuals who choose to use technology solely for entertainment purposes, or simply to waste time.  I am not writing to critique or criticize the use of technology in any form, in any way. I am simply writing to present the simple fact that the use of electronic devices are definitely changing the way we go about doing certain tasks. In one major instance electronic devices are completely replacing the use as well as the availability of text books. With the modern iPad students have the ability to explore certain resources more fully as well as in an interactive environment. Students are allowed to download educational apps (applications or programs) to further the research that they may be conducting. There are certain apps that allow students to dissect a human cell as well as the cells of animals and bacteria.

     I was recently assigned to explore two applications that were available on an iPad, ones that not only entertain but that would also be beneficial to the classroom. As I began my journey through the “I” world I explored an app called iCell. As mentioned previously, this was the application that enabled students to explore the segments and microscopic pieces of individual cells. I started by exploring the human or animal cell. I was immediately presented with an animated replication of a cell. I began the exploration by merely tapping a piece of the cell. Once I had done so I was given information about the functions and responsibility of that elemental piece of cell. (For example: cell membrane- is a protective covering of the cell itself and acts as a barrier that allows certain materials to pass with its walls). One thing that made this application so beneficial is that the information given could be set for the appropriate grade level.

     Another app that I was able to explore was called, “Building the Titanic”. The application took students through the entire process of building the cruise liner the Titanic. The program started with a picture of two different men. When the student tapped the men’s picture information about the gentlemen and what their responsibility was concerning the giant ship. At the bottom of the screen a timeline was displayed, spanning the years 1907 to 1912. When a chosen date was selected the student was immediately taken to the events, related to the Titanic, and the progress of the ship was reported. When I clicked on the date March 1909 I was told that this was the day in history that the Titanic was started. I was taken to the Belfast ship yard and I watched as the first step of the ship was completed. All in all, this app was very educational. However, I felt that it was really lacking the necessary entertainment elements that many students are hungering for. It was definitely a higher educational application. Technology is without a doubt advancing, and there is simply no stopping it. So, I guess the idea is to incorporate it in everything we possibly can, including education. With this being said it is important, however, to keep that element of education in the technology that we use. I explored two apps that were entertaining as well as highly educational…so it can be done.

My Final WebQuest

Edgar Allen Poe: WebQuest

Driving Question:
     What are the similarities and differences between all three of the pieces we read and studied? How does Edgar Allen Poe carry our his theme of Gothic Literature in all three pieces?

Final WebQuest Product

     The WebQuest that I have been deconstructing is, Romeo and Juliet. My students have been assigned to select one scene from the tragedy and change the dialogue so that a dramatic twist takes place and the ending of the story is changed either for the better or for the worse. This will take multiple levels of research on my students' part, for they will have to submerge themselves in the world of Shakespeare and change his writing to make it their own. Following is my final product. I have selected a small section of Scene V. A Hall in the Capulet's House where Juliet is conversing with her nurse concerning the identity of the mysterious guest (Romeo). For my final product I will creatively expound on the text/dialogue 

JULIET

Go ask his name: if he be married.

My grave is like to be my wedding bed.

Nurse

His name is Romeo, and a Montague;

The only son of your great enemy.

JULIET

My only love sprung from my only hate!

Too early seen unknown, and known too late!

Prodigious birth of love it is to me,

That I must love a loathed enemy.

Nurse

What's this? what's this...

Scene V continued...with my writing 

Juliet:
 I love him. I love him.
there is nothing I can do.
My feelings are so immense,
that I know not what to say.
Oh, Nurse will I be disowned?

Nurse:
Child, the answer I am afraid is yes. 
He is your mortal enemy...nothing more
Nothing less. 

Juliet:
Sweet Nurse, how do you mend a broken heart?

Nurse: 
You are being ridiculously absurd. You only just met...
How can your heart be broken? Say nothing more...
Sleep is what you need.

Juliet:
Maybe...if I speak to father.
Will he lift this ban, this dishonor?
The possibility of peace how long will it take?

Nurse:
Juliet, your father loves you that is true,
But you are asking him to forgive something 
that is not his to forgive.
This rivalry between the families has been occurring for years. 
I almost think they both have forgotten the reason to hate.

Juliet:
See! I must reason with him! I can change his mind.
I will love my Romeo and love him freely. 
Good-night nurse! Farewell...

Juliet and her Nurse by faithkline1793 on GoAnimate

Video Maker - Powered by GoAnimate.

WebQuest Evaluation: Updated Task and Process

Task:

Student Roles:

Each Student in your group will have a job.

You will be placed in groups of four, which will be listed on the board in the front of class. Even though each student has a specific role, remember that this is a group activity. With this being said you must work together in every area to complete the task. For example: when the assigned reader is re-reading the play please follow along with him/her. As individual students it is your responsibility to be comfortable and familiar with every aspect of William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. You are becoming the writers. Therefore, you each must know the characters extremely well. (Group effort will definitely be a part of your final grade.)

Student 1: Reader

- You will be the one who reads/ skims the web pages listed and tells the group what each one said. Make sure you give complete and detailed information since this is what you will be using to write your story. Even though this is your assigned task please collaborate with the other group members. Choose web pages that every group member agrees on. 

Student 2: Note taker 

- As the reader is exploring multiple web pages you will write down on the worksheet what each web site said. Make sure you make your notes as specific as possible so you have clear information to work with. If you need something repeated or are unclear about something, talk with the reader. You are the co-pilot to the reader.

Student 3: Brainstormer/ Rough Draft

- After appropriate research has been conducted and documented. Your group will meet to discuss what has been found and how you will present the information in a creative and enjoyable manner. This is when you will choose the scene from Romeo and Juliet that you and your group would like to re-write. You will be in charge of writing down what your group discusses during your brainstorm. How you choose to brainstorm is completely up to you. Just make sure your typist has an easy time reading it for the final draft. 

Student 4: Typist 

- After a rough draft has been written your group will turn it in to me (the teacher) and I will either approve or suggest further research. Once the rough draft has been approved the typist will begin typing up the final draft. If it can not be completed in class, due to lack of time, you can take home your story and type it in Times New Roman, 12 point font. Make sure it is formatted like a play! You will need to bring a copy for each of your group members and one for me. 

Your task :

Your group has been assigned to choose one scene from William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, and re-write it to form a different outcome. First, your group must choose a side or household to support.  

Using the characters closest to the side you have chosen, you will re-write an Act of your choosing.

You will be taking into considerations other conversations characters have had with Romeo and Juliet, things Romeo and Juliet have expressed in their soliloquies, etc.

Your rewrite of the Act will show how Romeo or Juliet could have avoid death had others spoken with them or Romeo and Juliet had been more opened about their relationship. 

Process:

 Review the following websites to take notes on basic parts of the story, characterization, major conversations that take place, plot/ events.

Shakespeare's Monologues 
This web page gives a list of William Shakespeare's monologues from any play and spoken by any character. It can be used to aid in the research portion of your assignment. Remember you are to write in the style that Shakespeare used himself. This web page can further expound on his chosen style.

Romeo and Juliet Basic Plot 

This web page goes over basic parts of the play including plot, vocabulary we reviewed, and summaries so you can decide quickly which act you would like to do.

Romeo and Juliet Characters 

This web page lists all the characters in the play and their characteristics.

Famous Quotes 

Can't remember that important turning moment that was sparked by a famous quotation? Take a look here. The specific act and scene is listed next to the quotation. 

Some Inspiration 

Here you will find an example of an alternative ending for Romeo and Juliet that may help you and spark an idea for your own re-write. 

Double Entry Journal #11

Technology, Education, and the Discourse of the Digital Native
"Between Evangelists and Dissenters"
-Michael Thomas

     Technology is a major component of the twenty-first century. It is virtually everywhere and present in every aspect of life, from the electronic billboard across the street, the cell phone in one's hand, to the computer one sits in front of constantly. Technology is vast and continues to grow. However, there are numbers of institutions and individuals that are not as keen on technology as most are. In fact a number of people are against it completely. It is in the first chapter of Mr. Micheal Thomas' book Deconstructing Digital Natives, that he compares the ideals of "Technology Evangelists" and those that oppose technology in the fullest. To better understand what exactly Thomas was referring to one must first have a proper definition of technology evangelist. A technology evangelist or technical evangelist is "a person who attempts to build a critical mass of support for a given technology in order to establish it as a technical standard in a market that is subject to network effects" (wikipedia.com where the term first appeared). A technical evangelist makes it his/her mission to spread the awareness and love of technology to everyone they possibly can. Everyday technical evangelists are not as rare as one would image. These modern advocates include typical bloggers, podcasters, and tweeters.
     As was made mentioned before there are several people who do not fully approve of the use of technology, or they think that technology usage has a proper time and place. These people, as strange as it may seem are often modern educators. Not that they don't allow or promote the use of computers in their classrooms but they feel that computers and other electronic devices take away from the material that is being presented through lecture. These educators believe that technology should only be used when the appropriate time arises. In one such case one school of thought wants technology banned in the classrooms since they cause distractions. To be completely honest, I understand where they are coming from but I also feel that technology plays a major role in the classroom and the growth of knowledge fully. There is most definitely a time and place for computer usage but to ban them completely goes against the twenty-first century. They are a natural thing...well they have become a natural thing. With technology growing vastly there have to be individuals that grow right along with it, and thus the birth of the digital native. 
     
    

WebQuest Exploration

Activity #1
English/Literature WebQuest Link

Activity #2

A Rubric for Evaluating WebQuests

	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
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.		4
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.		2
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
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
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.		4
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.		6
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
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 & Production Scaffolds		6
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.		2
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
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.		2
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.		3
Total Score     39					39/50

Activity #3 Changes that need to be made to this WebQuest
     Overall, I felt that this WebQuest was very interesting. I felt that it properly engaged students into the reading and allowed them to explore the world of Shakespeare a little further and even improve or add to the magic that already is Romeo and Juliet. Students had to work in groups of four to change the story of Romeo and Juliet, this was no easy task. The assignment was more than simple creative writing it made students explore, in depth, the style and technique that William Shakespeare used himself. Students had to research and then adapt this style of writing to their own scene which they had been asked to write. The overall concept of the assignment was brilliant and encouraged in depth exploration. If I had to make changes they would be minute.
1. Some of the images and animations did not hold meaning to the information being presented. I would change the images almost entirely.
2. The color scheme of the WebQuest was not very attractive and appeared rather bland.
3. I would have used a variety of links that could have aided to the assignment. The links provided for research was not very diverse. I even questioned their credibility.