Originally developed by Bernie Dodge at San Diego State University in February, 1995, a WebQuest is an inquiry-oriented lesson format in which most or all the information that learners work with comes from the web. Teachers pre-select online resources for students to use during the inquiry process, and students are assigned particular roles to support student collaboration. Student typcially use both online and print resoruces to accomplish the tasks associated with the project.

(student faces are blurred for privacy reasons)

Project Purpose: to create a “sense of place” about a country in North Africa or Southwest Asia. See her project handout for details about student expectations. This project was part of a larger unit that included a UNESCO essay designed to use a research gathering tool which prompted students to gather background information about an assigned country (essay handout).

Key Resources: UNESCO website, eLibrary (great resources for pictures & maps), Photostory3 handout (QRD)

Timeline:

• Day 1: Project overiew and discussion about UNESCO (1 period = 50 min)
• Day 2: UNESCO fact collection/research in library & homework (1 period)
• Days 3: Demo examples, including inspirational video about Matt Dancing around the world (click on Matt’s Place)
• Days 4 & 5: Student work days (4 periods in library – block schedule)
  ** There was no formal instruction about Photostory3, the demo and QRD (Quick Reference Document) was sufficient to support student use.
• Day 6 & 7: Student presentations

Step 1: Teacher, librarian and IT specialist met to explore Photostory3. Mrs. Beers used the QRD to guide her development of 2 model projects, 1 modeling what not to do, and another providing a positive exmple.

Step 2: Mrs. Beers create 2 demos at home, showing both a strong and weak example of a multimedia project. She focused on limiting text and photo selection. Creating a project gave her a better understanding of how student might use the tool.

Step 3: Class project days

Step 4: Student presentations – samples Omar| Jordan

Important Technical Issues:

1. Save both the Phtostory project files (.wp3) and the final rendered videos (.wmv) in either student folders on the server or in a virtual teacher drop-box
2. If projects will be available on the web, be sure to discuss copyright issues associated with using music from a file or CD. The customized music option in Photostory makes copyright compliance much easier to manage.

When you go to David’s wiki to read these reviews keep these minimum student guidelines in mind. There must be:

• a summary,
• an explanation of why they are recommending this book,
• a description of where this book can be found which includes links,
• information about the author which includes links, and
• one or two images.

If you would like to know David’s thoughts on this project and how he set it up, click on

David says:
“I like the way the wiki lends itself to collaboration. It is an opportunity for students to work together and help each other. After the WASLs, I increasingly emphasize the reading culture, which includes discussing and writing about books with peers. Having the students collaborate took that idea a step further.”

“I had a rubric that set out my expectations for how they should work on the wiki and what they would accomplish. I set out the assignment clearly, blocked out lots of lab time, established rules for working on the wiki, and set them loose. I worked with them constantly, troubleshooting problems and helping them do what they wanted to do. I told them that their article had to be perfect because they were going to be public. The students helped each other with editing, but I also printed out their drafts and required many rewrites. Near the end, I sat down with students and helped them revise their articles in real time. Classes that finished early had an additional assignment of conducting interviews with wiki participants.”

“The project, in my view, was very successful. Almost all students completed it with good results. Many felt they had learned “real-world” skills. It was a good experience for them to have to write something to perfection. Because it was public, they understood why their pieces had to be perfect and they were motivated. Also, many felt they had the opportunity to do something “special.” Keep in mind, I teach struggling readers – - they liked being able to do something that was out of the ordinary.”

Set up:
“The key to making this work was planning. It was very labor intensive. I thought it would work more smoothly if I created email accounts for every student. I set up wiki accounts for every student, and then as administrator, I had to invite the students to participate in the wiki. I then accepted the invitation for them via their email accounts. Now, in May, all they’ll have to do is sign in with their assigned usernames and passwords. It makes it easy for them, and I have complete control over administration.”

“This year I created my email addresses using Google Apps, which allows you to create group email accounts. That turned out to be easy and cheap ($5 for the domain name). This service is connected with Google Sites, which allows you to create websites and wikis. I won’t be giving my students their email addresses, because I’m only using the email to set up their wiki accounts and invite them to participate in my wiki.”
(It should be noted that currently the only District email approved for student use is gaggle.net and epals. For those interested, here is a suggested gmail trick from Edublogs. …Janice)

“My wiki account on Wikispaces allows me to set the permissions to one of the following:
Public – anyone can view, edit, or comment
Protected – anyone can view, only members can edit and comment
Private – only members can view, edit and comment
Custom – defines custom permissions
I choose “Protected.” My wiki is not searchable, however. You can’t find it from Google, so far as I know. I have the option of updating my wiki to “Private.”

“There is no way to contact the students who are working or have worked on the wiki. The email addresses are not available on the wiki. The students do not have their email addresses because I don’t give them to them. I only use the email addresses to set up their wiki accounts.”

“There is only a 2 to 3 week window when the students are actively working on their wiki. As they complete their work, I lock down the pages so no one in the project can change them. When the project is completed in late June, I delete all the members except myself, the administrator. Thus, there is no way for anyone to get back into the project after it’s over.”

“I’ve never had any problems with inappropriate comments, writing or editing. The students are well aware of the rules. I check the comments the student make – they actually get graded on the comments. I would delete any inappropriate comments. In addition, students only go by first names or usernames. Students are not allowed to use their last names, and I would delete it if one was ever used.”

“As I said, this is a very labor intensive project. For teachers who are new to it, I recommend they start with one class of about 30 students or fewer. Expectations of students must be very clear. Treat the first time as a pilot project, and then see how it goes.”

I have collected valuable information to guide you through getting started including:

• Mark Federman’s tips for getting started such as choosing your first few titles for the year, introducing your first book club event, advertising the launching of your Book Club etc.
• Letter of Support from Barnes and Noble which highlights suggestions for raising funds for purchasing books plus much more
• Technology Resources and websites for each phase of implementation

Mark Federman visited with some of our Seattle principals to share his process and insights for a successful implementation of a Book Club. With his permission, I have outlined below a summary of notes from his presentation and artifacts he shared around this topic. I have also spotlighted the technology resources and websites, which can help you in the various phases of implementation. Be sure to read the letter of support from Barnes and Noble local representative, Lisa Lundquist.

First Year Selection of Books

• Start with a Universal theme, a book everyone can read, high interest for students you are targeting
• Repeat popular authors
• BiblioTherapy: Allow for time with students to address important teen issues and other topics
• Choose books that have movies coming out

Technology Resources:
First Year suggested BookCover List and Synopsis
Evergreen Young Adults Book Awards
Sponsored by Washington Young Adults Review Group
Pacific Northwest Library Assoc. Young Reader’s Choice Awards
This award includes a division category for 4-6th grades, 7-9th grades, and  10-12th grades.
Notable Children’s Books
Committee of librarians  (ALSC) identifies the best of the best in children’s books (for age levels birth -14). According to the Notables Criteria, “notable” is defined as: Worthy of note or notice, important, distinguished, outstanding.

Ideas for Advertising

• Pass out fliers to introduce the Book Club. Be sure to include upcoming books for future Book Club sessions
• Announcement at assemblies
• Book Talks either in person or on multimedia
• Special flier for “Invite for Kick off Party” (usually 10-15 minute book talk and a time to distribute copy of books for students)
• Another way to distribute books might be in partnership with Language Arts Teachers, Math teachers, or Science teachers as appropriate for the featured Book Club selection.
• Email announcements to teachers with possible incentives such as field trips for a class of students to Bookstore or Library, or organize a field trip for teachers to a local bookstore.
• Inquire around your local businesses for ways to raise funds. ( see letter of support from Barnes & Noble)
• Inquire about celebration locations in your community  where students can share their own poetry or other writings in front of live audience
• Provide workshop for all parents to attend in order to inform parents of the Literacy expectations and value of reading (see PowerPoint:Family Literacy Information)

Technology Resources:
Book Cover Images to paste and create your own fliers
PowerPoint: “Family Literacy Information”
Letter of Support from Barnes & Noble

Getting Students Started

• Special flier for “Invite for Kick off Party” (usually 10-15 minutes book talk and a time to distribute copy of books to students.
• Provide a suggested time line to finish reading the book. For first year, recommend a three to four week time frame but can be adapted, as students get familiar with format.
• Request a letter from students about the book (see Sample Request)
• Pull quotes from student letters to start discussion
*Encourage students to keep a log of what they have read
• Mark Federman is currently using a tool online for book discussion groups called Goodreads
• Provide a tutorial for students to learn how to use online discussion group (Ideally, the school librarian might do this.)

Technology Resources:
Sample letter to students
includes suggested prompting questions
Goodreads
This is a website where book lovers can record the books read or plans to read and share rating for books with recommendations. This resource also features a forum to have group discussion about books read within a private setting.
Shelfari (Another option for rating books or online book discussion)  http://www.shelfari.com/

Also, the Instructional Technology group is asking for your comments about other possible resources and or questions related to digital images to help us enhance the resource information in this blog post.

All of the links listed can be found at the Instructional Technology Delicious Site

Agenda

1. General overview of digital media resources
2. Time to explore digital media resource post
3. ET Input: Entering Questions and Comments in the IT Blog
   

Digital Picture Resources (Possibilities)

Internet (Copyright Free Resources)

• IT Delicious – Online Image Resources (Check out Larry Ferlazzo’s link to free online resources.)

Digital Cameras

• Transfer directly from camera: To download the specific camera drivers on your Teacher Work Station (CWS) you will need the help of someone with a #pound account or a Network Analyst (requested through techline – 252-0333).

• External USB Card Reader: These all-in-one readers allow you to download images directly to a computer and do not require software drivers installation.

• Home Computers: Use a pen drive to copy and transfer images from a home computer.

• See How Do I Pick a Digital Camera on the IT Blog
  

Document Camera:

1. Capture an image using only a document camera:
   1. Press the capture button on the document camera panel.
   2. Press the playback button to view these images
   3. Download Images from a computer:
      • Downloading Images from the Document Camera to a PC
      • Downloading Images from the Document Camera to an iMac/eMac
2. Capture an image using Aversion Software and the document camera
   • Using the AVerVision software on a PC or Mac

Scanner: These devices are fading but they can be valuable as a means for making student drawings into digital pictures. Scanners can capture images at the highest quality.

Cell Phones: Cellular camera technology is a popular tool used by students and adults for capturing images. The easiest solution for collecting these images is to download them on a home computer and transport them with a pen drive.

Computers: The most recent models of Apple iMacs and Macbooks have built-in cameras for capturing digital images.

Digital Picture Management (Organization and Editing):

• Teacher Work Stations (CWS) and Student Computers (including Presentation Station Computers):
  • Organization: Create and name folders within the folder, “My Pictures.” At this time there is not an approved software solution for organizing photos on these computers.
  • Basic Editing:
    • Paint: The Paint program comes on all Windows computers and includes some simple editing features like cropping, resizing, and re-formatting.
    • Paint.net: This is a free download for PCs with photo editing features. Paint.net To download this software on your Teacher Work Station (CWS) you will need the help of someone with a #pound account or a Network Analyst (requested through techline).
• Macs: iPhoto is a Mac only digital picture management tool that includes simple photo editing features. It is loaded on all SPS Macs.

Instructional Uses of Digital Images:

Samples and Resources:

• Belarus to America
  
• Water Cycle: An elementary class uses Photostory to share their writing and artwork.
• NUA Slideshow
• Poster Project Idea

Preparation Resources:

• Storyboarding Software: Free tool download from Atomic Learning, Mac and PC.
• Graphic Organizers
• Research Tool: Easy Bib
• Social Bookmarking: Delicious: Easy way to share internet link to digital image resources for teachers and students. The read-only site is not blocked by BESS.

Digital Story Telling – Resource List

See Digital Story Telling on the IT Blog

Applications:

• Photostory 3 (IT Blog – Photostory 2 Resource)
• Powerpoint (IT Blog – PowerPoint Resources)
• MovieMaker (IT Blog – Movie Maker 2 and Teach the Teacher – MovieMaker 2 Resources)
• iPhoto (Apple iLife Tutorials – iPhoto) Create slideshow from digital images that can be exported and shared.
• iMovie (Apple iLife Tutorials – iMovie)
• Voicethread

GLAD (Guided Language Acquisition Design): Promotes instructional strategies that use visuals (digital and analog) to enhance student learning.

• Issaquah School District http://www.projectglad.com/glad.html

Del.icio.us

More information about Social Bookmarking on the IT Blog

Delicious Classroom Example

Note: Teachers can create a Delicious account, install the Delicious buttons, and make changes using a teacher login. Student logins can view a Delicious site but not make changes.

To Create a Delicious account

1. Go to Del.icio.us or delicious.com
2. Click on the Register button.
3. Complete the registration form.
4. When the account registration is completed a new window will appear. In this window, click the Install Button Now link. This program will install the buttons that make using your Delicious account easy.

What does this mean for teaching? First and foremost it means that we must teach our students to ask powerful questions about the media itself. The skill of reading and interpreting information needs to be expanded to all message forms; verbal, visual, auditory, or a combination of all three.

Now that the presentation station is available in almost all classrooms in our schools we have the ability to help students analyze media by guiding them through Web sites teaching them to evaluate the content and intent of the authors, as well as the effectiveness of the use of images and sound.

Our access to information is growing so fast that it is impossible to keep up with it. That is why these skills are so vital for our students. It used to be that people thought teachers taught students all that they needed to know for a lifetime. Now we realize that no one person or source is the seat of all knowledge. Our students must understand how to handle the data that is coming at them because they will never be able to accumulate it all in their own minds.

Here are The 5 Core Concepts and the 5 Key Questions of Media Literacy from the Center for Media Literacy to help you get started thinking about and teaching these skills.

When you are ready, here is a PowerPoint for you to use with your students when you talk to them about evaluating Web sites. web-site-evaluation.ppt

Some resources you might like to look at for more discussion and information on this topic:

• David Warlick
• Jamie McKenzie
• The Question Mark a digital journal about powerful questions and media literacy.
• Wikipedia’s definition of Visual Literacy with links to articles.
• Kathy Schrock’s age appropriate Web evaluation tools

 Fair Use

• Stanford University Library site on fair use – very comprehensive
• Fair use chart for educators (alternative print version)
• More than the average user would ever want to know about fair use

Creative Commons

• Rewriting laws of copyright
• Great overview of Creative Commons for educators
• Creative commons home page
• Learn more about CC

Creative Commons Licensed Content

• Search Engine
• WikiMedia Commons – Mostly Images
• Audio Books
• Music
• Sheet Music
• Sound Effects

• Del.icio.us (Social bookmarking site that is unblocked in Seattle Public Schools. You need to register to use. (free))
• More information on social bookmarking and tags
• 12 uses for social bookmarking in the classroom
• 7-things-you-should-know-about-social-bookmarking

Note: Social bookmarking does have it’s downsides. Users can easily post inappropriate sites. If you are a Seattle School’s employee and find an inappropriate site that is not blocked by our filter please email the link to “filterreview” at seattleschools.org. Also tags and folksonomy can lead to messy information and brain overload. See Will Richard’s thoughtful post on the issue. Tags vs. Trusted Sources