Chapter 2; Investigating with Technologies

1. Registered for a Google reader.

2. Save the Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus: To check this website’s credibility, I tried to find other sites to support the website’s information, and I found websites that described pacific northwest tree octopus as a hoax. I also found the resource list full of fiction novels, which are not credible sources for factual information. Overall, this website is not an accurate website.

Martin Luther King Jr. – A True Historical Examination: My first reaction to this website is that the content on the site is not appropriate for children. The home page displayed curse words, and the author of the site seems committed to encouraging a hatred for Martin Luther King Jr. and people who are of the Jewish religion. This website does not have relevant material about Martin Luther King Jr. Because this site included all those aspects and then did not offer any other perspective to the reader, I decided that this website is not accurate.

Dog Island Free Forever: The website is inaccurate. The website is trying to sell the reader its product. The website doesn’t provide any phone number or address of the organization.

All About Explorers: I believe this website is an accurate website that can be used as an educational tool. I clearly noticed the website has been updated recently and that the site has been featured in credible sites such as The New York Times website and The University of Missouri’s eMints education site. The authors of the site are previous teachers or librarians and have a Masters in Education. This website also includes resources for teachers and students. To make sure the site was real, I searched the web until I found a documentary about a librarian who used the All About Explorers website as a means to help prepare her students for a world that searches the Internet for information.

History of Robots in the Victorian Era: When I investigated the author of the site, I found out that the author and his wife write the Heartbreakers comic books. Therefore, the content o the website may not be the authors’ area of expertise. Also, the site has no list of sources. This website is not an accurate site.

Dihydrogen Monoxide Research Division: This website is a hoax. The content of the website is written to create fear of water. There is a note at the bottom of the website suggesting the information on the website may not be true.

The First Male Human Pregnancy: This is another website with inaccurate information. The content advertises fiction ideas. The site provides e-mail as the only source of communication. The “hospital” has no address or contact information.
www.wto.org: This is the real website. It has real contact information, unlike the other website, and this website’s links have a logical sequence.

3. The content area I picked was about animals, and the grade level was grade. The problem that I encountered was that the scavenger hunt did not encourage students to think for themselves. The scavenger hunt asked students where in the world did certain species live and provided URLs that would provide an answer. Some of the URLs did not work and none of the questions required students to think about how to figure out the question. The scavenger hunt did not engage students in the process of research.

4. I found a webquest for a group of 3rd graders to learn more about endangered animals and the characteristics of a specific endangered animal. The webquest sounds like a really fun activity. The webquest sets up a project for 4 students to complete. They are supposed to pick an endangered animal to put in their zoo, but they first have to prepare themselves for the great move by learning about the animal. This webquest sets a guideline for students to follow, such as example websites to use when researching about the animals characteristics. However, the project leans towards an open ended project. The webquest strongly supports cooperative learning and provides students with the opportunity to build off the knowledge that their group members discover.

5. I found a 5th grade teacher who used handhelds in her classroom during a unit on economics. The teacher, Jan Kelly, found that integrating handhelds into the unit helped motivate students to participate in the activity. The students opened mock business and used the handhelds to create loan papers, bills, food prices, and other such items involving their businesses. Another activity included the students using the handhelds to hypothesis about stock market changes and explain their thoughts. The teacher admitted that she could have taught the lesson without the handhelds; however, the handhelds made the unit better and run smoother. Jan felt that the handhelds made the lesson more engaging for her students and provided them with access to so many useful tools. The handhelds ultimately provided the 5th grade classroom a chance to have a greater opportunity for peer interaction and cooperation.
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb6541/is_2_68/ai_n29083051/?tag=content;col1

6. I completed the survey.