WebQuest

Your Role

___Efficiency Expert

___Affiliator

___Altitudinist

_x__Technophile

Your Impressions

WebQuest	Strengths	Weaknesses
Grow School Greens	online research	minimal web use actual planting and growing plants
Where is My Hero?	online research	poster interview
Underground Railroad	alot of website use journaling online research	graphic organizers
Ice Cream	online research advertising	advertising  flow chart create new flavor  poster
Ancient Egypt	research powerpoint video works cited	brochure works cited

Bernie Dodge, Department of Educational Technology, SDSU

Multiple Intelligence VS. Learning Styles

The multiple intelligence theory separates intelligence into 8 types:

• Linguistic intelligence ("word smart")
• Logical-mathematical intelligence ("number/reasoning smart")
• Spatial intelligence ("picture smart")
• Bodily-Kinesthetic intelligence ("body smart")
• Musical intelligence ("music smart")
• Interpersonal intelligence ("people smart")
• Intrapersonal intelligence ("self smart")
• Naturalist intelligence ("nature smart")

The theory behind multiple intelligence theory is that everyone has the ability to use all of the intelligences but each person is different on how well they can use certain intelligences. For example: Bobby might better understand by using his musical intelligence and interpersonal intelligence and Timmy might understand better by using his mathematical intelligence and linguistic intelligence. However, this doesn't mean that Bobby can't use his mathematical and linguistic intelligences  it simply means his musical and interpersonal intelligences are stronger. For some of us it is easy to understand how a flower grows but it's difficult to understand and use a musical instrument. For others music might be easy but playing football is difficult.

Learning styles is a widely used method, it establishes how a person learns. There are 3 styles :

• Visual: learns through pictures, graphs, charts, and seeing information
• Auditory: learns through hearing and speaking
• Kinesthetic: learns through hands-on activities

The theory behind learning styles is that every child has a way of learning that best suits them. Sally might be able to put together a craft by reading the directions whereas, Gracie might be able to do the craft by watching the teacher do it.

I think that you need both of these styles to help students excel and understand what you are teaching. You need to think about how the child learns and what their strongest intelligences are in order to help them completely understand. if the child is a visual learner and their strongest intelligences are interpersonal and spatial, then you might want to put that child in a group for the assignment and use pictures to explain what they need to learn or do.

What learning style and intelligences do you possess?
Multiple Intelligence Test
Learning Styles Quiz

Wikipedia Vs. Textbooks Revised

Is Wikipedia just as reliable as a textbook? Could Wikipedia , at times, be more reliable than a textbook? In my opinion the answer is yes. When Googling a topic for research the first thing that appears is always Wikipedia. Wikipedia is known for being  unreliable because it's believed "anyone" can edit it as they please. However, that's not entirely true.

Wikipedia, though it can be change is monitored by credible people who know about the subject. If someone adds a false statement, it may be there for a little while and maybe a few will see it, but the monitors will change it. All information on Wikipedia has links to where it came from and isn't biased. If a statement is biased once again, the monitors will revise it.

Typically, a textbook is a combination of other textbooks. Each "new" edition isn't really new at all. A textbook can tend to have basic coverage on certain subjects. in a typical textbook for example, a history book chapter on The Wounded Knee Massacre states that someone fired a shot and then killing broke out. However, the Wikipedia article gives eyewitness accounts from both sides.

I feel Wikipedia is a pretty reliable source and is a great tool to get a general idea on a subject. However since at times you may be looking at an article that was edited and hasn't been reviewed yet, it may be wise to use the links they provide as a more concrete source.

Wikipedia Vs. Textbooks

Is Wikipedia just as reliable as a textbook? Could Wikipedia , at times, be more reliable than a textbook? In my opinion the answer is yes. When Googling a topic for research the first thing that appears is always Wikipedia. Wikipedia is know for being  unreliable because it's believed "anyone" can edit it and say what they want. However, that's not entirely true. 

Wikipedia, though it can be changed, is monitored by credible people who know about the subject. If someone adds a false statement ,though it will be there for a little while and maybe a few will see it, the monitors will change it. All information on Wikipedia has links to where it came from and isn't biased. If a statement is biased once again, the monitors will reword it. 

Typically, a textbook is a combination of other textbooks. Each "new" edition isn't really new at all. A textbook can tend to have basic coverage on certain subjects. The Wounded Knee Massacre ,in a typical textbook, states that someone fired a shot and then killing broke out. However, the Wikipedia article gives eyewitness accounts from both sides. 

I feel Wikipedia is a pretty reliable source to get a general idea on a subject. However since at times you may be looking at an article that was edited and hasn't been reviewed yet, it may be wise to use the links they provide as a more concrete source. 

Video Games and our Brain

I think video games have a positive effect on your brain when played in moderation, but probably not so much on your body. Research shows that playing action video games improves eye sight, and cognitive ability. Daphne Bavelier's  research shows people who play video games can track twice as many objects as the average person and eyesight improves by at least two lines on the eye chart. However, I can't see how sitting for long periods of time or the typical junk food snacks you eat while playing the games are positively effecting your body. It's widely known that junk food is bad for your health yet they are the snacks we tend to eat the most, especially while relaxing, watching a movie, or playing video games. Recently several studies have shown that sitting is very bad for your health as well. It raises your risk of diabetes,heart disease and some cancers. So, I believe video games are both beneficial and hurtful depending on the circumstances.

Your Brain on Video Games Talk with Daphne Bavelier

Our Brains on Video Games

I used to think that video gaming hurt your eyes and could turn you violent if you played violent shooting games but now I think that's not so true. Its highly unlikely that a person would turn viololent because of a game. I learnt gaming actually helps with hand eye coordination and cognitive skills as well as many other things.Three things I learned today are video games improve cognitive skills, they are wired to egnite pleasure in the brain, and they actually help the brain grow, but the most important thing I learned is video games aren't as bad as everyone wants you to believe.

How Games make Kids Smarter Talk with Gabe Zichermann

Texting...is it helping us?

I think texting is both helping and hurting people. I don't think texting helps with spelling because by abbreviating everything you forget or don't learn how to actually spell the word. Also it doesn't help with correct punctuation or complete sentences. However, it does help with creativity, phonology, and reading. It helps you to think creatively when you are coming up with words or creating figures from simple dashes and parenthesis as all as helps you with phonology because you have to process how a word is spelt and sounds and find an abbreviation that makes sense. As the article Can Texing Help with Spelling says "To abbreviate message as msg or tonight as 2nite, you have to understand how sounds and letters work, or how words are put together." It helps with reading as well for obvious reasons you have to read the texts.

Txtng is Killing Language. JK!! Talk with John Mcwhorter