ISS EarthKAM is a NASA sponsored program that provides stunning, high quality photographs of our planet taken from the Space Shuttle and International Space Station.
WebQuest, a model for integrating the use of the Web in classroom activities. He defined a WebQuest as
nquiry-oriented activity
hey are not WebQuests because the information in each activity can go from the browser to the product without altering—or even entering—the learner's understanding.
n a real WebQuest, newly acquired information undergoes an important transformation within learners themselves.
A real WebQuest is a scaffolded learning structure that uses links to essential resources on the World Wide Web and an authentic task to motivate students' investigation of an open-ended question, development of individual expertise, and participation in a group process that transforms newly acquired information into a more sophisticated understanding.
nspire students to see richer thematic relationships, to contribute to the real world of learning, and to reflect on their own metacognitive processes.
s students internalize more advanced intellectual skills through ongoing practice, the teacher can gradually remove the scaffolded levels of support. Scaffolding is used to implement such approaches as constructivist strategies, differentiated learning, situated learning, thematic instruction, and authentic assessment.
Real WebQuests should pass the ARCS filter: Does the activity get students' Attention? Is it Relevant to their needs, interests, or motives? Does the task inspire learners' Confidence in achieving success? Finally, would completing the activity leave students with a sense of Satisfaction in their accomplishment?
A teacher can challenge students by “posing contradictions, presenting new information, asking questions, encouraging research, and engaging students in inquiries designed to challenge current concepts” (Brooks & Brooks, 1999, p. ix).
Background for Everyone,
Background stage also paves the way for differentiating student activities in such a way that all students can master required knowledge and then pursue different levels of individual expertise.
ontent, process, products, and learning environment—
irst, we ask, Could the answer be copied and pasted? If the answer is no, then we ask, Does the task require students to make something new out of what they have learned?