Objectives

1. Using Technology to Enhance Student Achievement in Mathematics, Science, and Social StudiesSusan K. PittmanBonnie Vondracek

2. Objectives • Learn the differences between Guided Tours, Scavenger Hunts, and WebQuests • Investigate ways to integrate technology in the content areas • Review the content of the GED Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies Tests • Complete a guided exploration of online resources • Develop an instructor’s resource guide • Develop a technology based activity in one of the following areas mathematics, science, or social studies

3. What You Can Find Online • Guided Tours • Scavenger Hunts • WebQuests • Online Lesson Plans

4. Guided Tours A Guided Tour is • A teacher-developed activity • Related to an instructional unit • Focused on student discovery and analysis • Primarily for the new student user • Less complex than a scavenger hunt

5. Guided Tours Steps for Creating a Guided Tour • Identify the search engine(s) to be used • Identify the topic area • Create a hotlist (a list of sites that focus on the topic) with brief descriptions of the site • Determine delivery method (word document, webpage, etc.) • Determine how you will assess the guided tour

6. Guided Tours Sample Guided Tours http://www.spa3.k12.sc.us/Guided.html

7. What is a Scavenger Hunt? A Scavenger Hunt is a tool for teaching students how to search for information while using the Internet and provide an interesting format for instruction.A Scavenger Hunt can be: • Used for all levels of students • Used for different content areas • Completed individually or in teams

8. Why use Scavenger Hunts? Scavenger Hunts • can be used in every content area but are very effective in the areas of science and social studies • provide students with technology skills and subject matter knowledge • can be used as the introductory or culminating activity for a unit of study • engage students and make them more active learners • spark student’s interest and lead them in to learning more about a specific topic

9. Types of Scavenger Hunts • Twenty Questions: the teacher creates questions or items to look for and the students use a search engine to locate the information. The students need to learn how to skim over a document, identify key words and links, and how to read in context in order to find the answers. • Can be created around unrelated sites and nuggets of information • Focus on finding information within a specific web site • Twenty Sites: the teacher creates questions and provides the hypertext link to the URL where the answer can be located. The URL can either be written out, or a hyperlink can be created by highlighting a word or phrase. • Can result in a more complex scavenger hunt • Requires the use of search tools and strategies • Focus on learning how to use research tools and strategies to find and review different sites

10. Successful Scavenger Hunts Success depends on the questions. Decide the type of questions based on the kinds of resources and skills you want the students to learn. • Different Types of Sources • Audio or Written Transcripts • Images – Maps, Chart, Graphs • Government, Public, Private Sources • Newspapers, Magazines • Dictionaries • Archives • Links to Class Assignments (such as reviews of a book that is being is read)

11. Successful Scavenger Hunts Audio or Written Transcripts Example: Find a recorded oral interview (audio or written transcript). Why was the interview done? What was it about? How was it conducted? What kinds of information did the interviewer gain? (Archer Audio, National Archives) Images such as Maps, Charts, Graphs, or Photographs Example: Find a map of _____________ from the 1900s and from the 1990s. How has the area changed? What is the same and what is different about the area? (National Geographic, Library of Congress)

12. Successful Scavenger Hunts Government Sources Example: Find Census data for your home town from 1950 and from 2000. How has your town changed? Has it gained or lost population? How has the education level of residents changed in the past 50 years? (U.S. Census Data) Dictionaries Example: Where does the word “barbarian” come from? How did its meaning develop? (Merriam-Webster, Oxford English Dictionary)

13. Successful Scavenger Hunts Newspapers, Magazines Example: The influenza epidemic of 1918 killed millions. How does this relate to concerns about Bird Flu? (New York Time article, March 28, 2006) Archives Example: According to the patent of the inventor of the cotton gin, what first inspired Eli Whitney to invent the cotton gin? (National Archives) Link to Class Assignment Example:Find a review of the book To Kill a Mockingbird from newspaper or magazine archives. Compare your feelings about the book to that of the reviewer.

14. Scavenger Hunts Three Ways for Instructional Delivery • Develop the Scavenger Hunt in Word and then print and distribute to the students to find the answers. • Create a Scavenger Hunt and save it on a disk or on the hard drive after creating the hyperlinks and then have students work on the Hunt on their computers. • Create a web page for the Scavenger Hunt and enable students to access the web page at home or in school.

15. Scavenger Hunt Examples Internet Hunt Activities http://homepage.mac.com/cohora/ext/internethunts.html Scavenger Hunts for Secondary Education http://www.pitt.edu/~poole/secedScavenger.html Tech Trekers http://www.techtrekers.com/scav.htm

16. Learning for a Successful Tomorrow Growing up is about learning. The Net Generation is beginning to process information and learn differently than the boomers.... The destination is different and so is the route the kids must take. Growing up digital (Tapscott 1996)

17. What Is a WebQuest? An inquiry-oriented activity in which most or all of the information used by learners is drawn from the Web. WebQuests are designed to: • use learners' time well • focus on using information rather than looking for it • support learners' thinking at the levels of analysis, synthesis, and evaluation

18. What Is a WebQuest? A WebQuest About WebQuests http://webquest.sdsu.edu/webquestwebquest-hs.html

19. Six Reasons for Using WebQuests • To begin a unit as an anticipatory set (as per Madeline Hunter); • To conclude a unit as a summation; • As a collaborative activity in which students create a product (fostering cooperative learning); • To teach students how to be independent thinkers since most of the problems encountered in a Web Quest are real-world problems; • To increase competency in the use of technology; and • As a motivational technique to keep students on task. However, if it proves to be an inefficient method of learning for your particular students (for whatever reasons), don't use it!

20. The Beauty of WebQuests • Six Common Attributes (besides their flexibility) • Introduction • Task • Process • Resources • Evaluation • Conclusion

21. The Beauty of WebQuests • Six Common Attributes (besides their flexibility) • Introduction • Task • Process • Resources • Evaluation • Conclusion

22. Scavenger Hunts are: Easy to create and result in fun and informative searches Geared to any curriculum area Used as whole class or team activity Designed as either simple or involved activities WebQuests are: A more formal or guided search for information Inquiry oriented Use pre-selected searches and sites Geared to any curriculum area Used as whole class or team activity Use a rubric for evaluation Include higher order thinking and problem solving skills What’s the Difference? Combine Scavenger Hunts and WebQuests and you get a Web Hunt!

23. Sample WebQuests Poetry and the Planets http://www.lausd.k12.ca.us/lausd/resources/webquest/index.htm WWII – In Defense of Freedom http://drb.lifestreamcenter.net/Lessons/WW2/index.htm The 1960s Museum http://school.discovery.com/schrockguide/museum/webquest.html The Great Depression http://oncampus.richmond.edu/academics/education/projects/webquests/greatdepressnion Inventing – A Process for Everyone http://www.gmhsscience.com/Inventing

24. Sample WebQuests Atomic Structure http://www.ufrsd.net/staffwww/stefanl/Webquest/Atoms/index.htm Stock Market http://homepage.mac.com/suecollins/school/stocks/stocks.htm Buying a Home http://coe.west.asu.edu/students/cclay/webquest.htm

25. WebQuests WebQuest Training Materials http://webquest.sdsu.edu/materials.htm Building Blocks for a WebQuest http://projects.edtech.sandi.net/staffdev/buildingblocks/p-index.htm WebQuest Design Process http://webquest.sdsu.edu/designsteps/index.html

26. Rubrics Rubrics for Web Lessons http://webquest.sdsu.edu/rubrics/weblessons.htm Rubrics http://webquest.sdsu.edu/webquestrubric.html

27. Sites to Get Started WebQuests – San Diego State University http://webquest.sdsu.edu/ SESO Teacher Resources http://sesd.sk.ca/teacherresource/webquest/webquest.htm TechTrekers http://www.techtrekers.com/webquests/

28. Experience the Fun! Select a WebQuest from Math, Science, or Social Studies. Click on the link and review the WebQuest. Be prepared to share your WebQuest experience with the group. http://webquest.org/ You may begin.

29. Using Technology Homework • Identify a topic that you would like to cover with students. • Think about the types of questions that you want students to be able to answer about that topic. • Think about where you might find the answers to those questions. • Be prepared to design a Scavenger Hunt that includes 10-12 questions about the topic you have chosen.

30. Using Technology Focusing on Content Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies

31. Mathematics GED Mathematics Test Four Areas • Number Operations and Number Sense • Measurement and Geometry • Data, Statistics, and Probability • Algebra, Functions, and Patterns Students need a basic understanding of concepts within each area and must be able to apply them in various situations.

32. Mathematics Two Equally Weighted Parts • Each part includes: • Same types of problems • Graphic stimuli • Alternate formats • Higher order math skills • Problem solving • Calculator use permitted on Part I • Revised formula page

33. Mathematics Content (20 - 30% in each area) • Number Operations and Number Sense • Measurement and Geometry • Data Analysis, Statistics, and Probability • Algebra, Functions, and Patterns

34. Math Mathematics Major Areas of Concern • Alternate formats • Higher level math • Scientific calculator • Application to real-life situations

35. Mathematics Three types of GED Math Questions • Procedural (20% - 10 questions) • Conceptual (30% - 15 questions) • Application (50% - 25 questions)

36. Mathematics Procedural questions require students to: • Select and apply correct operations or procedures • Modify procedures when needed • Read and interpret graphs, charts, and tables • Round, estimate, and order numbers • Use formulas

37. Mathematics Conceptual questions require students to: • Recognize basic mathematical concepts • Identify and apply concepts and principles of mathematics • Compare, contrast, and integrate concepts and principles • Interpret and apply signs, symbols, and mathematical terms • Demonstrate understanding of relationships among numbers, concepts, and principles

38. Mathematics Application questions require students to: • Identify the type of problem represented • Decide whether there is sufficient information • Select only pertinent information • Apply the appropriate problem-solving strategy • Adapt strategies or procedures • Determine whether an answer is reasonable

39. Mathematics Exercise Caution When Selecting Math Materials on the Internet. Some materials • do not reflect good mathematics instruction (pedagogy) • are irrelevant or inappropriate for the curriculum being taught • are excessively expensive when analyzed against their potential to improve learning

40. Mathematics Highly Interactive Sites Create a Graph http://nces.ed.gov/nceskids/createagraph/ Figure This! Math Challenges for the Whole Family http://www.figurethis.org/challenges/toc.htm Interactive Math Games based on NCTM Standards http://www.shodor.org/interactivate/activities/index.html#geo

41. Mathematics Connecting Teachers and Students http://www.paducah.k12.ky.us/curriculum/math.htm#General%20Math%20Sites Edutopia.Org (check out the videos) http://www.edutopia.org/video/frame.php Interactive Algebra http://www.veazeys.com/math/lessons.htm

42. Mathematics Games • Funbrain Activities, games, puzzles.http://www.funbrain.com/ • Gameaquarium.com Online games in all different areas of mathematics.http://www.gamequarium.com/math.htm • Clever Games for Clever People Mathematic games that can be used in the classroom to teach critical thinking and problem solving skills. Taken from: Conway, John. 1976. On Numbers and Games. New York: Academic Press, Inc.http://www.cs.uidaho.edu/~casey931/conway/games.html

43. Mathematics Scavenger Hunt Famous Mathematicians http://scavengerhunt.lee.k12.nc.us/mathematicians/index.html WebQuest Let’s Have a Picnic http://eprentice.sdsu.edu/j03op/ulle/wq/picnic#task

44. Science GED Science Areas of Concern Implications for the Classroom

45. Science Major Areas of Concern • Increased graphics • Higher-order thinking skills • Prior content knowledge • Application of scientific process to the real-world • Use of scientific inquiry

46. Science National Science Education hierarchy includes: • Unifying concepts and processes in science • Science as inquiry • Science and technology • Science in social and personal perspectives • History and nature of science

47. Science Major Categories of Questions • 20% - Earth and Space Science (11 items) • 35% - Physical Science (Chemistry and Physics - 16 items) • 45% - Life Science (Biology and Health - 23 items) 60% of items include graphics.

48. Science Major Focus • Environment and health topics • Relevance of science to everyday life • Diverse roles of individuals, i.e. worker, family member, consumer, citizen • Real life examples of scientific concepts, formulas and theories • Problem solving and conceptual understanding

49. Science The Heart: An Online Exhibition http://sln.fi.edu/biosci/heart.html Design a Roller Coaster http://www.learner.org/exhibits/parkphysics/coaster/ FunBrain Periodic Table Game http://www.funbrain.com/periodic/index.html Brain Drain (from MIT) http://web.mit.edu/invent/gbraindrain/game.html

50. Science Discovery Channel http://www.discovery.com/ Exploratorium Exhibits – Optical Illusions http://www.exploratorium.edu/exhibits/f_exhibits.html How Everyday Things Are Made (Videos) http://manufacturing.stanford.edu/hetm.html Physics Central http://www.physicscentral.org/index.html