Webquest Topic

WebQuest Information:

Grade Level: 3rd grade

Subject Area: Social Studies, Technology

Topic: European Settlers and Native Americans

Standards:
Content Standard 3.3 Students draw from historical and community resources to organize the sequence of local historical events and describe how each period of settlement left its mark on the land.

      1.Research the explorers who visited here, the newcomers who settled here, and the

people who continue to come to the region, including their cultural and religious

traditions and contributions. 

 

Technology Standard 3 Research and Information Fluency:

Students apply digital tools to gather, evaluate,

and use information.

        b. Locate, organize, analyze, evaluate, synthesize,

            and ethically use information from a variety of

            sources and media

        c. Evaluate and select information sources and digital

            tools based on the appropriateness to specific tasks

Final Product Goal: Create an online diary written from the perspective of the European Settlers or the Native Americans. Include factual references from at least two different sources. Present an entry from your diary at the end of the unit to the class.

 

Scoring Power Points

Article in reference: http://fno.org/sept00/powerpoints.html

When it comes to power point presentations, students have experienced a range of boring to overstimulating presentations. In her article, Jamie McKenzie clearly states her belief that there exists a balance between overcrowded pages, excessive animations, and one-way thinking.

When power points began their climb in popularity, presenters jumped on board. They saw the benefit of presenting information quickly as well as reaching visual and auditory learners. As McKenzie states, I agree that power points have become over-saturated with information and animations. Ultimately, this takes away the potential that this tool possesses. I also agree that many presenters put too many pieces of information on a single slide. This does not allow the audience to participate in critical thinking skills. McKenzie did not mention this, however I believe that critical thinking is the way for the audience to retain information. This is critical for educators to keep in mind while creating presentations.

One of the points McKenzie makes that I do not agree with is the idea of not reading the slides out loud to the audience. Yes, it can be assumed that the audience is capable of reading for themselves. However, it is more difficult to begin the process of elaboration without knowing where your audience is in their train of thought. Also, in education, it is dangerous to try to input two pieces of information at the same time. If a student is reading the new information on a slide, the educator should not be talking over his or her internal train of thought as this new information processes. This in itself is an over-stimulation that McKenzie heeded against earlier on in her article.

Overall, I agree that a lot of damage comes as a result of overcrowded power point presentations filled with flashy animations instead of content-rich information. Power point needs to retract as the role of the teacher or presenter and resume its place back as a tool for presenting.

Lindsay Young
2/12/14

Getting to Know You

Hello! My name is Lindsay! Please allow me to tell you a little bit about myself.

When I am not out and about, I am home with my family. I currently live with my parents as I am in the transition period of getting married. My fiance and I just rented an apartment in Irvine, CA, and he is enjoying the apartment amenities while I am living back in Murrieta with my parents until our wedding date. My home life right now is exciting! A lot of changes are taking place and it is fun to be busily surrounded by activities. On top of my moving to Irvine, my parents have also announced that they are moving to a smaller house in Murrieta. My grandparents are also in the process of moving to a different house in Murrieta. It is safe to say that my "home" life right now is a little up-in-the-air.

As some of you know, I am a lifelong learner. I have been in school incessantly for the past 4 years. I have not taken any summer or winter breaks! Because of this, I finished my Bachelor's degree in 3 years and obtained my multiple subject teaching credential during my fourth year of school. As the title of this blog eludes, I am now tackling my Master's program. I am very much looking forward to being "done" with school. However, as someone going into education, I am well aware that school and the education environment is something that will always be a part of me.

When I am out and about, I enjoy going to theater performances. In fact, I enjoy seeing any live event that there is. I am extremely excited that there are 4 major broadways coming to LA this year. One of which is Phantom of the Opera (my favorite!) and the other is a new broadway about an Irish singer. If I am not at a play, I enjoy going on hikes in the Santa Rosa Plateau. It is extremely refreshing for me to escape and be alone with God's creation for just a little bit. This also brings me to my final point about myself: I am a Christ-follower! My biological father died when I was a baby. Growing up, I cried myself to sleep because I wanted a daddy. My mom raised me with the mindset that Christ is my Father. When I accepted this truth, I learned from an early age to talk to God about everything. My walk with Christ is very important to me, and it comes out in my daily life.

My final fact about me is that I love to travel. Unlike many people, I have done most of my traveling outside of the United States. I have been to 14 different countries for a total travel time of 7 months outside of the US. I greatly love meeting new people, trying new activities, and trying new food (except lamb intestine in Greece... that was my limit!).  Luckily for me, my fiance loves traveling too! We will be heading off to Ireland after our wedding. Yes, the high is supposed to be 28 degrees for the week while we are there, but it should be a lot of chilly fun!

That's a little about me!