Transcript Web-based Teaching Strategies for Teaching Literature and

Teaching with Online Treasure
Hunts and WebQuests
by Patricia B. Arinto
Assistant Professor, UP Open University
email: [email protected]
Presentation outline:
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Background: The Pilipinas SchoolNet
project
Webquests and Online Treasure
Hunts: What are they?
Philippine examples
Some observations as well as notes
from the field
Implications for teaching
http://www.pilipinasschoolnet.org
PSN’s vision
 To build a network of schools throughout the
Philippines that will leverage information and
communication technologies (ICTs) to
improve learning and to better prepare the
Filipino youth for the demands of the
knowledge society
PSN’s objectives
1. Pilot the instructional use of ICTs in public
secondary education to help inform national
policy formulation
2. Create opportunities for students in public high
schools to acquire the necessary knowledge
and skills for lifelong learning through the use of
ICTs in the classroom
3. Open the door to additional development
opportunities that ICTs offer to local
communities
PSN schools
Legend:
Luzon – 3 schools (all in NCR)
Visayas – 12 schools (Cebu-3; Iloilo-2; Bohol-2;
Negros Oriental-3; Leyte-2)
Qurino HS
Quezon City
Rizal HS-Sagad
Pasig

Tayud NHS
Consolacion, Cebu
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Guimbal NHS
Guimbal, Iloilo
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Camanjac NHS
Camanjac, N. Oriental
Bais City HS
Bais, N. Oriental
METRO MANILA
Cansojong NHS
Talisay City, Cebu Bitoon NVS
Dumanjug, Cebu
Passi NHS
Passi, Iloilo
Negros Oriental HS
Dumaguete, N. Oriental
LUZON
Parang HS
Marikina
San Roque NHS
Albuquerque, Bohol
Manga NHS
Tagbilaran, Bohol
VISAYAS
Hilongos NVS
Hilongos, Leyte
Ipil NHS
Ormoc, Leyte
MINDANAO
PSN Proponent and Implementor: Foundation
for IT Education and Development
Local Partners:
 Department of Education
 local government units/local NGOs
 Globe/Islacom
 Center for Industrial Technology and
Enterprise (CITE) Technical Institute
 UP Open University, University of Cebu
 ConnectEd.ph
Corporate Sponsor: The Coca-Cola Export
Corporation (Phils & Asia-Pacific)
International Partner: World Links for
Development (WorLD) Program of the World
Bank Institute
Components
 Connectivity. Providing the necessary physical
and technical infrastructure and resources
 Training. Developing competencies in the
effective uses of ICTs in education, with particular
emphasis on matching technology use with
curricular goals
 Telecollaboration. Implementing structured,
curriculum-specific school-to-school collaborative
learning activities using the Internet
 Monitoring and Evaluation. Focused on the
issues of efficacy, sustainability, and scalability
PSN teacher training activities
Phase 1. Basic Computer & Internet Skills
for Teachers
Phase 2. Information Literacy &
Telecollaboration
Phase 3. Integrating Computers & the
Internet Into the Curriculum: An
Instructional Design Workshop
Philosophical underpinnings of
PSN: Why teach with ICTs
exponential growth in ACCESS
to information, driven in part
by ICT development
information society
In today’s information society we need
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ICT competencies
critical thinking skills
generalist (broad) competencies
decision-making skills
ability to handle dynamic situations
teamwork competencies
communication competencies
The 2002 Basic Education Curriculum:
 conceived as an interactive curriculum that
promotes integrated teaching and
interdisciplinary, contextual and authentic
learning
 honors multiple intelligences; recognizes
that there are different pathways to learning
and different articulations of knowledge
 achieves interactivity through “the use of
information technology and the greater
emphasis on computer literacy in all the
learning areas in every school where
equipment is available”
Instructional uses of ICTs:
 “teach the tool” - ICT literacy & ICT
specialization
 “use the tool to teach” - application
in subject areas & across the
curriculum
Application of ICTs in subject areas
& across the curriculum:
 Computer-Assisted Instruction (CAI): drill and
practice, tutorials, simulations, graphical
representations of math equations, etc.
 Resource-Based Learning (RBL): involves
the achievement of both subject and
information literacy objectives through
exposure to and practice with diverse
resources, making students active learners
 Telecollaboration
RBL using the Web: two
strategies
Online Treasure Hunts (aka
Knowledge Hunt)
2. Webquests
1.
Online treasure hunt: key aspects
 An online inquiry-based activity
developed by Tom March
 Aims to develop knowledge of a specific
topic
 Learners are given several (6-10)
websites/Web pages on a topic
 There is a key question that learners
must answer for each website/Web
page
 A Big Question helps the learners
integrate what they learned about the
topic
Let’s look at some
examples of online
treasure hunts written
by PSN teachers
Some observations
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Learners working in groups—cooperative
learning
The set of questions define the parameters of
the topic
Questions are sequenced—part of scaffolding
There is a variety of question types and levels
(from simple to complex)—still scaffolding
The Big Question is integrative; may require
use of HOTS
The treasure hunt can be used in different
ways—e.g., to introduce a topic, to deepen
understanding of a topic introduced
previously
Webquest: an overview
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An inquiry-based activity developed by
Bernie Dodge and Tom March in 1995
at the San Diego State University
Learners create new knowledge
products out of information found on the
Web and other sources
Targets higher order thinking skills:
analysis, synthesis, evaluation
Webquest elements
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An introduction that sets the stage/
establishes the context (creative and
motivational)
A doable and interesting task revolving
around an open-ended question
A detailed, sequential description of the
process to be followed to accomplish the
task
A list of resources needed to complete the
task
A section that shows learners how their work
will be evaluated (evaluation)
A conclusion
Let’s look at some
examples of webquests
written by PSN
teachers
Some observations
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Promotes cooperative learning:
– learners work in groups;
– each member has a role to play; roles are
unique and complementary;
– learners learn that no one knows
everything
 Promotes authentic learning:
– a real-world problem must be solved
creatively (no set answers);
– learners work with real resources;
– learners’ outputs have a real audience (the
output is published online)
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Involves scaffolding
– the task is broken down into sub-tasks
(Process)
– examples are provided (in Resources)
– learners are guided
– activity is linked to previous lessons
Contains elements of novice-expert
approach: learning through guided
experience
Develops information literacy and HOTS
Promotes reading and writing across the
curriculum
Promotes reflective learning through selfassessment (and peer evaluation)
Were all of these realized
in the actual
implementation of the
webquests and treasure
hunts?
Student reactions
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What they liked most: using computers and
the Internet, field research (excursion)
 What they had difficulty with: interviewing
experts, working with uncooperative
members of the group
 What they learned (aside from the subject
matter and the output format): patience,
cooperation, self-confidence, connections
between subject areas
 Suggestions for improvement: more time in
the computer lab, more guidance from
teacher
Teacher reactions
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What they found most interesting: students
were highly motivated to use computers and
Internet; students working together; teachers
learning from their students’ work
 What they had difficulty with: lack of time, lack
of administrative support, negative reactions
from some parents, passive students, poor
technical skills (both teachers and students),
limited access to computer lab, slow Internet
connection
 What they would do differently: form smaller
groups, choose better resources, not require
a field trip of younger students
Implications: the challenge for teachers
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good instructional design
provision of various forms of learner support
willingness to be a “guide on the side” rather
than a “sage on the stage” (avoiding stage
managing)
access to and familiarity with the Web;
developing IT skills and information literacy
skills
authentic assessment skills
working with other teachers
reflective teaching
“How you use technology in
education is more important
than if you use it at all.”
--Thornburg, “Technology in K-12 Education:
Envisioning the Future”, 1999