march 27th blog

Well the webquest and scavenger hunt exposure seemed to lead me to webquest as a usable tool for the classroom in the future.  I like the idea of higher cognitive thinking through synthesis of content from a webquest.  I have thought a lot about just what form of higher cognitive thinking might occur with reviewing and selecting loops to use for original music in a loop based audio editing system.  As mentioned in the other part of the assignment this is common for students to drive on their own in doing the work.  Sure the criteria is self defined, but in the end I wonder is it not higher order thinking when you have to review so many selections on the internet and do rationalizing of your choices for current and future uses.  It is more of a non tangible unwritten product at the end but it is undeniable the search yields content for actual work through analysis.  The focus of the 6 step plan mentioned really guides and follows the traditional method instead of one a self guided webquest would.  I believe this would be great for students researching film databases and selecting and making choices about quality and then reviewing taking their own findings and generating conclusions based on assignments with different projects and genres.  The lesson plan portion of this week was something we have been drilled with because of CTE and that I was very familiar with.  The Topic, Instructional Strategies, Daily Activities,Resources / materials and supplies, References to Textbooks and curriculum guides, state standards, connections, student hooks, evaluations, personal assessment, empowerment portions of the lesson, me,we,you, KWL and all the other facets have been incorporated in my lesson plans for a few years now.  In fact the SDP lesson plans we are now required to do to meet their"standards" are less detailed and complete than my previous ones.  The type of lesson plan makes it easy for all to see what and how you are doing it.