Blog Journal 8

Web quest is an extremely helpful and efficient tool when it comes to teaching. Since my project is on more advanced material such as secondary science, a web quest would be very efficient in aiding the success my project has on a student’s ability to learn. Since we are teaching the students about genetics and punnett squares, a web quest could be great because it is very helpful to use real life scenarios when discussing genetics. Webquests can help the students take what they’ve learned about genetics and apply real life scenarios and begin role-playing to make learning the topics hands on. Webquests make learning more of a game than a chore.
A great example of a Web quest that I think would be most helpful in teaching students secondary science is the webquest entitled “The Science of Genetics.”

This webquest gets students focused and gets their brains working to learn about genetics.
New skills that I acquired last week were the skills I learned with excel. When I begin teaching I will need to be making many spreadsheets. The most important skill I learned was creating a grade book spreadsheet. The shortcuts we were taught is going to save me so much time and spare me of headaches!

Blog Journal 7

If you haven't already figured it out by browsing my previous blog entries, my favorite web-based learning tool is starfall. This website really helps young children to read by making it fun and interactive. The students can play a game and learn the basics of reading, for example letter sounds and working with small words. The website is fancy and colorful and seems to work extremely well with early childhood students. When I become a teacher I will use Excel for many fun activities. However, most importantly, I will be using excel on a day to day basis by using it as a gradebook. Excel is the most convenient and easy way to keep track of each and every one of my students' grades. In the classroom, I will create activities where the students can learn about excel as well. Since I will be teaching young students I will perform the functions of excel for them instead of them actually using the program themselves. I will have the students create their own survey and they will be instructed to go home and interview their family using the questions they came up with. In class, I will use excel to record all their results and we will compare their answers and I will make a pie chart to help them visualize the results.