EDCI 5825 1st Blog

All four of the projects mentioned are in many ways connected. Obviously they involve the internet, but also use the tactic of having the students directly involved in the discovery process. This is done by having the students actively seek information from a given bookmarked website and fill out either predetermined worksheets such as in 'internet workshop,' or by having students create 'internet projects' which involves any number of topics that students will be able to collaborate on and work together with. This can be related to 'WebQuests' in which students are a bit more limited in creativity, as they are 'herded' to the correct website and resources available to complete a task. However, the students are still able to explore through a number of resources through the website and is controlled by teacher discretion. As Leu (2000) states, "students simply follow the directions and complete their learning experiences at a WebQuest site."
One of the key differences in the WebQuest site method is that the students are not given any freedom to choose topics of their choice, it is very cut and dry as opposed to a creative project in 'internet project,' which would require the student to think about where their research should take them in addition to  discussion with peers and eventually cuts out the discovery of websites they could find for information. WebQuest and Internet Workshop both have that similarity of being one dimensional.
The Internet Inquiry method however is a tactic that allows students to find a topic, gather information on their own and to process the information collected and as the video implies, allows students to enhance their problem identification and solving skills. This is drastically different from the other models, because it requires students to think on their own and react to a problem or larger question. This method would help students achieve the nets-s standards, because  the goals are to demonstrate creative thinking, critically think, problem solve and decision make using technology as well as understand technology concepts and operations, which are all covered under the Internet Inquiry technique.
However, what truly ties all of these methods together is the availability to easily insert into them into a lesson plan of any sort. This idea was especially present with the 'internet workshop' idea in that, "Because Internet Workshop fits easily into the instructional schedule of any classroom, it can be used without sacrificing another element of the curriculum," (Leu 2002). This is the fundamental premise behind all of these teaching techniques, in that technology should and can be integrated into a curriculum without any penalty or loss of time.


Leu, D.J., Jr. (2002, February). Internet Workshop: Making time for literacy [Exploring Literacy on the Internet department]. The Reading Teacher, 55(5). Available: http://www.readingonline.org/electronic/elec_index.asp?HREF=/electronic/RT/2-02_Column/index.html

Leu, Donald J., Jr. & Leu, D. D. (2000). Teaching with the Internet: Lessons from the classroom

(3rd ed.). Norwood, MA: Christopher-Gordon.

Available Technology at my cooperating school:

Unfortunately, Rockville High School is a little behind in the technology curve. The ag-ed department has a computer lab with approximately 14 computers, however, only 6 are currently working (and will likely continue to drop). Ms. Harlow explained to me that there is a grant in process which would fund new technology in the department, however it is going to take at least a year or two before any money is received. There are no smart boards presents in the departments, so classic whiteboards will be utilized unfortunately. What Ms. Harlow would like is to integrate the classes with technology, especially in real world applications such as time schedules for animals and budgets for farms. However, with the limited technology, right now, she finds that difficult. On the positive side, ag-ed uses hands on training as a staple to the program, so until the technology arrives, hands on education will still persist and students will still learn effectively. Lessons I could teach however could involve using excel to create a budget spreadsheet, diigo.com to bookmark sites for public speaking references and various websites which I have seen that involve a 'game' about livestock, where students have a virtual cattle farm and are in control  of breeding, feeding, etc.