QUESTION 1: After learning about this Techie Tidbit, how do you see it being used within a classroom?
QUESTION 2: What do you see as the road blocks to using this Techie Tidbit?
QUESTION 3: How can you bring down those road blocks so that you can utilize this Techie Tidbit?
QUESTION 4: What do you feel you need to learn in order to be able to use this Techie Tidbit effectively?
1. I give students webquest assignments all the time. I would love to be able to easily make them online and cut out the paper and pencil part for writing answers all together. I think a lot more teachers could assign webquests this way and utilize our computer labs to complete them in a shorter amount of time. As a principal, I would utitlize this to give better professional development. Instead of making teachers come in an hour early for us to show how to do something on the Promethean board, I could send them a webquest and have them complete it by a certain date that would help them better use technology. I think teachers appreciate getting resources and Act 48 hours but often don't want to do it on extra time. If they could complete a training Webquest during lunch or a plan, they could still get credit.
2. The biggest inhibitor in my school would be the Internet and network not always running smoothly. Several times I've planned to have students do online research and they can't because the network isn't working properly. I hate having to have a backup plan in my own computer lab because the technology isn't working 100% of the time. As a principal, same problem. How can I send so much information electronically if the network isn't dependable?
3. Unfortunately, that part is mostly out of my control. I have gotten to know our tech coordinator well and can call his cell phone for help when I need it. I imagine as a principal, I would be more on top of getting tech problems fixed quickly and would ask to be trained in how to fix basic problems with they happen so I don't always have to bother the tech coordinator.
4. I would need to know how to create and send out the webquests to my staff. I'm sure there's a way to include all staff in a list to send it out. I would also need to know how I could track who completed the Webquests and how much effort they put into it to see if it's worth doing more of them in the future.
