Take a Web Tour on Project-based Learning

Lesson Goals

To learn how to create your own curricular web pages without needing your own web authoring software or personal web site.

To begin to learn about the many proven K-12 web curriculum formats.

To identify sources for participation in existing online multi-classroom projects.

To identify sources for learning to create your own online collaborative projects.

A. To see how easy it can be to turn web resources into five different models of
    online classroom activities:
   (Hotlists, Multimedia Scrapbooks, Scavenger Hunts, Samplers, and Webquests.) 
     
   Read the Filamentality home page of the Knowledge Network Explorer at 
     http://www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/fil

    Read the following introduction page and review the five activity formats
    at the bottom of this page.     http://www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/fil/guides.html

Note: While the Filamentality site is great for those without web authoring skills or their own Internet site for posting web pages, you'll ultimately prefer to have your own web authoring software and web site. However, Filamentality is a great place to get started. Review other curriculum authoring sites at  http://lone-eagles.com/currtour.htm and  http://lone-eagles.com/webdev.htm   Note that at some sites you can easily create quizzes for your students to take online, where the quiz results will be automatically emailed to you such as  www.quia.com.  (One Hour)

B.   Learn to Create Your Own Online Projects:

Go to: http://www.gsh.org
At this site select the link to the "Projects Registry," listed first in the left column at www.gsn.org or
more specifically at http://www.globalschoolnet.org/GSH/pr/index.cfm  and review projects posted by teachers. Note you can post your own projects and/or find other educators with which to partner for multi-classroom projects!

Review the exceptional resources at the following sites:

Guidelines for Educational Uses of Networks:
http://lrs.ed.uiuc.edu/Guidelines/

An Exceptional Resource:

Review briefly Dr. Judi Harris's "Virtual Architecture " book/site at
 http://virtual-architecture.wm.edu

Note it is only partially online  offering extensive listings of articles related to each chapter at this site. This is the required text for the online course "Designing K12 Internet Instruction" http://lone-eagles.com/spu2.htm which intended to follow the current course.
      
You can purchase this wonderful resource from http://amazon.com, or by calling the publisher http://www.iste.org at   800-336-5191

The course text is available in the SPU bookstore for around $30 (last time I checked). You can order the text over the phone, by mail or by fax. Their number is (800)778-3401. Fax number is (206)281-2688. Address is SPU Bookstore, 310 West Bertona Street, Suite 220, Seattle, WA 98119-1950

(One Hour)

C. Explore the following resources on project-based learning.

Go to http://lone-eagles.com/pbl.htm and explore the resources on project-based learning.

Go to http://www.gsh.org   Select Professional Development (listed on the lower left middle section of the page) and read "Harnessing the Power of the Web." Select "Articles On NetPBL" and review "How to Design a Successful  Project." and "Collaboration in the Classroom and Over the Internet.".

Then, conduct a search for "project-based learning" (include the quotes) to identify
the volume of resources available. Use the AND command with your preferred topic
area to find even more specific resources. Example: "project-based learning" AND math

While there are a great many free online projects available, there is a rapidly growing market for fee-based  "plug-and-play" Quest-type curricular units. Typically costing around $70 for a 6-8 week activity complete with workbooks, videos, and real online scientists and mentors. Here's a listing of both free and fee-based Project-Based Learning, (PBL) directories: http://lone-eagles.com/projects_tour.htm and http://lone-eagles.com/pbl.htm

Explore some of the 5,000 student-created instructional web sites created
through the Thinkquest Internet Challenge Competition http://www.thinkquest.org/library/index.html

(One Hour)

D.   Read http://lone-eagles.com/capacity.htm  and explore it briefly, with special emphasis on
           the Webquests   section (The Official Webquest homepage at
           http://webquest.sdsu.edu/ and explore the "Examples"and "Community"  resources.
           from which you will find a template which you can edit to quickly create your
         own webquest activity. Read about what webquests are and explore the related resources.
           Review multiple webquests related to your teaching.

         View the Webquest slideshow  at
           http://school.discovery.com/schrockguide/webquest/wqsl1.html  

   Kathy Schrock's site has great webquest resources,  in addition to her slideshow, above. Explore:
    http://school.discovery.com/schrockguide/webquest/webquest.html

     Review the "Webquest about Webquests" The "teachers' template" will make creating
     your first Webquest easy!     All Webquest Templates are at :
     http://webquest.sdsu.edu/LessonTemplate.html
   
    Here's the easiest template which you can also find by clicking
    on the first template image in the URL above;
    http://webquest.sdsu.edu/templates/lesson-template1.htm

    Explore the rich listing of tutorials at:
    http://webquest.sdsu.edu/materials.htm
    See also the collection of Webquest collections at
    http://webquest.sdsu.edu/webquest_collections.htm

    IMPORTANT: From the Teachers' Templates page, click on the first "no frames" template
    IMAGE to view it in your browser, and you can either save it directly, or select File/Edit if
     you're using Netscape Communicator/Composer to edit it right away! Don't bother with
     the 'frames' versions unless you're comfortable with advanced web authoring and unzipping
     bundled files. Don't hesitate to ask questions of your instructor if necessary!

     Optional: Here's an Alaskan Specific web tour as an example of a culturally specific lesson:     
                     http://lone-eagles.com/alaskan.htm
    
     Create a sample webquest, email it, or the URL, to your instructor.

        (One Hour)

E. Go to http://lone-eagles.com/projects_tour.htm  and explore at least three sites that look interesting to you.
       Go to the Global Schoolhouse at http://www.gsn.org and review the Cyberfair
       project and sample entries by elementary school kids celebrating eight aspects of their local
       communities.

Post the 3 best projects you've found which are relevant to your teaching
to the class listserv   along with your thoughts on project-based learning as potentially
applicable to your classroom.

         (One Hour)

Lesson Feedback: Optional, but much appreciated.

You're invited to privately email your instructor:

       1. What areas, if any, did you have trouble with during this lesson?

       2. What questions remain now that you've finished this lesson?

       3. Approximately how much time did you devote to this lesson?

       4. What improvements would you like to suggest?