Class 3-4: WEB QUEST

WebQuest
WebQuest is an inquiry-oriented online tool for learning, says workshop expert Bernie Dodge. This means it is a classroom-based lesson in which most or all of the information that students explore and evaluate comes from the World Wide Web. Beyond that, WebQuests:
* can be as short as a single class period or as long as a month-long unit;
* usually (though not always) involve group work, with division of labor among students who take on specific roles or perspectives;
* are built around resources that are preselected by the teacher.
Students spend their time USING information, not LOOKING for it.

This is the website where teachers can create their own WEbQuests and find the existing ones: http://zunal.com/

Your assignment:
1. To complete the following WebQuest (50 minutes: 25 minutes for viewing the WebQuests and 25 minutes for analyzing them in groups of 4
http://webquest.sdsu.edu/webquestwebquest-hum.html
Please read carefully and follow all the instructions in the WebQuest!

2. To present the results of your research (last 30 minutes of the class).

3. To create your WebQuests (individually) and to add links to the comment section of this post.

4. To analyze each others' WebQuests (the next class) and to comment on them (whole group discussion during the class).

Class 1: BLOGS

Hi everyone!

During our classes we are going to work with different media that can be used for teaching and learning foreign languages (English in particular) and literature.

Before we start I would like to ask everybody to think How often do you use computer technologies in your everyday life?

What about Internet? What do you use it for?

How often do you communicate with people on the Internet? Search for information? What language(s) do you use? Why this particular language?

In groups of 3-4 discuss the following questions:

Do you think computer technologies could contribute to the process of teaching English? How?

Why use technology at all? What are the advantages?

Our first class is devoted to Web-logs.

Today your assignment is to create your own weblog (if you already have one, please create another blog in English )

GO TO blogspot.com

CREATE A BLOG

CREATE A GOOGLE ACCOUNT (if you do not have one)

NAME YOUR BLOG

CHOOSE A STARTER TEMPLATE

START BLOGGING

TITLE

TYPE YOUR MESSAGE IN THE WINDOW

PUBLISH POST

VIEW POST

To view blogger control panel

GO BACK

SETTINGS

PERMISSIONS (here you can assign who will be able to read your blog)

COMMENTS

SAVE SETTINGS

VIEW BLOG

Here you go! Congratulations on creation of your own weblog.

Here you can find some examples of how to use blogs in the classroom: 1 2

Home assignment:
1. In your own weblog create a post with an assignment (connected with the use of weblogs) for your students of English language or foreign literature. Give as detailed description as possible. You can use pictures, audio and video material, links to other websites, etc.
What to include:
1). Title of the class.
2). Age of students.
3). General topic(s) of the unit that is being studied.
4). Topic of the class.
5). Goals of the class.
6). Goals of the activity.
7). Description of the activity (including what should be done before, during and after it, and home assignment if necessary).
8). Additional comments and conclusions

2. Read your groupmates' web-logs and leave your critical comments under their posts (with your evaluation and suggestions). You have to leave comments on at least 5 web-logs.