Database

When thinking of databases there is one thought that comes immediatly to mind: hmmm..... I really do not know what I think of these; but perhaps that is my own fault for not researching them enough, or not seeing a wide enough variety of samples. The first site that was posted in our assignments folder (www.teach-nology.com) brought up a very provacative point, when it asked how effective it would be if students could see there grades posted on a database at anytime. The students at the school that I am in now have a program like this, in which they and their parents can access that student's grades at anytime, and it is very effective because the parents are always aware of how their children are doing. In regards to using a database as part of assignment, I guess that would depend on the assignment and the database being used.
Overall, I think that databases are great tools, but I think that they must be carefully planned and designed. They will not be effective if students have not been given proper instruction, or if they do not full understand what it is that database is showing them.
I would really have to think long and hard about how I could implement a database in what I am teaching now. (We are reading Poe) But could see them being a great tool for history and science. With that said, I am not so much afraid of databases as I am indifferent. But, like I said, that may just because I did not research them in as much depth as I could have.

My Webquest in Complete...Again

Once again, I did some heavy revision of my Webquest. I cut out the stuff I though was too redundant, and revised the task so it was not so large. I am happy with the result. And as I embark on teaching a unit on Huck Finn, I am very happy that I found the sources I did; they are going to come in very handy.
About making the rubric. I tried to make my rubric mirror my instructions for the Webquest, so that students wouldn't be shocked when they saw how they would be graded. I also tried to eliminate any vague terms. Because we all know that a student's definition of the word "creative" is probably different than the teacher's.
The work for this week was not nearly as overwhelming to me. I think that three weeks is a good amount of time to create and reflect on what makes a good Webquest.

The Webquest is Complete!

I did some very heavy revision to my Webquest, and I (think) that I am happy with the result. Making the task clear was kind of tough, as was finding adequate sources, but I think I did it. My instructions were a bit redundent at times, but if there is anything I have learned from teaching is that you must repeat, and repeat again, the directions because at any given time there is a student (or four) in their own world.
In my final product, the students create a trial. This a a far cry more active than the analysis papers I had them write before. I think that this was a step towards the direction of improvement, because the best lessons are those that have students up and out of their seats. I enjoyed creating all the "essential questions" for students to keep in mind. I think that these questions will be a good way to ensure students' understanding, and I was surprised at how natural creating them was.
The area I think that I am lacking the most is with the descriptions of courtroom procedings. I know that I could have been more clear here, but one thing about teaching juniors is that it is good to force them to make their own inferences- so long as the teacher is there to guide them.
I'm not sure if I will actually use this Webquest when I teach Huck Finn next month. I would like to, but one thing about Webquests is that you cannot always guarentee computer access, and it is not always possible to use computers in class.
I look forward to other's feedback on my final product.