Develop 21st Century Skills - WebQuest Worksheet

Your Role

___Efficiency Expert

___Affiliator

__X_Altitudinist

___Technophile

Your Impressions

WebQuest	Strengths	Weaknesses
*Grow School Greens	-Allows children to work together and be creative in designing a garden -After internet research, children will get the chance to tend to their gardens and keep track of statistics of their plants	-Uses a lot of straight internet research in the beginning
Where is My Hero?	Allows students to look into the lives of others	-All internet research, the students are not actively engaged in learning concrete material, just characteristics
*Underground Railroad	Encourages children to take on another role to learn about history -not just factual learning. It also encourages students to be creative in dress, presentation, etc.	-sentiment to child
Ice Cream	-Children work creatively to come up with their own ice cream flavor  -forced to work cooperatively	-There is not much emphasis on the lesson plan or thinking critically  - Students are most likely too excited about ice cream and don't retain information
Ancient Egypt	Using technology other than internet research	-using factual information with little room for creative minds other than artistically.

Individual:

My favorite WebQuest was the Underground Railroad. I liked it because it encouraged children to not only learn but use their imagination to act their part as well. It is one thing to learn of another's part in life but to be encouraged to be that person for a day makes their hardships much more clear. The Underground Railroad activity does not just provide children with factual information. 

My least favorite was the Ice Cream because I feel it did not really have a learning base. The students for the most part are expected to just follow instructions that the teacher feeds. They do get to act creative choosing an ice cream flavor and they also need to learn to work cooperatively with others in their group. My biggest concern with this lesson plan (and I would expect it to happen) is that the children would become overly-excited for the ice cream that they really would not retain the information they should have.

Group:

Favorite - Grow School Greens: The group decided that this was best because it incorporated a little bit of everything. Group work, individual work, technology, and measurements and statistics the children would take themselves.

Worst - Ice Cream: The group decided that there was little lesson basis and it would not hold attention of kids in the learning area.