Final Reflection on 811

I really believe that I have learned that there is a very big difference between integrating technology and learning WITH the integration of technology. By utilizing several different effective teaching strategies within the technology (such as scaffolding or simulation and porblem-solving), the students are much more likely to be engaged in the learning and put that knowledge into long-term memory.

The web-based technology that I looked at and then created made me think about what would be best for my situation, and then I developed a plan to integrate a recovery program for new students coming into the district in the middle of the year. This technology plan for the Spanish program is going to be extremely beneficial for the department. With my evaluation skills of technology as well as using student feedback, we will be able to create this recovery program and it will be very successful. Creating the recovery program in the Spanish Department is my new long-term goal.

I've met my personal goals for this class, but not overall. I think I have so much more to learn either on my own or within a classroom seeting with best practices in technology integration. I'm excited and looking forward to it immensly!

Computer-Based Instructional Objects

There are a lot of different considerations that have to be made when computer-based instructional objects are used in and out of the classroom.


For example if the lesson is on the internet, like a WebQuest, there is the consideration that the technology needed to complete the lesson is not available. It also needs to have clear-cut expectations and directions for the students to be able to use independently. Also, the information needs to be presented in a way that is at the cognitive level of the students. Also, students must be able to easily navigate the lesson, or in other words, make it look appealing and "easy on the eye".


I researched a few different WebQuests and unfortunately I did not find many quality Quests. 


I did find La Aventura, a WebQuest revolving around traveling to another country and learning to budget. It allowed students to work in pairs, which I think is great given the opportunity to discuss different cultural activities while in the country as they navigated their way around. It also has a very clear-cut objective as well as evaluation with a rubric. On top of that, it gives the students an opportunity to learn about activities that are available in other countries - and to personalize this to what interests them. If one student enjoys sports and another student enjoys art, they both can find different activities that are relevant.


Another WebQuest I found was Viva Espana!  This was really great and began with this introduction: "While walking along the street on Saturday, you and your three friends look down and see a black wallet lying in the gutter. After opening the wallet, you see that it belongs to the famous Spaniard Antonio Banderas! A phone call to Antonio reveals that he is ecstatic that you found his wallet and is offering you and your friends a huge reward. The reward is based on one condition!"


Who wouldn't want complete this WebQuest - it has Antonio Banderas! This catches my attention right away and also has a great collaboration opportunity with four different roles - each learning about a different aspect of Spain. It also gives the students A LOT of options to pick from, from how long they are staying in the country to what cities they visit. They then complete both individual and group assignments, which I also feel is a good measure of participation and personal learning. It has a clear evaluation for both the personal and group assignments, as well as for the role of each student.