Weekly Reflection--Whitney Anderson

Webquest is an excellent resource for teachers that I had no idea exsisted! I really enjoy how it is based on the project approach and problem based learning. In my early childhood classes we have studied a lot about the project approach and how it is a really effective way to instruct children and help them learn. We want children to be able to explore things within their own interest and to give them hands on approaches. I am even more excited that the project approach can be used and enhanced by technology. WebQuest takes this project approach to a new level because it allows projects that may not have been feasible in real life to be created virtually. One of the most memorable learning experiences I had was when my biology teacher had us do a project/problem based learning for DNA, it was hands on, fun, and I learned a ton about DNA. Children and adults enjoy this type of learning and it is sad we don't use it more often in the classroom.

It is also incredible to me how many of these WebQuests we have available to use, free of charge as teachers. These can really help us when we want to give our children a technology experience that is very appropriate to their development. As I was reviewing the projects to do I could see a definite quality distinguishment. Some of the projects were put together very well and would be excellent to use, some were not as high of quality. As a teacher you would want to make sure you have looked it over and explored to make sure the quality met your standards.

I am excited to be able to contribute to this excellent database of WebQuest lessons. While it will definitely take some effort to create one of these lesson plans the benefits will be worth it for me. The layout is simple and very user friendly on both the teacher and child side. Unfortunately though in most circumstances all of your children won't have access to a computer all of the time. This could really restrict the valuable use of WebQuest. This makes me want to really advocate and search for grants to get access to computers all day long for my students. They need computers available to them to even begin to match their technology age and needs.

I am excited to now have WebQuest as another tool in my toolbelt of teaching!