MEDT7467: Web Development for Instruction

Intermediate level course on design, development and formative evaluation of web-based instructional systems. Web page design strategies based on research on effective practice are emphasized. Students use software development tools to create and evaluate interactive lessons including strategies for assessing learning achievement.

Assignment 3.1 Introduction to the Virtual Lab
I did it! I am very proud and relieved to get this first part "down" and understand everything. I am really going to enjoy working with the Dreamweaver software while designing effective coursework.

Assignment 3.2 Georgia Statehood, A Webquest
This tutorial was loaded with hints and tricks about Dreamweaver. I especially liked learning about inserting the URL of the images and inserting a Word document. I like the idea of doing most of the Webquest organization and collection through a Word document and then using Dreamweaver to simply upload it and set some formatting rules. This seems to be more efficient and possibly safer than having a Dreamweaver session open for such a long time while creating a page.

Assignment 3.3 Creating Your Own Webquest
This was fun! I enjoyed finding my own content and creating this Webquest. I remember creating Webquests through Word documents 10 years ago! I am surpirsed that I don't see these used very much in MY school. I have been using the concept of webquests without realizing that is what I am doing, but no other teachers at my school utilize these. Why is that? This is not difficult and once it is created, it's done. There will always be tweaks and refining to them, but the major work is finished and it can be used over and over. I plan to use mine and hopefully get others interested in them.

The standard that my webquest covers is:

 SS5H3 The student will describe how life changed in America at the turn of the century.
a. Describe the role of the cattle trails in the late 19th century; include the Black Cowboys of Texas, the Great Western Cattle Trail, and the Chisholm Trail.

Assignment 3.4 Initial Curriculum Plan
I had no trouble creating this page using the columns trick and CSS rules. However, it is a rather boring page. Maybe this should be a little boring because of the content? (i.e. it is for educatosr and NOT for students)

Assignment 3.5 Creating Navigation Icons with Photoshop
This assignment was fun! I loved learning abou rollover images. My end result did not look exactly like the example, my banner, text, and all was not centered. I assume Dr. Bray used a table, but skipped that part with us? Anyway, I had no trouble with anything else but I will use tables in the future for my own site.

Assignment 3.6 Creating a Curriculum Web Homepage
Now, I get it. I was a little confused from assignment 3.5 but my questions were answered upon completing this assignment. Now I am ready to start working on MY curriculum homepage!

Assignment 3.7 Sequencing Learning Activities Using Concept Maps
This activity map will help me decide what activities to use, how to sequence them, or how to expand them. I will need to return to it for editing as I change some of the activities. I did not think that this would be truly helpful, but I think that this has been the most helpful in planning for the curriculum web. I will use mapping more often.

Assignment 3.8 Georgia Statehood, The Story of William McIntosh
This activity was awesome! I love using Google docs in my library as an assessment tool so I was very excited to learn how to embed a form into a site. Wow it was easy. And now I am re-thinking my assessment strategy in my curriculum web. I was thinking of using United Streaming's Quiz builder BUT if I can embed the videos AND embed a google doc, this would be easier. The United Streaming tools are good, but I use Google docs for most of my computer-based assessments and it would be nice to manage all of these type of assessments in one area (or on one site).

Assignment 3.9 Adding Learning Activities
Writing the instructional plan has helped me organize my curriculum web a little more. Actually, it forced me to edit my Concept map for the curriculum web too. I did not think that writing the Instructional plan would be very useful because I know how I am going to teach or manage the curriculum web, but putting the steps into words helped tremendously. I will not take this section of planning for granted again.

3.10 Georgia Statehood, The Yazoo Land Fraud
This activity was grat fun! I loved learning how to make a quizlet and plan on using this tool in one of my lessons. The quizlet would be a perfect activity for students to use to check for their understanding and not necessarily a grade. The linked vocabulary is a nice feature too; a must-have for lower grade level students.

3.11 The Assessment Plan
This activity has helped me trim a little more from my ambitious web. I am considering removing a few activities to keep the assessment a little more mangable. However, that will also mean removing some choices for activities. I am left to consider if fifth grader studeents need that much choice among assignments? I see the advantages of choice, especially among older students but do younger students nned that much freedom? I suppose it may depend upon the students, class dynamics, and previous student performance. So, for the sake of my first humble web, I may remove a few choices to retain my sanity throughout this planning adventure.

3.12 Georgia Statehood, Embedding videos ina webpage

3.13 Linking Learning Activities
This activity has caused me to rearrange my activities a little more. Each time I add to this Inspiration file, I streamline my web a little more. I am increasingly more satisfied with my arrangement of lessons. However, I now need to edit my teaching guide and some other documents. Mapping a web before building it might be the most helpful activity for planning!

3.14 Georgia Statehood, Mapping Georgia

3.15 Creating your Curriculum Web
I have started with my web and created each page in it. I still have some assignments pages to add, but it is taking shape. It is amazing how my ideas of what my curriculum web would contain continues to change. I find that I am adding more and more photos, or at least that I want to add more and more photos to it. This may be a good feature because of the age group the curriculum web targets, 5th graders. They really benefit from visual aids to understand historical concepts.

3.16 Creating your Curriculum Web, Multimedia
I am still searching for photos to add but I am firmly set with my videos to include in the currculum web.....I am a little picky when it comes to what I want students to see. The link is for my first week of content but I also have videos posted on week 4 and will have more photos to come. It has been helpful to gather these different elements as different times; concentrate on the multimedia and then later the activities and assessments. Little by little, it is coming together.

3.17 The Website Evaluation Plan
I decided to use Google Forms to collect evaluative information from teachers familiar with the content and age of the learners. They will provide helpful information about the appropriateness of the assignments and functionalty of the site. I have also inlcuded questionnaires for students to complete. Their opinions about the work will be valuable as well and help keep the content and design fresh. The teachers' review will be summative in nature while the student reviews will be formative.

3.18 Interactivity (and also week 4's interactive glossary)
Finally embedding some quizzes and adding videos and assignments really help to see the curriculum web come to life AND point out where I need a little better organization. I may need to add some additional pages to break up some of the content so that students will not be overwhelmed. Also, I ran into a strange problem with Google Docs - it is auto-filling my forms which are my quizzes! I have never had this problem before and cannot figure out where the problem is. I have checked the Google help forums but none of the questions or suggestions are exactly what I need. I will keep trying to work on it and if it comes down to it not working, I will leave it and tell students they have to make sure the answers are correct or change them!

3.19 The Teaching Plan
I think that this is the most helpful part of the Teaching Guide/Plan. It gives me a chance to tell others how to introduce the curriculum web and operate it on a weekly basis. It is also difficult because I seem to want to run the curriculum web in a "perfect world" with one computer to each student. This is feasible at my school because of the availability of stationary and mobile labs as well as computers in the classrooms. I think the availability of computers will not be an issue for any teacher in the very near future!

3.20 Using Dreamweaver, Extras

3.12 Final Curriculum Website
Whew! I think that I have checked everything twice and am ready to submit it. The process has been slow because of the Dreamweaver learning curve, but I see the advantage of building a curriculum web from scratch! I like the ability to have control over every image, link, and interaction of the site. However, I also can understand the advantage of wanting to use a learning management site with built-in templates. Either way, the teacher must have good and relevent content or it won't be worth anyone's time! I am fairly happy with this final product although I would like to make it "look" more appealing next time. I think that more photos throughout the pages would be an asset. I wanted to incorporate google earth and either create a .kmz file or have the students create a trip. This would have been useful in the Cattle trail section OR the Spanish American war section. I have used this in my library and I know that students LOVE it when studying geography. I just did not carve out enough time to create this part of a lesson. So, I have truly learned the time comitment necessary in creating online learning experiences....AND I LOVE IT!