About

This project was created to fullfil a requirement for a graduate level High Tech Learning class.

This webquest was created for upper level elementary students. I had fifth graders in mind when I created the webquest, but students alittle older or younger should not have trouble completing the webquest. Although the webquest was designed to be used in the classroom, an individual student should have no trouble completing the webquest by themselves.
 * Audience -**


 * Need-** This webquest was created to help students learn about humpback whales. By the time that students are finished with the webquest, they should be familiar with the different physical and behavioral characteristics of humpback whales. They should also be familiar with the humpback's whale songs and have an understanding of where whales live and migrate to. The students will also create a journal in which they can record what they have learned.

For this project I used the following technologies:
 * Technology Effectiveness**

I created my project on a **wiki**. I liked using a wiki for my webquest because it allowed me to easily organize and separate the different sections of information by creating new pages. What made this technology effective: I was able to use it in different ways for my separate groups of users. Using the wiki, I was able to list resources for students to access. I was also able to create a wiki page for students to use in what Laurel Clyde calls the discussion mode. Instead of adding or editing contents of the webquest, students will post what they have learned and share this information with others. This creates a learning environment where students can share ideas and perspectives with their peers (Clyde, 2005). Teachers on the hand, can use this wiki in what Clyde refers to as a collaboration mode in which they can contribute new content, edit content, or correct inaccurate information. This will allow teachers to create a collaborative list of resources that will add to the effectiviness and usefullness of the project. Clyde, Laurel A. 2005. Wikis. //Teacher Librarian// 32

I also created a **webquest** for this project. This technology was very effective. By using a webquest, I was able to create an inquiry learning experience for students. By exploring the selected resources and completing the learning activities, the students gained a new understanding of humpback whales.

In this project, I also created **animation**. Animation is very effective visual for a project. I used animation to draw interest to both my project and topic and for visual appeal. I wanted students to be excited reading my wiki pages. I also used animation as a reading motivation element.

Finally, I created a P**owerpoint starter** in my project to help students complete the writing portion of their learning activity. The Powerpoint starter can be very effective in helping students pinpoint information that they need or help them to recall information that they have learned. It also will help students build their writing skills. By using a Powerpoint, students will also have an option of how they can share the results of their inquriy. They can share their information by using a slide show or print the slides and create a book.

Although wikis are wonderful tools for creating projects, the very nature of the a wiki can cause concern. Wikis invite collaboration and the sharing of information. Users of a wiki can add content, remove content or edit information. While this is a great tool to help students learn to collaborate with others and help them to appreciate different perspectives, it also brings up the question of how do they trust information that has been added to the wiki (Clyde, 2005) How are they to evaluate the information that they find on a wiki? The answer to the issue, teach students to evaluate the information they find on wikis, just as we want them to learn to evaluate information from other sources. Clyde, Laurel A. 2005. Wikis. //Teacher Librarian// 32
 * Technology Issues** -