In
Search of a Quest
These
days there are any number of inventive and creative ways of teaching. One
of the fastest growing (and wildest (-: ) is the internet. You’ve seen
examples of how the internet has been integrated into classroom lessons. With
all the successes and the promise for the future, there are also reservations
about the safety and credibility of the internet, making it problematic to
use with students. To support the integration of the internet and promote
productive use of its vast resources, educators have created "quests."
These “quests” provide real world opportunities in a safe environment
that also support a unique way to deliver curriculum content.
Quests
do come in various shapes and flavors and we need to clarify the types. MayaQuest™
and the type of quest formerly associated with Classroom Connect represent
one type of quest in which teams of people usually trek across distant lands
and groups of students follow along with the virtual expedition via the internet.
It is often interactive via e-mail and there is a high degree of participation
by the classes through curriculum directed activities. This kind of quest
usually lasts several weeks and may cover many different topics. It is designed
by a group, sometimes a commercial enterprise, and participants join in at
whatever level is appropriate for them; it offers many resources and opportunities
for students around the world.
WebQuests
represent another type of “quest” but they are quite different
from the trek or expedition kind of “quest”. WebQuests can be
short or long term, they are focused on a specific area and a doable task,
they have specific components, they are most often created by teachers and
they emphasize higher order thinking skills.
Our
focus for this month is the first type of quest mentioned, the trek or virtual
expedition. Because Classroom Connect terminated its own brand of Quest, an
unfortunate situation for those of us who recognized the true value in that
type of activity, we need to locate other similar resources to use with our
students. There is good news; there are now many similar expeditionary quests,
they are of high quality with great resources and many of them are free!
The
most important consideration involved in the decision to design or to participate
in a quest is this:
does
it fit your curriculum,
can
it be tied to local, state or national curriculum standards,
will
it replace an area that hasn't been working well,
is
it worth any fee required,
is
it reliable - does it have a proven track record, and
can
you dedicate the time to it because it does so many other things well?
If
“yes” is the answer, follow these links below and happy questing!
These
sites change very frequently by their very nature; the expedition lasts for
a period of time and then moves on to other topics. I went to Google
and used "virtual
expedition" as the search term and had good luck in finding alternative
Quests to use in the curriculum.
http://www.gsn.org/expeditions/
- Thanks to the Web you can have incredible adventures in exotic locales without
spending a dime or leaving the room. Whether explorers travel the Silk Road
of China or climb Mt. Everest, learning becomes an unforgettable adventure
as students join thrilling, real-time expeditions to remote and fascinating
locations. Observe daily progress and read field dispatches. Best of all,
interact with adventurers through intriguing dialogue as they reenact history
- or even make history. Scroll to the bottom for recommended expeditions and
links.
Amazon
Katydids- Amazon Basin, east of Iquitos, Peru Katydids, known for their
cricket-like nocturnal singing, can be found in forests throughout the world.
But the 360 species of katydids identified so far in the Peruvian Amazon come
in a startling array of colors, shapes, and sizes. Since bats, birds, monkeys,
rodents, snakes, spiders, wasps, and even ants dine on katydids, these crepuscular
choristers have evolved amazing adaptations to elude predators. Camouflage
artists, katydids mimic twigs, pieces of bark, leaves, lichen, even bird droppings
as they rest, otherwise defenseless, during the day. Since 1987, Dave Nickle
has been studying these intriguing insects with the help of EarthCorps volunteers.
This field season, they will continue collecting data on katydid taxonomy,
biology, ecology, and behavior by studying defense and pair formation. In
terms of defense, teams will test theories regarding the choice of background,
dispersal, and visual characteristics of katydids that mimic plant parts.
In terms of finding a mate, they will investigate the effects of predation
on the evolution of katydid calling behavior. How do these insects resolve
the conflict of attracting mates rather than predators?Andrew
Jackson's Hermitage- The Hermitage Archaeology Program is a multiyear
study of slave life at the plantation home of Andrew Jackson. Recent archaeological
studies of slave life in the ante-bellum U.S. are showing that slaves did
not lead passive lives in complete acceptance of their social condition. Research
has shown that slave communities worked toward actively transforming and successfully
altering their circumstances by participating in the local and regional economies
of both white and other slave communities. Excavations will reveal how slaves
of the Hermitage altered and redesigned their allotted space and buildings
on the plantation.Explore
with Teachers in the Arctic and Antarctic Regions - research expeditions
at the polesExpeditions
from the Discovery Channel
that include trips to explore an avalanche and another for turtles.Live
From Antarctica 2 - a NASA project which requires registration also other
quests can be found at http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/calendar/index.htmlSolar
System Online - Has now merged with other online quest but still has the
1996 NASA launch of two missions to Mars. The Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft
took off in November and reached the orbit of Mars on September 11, 1997 to
begin an orbital mission that will provide detailed mapping and weather information.
The Mars Pathfinder spacecraft blasted away in December and landed on the
Red Planet on July 4, 1997. The micro-rover Sojourner has wandered its way
around the Martian terrain, returning a wealth of new science data.Sites
Alive! Expeditions - semester long projects for Spring '99 include Oceans
Live-Caribbean Sea, Rain forest Live-Australia, Class Afloat Live-Concordia,
and Wetlands Live-MexicoInternet
Challenges - Central America Treks from Big Chalk Changes have happened
at Big Chalk and it appears as though they are presently charging to access
this site. Go to Big Chalk home page
to figure it all out.Antarctica
Expedition from Rice Universityhttp://www.fmnh.org/education/feinman/feinman_letters.htm
- A Virtual Archeological Expedition to ChinaThe
JASON Foundation for
Education is dedicated to inspiring in students a lifelong passion to
pursue learning in science, math, and technology through exploration and discovery.EarthWatch
Global classroom - Through our worldwide network of scientists, teacher
fellows, and volunteers you can access expedition photos, reports, and lessons
online. From
the BRIDGE website
which is part of the Virginia
Institute of Marine Science here is a list of websites that provide expeditions
for classes:
