Week Twelve

Wow, I got a lot done in a short period of time. Once again, I have tweaked my introduction and task. While this created additional work for me, it was well worth it. I'm feeling much more confident about each step of the WebQuest now. I have a very detailed Process writen out and created new organizational charts to correlate with it. I have also been building the actual Web site. I discovered that TeacherWeb has some WQ templates, similar to Quest Garden. Since I already have an account with them, that is what I am using. This way I'm not worried about signing up for a free trial period and having it expire. I would love my WQ to be out there for others, as well as myself, to use. However, I am curious as to possible disadvantages from using a WQ template as opposed to creating one from scratch. If anyone has feedback on that I would love to hear it. My lightbulb moment this week was when I actually pulled out the Rubric and begun comparing it to what I was designing. It struck me as crazy because I LOVE rubrics, both as a student and a teacher, and yet that had slipped my mind. I know the next three days are going to be busy for me but I hope to complete my WQ by Tuesday. I still need to create an online collaborative worksheet for students and find a few more kid friendly sites. I hope to pilot it with a group of students on Wednesday. I don't expect them to actually complete it because that would take multiple sessions but I would like them to read through the procedures and ask questions, as well as, read through the sites to record the information I am asking for. This will ensure that the sites are appropriate and provide me with an apporximate time that it will take to complete the research process. Let's hope it all goes according to my plan!

Week 11

Well, I think I am getting closer to my final WQ draft. After, some feedback I have recreated my introducation and task. I think I am on the right track.

Introduction: Have you ever wondered how your life would be different if you lived with a Native American tribe and had to be totally dependent on the land, environment, and resources in your area? Well, here is your chance to find out! As a California Distinguished School our students have been invited to share our talent and audition for an upcoming competition-Survivor: Tribal Live! If your team is selected to represent our school, you will have the opportunity to compete in a series of challenges, against other Distinguished School teams across the state, for a chance to win a $10,000 for our school. 

Task: Along with your team members, your task is to spend some time living in the past among the Gabrielino, Juaneno, and Chumash tribes in order to become familiar with their way of life and learn how to adapt to the environment around you. Once you have acquired as much information as you can, your team will return to the present day and create an original tribe that you believe will be the most qualified to represent our school. Your new tribe will then complete a written application which will be submitted to the Survivor: Tribal Live Casting Director, along with a two to three minute video introduction of your tribe, and the designs for a tribal seal, which represents your tribe and can be used if your tribe is chosen for the competition.

Process:

Step 1-You will be placed on a team with four other classmates and assigned a specific area to study while living with each tribe. The areas include: Village Life and Shelter, Food and Clothing, Tools and Transportation, Arts and Crafts, and Religion and Celebrations. Your team will be given a folder containing a copy of the Performance Task, a Rubric, and an Organizational Chart. Your job is to read the performance task and rubric together. Next, the class will discuss the rubric and expectations and each team will be given an opportunity to ask questions prior to getting started.

Step 2-You are now ready to travel back in time to live among the three tribes and familiarize yourself with their way of life. While visiting the recommended sites, each team member is responsible for completing his/her portion of the Organizational Chart.

Step 3-After all five members have completed their portion you will discuss your findings with your teammates and fill in the remaining areas of the Organizational Chart. At the end of Step 3 each team member should have a completed Organization Chart and a good understanding of how each of the three tribes has adapted to their environment. Once your team feels ready you can return to the present day. No need to be sad, at any time you may chose to revisit any of the three tribes for additional information.

Step 4- Time to get creative! If you want to be casted on Survivor: Tribal Live you will need to get creative and work together to create YOUR tribe. Use the Planning a Tribe Chart to begin to make choices. Your new tribe should incorporate what you believe are the strongest elements from each of the original tribes, however, they also should be adapted to our local environment. (For example, beaver would not be a sustainable diet in Orange County).

At this point, I would also have some online resources for the local environment.

This weekend I hope to complete my process and then I can actually start creating the WQ. I am also going to be teaching my internet lesson.

Week 10: Survivor: Tribal Live

So here is a draft of my Intro and Task. The wording has already changed serveral times and I'm sure it will change again once I get some feedback. Now that I have the idea I can really see how the task guides my resources and organization. I have started developing orgainzation charts for the students to use while gathering data and designing their own tribe. I also filled in the chart I created as I went through the resources I had already found. This was very helpful. I was able to eliminate some sites because they did not provide relevant information. I also wanted to ensure that the information is distributed throughout multiple sites. I don't want to make it too easy. Finally, I discovered that there was information I could not find and will have to find at least one or two more Websites to add to my resources. I hope to start building my actual WebQuest this week.

Introduction: Have you ever wondered how your life would be different if you were 100 percent dependent on the land, environment, and resources in your area?  Sure it sounds cool, almost like you are competing on the well known show Survivor! Or perhaps you are one of the long ago Native Americans who had to adapt to their environment and survive off the land around them. How did the Native Americans adapt to their environment? What influences cause people to adapt to their environment? You are about to find out!

Task: Congratulations! YOU have been selected to be 1 of 30 cast members to participate in the upcoming Survivor: Tribal Live!  You have been placed in a tribe of five members and will soon be competing against five other tribes in a series of six challenges. Your task is to prepare for the upcoming challenges by collecting information on the Native Americans of California. Specifically, your tribe will want to know as much as possible about the location, villages and shelter, transportation, diet and food, tools, and arts and crafts of the Gabrielinos, Juanenos, and Chumash. While collecting information, your tribe will make choices based on what you believe are the strongest, most adaptable, elements from each of the original tribes. Once you have chosen one item from each of the six elements, you will chose an original tribe name and create a tribal flag to be displayed during the competition.  Together, your tribe will prepare a written bio to be printed in a ceremony program and introduce your tribe to a live audience. Since all competing tribes will have access to the same information, your success will depend on the choices your tribe makes and how you are able to adapt to any given situation. Good luck- may your tribal flag be the last one standing!

Questions & Thoughts:
-I'm not sure if part of my task would still be considered the introduction.
-I am still a little confused how to ensure my intro and task show that high levels of critical thinking will be taking place. I beleive it will but will have to compare with the rubric.
-I plan on reseraching and comparing some of the WebQuest on the Google doc that scored high.


Process:
Currently, I am thinking that all five group members will go through the WebQuest and complete the research together. Everyone will be responsible for ALL the information but researching jobs will be assigned as the following: Task manager, Navigator, Reader, Note taker. (I still need 1 more job if they are teams of 5. Maybe two notetakers or a Communication expert who asks the questions and gets approval, ect.?) I would like the challenges to be imbedded in the research but played out as a culminating activity once the Webquest is complete. I still have to figure this part out!