IQ learning/Sites/Rubrics

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inquiry-based_learning

According to wikipedia Inquiry-based learning is:

Inquiry-based learning describes a range of philosophical, curricular and pedagogical approaches to teaching. Its core premises include the requirement that learning should be based around student's questions. Pedagogy and curriculum requires students to work together to solve problems rather than receiving direct instructions on what to do from the teacher. The teacher's job in an inquiry learning environment is therefore not to provide knowledge, but instead to help students along the process of discovering knowledge themselves. In this form of instruction, it is proposed that teachers should be viewed as facilitators of learning rather than vessels of knowledge. Even though this form of instruction has gained great popularity of the past decade, there is plenty of debate about the effectiveness of this form of instruction.

In my opinion I believe inquiry is the act of seeking facts through instruction.

The inquiry quotient has a rubric that lays out for criteria rating for all the things that make up the webquest. There are various parts to the webquest such as the intro, task, processes, resources, evaluation, and the conclusion.

http://www.geocities.com/jazzer1402536/Rainforest.htm
This webquest requires students to develop a "campaign" to save the rainforest (A campaign is when people get together to accomplish a purpose). This may include PowerPoint presentations, TV commercials, speeches to people in the government, going on talk shows, brochures, songs, posters, or any other projects approved by the teacher.

http://www.geocities.com/mmooney49/rainforest.html
There are webquests like the one above that require you to research and develop a written report, visual project, and be prepared for an oral presentation about an animal that lives in the rainforest. You will need to explain why your animal needs the rainforest to survive.

Both webquests have some interesting tasks and require the students to participate in inquiry based learning. However I prefer the second site because of the web resources that are provided to students. I evaluated the sites with the rubric I created, and the first site would get a 9/16 and the second site a 11/16

I'll leave you with this, according to Alan Colburn

http://www.csulb.edu/~acolburn/AETS.htm

The science education community has embraced no idea more than that called "inquiry," or "inquiry-based instruction." Developing an inquiry-based science program is the central tenet of the National Science Education Standard's teaching standards. Project 2061's Benchmarks for Science Literacy discusses scientific inquiry multiple times, including a section specifically devoted to the topic.

Still, inquiry is ambiguously defined while nevertheless hailed sometimes as the way to teach science, a method that addresses all important educational goals. The purpose of this presentation, based on my literature review of JRST articles about the topic, is to clarify participants knowledge about one of today=s biggest educational buzzwords. The paper addresses three aspects of inquiry-based instruction important for any teacher educator to understand. As a preservice teacher educator myself, the paper is keyed specifically to people teaching methods courses or science courses for preservice teachers.

Internet Resource Value

My initial opinion of internet resources is that of a positive light. When I recall distant memories of my first exposure of the internet in school, I think about surfing online using a netscape browser on a slow connection. I didn't utilize any of the resources that were available because I wasn't taught what was available or how to use it. Once I got to high school I was taught how to use word processors, spreadsheets, and search engines. However it wasn't until college that I really used the online libraries for primary and secondary resources. Fast forward now and I feel robbed. There is a plethera of information on the internet for students to utilize now. There are online libraries like proquest k-12, and elibrary elementary. Students have access to literature sites like teachingbooks.net, and International childrens digital library. Teachers also have the availability to utilize the online accessories that come with their teachers editions. The publishers of the editions have tests, quizzes, video, and additional resources that cover whatever subject it is that you are teaching. This was totally unheard of in the past. I can recall older teachers with 7-8 resource binders that they had to use to teach with. Those days are gone. The internet allows teachers the ease of using whats available and also to CREATE their own resources that will be available for several generations of students and teachers to use in their classrooms and at home. Students having the ability to go online and find the information that they need in order to finish homework assignments and or to create experiments that they can learn from are very important. Everyone who participates in higher learning and education need the necessary tools in order to be able to do good work. The value of the internet is high. The things such as web 2.0 is allowing surgeons on one coast to preform an operation while the procedure is streaming live online and medical students on the opposite coast can follow the procedure on a cadaver. That was unheard of in the past! The internet now allows that! Hands on activities are so important in that field and having the internet to do that on is priceless. I wish that we had the type of resources that are available now where available when I was in school. They would have been so helpful back then. Unfortunately they weren't but now I will use the resources that are available to me. I hope that other teacher and students will do the same.