S08_Iris_Jean

  **Iris** Hi! My name is Iris a fourth grade teacher. I have known that I wanted to be a teacher from the day I stepped into my Pre-K classroom; I wanted to grow up to be just like my teacher. Since then I worked hard to realize my dream. I started my joint BA with multiple subject credentials in fall 2003 right out of high school. I earned my BA in Urban Learning and credentials in summer 2007. I was lucky enough to earn a position in Los Feliz Elementary (LAUSD) a month later. I am now working on clearing my credential as I earn my MA in urban education, hoping to finish spring 2009.

Hello! This is going to be a great learning experience, I'm sure. In true Vygotskian style I expect to learn as much from you, my team mates, as I do from the reading I shall be doing. Remember the phrase content-based instruction please and anything you come across regarding teaching English through Business or Marketing, please let me know. I'll add to this as the course progresses - but I'm looking forward to working with you. Cheers, Jean
 * Jean**

**Online instruction: A content-based course for English and Business** // Abstract  // Dual purpose learning, whereby students learn English as a second language at the same time as an academic subject, is becoming increasingly popular. My aim was to develop a course that could be delivered online using a wiki site, for teaching English and Business simultaneously. “A content-based curriculum is simply one in which the basic organization unit is a theme or topic, rather than the more customary grammatical patterns or language functions”, (Brinton & Holten, 2001, p. 239). So guided by the three disciplines of English as a second language (ESL), content-based instruction (CBI), and online instruction (OI), a learning site was designed that takes intermediate level ESL students from guided learning towards more independent study as they read through the presentations, listen to the voiceovers for phonetics, write the essays and exercises and join in the Skype discussions for speech development. However, as well as reading, writing, listening, and speaking, the aim of the course was to help students acquire business knowledge, in this case presented through basic marketing. Although a learning schedule is included, students are expected to learn at their own pace, go back and repeat sessions, build on their knowledge by reading the core text from the online e-book and when they gain confidence, read in-depth the proposed case studies on the Internet. To develop academic competence, online students are set tasks aimed at developing academic “habits of the mind” (Short, 2002, p. 20) so that they can build their procedural knowledge. For the online teacher who cannot rely on the immediate feedback of a conventional classroom, this is an incredibly challenging activity, not only because everything has to be planned and posted well ahead of the session times, but because trust in the student-teacher relationship has to be built very quickly if the experience is to be successful. However, for students who cannot travel for study, or have to work to support themselves while studying, or simply for learners who wish to manage their own learning experience, joining an online learning community presents the optimum solution. Learners can access their instructor, or work in study groups, via Skype or Sametime according to the contact schedule. They may even wish to gather their friends or colleagues to learn together. With online learning the student is in control and the instructor is the facilitator. Despite the growing need for online learning and many eager teachers, there is a dearth of literature on the practicalities of setting up and managing online learning sites. Few teaching conferences give online learning the prominence or discussion-time it ought to have yet for ESL especially, it presents great opportunities. As the technology becomes easier to manage and the applications available offer more features and benefits for the learner satisfaction levels will grow and more students will decide on this method for learning, especially for secondary, college and extended education programs. The wiki site developed for this demonstration was built and populated in a very short time and only presents a few of the many possibilities for ESL+CBI+OI learning and teaching. **References**  Brinton, D., & Holten, C. (2001). Does the Emperor Have No Clothes? A Re-Examination of Grammar in Content-Based Instruction. In J. Flowerdew & M. Peacock (Eds.), //The EAP Curriculum.// 239-251. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.  Short, D. J. (2001). Language learning in sheltered social studies classes. //Tesol Journal// //(11)//1. 18-24.

--oo0oo-- **  English as a Second Language + Content Based Instruction +Online Instruction    **  The following review covers books, articles and websites on electronic learning on the areas above. They are relevant to my final project: To design 5 content-based ESL, e-learning sessions. **1. ** Graves , K. (Ed.). (1995). //Teachers as course developers//. New York: Cambridge University Press.    Although this book was edited by Kathleen Graves, an erstwhile collaborator of our own CSULA Professor Ann Snow, it forms part of a larger series edited by Jack C. Richards the internationally renowned specialist in second and foreign language teaching. Reflecting the same practical approach as Richard’s previous work, Graves has aimed this work at ESL teachers who want to design and deliver higher quality English language programs. It includes practical case studies and offers a framework for those new, and not to new to teaching to deliver programs according to student needs. Progressing from “needs analysis” to “evaluations”, the book offers advice on how to manage different learning situations, how to assess courses, and how to meet the changing needs of students. It is a refreshingly practical view of teaching and the contents can be applied to designing e-learning courses as it re-asserts the view often lost in e-learning, that students, not teachers, must be positioned at the centre of activities. <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif"> **2. ** <span style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal; FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: #333333; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold">Frendo, E. (2005). //How to teach business English//. Essex, England: Longman, 2005. <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif"><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal; FONT-SIZE: 11pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB"> <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif">Frendo teaches English in Berlin while Harmer is on the faculty of the MATESOL New School, New York and their combined experience shows. <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif"> <span style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal; FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: #333333; LINE-HEIGHT: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold"> <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif">While the previous book was aimed primarily at designers of programs for school-age students, this book is aimed those teaching professional business people, but it approaches learning in the same practical way. There are still too few “how to teach” books on <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif">c   <span style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal; FONT-SIZE: 11pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB">ontent-based instruction (CBI) and still too few good teachers. So this book is really valuable as it shows how to select and source coherent, interesting information and design increasing but manageable task complexity. The teaching methods presented are tried-and-tested and there are lots of lesson proforma that could be used for guidance for online lessons for blended learning courses. For CBI business teaching online or not this book is very valuable. <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: black; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-weight: normal; mso-font-kerning: 0pt">**3. ** <span style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal; FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: black; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: FR; mso-font-kerning: 0pt">Loudon, K. C., & Loudon, J. P. (2006). //<span style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal; FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: black; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-font-kerning: 0pt">Essentials of business information systems // <span style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal; FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: black; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-font-kerning: 0pt"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif"> (7th ed.). <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif">Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 2006. <span style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal; FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: black; LINE-HEIGHT: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-font-kerning: 0pt"> <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif"> These authors present a balanced view with K. Laudon on the faculty of NYU and Jane Laudon running her own info-sys business. The combination of academic underpinning and business praxis is reflected in the thoroughness of their approach. It is not possible to review the entire contents but examining “Analyzing web Site Design and Information Requirements” (p. 397) gives a flavor or their focus. They suggest systematically analyzing popular web sites and noting issues such as: functionality, data sources- inputs and outputs; processing, design specifications, links to internal and external systems or organizations, value to you or your firm. The book of course explores other areas and tackles less popular subjects such as Ethics and Social Issues. The book is expensive but comes with a free CD rom and Pearson’s teaching assistance online. <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: black; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-weight: normal; mso-font-kerning: 0pt">**4. ** <span style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal; FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: black; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-font-kerning: 0pt">Cuthrell, K., & Lyon, A. (2007). Instructional strategies: What do online students prefer. //Journal of Online Learning and Teaching//. //3//(4). 357– 362.  <span style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal; FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: black; LINE-HEIGHT: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-font-kerning: 0pt"> <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif"> After using the previous book to select an appropriate online instructional mode, the information in this paper is useful for guidance on which of six instructional strategies to pursue. Both authors are aspiring assistant professors but despite their inexperience, poor editing and skimpy bibliography, some of the messages here are worth taking on board. Their research found that some online programs offer the emotional support and sense of community that students used to have from face-to-face learning only. Their most surprising finding was that students preferred independent learning and of the six strategies, Interactive Powerpoint and Read and Respond modules garnered most points because, it was found, students could manage their own learning, at their own pace. Grades figured large in these students’ thinking because working independently, the grades were their sole responsibility. The least popular learning strategy was viewing a video lecture before submitting an individual paper/reflection. It is clear that more work on a larger student group needs to be done but this is still important stuff where building a learning website and content is being considered. So too with the next study by Rivera and Rowland of Ithaca College who, though not well known have valuable online teaching experience. <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: black; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-weight: normal; mso-font-kerning: 0pt">**5. ** <span style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal; FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: black; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-font-kerning: 0pt">Rivera, B., & Rowland, G. (2008). Powerful e-learning: A preliminary study of learner experiences. <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif">//Journal of Online Learning and Teaching.// //4//(1). 14–23.   <span style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal; FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: black; LINE-HEIGHT: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-font-kerning: 0pt"> <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif">  The authors explain the word “powerful” as “a learning experience that has special qualities… [and] results in new knowledge and skills that change how one thinks and acts in some substantial way and often transfers to a wide range of circumstances” (pp. 1-2). This paper reports on the latest of four studies. Significant findings from the previous studies showed that active engagement in authentic settings, personal interaction with the teacher/expert and opportunities to reflect were paramount; learning must be active, must involve personal growth and must be relevant to students’ life and/or work; learning must also be hands-on, have practical applications in real environments and there must be supportive interactions with others. The fourth study reinforced the findings of the previous research but added a further dimension, the valuable role played in e-learning by meaningful social interactions and active engagement in authentic settings. The messages coming out of these studies are clear and unambiguous: e-teaching is most powerful when students feel it is relevant to their own needs and secondly, when they feel supported in their quest to learn. The challenge is incorporating all this is e-learning materials. <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: black; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-weight: normal; mso-font-kerning: 0pt">**6. ** <span style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal; FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: black; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-font-kerning: 0pt">Clark, R., & Meyer, R. E. (2008). //e-learning and the science of instruction: Proven guidelines for consumers and designers of multimedia learning,// (2nd ed). San Francisco: Pfeiffer. <span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: black; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-weight: normal; mso-font-kerning: 0pt"> <span style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal; FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: black; LINE-HEIGHT: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-font-kerning: 0pt"> <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif"> Almost all of the contents in this book relate to my aims for my final project but as this annotation cannot reflect the richness of content in the entire book or the intelligence offered by these two e-learning gurus. Only section 12, which explains social software tools for synchronous [1] <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif"> and asynchronous collaboration, including blogs and wikis is covered here. Computer supported collaborative learning (CSCL) is made possible through email, message boards, online conferencing, chats, breakout rooms in virtual classrooms, wikis and blogs. In addition to each of these applications which offer distinctive features for the teacher and learner CSCL can be used for resource management, as a repository for electronic documents, for templates and mentor contacts. The book is jammed with ideas on how to incorporate best practice into CSCL, optimize individual learning outcomes and ensure such safeguards as user confidentiality. It presents a well balanced view and excellent guidance for anyone wanting to use or set up their own learning environment. <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: black; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-weight: normal; mso-font-kerning: 0pt">**7. ** <span style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal; FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: black; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-font-kerning: 0pt">Hewitt, J. (2008). [|http://www.facebook.com] Retrieved July 12, 2008. <span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: black; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-weight: normal; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-font-kerning: 0pt"> <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif"><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal; FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: black; LINE-HEIGHT: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-font-kerning: 0pt"> This website has been included because of recent updates to the facebook/iphone offering that we are told offers faster-than-broadband synchronous access to all your Facebook contacts and documents. Clark and Meyer, reviewed above, cover this development but even since they sent their book to the publisher, applications and features have move beyond what they envisaged. With Facebook for iPhone learners can now chat with whichever cohort member they identify as being online – and it is free. That latter part alone will budge numbers of student-users up rapidly because if gives the reassurance of never feeling alone when studying something difficult. There will always be someone to share information with, work on an assignment with or just check facts with and knowing this makes some teaching tasks easier. This website is worth checking out regularly because it sparks new ideas, raises questions about the student-teacher relationship and of course, reinforces Vygotskian values. When that philosopher died in 1934 could he ever have imagined his philosophies would play out in such a way? New feature in the pipeline are identifying a friend’s whereabouts and letting them know yours – presumably so that you can meet face-to-face for a discussion or the proximity-comfort of a human being. <span style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal; FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: black; LINE-HEIGHT: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: FR; mso-font-kerning: 0pt">A case of “plus ca change, plus la même chose <span style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal; FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: black; LINE-HEIGHT: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: FR; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun">” <span style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal; FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: black; LINE-HEIGHT: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: FR; mso-font-kerning: 0pt">.
 * Jean Geddes**

<span style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal; FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: black; LINE-HEIGHT: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun"> <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif"> From his position as Chief Scientist at Xerox’s Palo Alto establishment, Brown positions the web along with innovations such as electricity and extends that to show the present ubiquity of once-luxury items. In the same way, he states, the web will become accessible to all and by definition education. “Learning in situ” is the key and multimedia is the enabler. More can be learned in a shorter time and it need not be surface learning if the vehicles are interesting and stimulating enough. Becoming an effective “digital bricoleur” someone who sources the appropriate tool for apprehending new information, should be the aim of all e-learners, according to Brown. In this article, he points not only to existing e-learning applications but to some yet to come. His reasoning resonates with Clark and Meyer’s as he sees action-learning as the turf of the future. So, the lessons for e-learning instructors seem clear: design e-learning tools not for passive but for active students who want to collaborate and explore and do multiple things simultaneously through the use of multi-media. This is a short read but the interesting graphs are worth seeing not only because they are reminiscent of Charles Handy’s 4 power structures.
 * 8.** Brown, J. S. (2002). Growing up digital: How the web changes work, education and the ways people learn. //United States Distance Learning Association. 16//(2).

<span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-weight: normal; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun">**9. ** <span style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal; FONT-SIZE: 11pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-ansi-language: EN">Wolinsky, H. (2008). [|Business], [|In the news], [|Insight], [|Life at Skype], [|News, events, milestones]. <span style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal; FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: black; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun">http://www.skype.com/features Retrieved July 12, 2008 **.** <span style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal; FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: black; LINE-HEIGHT: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun"> <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif"> When studying English as a Second Language, TESOL people learn about the Critical Period Hypothesis whereby there is a period in life beyond which learning a second language not only becomes more difficult but for some is nigh impossible. While many of us would agree that here acquiring the phonemes of a 3-7 year old is practically impossible, most teachers take a more optimistic attitude and recognize motivation as the most important factor in any learning situation. Skype, which is still a vastly underused teaching resource, illustrates a unique motivational aspect for many students, the ability to see their instructor as well as hear them. Skype’s current 0.4 version offers synchronous voice and visual communications on a point-to-point basis and it is free to most countries in the world. It enables same time teaching in class and at home and is communications that are country independent. Having just acquired a new American, Harvard educated, COO greater things are expected in the future but for the time being, signing up and trying out the ultra-user-friendly website costs nothing. <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: black; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-weight: normal; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun">**10. ** <span style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal; FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: black; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun">Oxford <span style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal; FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: black; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun"> University <span style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal; FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: black; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun"> Computing Services. (2008). //Virtual seminars for teaching literature.// [|http://www.oucs.ox.ac.uk/ltg/projects/jtap] Retrieved July 12, 2008. <span style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal; FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: black; LINE-HEIGHT: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun"> <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif">In searching through the web for examples of online learning sites for English, I found there were very few examples. Part of this assignment was to find real-world <span style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal; FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: black; LINE-HEIGHT: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun"> <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif">examples. I searched for 1 hour and opened 10’s of websites which by their titles, promised online English learning but instead offered online teacher training, job opportunities, enrollment for postal services for CD’s. This site was typical of a genre and it illustrates the lack of commercial uptake of new online learning technologies in the English language field. For once the not-for-profit sector, schools and universities seem to be leading the way in development of learning websites. Perhaps that is because WebCT is so expensive but with all the free blogs, wikis, moogles etc. available, there is still no evidence of significant uptake. The question then arises, when are universities going to exploit their expertise and bring language, and other learning, within the grasp of the man-in-the-street, who may wish to learn but is loath to sign up for an institution considered beyond his grasp.
 * [1]** <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif"> Actually what is presented as ‘synchronous’ is really ‘plesiosynchronous’ as current Internetworking technology cannot support synchronicity.

References

Iris Valladares

Retrieved July 16, 2008, from Academic Search Premier database. This article describes the concept of a WebQuests in detail. It outlines the structure of a WebQuests that captures student attention, motivates all learners, and helps students develop useful technology skills. The article continues to explain the strength and weaknesses of using WebQuests in the classroom and some challenges teachers might face. For example, a strength is that students become creative and eager to learn, a weakness is that not all students have a reliable or accessible internet connection at home.
 * 1.** Halat, E. (2008, January). A Good Teaching Technique: WebQuests. //Clearing House//, //81//(3), 109-112.

with WebQuests. //Reading Teacher//, //60//(7), 644. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. EJ759040) Retrieved July 16, 2008, from ERIC database. This study focuses on the importance of teaching students to be critical thinkers when exploring the vast world of the internet. The article continues to explain that WebQuests represent an important bridge between content learning and technological literacy. This bridge is even stronger when teachers use the powerful tool as an inquiry bases activity rather than just an activity.
 * 2.** Ikpeze, C., & Boyd, F. (2007, April 1). Web-Based Inquiry Learning: Facilitating Thoughtful Literacy

Document Reproduction Service No. ED474439) Retrieved July 16, 2008, from ERIC database. This article focuses on a study done on students who were instructed using inquiry-based WebQuests activities in the classroom. The study shows that through the use of these activities students become focus on research and learning rather than looking through sites that are irrelevant to their studies. In addition, students learn to components that make a website academically appropriate for their studies. The article continues to explain that students not only become motivated to learn, they also acquire useful computer skills that will help them become lifelong learners.
 * 3.** King, K. (2003, March 13). The WebQuests as a Means of Enhancing Computer Efficacy. (ERIC

Easy-to-////Use Activities and Lessons//. Corwin Press. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED497232) Retrieved July 16, 2008, from ERIC database. This article suggests different activities to enhance learning for gifted and talented students. According to the article, there are endless activities that can help enrich these eager minds, one of them being technology-based activities such as a WebQuests. According to the article, WebQuests assignments help students develop autonomy and a sense of control over their own learning. Students gain the power to compose a final product as elaborate as they want using the web as their number one tool.
 * 4.** Maccagnano, A. (2007, April 20). //Identifying and Enhancing the Strengths of Gifted Learners, K-8:

Teaching. //Computers in the Schools//, //22//, 123. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. EJ699002) Retrieved July 16, 2008, from ERIC database. This article is based on a study that measured the effectiveness of WebQuests in the classroom and the importance of teacher attitude towards the use of technology. The study showed that WebQuests can be a powerful learning tool in the classroom if used correctly. Students become motivated to learn, engage in cooperative learning, and acquire useful computer skills. On the other hand, if WebQuests are not composed with the proper components, no difference in student learning was seen.
 * 5.** Perkins, R., & McKnight, M. (2005, July 1). Teachers' Attitudes Toward WebQuests as a Method of

in// //Primary Care//, //3//(3), 210-217. Retrieved July 16, 2008, from Academic Search Premier database. This article gives readers a brief history of a WebQuests and it’s uses. It continues by giving step-by-step instructions on how to build a successful WebQuests to use in the classroom. The article includes a detailed explanation of each of the components. In each section, the article gives suggestions on how to enhance each component to meet the needs of all learner types and levels.
 * 6.** Sandars, J. (2005, September). Using web quests to enhance work based learning. //Work Based Learning

//30//(1), 29. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. EJ750569) Retrieved July 16, 2008, from ERIC database. This article defines WebQuests as activities, usually authentic in nature, that require the student to use Internet-based resources to deepen their understanding and stretch their thinking around just about any topic imaginable. The article focuses on the fact that a WebQuests puts learning into the students hand, therefore differentiating instruction becomes something students do. According to the study, students who are considered gifted or achieve highly in the classroom use WebQuests assignments to excel since they are given choices. With the same idea, students who are performing below grade level usually are able to complete the task successfully due to the ease of the task and step-by-step instructions.
 * 7.** Schweizer, H., & Kossow, B. (2007, January 1). WebQuests: Tools for Differentiation. //Gifted Child Today//,

with Learning Disabilities. //Intervention in School and Clinic//, //43//(1), 20. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. EJ775105) Retrieved July 16, 2008, from ERIC database. This article addresses the importance of breaking down assignments for students with disabilities using WebQuests. Having in mind that WebQuests are gaining popularity in the classroom for Internet guided learning activities. The article further explains that a WebQuests breaks down a large learning activity into clearly defined steps that can be followed by individuals or a cooperative learning group. This tool helps students research on the internet without the overwhelming of thousands of unknown sites. The article provides a number of ideas on adapting WebQuests for students with learning disabilities. These include advance organizers, graphic organizers, hypertext study guides, outlines, vocabulary definitions, annotated lists of Web sites, and templates for compiling information.  <span style="mso-bookmark: Result_4"> Foster Historical Inquiry. //Social Education//, //72//(3). (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. EJ790354) Retrieved July 16, 2008, from ERIC database. This article focuses on using a combination of WebQuests and wikis to promote critical thinking in a social studies classroom. according to the article, using WebQuests alone does not help students understand historical content, it simply helps them understand certain aspects of it then construct their own knowledge and make a product off it. The article promotes using a wiki as a tool for collaborate learning, communication, and construction of knowledge that engages learners through the magic of technology. //Technology//, //34//(1), 24. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. EJ779812) Retrieved July 16, 2008, from ERIC database. This article focuses on the fact that students become more involved and motivated in learning when given inquiry-based assignments using technology. The article continues to explain that Web 2.0 provides students with endless creative possibilities that can be incorporated into the mandated curriculum. In addition, the article suggests that WebQuests activities can transform a regular school project into a learning adventure for students and even the teacher. Through the use of WebQuests, students not only use the internet as a research tool, but also use it to collect data to make their own final product.
 * 8.** Skylar, A., Higgins, K., & Boone, R. (2007, September 1). Strategies for Adapting WebQuests for Students
 * 9.** Stoddard, J., Hofer, M., & Buchanan, M. (2008, January 1). The Starving Time Wikinquiry: Using a Wiki to
 * 10.** Yoder, M. (2006, September 1). Adventures in Electronic Constructivism. //Learning & Leading with//

Abstract My Fourth Grade E-Classroom Iris Valladares This student friendly project is centered around the idea of maximizing time efficiency in the classroom to focus more time on subject related curriculum/instruction using technology as a powerful tool. After completing this project students will learn about the mandated curriculum in a fun and interactive manner as they gain useful computer skills that will benefit them in the growing world of technology. The project itself uses a combination of class blogs, group wikis, and a WebQuest assignment as a basis for forming a paper less E-Classroom. The project goals are focused around a community of learning. After completing the project you can expect: • Student/teacher/parent collaboration and communication using Web 2.0 technologies. • Students to using online resources and computer applications to foster unique creativity and imagination. • Better organization and management of student projects and parent comments or suggestions. • A reduction to the gap among those students and parents who are restricted from common technologies, by encouraging them to join the Web 2.0 revolution. This project is created to minimize classroom time spend on explanations and/or clarifications. Instead of using valuable classroom time, students and parents have the opportunity to work together to clarify and maintain an open communication bridge with the teacher. In an ideal situation, this project would be explained, done and presented using only technology sources and little to no face to face interaction. By doing so, young students become prepared and accustomed to the fact that their future holds online courses that will have no physical interactions and learn responsibility. Like all innovations, the idea of a technological project does have its negative side. Realistically, even though we are living in a technological world where a computer has almost become a necessity in the home, not all students have the resources to own one. Having this in mine, the idea of an online project becomes difficult, but through proper education, teaching students about free resources in the community and teacher understanding, the assignment can still be a success. Proper student education is also very important when dealing with technology. Many students and parents might feel intimidated by a computer. That anxiety however can be minimized through workshops and proper communication. In addition, it is very important to teach students to be responsible for their own work and the work of their peers. In a class wiki it becomes easy for a student to vandalize others work. This problem seems impossible to stop, but can be prevented by setting don rules and teaching respect. As a whole, this project will help students and parents develop valuable computer skills that will be useful in their future. The skills learn can be transferred to future courses, careers or simply everyday use. Student will also engage in cooperative online learning that will teach them responsibility and respect towards other. Most importantly, this project fits the needs of all learned types and learning levels.