Jamie Nicholson

Project Report
ITEC7445
Product URL: ____ http://jnick05.wix.com/fictionvsnonfiction___
Analysis
Learner Analysis
The students I had in mind when I was creating this webquest were my 1
st

graders. I have a very diverse group of learners this year. The range in reading
level is from a level A to a level I. For first grade, by the end of the year they
should be at a level J. During this project, the grade appropriate reading level was
E. My students are also mainly ESOL students, 8 out of 12, so this creates a large
difference in language ability. My ESOL students need a lot of pre-teaching of
vocabulary terms. I enjoy teaching in small groups so my students were familiar
with that and we also were familiar with project-based learning because of some
units that have been taught in science and social studies. Even though we go to
the computer lab twice a week as a class, I still have students who struggle with
technical capabilities such as finding the web address box, typing their username
and password, and using the mouse correctly.
Context Analysis
I have 12 students who I am with all day. Reading Workshop is from 10:10
11:35 and includes a phonics block. However, I can be flexible with this
schedule. Especially if I am needing to be in the computer lab for the lesson.
Since the students are at a lower reading level and technical ability level, I am
going to present this webquest in the computer lab. We will need access to
individual student computers with headphones. One student does require the
screen to be zoomed in so she can better see. She has glasses but needs this as
well.
The teacher only needs to be familiar with how to navigate a website and leave a
comment on a website in order to complete this webquest. They should also be
able to log into the computer lab computers with the school wide username and
password.
ELACC1RI5: Know and use various text features (e.g.,
headings, tables of content, glossaries, electronic menus,
icons) to locate key facts or information in a text.
ELACC1RL5. Students will be able to explain the major differences between
books that tell stories and books that give information by reading numerous
texts.(Fiction vs. Nonfiction).
2.1 Content Standards & Student Technology Standards. Candidates model
and facilitate the design and implementation of technology-enhanced learning
experiences aligned with student content standards and student technology
standards. (PSC 2.1/ISTE 2a)

3.2 Managing Digital Tools and Resources
Candidates effectively manage digital tools and resources within the context of
student learning experiences.(PSC 3.2/ISTE 3b)
Creativity and Innovation. Students demonstrate creative thinking, construct
knowledge, and develop innovative products and processes using technology. a.
Apply existing knowledge to generate new ideas, products, or processes

Task Analysis
What are the different text features? How can I use these text features to
locate key facts or information? How can I compare and contrast fiction
and nonfiction books? Why is it important for me to be able to use
technology to learn? How can I learn with technology?
Students will be able to work independently (with teacher support for
technical issues) on the webquest and gather enough information to create
a foldable as a summative assessment and create a comment for the
webpage as a formative assessment.
Design
Overview
I purposely selected the following online resources for their grade level
appropriateness, functionality on a webquest, and overall good practices.
www.wix.com
www.youtube.com
www.teacherspayteachers.com
www.soundcloud.com
www.screencast.com
www.georgiastandards.org
Details
I am going to differentiate the process and product for my students who
struggle with writing and/or have a reading level of B or below. For
students with a level B or lower reading level, I will differentiate the
process. I will have them at computers next to each other where I can read
the webquest to them at one time. For my students who struggle with
writing, I will differentiate the product and require them to only write 3
text features from fiction and nonfiction in order to get a 3 on the rubric.
The two UD strategies that I included are size and space for approach and
use (using the computer lab) and perceptible information (there is text,
videos, audio, and pictures on the webquest.)
This assignment is designed for individuals and will be presented in a
whole group format. I used multimedia elements of text documents, audio
recordings, videos, and pictures. I chose these elements because I felt that
they each were appropriate for the curriculum and produced an overall
effective learning experience.
Much of the webquest is already in audio format so students with visual
impairments may just need the directions on the pages read to them. If
students have physical disabilities, this webquest doesnt require physical
activity so they should be able to participate in the entire project.
Development
I had a timeline of about 6 weeks to complete this project. Tools I used
were wix.com to create the webpage, soundcloud.com to add audio books,
jing.com to use specific screen shots as pictures on the webquest,
teacherspayteachers.com for text feature posters, ccgps.com for standard
reference, and KSU.edu for peer feedback. I have double checked that all
Internet links work, documents downloaded, and audio is functioning.
Implementation
If I was to implement this project (and I plan to do so but have not been
able to yet) I would first have to arrange for lab time in the computer lab. I
would sign up for an hour on two different days so the students could take
their time in the learning process and also the creating process. Other
teachers may need less time, but since my schools computer lab also has
tables to work at I plan on completing the lesson from beginning to end in
the computer lab.
My classroom management will be similar to that in my classroom with a
clip chart. I will also have students be reminded of rules that come with
the computer lab: not getting up when you have a question, keeping your
hands off of the screen, asking your neighbor for help if teacher isnt
available immediately, and then logging off the computers when done.
I would say that this project could take from 2 to 3 days with students
working on it for an hour block at a time. Students will not be working on
the webquest at home because of the lack of access most of my students
have at home. They will be reading books every night still and this will
help with the applying of the knowledge that they will be learning from
the webquest.
I will ensure equitable access by working in the computer lab and not
requiring work to be done at home. I will not collaborate with other
teachers during the process. However, I have made this webquest available
to my coworkers and would like any feedback that they would be willing
to give me.
Evaluation
Student Learning
I will be assessing student learning with a formative assessment and a
summative assessment. The formative assessment will be done after the
students first exposure to the webquest. They will be required to leave a
comment on the webquest with a quick note on something that they learned
that day about fiction and nonfiction text. Then for the summative piece,
students will be creating a foldable (they choose) and this foldable will be
graded with a rubric. To ensure clarity of the project, the rubric will be
presented to the students prior to the project start. Students will not be
doing any peer assessment, but I will be asking them to help a classmate if at
any point they seem to be lost on the webquest or struggling to navigate.
Product Design
I will know if the webquest is designed well or not by the anecdotal records I will
take on issues that present themselves during implementation and also on the
summative data that I will collect. I am also going to do an informal questioning
of the students to find out what they did and did not like about learning in this
way. I plan to ask for feedback from my coworkers as well because I have
encouraged them to use the webquest with their own classrooms. I think they will
be my best resource.
Reflection
Project Development I learned that creating a webquest takes a lot of
preplanning, development, and research. What worked well for me was to
create a plan at the beginning with all the requirements for the webquest in
the plan. By doing this, I was able to work ahead or catch up with my own
timeline before I was pushing the classes timeline. Next time, I would change
the plan to include more time to research web quest creating sites. There
were more than I realized and I wanted more time to look into them to see
which one would be the best fit for this project.
Instructional Design I thought the standard I chose worked well with the
webquest format. However, it might have not been the case with other
standards. It worked well to have focused on a reading standard because
there are a lot of technology resources to help students with reading. My
students learning styles is what motivated me to incorporate the different
multimedia elements. I felt that with the use of many, I was better able to
address all the learning styles in my classroom. I would have liked to have
found a tool to read the students the webquest while highlighting the words.
However, I realized this was a complicated and expensive software tool.
Personal Growth I learned that I am skilled in design but need to work on
my researching abilities. Sometimes it takes a lot for me to become interested
in research and then also read enough to make an educated decision. I like to
read a few articles and then find myself getting distracted. I also feel like I
would make a good technology coach after this project. I really took the time
to look at classmate projects and wanted to give them thoughtful, helpful
feedback.
For Others If a coworker was to take on a project like this, I would first
suggest for them to put a lot of thought into the standard that the webquest
will address. They need to think about the availability of online resources for
that standard. If there are not many, would they be willing to create some?
To help them succeed, I would encourage them to use me as a resource and
to also set a timeline for themselves to complete or else they may get lost in
all the information out there on the web that they could use.