I have to admit something. Sometimes, as I am sitting in not only ECMP, but also my various other courses, I have a reoccurring thought; if I get placed in a Kindergarten or Pre-school setting, how in the world will I use a lot of this content and make it meaningful for my future students? A lot of content is created without the consideration of non-readers in mind, and this can be very frustrating.
For example, a type of learning tool which I feel neglects this age group are Web Quests. The following webquest is supposed to be appropriate for Grade 1-2 students.
Animal Habitats Webquest
Now, I understand that a teacher could stand in front of the class and explain the process to complete this activity step-by-step, but doesn't that defeat the purpose of using technology? Aren't students supposed to be more independent when using this type of activity?
Even though this can be frustrating, I realize that an important part of being a teacher is being creative and sometimes reinventing the wheel. I hope that a peer and I are going to address the issue of Webquests being appropriate for young learners by creating a Webquest that we believe we be suitable for Grade 1 students. It's major feature will be sound clips to help non-readers discover the information for themselves. This is still in progress, but I'm sure I will want to show it off when it is completed.
First conquering Webquests, then the world!!
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