WebQuest Ideas

[Detta]

I'm taking a technology class for my certification.  Our final project is to create a WebQuest for use in our classroom.  One of my assignments for this week  is to come up with some ideas for it.  A WebQuest is pretty much a self-directed online lesson for students to complete.  It can be done in one class or several.  I want to know what you guys think of my ideas and if you have any other interesting ideas. 

1.  My first idea would be one that could be a project for after the SOL testing is done in the middle of May.  We still have a month left of school but the students have pretty much shut down because SOL's are over.  Anything not fun is met with much whining.  So I thought perhaps a one period long WebQuest in the computer lab that covered some interesting math topic like fractals or how the Fibonacci Sequence can be found in music (Tool's Lateralus), art, literature/movies/TV, etc.

2.  My second idea can actually be used before SOL's since it's in the Algebra I and Algebra II content.  It would be a Linear Regression lesson.  The students would have to collect data by emailing their friends or talking to friends on a web forum (like this one) and asking them a few questions.  Something like, what is your height and your arm span?  Once they've collected their data they'd have to graph it, and using the TI-83, they'd find the line of best fit and the equation for that line.  They then would have to predict the arm span of a 10 foot tall giant.  Or something like that.  The final result would be several groups of data with several graphs and several predictions.

3.  My third idea is growing less popular in my mind already.  I know that in interviews for many of the positions in certain Fortune 500 companies, the candidate must complete one or more "cases".  A case is a really hard math problem.  Since the students love to ask "when are we going to use this in real life" on a daily basis, I figure I might give them an example of something they might see in a real interview.  The WebQuest would walk them through the process of solving the problem.  I'm just not sure it can be done and since at most, a third of the class would actually solve the problem, I'd have to come up with a way for them to get a good grade without actually solving the problem.

So those are my ideas.  Please let me know what you think.  My assignment this week is to actually post all this to the class discussion board and get feedback, but I thought your feedback would be way more interesting.

 

[12AX7]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Oru3H5NOf8#noexternalembed


 Sorry. No good ideas here. I just was interested in your Tool Fibonacci statement, and dropped it in Google; then went surfing Tool vids on youtube...  Man, you're probably the coolest teacher ever. I can't even imagine any of my teachers being at all knowledgable about modern popular music. Back when I had teachers, I mean.

   

[Chris]

I think the second option sounds like it might actually get them going. Hell, they could even utilize their Facebook / Myspace accounts if they have them to ask people what their height and arm spans are.

To make things really interesting, maybe some how work a system of three algebraic equations in there with three unknown variables and have them solve it. But of course, like you said, they'll ask you when they'll use it in the real world.

[BizB]

To make #2 more real-world applicable, you might ask them to submit to you their preferred career choice to you and see if you can apply the data collected to that career option.

That way, when they ask, "I'm going to be a basketball player, what do I need this for?", you can tell them that knowing the salaries of their peers when compared to their height and their free-throw percentage will better inform them on what salary to expect for themselves.

How else would you know what to demand for your talent?

Plus, that way, you could demonstrate how Shaq (horrible free-throw percentage), an outlier, can influence the curve if he's not designated as an outlier and excluded from the calculation.

This would require a bit of work on your part to personalize it for each student.  It would, however make it seem more real for them.

[pbsaurus]

Do a webcast to teach them that the lotto is really a tax on those who don't understand statistics.

[Detta]

12, I don't know how modern Tool is.  Most of my students have never heard of them.  But I'm a HUGE Tool head.  Best band ever.  But thanks. 

Biz, what an awesome idea!  I wish I had the time, but realistically, I can't do that for 55 different students (this year, then how many next year?).  Maybe the examples I choose can be some of the more popular real life ones though.

[Chris]

12, I don't know how modern Tool is.  Most of my students have never heard of them.  But I'm a HUGE Tool head.  Best band ever.  But thanks. 

Biz, what an awesome idea!  I wish I had the time, but realistically, I can't do that for 55 different students (this year, then how many next year?).  Maybe the examples I choose can be some of the more popular real life ones though.

Perhaps maybe the top three most popular career paths at the middle school age? Singer/Rapper, pro athlete, or a government official may make up the top three, but I'm not sure.

[BizB]

Biz, what an awesome idea!  I wish I had the time, but realistically, I can't do that for 55 different students (this year, then how many next year?).  Maybe the examples I choose can be some of the more popular real life ones though.

Let us help!  Post the unique career path choices here and let us come up with some of them.  I bet we could turn them around in no time.

* BizB reserves the right to suggest different career paths if Detta goes this route.

[TeraHammer]

what is SOL?

[ivan]

Satellite Of Love.

[TeraHammer]

Ah, the 21st century Tunnel of Love thingy?

[ivan]

Satellite Of Love:

A. MST3K reference.
B. Lou Reed reference.

SOL:

A. See A above
B. See B above
C. A hapless state

[ivan]

Of course, if you were really interested in what SOL means in Detta's post, you would've done this:

The Answer!

[pbsaurus]

I always thought it meant Shit Outta Luck.

[ivan]

C. A hapless state

[Detta]

They're the state exams.  (Commonweath exams??)

I realized this morning that I can't do my number 2 idea because all of the websites that the students would go to to gather their data ARE BLOCKED BY THE SCHOOL.

Tada!!  Way to give us an assignment and then tie our hands so we can't even do it like you want.

[Detta]

In other news, part of this week's assignment is to make a flyer in MS Word using different  fonts, styles, colors and wordart.





I used to make flyers for a living.  I never used more than one font, never used wordart and never used WORD to do it.  That's what Publisher is for.  Now I have to make a flyer that isn't perfect and turn it in for a grade.  Why don't I just upload a piece of poop for them? 

[xolik]

In other news, part of this week's assignment is to make a flyer in MS Word using different  fonts, styles, colors and wordart.





I used to make flyers for a living.  I never used more than one font, never used wordart and never used WORD to do it.  That's what Publisher is for.  Now I have to make a flyer that isn't perfect and turn it in for a grade.  Why don't I just upload a piece of poop for them? 

Do you need wordart files for poop? I've got a lot of them.