Internet Models

The four instructional models of Internet use have their similarities and their differences. All of them obviously use the Internet. They all are about going onto the Internet and looking up information about a question.  The student is on the Internet to gain knowledge and understanding about the concept being presented in class. They are able to learn how to share and collaborate with these methods as well. Webquests stands out because it is actually a learning unit for students that is solely to learn from one website. The other models all use many different websites. Half of them use collaborative ideas and half of them are independent (Leu, 2004). There is a common theme of the information being for an activity. This is not always in the same context though. There are some that have individual questions and some that are more collaborative with ideas and findings. Webquest is the most solo activity of them all while Internet workshop and project are the most collaborative and group oriented. Internet workshop leads almost to a Webquest since you go on to actually make an activity or simulation to be done, pretty much what a Webquest is. In the end, all of these models want the end result of understanding of a concept presented by the educator and a presentation piece that allows for an opportunity to share and reflect from all classmates (Leu, 2004). 

All of these models are good ways to incorporate activities into the classroom. I think Webquests work well for Science classes especially due to it being a supplement to actual labs that could happen in classrooms. Some districts do not have the funds to make some of these explicit labs possible for students to experience in person. These Webquest activities can allow these students to visualize a lot of what is going on in class and have some fun doing it for them.  This type of activity is also good for learners who are more visual or physical so that they can see the concept and maybe even be a part of the process. All of them are something teachers should try to bring into the classroom. Technology and the Internet have its flaws but can provide another level of learning for the students that not all classrooms can provide.

Donald Leu, who directs the New Literacies Research Lab in the Neag School of Education at UCONN guides new educators about how to bring these models into classrooms and the benefits of them. All of these types of models are helpful in the ever changing dynamic of the classroom in this day in age ( Leu, 2002). Leu states that when these models are used correctly, that they will give a new dimension of collaboration that classroom activities of the past cannot do (2002). I think this is truly correct because the internet provides so much more information then students had in the past to use that there is just a world of endless possibilities for their research. 

My student teaching is at Slade Middle School in New Britain and my cooperating teacher says that some classrooms have SMART boards but not all do. She uses a good amount of YouTube videos and credited websites for science lessons that get the students involved. She hopes to be able to use a SMARTboard one say soon but not sure exactly when. I know for sure I could use technology for lessons with Physics. There are a lot of Webquest type of sites that allow students to do interactive labs with mirrors, lasers, and reflections that sometimes can be tricky for students to figure out on their own. Many different other units can have Internet workshops or projects so that students can collaborate and bring ideas back to the class as a whole.

References:
Leu, D.J., Jr. (2002). Internet Workshop: Making time for literacy [Exploring Literacy on the Internet department]. The Reading Teacher, 55(5). Available: http://www.readingonline.org/electronic/elec_index.asp?HREF=/electronic/RT/2-02_Column/index.html


Leu, D.J., Jr. (2004) Introduction to Models of Internet Use. Available: http://ctell.uconn.edu/canter/canter_video.cfm?movie=234_introduction.mov