CHINA : CLASS FIELD TRIP vs WEBQUEST
http://goconstructivism.blogspot.com/2006/06/social-constructivismlearning-foreign
is the address to a humble entry from an extraordinary teacher whom is Mistress of 'The Class Field Trip' - Last year she took approx 30 Yr. 10 students to China. Their experiences were extraordinary, and all changed and matured in some way as a result of the trip.
One of their class, Emilie spent an extended period as an exchange student in China at their only Steiner School in Chengdu, and now we have the pleasure of the company of Rui Rui, our Chinese exchange student at Shearwater. Rui Rui went on this year's Class Trip to The Dreaming Festival, she is becoming more and more acquainted with Australian ways.
In the last week of Term 2, I was privileged to be present at a talk given to our College by the the staff from the Chinese Steiner School on a whirlwind trip they have made to Australia to visit our school and attend an Anthroposophical Conference in Sydney. Their presentation was so inspiring. I was very moved by their dedication. I cannot find the words to describe my experience, or a memory of the facts to elucidate the reader. The situations that they face every day with their government officials, their translation of Anthroposophy to their physical and social environment is huge. Much of their effort is in educating adults to be teachers as is in their care and education of the young students. The ratio of adults to students was very high.
I cannot help but wonder how such a rich cultural and learning experience for these teenagers, which continues to build on itself with the exchanging of students and the introducton of a Mandarin language study group, could compare to a Webquest about China.?
The quest was designed by US educationalist Tom March. The students are asked to come up with a policy for the US Government in its relations with China.
Briefly, the students take a role each -
Visit this "Webquest"
Though field trips are highly valuable learning experiences, one cannot deny the presence and popularity of technology - the potential is so exciting and so much more at the fingertips of young people than the older generations with failing eyesight and attachment to paper and printed media - the newspaper at the cafe rather than the screen at the internet cafe.
At one the possibilities are awesome, at two the potential for total manipulation from the would-be-dominant knowledge bearers of the world catastrophic : we may indeed create a flat planet.
And a comment from Tom March : "WebQuests aren’t anything new. What they are is a way to integrate a number of sound learning strategies while also making substantial educational use of the Web. Interestingly, while these educational theories have made good sense for quite a long time, it’s taken the Web and related communications technologies to chip away at the Berlin Wall of traditional education to make the above strategies not just good ideas, but essential. If you disagree with this, stop reading now and relax. It’s your students who will make all the adjustments: submit essays from Schoolsucks.com, send each other real-time exam answers by SMS, or quietly sit in class, heads bowed over books, listening to Pink Floyd on wireless headphones ("We don’t need no…"). From a safe distance it probably looks like what’s going on in many classrooms today…"
http://bestwebquests.com/what_webquests_are.asp
What do you think?
is the address to a humble entry from an extraordinary teacher whom is Mistress of 'The Class Field Trip' - Last year she took approx 30 Yr. 10 students to China. Their experiences were extraordinary, and all changed and matured in some way as a result of the trip.
One of their class, Emilie spent an extended period as an exchange student in China at their only Steiner School in Chengdu, and now we have the pleasure of the company of Rui Rui, our Chinese exchange student at Shearwater. Rui Rui went on this year's Class Trip to The Dreaming Festival, she is becoming more and more acquainted with Australian ways.
In the last week of Term 2, I was privileged to be present at a talk given to our College by the the staff from the Chinese Steiner School on a whirlwind trip they have made to Australia to visit our school and attend an Anthroposophical Conference in Sydney. Their presentation was so inspiring. I was very moved by their dedication. I cannot find the words to describe my experience, or a memory of the facts to elucidate the reader. The situations that they face every day with their government officials, their translation of Anthroposophy to their physical and social environment is huge. Much of their effort is in educating adults to be teachers as is in their care and education of the young students. The ratio of adults to students was very high.
I cannot help but wonder how such a rich cultural and learning experience for these teenagers, which continues to build on itself with the exchanging of students and the introducton of a Mandarin language study group, could compare to a Webquest about China.?
The quest was designed by US educationalist Tom March. The students are asked to come up with a policy for the US Government in its relations with China.
Briefly, the students take a role each -
- Business Investor
- Museum Curator
- Religious Leader
- Human Rights Activist
- Environmental Activist
- United States Senator
Visit this "Webquest"
Though field trips are highly valuable learning experiences, one cannot deny the presence and popularity of technology - the potential is so exciting and so much more at the fingertips of young people than the older generations with failing eyesight and attachment to paper and printed media - the newspaper at the cafe rather than the screen at the internet cafe.
At one the possibilities are awesome, at two the potential for total manipulation from the would-be-dominant knowledge bearers of the world catastrophic : we may indeed create a flat planet.
And a comment from Tom March : "WebQuests aren’t anything new. What they are is a way to integrate a number of sound learning strategies while also making substantial educational use of the Web. Interestingly, while these educational theories have made good sense for quite a long time, it’s taken the Web and related communications technologies to chip away at the Berlin Wall of traditional education to make the above strategies not just good ideas, but essential. If you disagree with this, stop reading now and relax. It’s your students who will make all the adjustments: submit essays from Schoolsucks.com, send each other real-time exam answers by SMS, or quietly sit in class, heads bowed over books, listening to Pink Floyd on wireless headphones ("We don’t need no…"). From a safe distance it probably looks like what’s going on in many classrooms today…"
http://bestwebquests.com/what_webquests_are.asp
What do you think?
posted by akash=brony at 6:24 PM
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