Our first assignment was to write about the Digital Divide and what aspect of it we agreed with.  We also learned about scavenger hunts and web quests through exploring different websites and completing an already created scavenger hunt1 and then having to create our own.  My scavenger hunt was based on Presidents Day and my students had a great time completing it.  

    Using different websites lead into the discussion of evaluating the websites that are being used and how good they really are.  We had to use a specific Web Page Rubric to evaluate a site of choice, writing a comprehension website evaluation paper.  That was actually a very good way to determine whether or not the students should use the site in the classroom.  I also created an excel sheet containing ten websites that I consider to be very exemplary and very helpful for students and teachers. 

    After completing our website evaluation, we took it a step further and compared the strengths and weaknesses of five search engines.  This search engine comparison paper was great because it really made me look closely at the different search engines that I allow my students to use in the classroom.

    Schools that have access to computers and implement technology as part of their curriculum are required by law to have an Acceptable Use Policy stating the rules and consequences.  As part of my assignment, I had the chance to read my school district's policy and comment on it. Click here to view my comments on the Hackensack Schools Acceptable use Policy. 

   Using technology in the classroom not only enhances the learning process, but it also gives the students the ability to explore the learned concepts on many new levels from researching to synthesizing information.  As part of an assignment, I created a lesson on endangered animals that allowed the students to use technology for researching and creating a final project using PowerPoint.  Also, as part of my lesson the students had to complete a brief web quest dealing with amazing desert animals.  I also created a sharks webquest to enhance a unit on sharks that my class worked on.

    For our final project, I discussed the importance of the Internet in an essay and the role it plays in education.