1. I really enjoyed using the Google Reader. I think it is a very interesting and useful tool that I will be using

2. Save the Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus – When I first looked at this website, I felt that it provided a lot of information and legitimate looking images. But as I began to read the content, I realized that the context seemed very exaggerated. I began by evaluating the source of the information. Who provided all this information? I looked for any kind of outside source, but did not see anything. There was no way to check that what was being said was legitimate. I also tried to research two other sources that verified the information from the website, and I could not find any.

Martin Luther King Jr. - A True Historical Examination- When reading the content on this website, I became offensive. It was totally against facts of the subject. I did not see any sources to back up what was written. I also looked at the treatment of the subject. I saw it that it was stormfront.org. After researching, I found that it is an organization of white pride, which does not give it authority on the subject.

Dog Island Free Forever- I was very uneasy of this website as well. I could not find any other website that supported this website. They posted many pictures but it was hard to tell if they were truly from the location. I also noticed that on the “Rates” page of the website it stated “We apologize to not offer this to poor people.” I continued to read other content from the page, and realized that there was a disclaimer on the site stating that it was a joke

All About Explorers- When I first entered the site, I clicked on the Site authors. It provided a page of about 5 authors that seemed to have real knowledge of the topic. But then at the end of the page it said. “Not buying it? Click here for the real story.” This was very strange and I began to question the website. The information that was given on the ‘real’ author’s did not seem to have much authority in the specific field. I then looked at the “About this site” and read that the purpose of this website was to show kids that some websites are full of inaccurate, useful data. It specifically said that the information posted was false. This just shows how important it is to take a deeper look into websites.

History of Robots in the Victorian Era- This website did not provide a bibliography or resource list on the information that it presented. It did not have any source, beside one guy’s email to answer questions. The site was trying to sell their book, which displayed a more commercial approach to the topic rather than educational.

Dihydrogen Monoxide Research Division- I had a hard time telling if this website was real or not. The website had the logo of the United States Environmental Assessment Center, which made it look legit. But when I clicked on the logo, it took me to an extension of the website. I then realized that this website was false because if there was any such thing as the Environmental Assessment Center, it would have taken me to the official website. Also at the end of the page it said Note: content veracity not implied. This means that the information provided is not inevitably true.

The First Human Male Pregnancy- At first look at this website, it seems genuine. The images, such as the U.S. News Magazine image, make it look real. But as I began to look further into the website, I could not find any reference page to back up what was written. The website says that it is supported by the Dwane Medical Center. There truly was nothing significant to support the content that was presented. It does not provide any kind of true evidence or facts on the subject.

o Which of these is the true World Trade Organization website? The www.wto.org is the true World Trade Organization website. When looking through the two websites, I felt that they both seemed very similar. But I then realized that the wto.org site had more credibility because of the amount of sources that it provided. It gave an alphabetical directory for the entire website. This showed legitimacy in the format of the site. The website was frankly from the WTO, unlike the other website that presented it through an outside resourse. Another small detail that I noticed was that since this is a big organization, it would make sense for the address of the website to be related to the actual organization (www. WTO.org).

3. The content that I chose was Science and the grade level was 2^nd. I actually had a hard time finding any good web- based scavenger hunt’s with the content area and grade level that I selected. The few that I encountered did not seem to truly promote meaningful learning. They focused on just finding answers but not engaging students intellectually. There was not much thinking or investigating that had to be done. It was merely plugging in “answers” and at the end the result was already there. I don’t think that these scavenger hunts do not promote meaningful learning with technology, only from technology.

4. The webquest that I chose is called “Break-Out at Rollins Hill.” This webquest would be for a 2^nd grade science lesson on animals. This specific webquest is a preparation for a field trip to the local zoo. The animals of the zoo have escaped and the purpose is for the students to come up with facts about each animal that escaped and persuade the mean zookeeper to take them back. The students will be put in groups of two and will also need to provide an appropriate traveling habitat to transport the animals back to the zoo. This can only happen if the students persuade the zookeeper to allow the animals to return. The students will then put the information that they researched on a PowerPoint. I feel that this webquest meets Jonassen’s criteria for a well- designed webquest. Since students are working with other in partners, it does incorporate cooperative learning. It also incorporates multiple learning perspectives. Students will have to do a lot of internet research on specific animals. They will also have to think constructively in order to come up with reasonable facts and methods to get the animals back to the zoo. Researching different animals and developing ways to get them back to the zoo incorporates analysis and synthesis of the information. Since students will be using PowerPoint and creating something different it does incorporate creation of original products and shows that knowledge was gained. This project is very open ended since they can provide any facts on any animal that they want. Students will be in charge of researching, producing, and presenting the project, therefore I feel that it is completely student- directed. The teacher will only be there for support. This webquest would be a great lesson to incorporate in a classroom.

5. The teacher that I found uses handhelds to learn phonics. Students who are beginners and ELL readers record letter sounds onto the iPod using a voice recorder. They then transfer these audio files back to iTunes on the computer. The teacher also records the directions for a lesson, creates a playlist of letter sound files on iTunes, and transfers the lesson back onto the handheld. The students then listen to the lesson and after hearing the prerecorded letter sounds they create words using the cards. Anyone can teach phonics the traditional way, but I feel that by using a handheld the way this teacher did allows him/her to do teach it better. Using a device allows children to get a deeper involvement and understanding of something that cannot be done by just a piece of paper and pencil.

6. Zoomerang is a very useful tool to produce surveys. It makes it easy to find answers fast.