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= Session 2: Inquiry Based Learning and Research Skills =



__Essential Questions__
1. What is Inquiry Based Learning? 2. How can we help students effectively navigate the web for research? 3. How do we balance guidance and freedom for our students?

**__Tasks__**

 * 2.1** **__Opener: Changing Times__**
 * Read the following article: Changing Times - Newsweek Article and then, on the home page of your virtual notebook:
 * Click the Discussion tab and create your first post by clicking New Post. Title your post "The 21st Century Classroom."
 * Post a summary of your impressions of the article connecting those thoughts to your evolving view of a 21st century classroom based on initial thoughts, as well as the articles you read and the forum posts from last session.

Your wikispace can include an almost infinite number of pages. Wikipedia for instance is a wikispace with over 3 million pages and has been edited over a billion times. Creating new pages allows you to separate your lessons, units, classes and more. For this course you will create different pages for the technology, literacy and pedagogical skills that are covered.
 * 2.2 __Creating new wiki pages__:**


 * On the home page of your virtual notebook there is a link that says **New Page** with an icon next to it (where it is will depend on the theme you have chosen for your wikispace). Please click on **New Page**, then title your new page **Classmates' Notebooks**.
 * Now repeat the process to create 6 more new pages. Please title these pages as follows
 * 21st Century Skills
 * Inquiry & Research
 * Before, During and After Reading
 * Teachers' Domain
 * Communication
 * Collaboration
 * Once you have completed this enter the Moodle site and locate the chart that contains the names, email addresses, and virtual notebook links of the participants in this course. //Course Participants//
 * In your new page "Classmates' Notebooks" create links to the virtual notebooks of the other members of your assigned group. Do this by using the **Edit** function, then select **Link** from the tool bar. Next Select the External Link tab, Name the link (example: John Smith's notebook) and enter the Web Address (Example: johnsvirtualnotebook.wikispaces.com) then check the new window box. Finally select add link. (See below). Your link will appear as: John Smith's Notebook


 * Of those 5 classmates, choose 2, read their home page. While in their homepage click on the **Discussion** tab and __respond__ to their post on "The 21st Century Classroom."


 * 2.3 __Internet Research__**

Use of the internet opens up a virtually limitless amount of research and resource opportunity. It also creates a number of potential pitfalls, most notably the possible distractions and misinformation available on the web for students to take advantage, or disadvantage, of. When using the internet to research, students must first be educated in smart and critical searching techniques, as well as ways in which to keep track of their research and credit the sources whose information they use. Website #1Website #2
 * Look at the following two websites. When you have looked through these websites answer the following questions in a new post in the discussion tab of your Inquiry & Research page.
 * What characteristics make these websites so convincing?
 * What evidence is available to prove that these websites are hoax sites?
 * What guidance can we give our students to help them avoid websites that contain inaccurate information?

Here is a great brief guide to internet researching that helps students to research in an efficient manner, as well as evaluate their sources as they research. It comes from the University of California, Berkeley: Internet Research Guide for the full description of the checklist items go to Evaluating Web Pages


 * In order to keep this resource saved for future use, in your virtual notebook __save the link__ to your page entitled Inquiry & Research.
 * In your discussion tab of that page __create a new post__ entitled "Internet Researching" and summarize the usefulness of this guide for students.


 * 2.4 __Bookmarking__**


 * As students use the internet to find information, whether it is for a very specific assignment you have given or part of their inquiry-based exploration thereafter, they will need to catalog their research effectively. One tool for doing so is found at www.delicious.com - take a moment and explore Delicious.com to get a feel for what it provides, perhaps following the prompts for a tutorial.

Delicious is also available within the Widgets of wikispaces - you can find it by clicking Edit, Widget, Bookmark, then by clicking the icon that pops up and the link for delicious.com that appears.


 * Set up a Delicious account
 * __Create a link__ to your delicious page in your Inquiry & Research page - you should include a brief summary of what it is.
 * Using the internet, __find 3__ good internet sources on Inquiry Based Learning and catalog them using your Delicious account. Please ensure that when you bookmark your sites you __add notes and tags__ to keep track of your research. You may want to __revisit__ the tips from the Berkeley internet research guide that you worked with just before. Your tags and notes should show that you have carefully read the information in the three sources you have cataloged.

2.5 **Reflection** __3 Minute Pause__
 * We will now take a 3 Minute Pause to have you reflect on where you are in your understanding of inquiry based learning based on your initial independent research. What is a 3-minute pause? Take a quick look at the overview and directions: 3 Minute Pause


 * For our 3-Minute Pause please return to your virtual notebook and on your page for Inquiry & Research, use that page to complete your 3 minute pause reflections (summary, thoughts, and questions).

Inquiry based learning allows for independent research like that which you just performed, but it also allows for work as we might traditionally assign in our classes. There is always room for teachers to make determinations of essential material that students must be exposed to about a given topic. These assignments might be given at the start of the study of a topic, somewhere along the way, or toward the end. In our look at inquiry based learning, we had you take your own look first, but we also have two essential readings for you: 1. Site 1 Be sure to read all the way through, but it is not necessary to complete the activities. 2. Site 2 Read the page you are sent to, then follow the link to the guiding principles and read those as well.
 * 2.6 __Essential Readings__**
 * Please read the information on each of the following pages, then __add to what you wrote__ for your 3 minute pause.


 * Once you have finished adding to your write-up on your Inquiry Based Learning page, __post in the discussion tab__ of that page at least 2 Qs and at least 2 comments on inquiry based learning and __respond to your assigned partner__ by end of the week.
 * Once you and your partner have responded to each other, __add to your write-up__ on inquriy based learning one more time.


 * 2.7 __Evaluating Student Work__**
 * Take a look at the following project created by students who were completing an inquiry-based project. Students were led through a series of lessons on the relationship between science and the courts, then allowed to explore an area of interest related to that topic. This project was completed over a four day period during a special summer program. Please evaluate and reflect on the students' work as an example of a culminating project at the end of an inquiry based unit. Your evaluations and reflections should be posted as as a new post in the discussion tab of your Inquiry Based learning page. Please title the post "Reflections on Student Work".


 * 2.8 __Forum Post__**
 * Please go to the Moodle site and __post in the forum__ about inquiry based learning and your evolving view of 21st century classroom, responding to the essential questions for this session, especially the question of how we effectively balance freedom and guidance with our students.