Module 3: Arts curriculum

Internet resources

TrackStar
M3 Task 2 - About Tracks
WebQuests
M3 Task 3 - Learning opportunities with WebQuests
WebQuest examples
M3 Task 4 - WebQuests in the classroom
Other ways of using the web
M3 Task 5 - Hotlists and other approaches

Internet resources can support you in the development of Visual Arts curriculum materials in a number of ways, ranging from simply using the Internet for background research to developing complex sequences of learning using an inquiry-oriented approach. The remainder of this module will explore some of these methods.

TrackStar

A simple but effective way to use the Internet in the classroom is to collect a range of websites on a particular topic and develop accompanying guidelines for student work using each of the sites.

TrackStar (http://trackstar.4teachers.org/) is a free online tool developed by the South Central Regional Technology in Education Consortium (SCRTEC) in the United States. It enables you to select a number of websites and have them appear individually on a web page with accompanying questions or activities for students on the same page. Students can click through and view the selected list of sites and see the activities related to each site. This is called a Track. You do not need to have web publishing skills, as TrackStar takes you through the process of creating your Track by simply filling in the online form and then publishing your pages. The site also gives advice on constructing more effective questions and helps you create quizzes.

The TrackStar site contains a large number of Tracks created by teachers. You can look at them and use them or you can customise them, creating your own new Tracks beginning with part, or all, of existing Tracks.

The large library of Tracks is worth visiting, but the quality is not uniformly high. Some Tracks have a high percentage of broken links and others are merely a listing of sites.

M3 Task 2 - About Tracks

A Track does not need to be long to give students interesting and stimulating activities. For an example of a short Track that uses a small number of sites effectively, read the following instructions and then visit Exploring Installation Art by Beth Heffernan (http://trackstar.4teachers.org/trackstar/ts/viewTrack.do?number=140522). Read the Track description then click on View in Frames. The yellow bar (frame) at the top of the page gives the Site location. The URL of the website is shown below, as is the instruction to the student (annotation) by the author. If you click on the links in the List of Sites in the sidebar it will take you to a new site and annotation. If you click on Back to Track Description in the sidebar and then View in Text, you can view all the annotations.

Find some Tracks relating to one of your own areas of interest by using TrackStar's Find a Track search facility (http://trackstar.4teachers.org/trackstar/index.jsp).

Do you need some help searching TrackStar (M3 Task 2 Help)?

Write a short critique of:

the Tracks you have found;
the feasibility of using Tracks in your own curriculum;
how you could use Tracks.

Here are some general comments on Tracks to compare with your own (M3 Task 2 Comments).

Try visiting the following Track, selecting View in Text; it illustrates some of the potential that creating tracks offers.

Dream Painting by Anna Canseco
http://trackstar.4teachers.org/trackstar/t2/viewTrack.do?number=41450

If you would like to try making your own Track, go to the next page, Developing curriculum, and complete Tasks 6 and 7. Return here to the information on WebQuests later.

WebQuests

Another way to use the Internet in the classroom is through WebQuests. Bernie Dodge and Tom March created the concept of WebQuests at San Diego State University in 1995. Basically, a WebQuest is a problem-solving activity that involves students working collaboratively with real-life sources, drawn from the Internet and other resources.

M3 Task 3 - Learning opportunities with WebQuests

Read Tom March's article Why WebQuests?, an Introduction (http://tommarch.com/writings/intro_wq.php). List the points March makes in response to his title question. According to the author, why would WebQuests enhance the learning environment for students?

Now read the definition of WebQuests provided by Bernie Dodge in the article Some Thoughts About WebQuests (http://edweb.sdsu.edu/courses/edtec596/about_webquests.html).
Note that using a WebQuest strategy need not mean only using Internet resources. Good curriculum will use a blend of all available resources.

Take a look at The Big Wide World WebQuest (http://www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/bww/) by Tom March, which contains most of the structure and elements of a classic WebQuest. Go to the Teacher's Guide first.

A guided tour of a WebQuest should make it possible to identify some of the attributes discussed in the articles. Browse through the following WebQuest.

Inventions - Australia's Best! by Helen Butler
http://www.web-and-flow.com/members/hbutler/austinvent/webquest.htm

Find the following learning experiences:

an authentic and challenging question to motivate student interest;
the use of real resources;
development of expertise through research;
requirement for evaluation and feedback.

In terms of higher level cognition, identify points where the following are required:

critical thinking;
analysis of information;
selection of relevant information.

In terms of developing skills of negotiation and capacity to work with others, locate a requirement for:

cooperation and collaboration;
acceptance of personal responsibility.

You can print these questions as a form if you wish (M3 Task 3 Proforma).

Here are some responses to the learning opportunities identified in Inventions – Australia's Best! WebQuest to compare with your own (M3 Task 3 Suggested responses).

WebQuest examples

Before you look further at the theory behind WebQuests, look at some examples.

M3 Task 4 - WebQuests in the classroom

Browse through the following examples of WebQuests. Note that there are a variety of interpretations of the WebQuest model and, although most follow the basic WebQuest structure, they are not necessarily 'classic' WebQuests.

ArtQuest by William Cavada
http://students.itec.sfsu.edu/itec815_s98/cavada/index.html

Illustrating Endangered Species by Frances Zamorano
http://www.esc2.net/TIELevel2/projects/art/

Painted Rocks: Rock Art of the California Natives by Susana Martinez
http://projects.edtech.sandi.net/kimbrough/californiahistory/

Choose one of the WebQuests and make notes in response to the following questions:

For which student level and curriculum area would the WebQuest be most appropriate?
Is the WebQuest suitable for Australian students or would it require modification? If so, what modification would be necessary?
How would you characterise the approach to learning in the WebQuest?
Would the WebQuest be motivational for students?
What classroom management issues might need to be planned for?

You can print out these questions if you prefer to work on paper (M3 Task 4 Questions).

Here are some suggested responses for questions on WebQuests to compare with your own (M3 Task 4 Suggestion).

Think about the differences using WebQuest and TrackStar. Which would you prefer to use for your classroom planning and curriculum development? Are there circumstances in which one approach might be more useful than the other?

Choose a topic relevant to your current teaching and search through one of the following sites to see if there is an existing WebQuest that matches it.

The WebQuest Page
http://webquest.sdsu.edu/
(Bernie Dodge)

Best WebQuests.com
http://bestwebquests.com/
(ozline.com)

Australian WebQuests
http://www.occ.act.edu.au/home/itpd/webquests/matrix.htm
(The O'Connell Centre)

Then browse this site:

Oz-WebQuests
http://rite.ed.qut.edu.au/oz-teachernet/
(RITE Group, QUT)

From your browsing, select one WebQuest that you like and could use as the basis for designing a WebQuest for your own students. Bookmark your selection or make a note of it.

Other ways of using the Web

Tom March and Bernie Dodge also suggest other, simpler strategies for using the web to teach. You may find it useful to create a Hotlist or Treasure Hunt as a preliminary exercise before tackling a WebQuest. Some of the formats could also be used as exercises for students before attempting a WebQuest.

M3 Task 5 - Hotlists and other approaches

Explore the following approaches and note the strengths and weaknesses of each. They are listed in increasing order of complexity:

Hotlist
A Hotlist is a simple annotated collection of Internet sites that provide background information on a topic.
http://www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/fil/formats.html#Hotlist

Here is an example.
China on the Net: A Collection of Internet Sites on China
http://www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/China/hotlist.html

Scrapbook
A Scrapbook is a collection of websites students can explore and from which they can download images, sounds and text to create their own multimedia scrapbook.
http://www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/fil/formats.html#Scrapbook

Here is an example.
Exploring China: A Multimedia Scrapbook Activity
http://www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/China/scrapbook.html

Treasure Hunt
In a Treasure Hunt, students are given a list of related websites they will need to explore to answer a series of questions on a topic and an overall 'big question'. http://www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/fil/formats.html#Hunt

Subject Sampler
A Subject Sampler gives students a collection of websites with associated questions. This format is similar to a track.
http://www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/fil/formats.html#Sampler

Go to the graphic at the bottom of the page at User Guides (http://www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/fil/guides.html) to see the different roles each strategy can play within the curriculum.


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