Professionalism in Professional Development

For my ITEC 7460: Professional Learning & Technology Innovation class one of the assignments is to write a reflection piece about what I have learned and will use from the class.


I was very glad to learn that my class was about professional development, especially after I had signed up at my school to be on the Professional Development Key Team this year.  The staff that I work with on this committee are great!  They are a diverse group with lots of ideas and opinions,  but are also willing to work together to formulate a plan.  During our first meeting, we worked on determining what kinds of training we thought the staff needed, based on our SIP goals:  Math, Writing, and Technology.  The committee decided to send out a survey (which just so happened to be one of the first assignments that I had for this grad course) that would determine where staff members viewed their standing in these focus areas.  


At the next Professional Learning Key Team meeting, the committee decided the topics of the sessions we would use for the upcoming professional learning afternoon and discussed with some of the teacher leaders at school who were willing to lead/teach the sessions.  There would be two different topics addressed on that day with each topic would have a differentiated session.  Teachers signed up for their area of interest and level of training needed (i.e. Technology Integration:  Beginning Integration or Intermediate/Advanced).


Having this class allowed me the responsibility to conduct a survey using Google Docs that was awesome!  It was so easy to gather the data, and I loved the survey results in the pie charts that made great visuals to present to my administrators and my committee.  


I was also given the opportunity to plan and carry out a professional development session from start to finish.  I believe that some of the assignments from this course like the agenda, evaluation, and overview of our current reality helped me see the big picture of how professional development courses can be used to better the teaching and learning of our staff. I think this class also allowed me to develop a framework that I was able to carry out during the session I taught and will be able to use again in future professional development opportunities.

Areas of improvement for the course would be:  

1.  More direction given in class that provided a better understanding and example of what was expected for the overall project/presentation.  I do not feel that class time was spent properly in preparing us for the end product of the class.  Classes dealt more with research into different professional development scenarios and responses to questions pertaining to those sessions that could have been used as at-home assignments (rather than study guides) while using class time to devote to things that directly related to our own professional development assignment.  

2.  If the use of a certain type of technology is needed to achieve the maximum amount of points in the end product, then that technology should be taught in the class.  The overarching professor stated that in order to achieve the maximum amount of points in the course, we would have  to use a Prezi for our presentation, however Prezi was never taught in the class.  Since this is a technology course, I believe it would have been beneficial to actually teach this application.  I think that I might have had a better Prezi if I had been shown what it was capable of, but instead, mine turned out very simple.  I would have also liked to have been given examples of other ways to use Prezi in my classroom.  

Ready to "Get Up" Out of this" Fall" Semester

So, it's been a while.  Thankfully, the fall semester will be drawing to a close soon.  Here are the things I have learned:

1.  I do not like online classes!!!  I do much better with face to face classes that inspire me, offer support, and offer time to get clarification on tasks.

2.  While I appreciate Georgia School Laws, I do not really like reading page after page after page of them.  It sure did make me appreciate my husband and mother-in-law for having to read laws every day for work.  Yuck!

3.  It doesn't seem to be fair to make students use a technology that was not talked about or taught in class in order to attain an A in the class.  Just saying.  (I'll need to make sure to follow that rule myself when giving assignments to my kids.)

4.  Because of the previous mentioned assignment, I learned how to make a basic Prezi.  It can be viewed at: http://prezi.com/3wxdserczeby/smartboard-its-not-just-a-glorified-projector/.  Yay me!

That's the fall semester in a nutshell.

My Summer Vacation

I spent the majority of my summer taking two online courses for my masters program.  The courses I took were EDL 7305:  Data Analysis and School Improvement and 7100:  Leadership Theory and Practice.  Both classes were good and I learned a lot.  I was very excited in the beginning of the semester to learn that the classes would take place entirely online.  I equated this to mean I would be able to work by the pool for some of the assignments.  Yay summer!  I did take my book to the pool once to read the assigned chapters, but that only happened once.

What I soon realized was that the summer semester is shorter than normal semesters, so 12-14 weeks of learning was shoved into 6.  Whoa!  That also meant that modules of learning that were separated into 8 sections had to be condensed to make sure everything was covered in the six weeks worth of classes.  And by condensed, I do not mean that things were eliminated.  Instead, two weeks worth of assignments sometimes were due in the course of one. I had one face-to-face session in each class where I met two really good professors that I would have enjoyed learning more from in a regular class setting.  Instead, I got to learn from narrated power points (which I was really thankful for), and a once a week online chat that was beneficial.  During those online chat sessions, while trying to get good information from the professor, I also got a lot of interesting noises provided by my classmates.  People were talking over each other, some were louder than others whether from being on the phone as a call-in student or from microphones turned up really loud.  I promise at one time I could have sworn I heard a toilet flush, too.  This could have been partly due to the online site that was used to conduct these meetings because I had another class where we participated in something similar, but it was better with buttons you could click that allowed you to indicate a raised hand for a question or a little bird indicated that you were away from the computer momentarily.  I believe that site was called Moodle.  I'll have to check it out to be sure.

Here's what I've learned from this experience and these courses:

1.  Summer vacation does not exist when taking grad courses.

2.  Data is a lot more interesting that I expected, and I am actually excited about collecting and analyzing (now that I know how) it in the upcoming school year.

3.  If I have good ideas and want them to be implemented at my school, I'd better become a principal and make those ideas a reality.

4.  Being a teacher leader is a huge responsibility with job descriptions in all kinds of areas.

5.  I learn much better in face-to-face classes than I do in online ones.

So here I am at the end of my summer classes.  I made it!  And, I still have 3 more weeks of summer (the only really good thing that came out of the Cobb County school year calendar being changed again). Yay summer! Plus, I am at the half-way point in attaining my master's degree in instructional technology.  Yay me!

You'll hear from me again during the fall semester as I embark on two more classes.  Until then, you'll find me by the pool.

Just Look at All This Data

Description: Compiled a Data Inventory Chart of all the data that is collected at school, in what grade levels, and in what areas of instruction.

Standards: PSC 2A,B,C; BOR I; NETS-A 4C,D
Semester: Summer 2011

Hours: 3.5 hours

Population: Principal and School Colleagues

Reflection: For the EDL 7305, I had to complete a Data Inventory Chart that tells about all the ways we collect data at our school.  It divides it into areas by grade and content area, as well.  During this field experience, I talked with my team about the assessments we give each year.  I reviewed the testing information with my assistant principal, I interviewed other grade-level teachers at my school for information regarding data collections, and I composed the Data Inventory based on the information I collected.

Data with a Plan

Description: I developed an action plan/timeline that will help my school build a Data Team and provide a program of understanding data through the Understanding Data Process (UDP).

Standards:TF-II.D (Planning and Designing Learning Environments and Experiences)
                 TF-V.A,D (Productivity and Professional Practice)

Semester: Summer 2011

Hours: 4 hours

Population: Principal, Future use with School Colleagues

Reflection: The EDL 7305 class was focused on using data and analyzing it to format a plan of action based on student-learning needs.  The class used a process called the Understanding Data Process and went along with the text The Data Coach’s Guide to Improving Learning for All Students.  I found this process to be one that my school can definitely benefit from, and think that developing an Action Plan that outlines a timeline of activities and resources would allow the teachers at my school to see the importance of data collections and analysis.  This course definitely changed my views on data.  It actually got me excited about the data and what I can learn from it.  More importantly, it will help me make changes in the way I teach so that my students can learn more.

Oh the Data!

Description: I analyzed data from our school's CRCT scores to use in a Data Overview presentation.

Standards:TF-II.A,B,C (Planning and Designing Learning Environments and Experiences)
                 TF-IV.A,B (Assessment and Evaluation)
                 TF-V.A,C,D (Productivity and Professional Practice)

Semester: Summer 2011

Hours: 5 hours

Population: Grad School Colleagues, Principal, Future use with School Colleagues

Reflection: I learned so much in my EDL 3705 class with collecting and analyzing data.  This summer class was completely online which made it difficult at times to get field experience hours.  That being said, the professor was well aware of this fact and commented that field experience hours were going to have to include the research hours we spent on projects.  For the Data Overview presentation, I looked at and analyzed data from the 3^rd and 5^th grades at my school related to the CRCT.  Through the use of Microsoft Excel, I was able to compile the data and make visual charts that explained what the data showed.  Based on the charts and data, our school will be able to see that a 3^rd grade area of improvement is math.  We dipped in the amount of students at or above proficiency from 90 percent (2010) to 73 percent (2011).  While the 5^th graders were able to make awesome gains in math, the scores in social studies went from 85 percent (2010) at or above proficiency to 67 percent (2011).  We also have a learning gap between our Hispanic population and our African American and White population that will require us to dig deeper into the data and make strategic action plans.  I was able to speak with my principal about my findings and share my presentation.

Teaching ASP Workers

Description: I taught 3 college-age After School Program workers some tools they could use that would be beneficial for their college classes and for use with the ASP students.

Standards: TF-V.A-D (Productivity and Professional Practice)

Semester:  Spring 2011

Hours:  5+ hours

Population: 3 college-age ASP teachers

Reflection: After collaborating with the ASP director on his webpage, we talked about me teaching some of the ASP workers.  I had the privilege of teaching three lovely ladies about some tools they could use that would benefit them and their students.  For the first three classes, I taught them about Delicious.  We set up accounts, found several links that could be used in ASP (each week the girls had a certain number of sites that had to be added to their account), and how to link to each other's Delicious pages to gain more resources.  The next class, I taught them how to use Zamzar.  Their assignment was to find a video they could use in ASP that the students would enjoy, and then convert it in Zamzar to a format that could be sent to them to download and use at school.  They found some fun videos that the students would really enjoy.  At the end of that class, I told them to bring a smart phone or iTouch so they could co-teach a class on Twitter the next week.  I have had a little difficulty getting used to and seeing the advantages of Twitter.  So, I wanted them to help me learn.  I started by asking them how they thought Twitter could be used from an educational aspect.  I gave them some ideas and got their feedback based on what I had heard and read about.  Then, they helped me set up some things in my account. We made sure we were all "following" each other.  They also further explained the hash tags, re-tweeting, using the zipper, and the purpose of putting the @ sign in front of someone's name.  It was a fun class for me and for them.  The last class we had together I showed them the web page I had put together for my webquest.  They got to explore, offer feedback, and learn more about creating their own webpage in Wix.  This was a great use of field experience time.  I hope to continue to teach these girls in the fall.

What I've Learned in ITEC 7445

I have always wanted to know how to design and publish a web page, and now I know how.  I have learned what it takes to make it from scratch and how to use a template to tweak it to make it my own.  In the beginning, when learning HTML code, I was extremely overwhelmed.  I felt that I would never be able to make the beautiful, eye-catching pages that always caught my attention.  Thankfully, I also learned how to use sites with templates to get the desired effect that I was looking for.  I am so proud of what I have been able to create in my multi-media design project.  I used a Wix template for my project.  Once I figured out the editing tools, it became easy to operate.

My greatest accomplishment with my website came today!  I was able to figure out how to put my School Tube video on the site so that the students could view it at school without any problem.  The Wix site had provided a bit of a challenge at first because it appeared to only want to allow videos from YouTube, MetaCafe, or 5 min.  Today I was able to tweak the HTML code to get it just like I wanted it on my site.  When I went to view it, I crossed my fingers and then let out a squeal when it actually worked the way I wanted it to (it took a half a dozen times to get to that point).  I would not have known how to do that before this class.

Teaching Jing

Description: I taught my teammate, who is also taking grad classes, how to use Jing.

Standards: TF - V.A and D (Productivity and Professional Practice)

Semester: Spring 2011

Hours: 1 hour

Population: First grade teacher and fourth grade teacher

Reflection:  One of my first grade teammates is getting her specialist degree in technology development.  We have really been able to collaborate with each other about several different things we've learned in our classes.  She did not know about Jing, so we spent some time exploring and using Jing in different ways one afternoon.  She then went to another teacher and showed her how to use Jing for a project she was wanting to do with her students for an on-line tutoring class.  It's amazing how fast the really cool technology tools can travel.  I look forward to sharing more with them and to seeing how they decide to use Jing.

Oh Where, Oh Where is My Webquest Going?

I originally thought I would do a Webquest about animals and provide my 1st graders with information and video about animals that they could use to complete an animal "scavenger hunt", in a way.  After talking to some of my colleagues, I decided to go in a little different direction. Now, I'm allowing my students to continue learning about animals, but also making it more relateable to them and I'm tying my science standards in to my writing standards too.  My plan is for students to "Pick a Pet" (that's what I've decided to call my site) for their family based on information they find in the webquest.  I did limit the options based on most popular pets, so they do not have extended information on all kinds of pets.  The students will then use the information they found to write a persuasive argument to their parents about why they should get that pet.  I'm interested to see what they have to say.  I'm also interested to see how their parents respond.  I've decided to put a fun element in the site that allows for some virtual pets just in case mom and dad still say "no".

In the beginning I was unsure of what I should use to develop this site.  I like the idea of Google Sites, but was not entirely pleased with my end product when designing my portfolio shell.  I have decided to use a Wix page available through www.wix.com.  The art teacher's school page is through Wix and it looks really good.  It seems very user-friendly, which I love; and has so many different features available to make it look very appealing too.  I'm hoping that the multi-media features that are required for this project will be incorporated easily.  We'll soon find out.

Teaching my Teammates about Voice Thread

Description: I taught my first grade teammates about Voice Thread.

Standards: TF - II.D, E, F (Planning and Designing Environments and Experiences)

Semester:  Spring 2011

Hours: 1 hour

Population: First Grade Teachers

Reflection: When I first learned about Voice Thread I was so excited about all the possible uses we could have for it.  I feel that it is specifically effective for first grade students since they can very easily use their voice since typing is not a great option for them.  I showed my teammates how we had used the tool in our grad classes and then showed them examples of how we could use it based on examples from the Voice Thread site.  We decided we could use it to see what students had learned about the historical figures we learn about.  It can be a great tool of reflection in Science and Social Studies.  Then I discovered that it can be a great way to teach students reading fluency and reading with a voice. I showed my teachers most recently how my students used Voice Thread to read their advice they had written to kindergarten students about what they should know before coming to first grade.  The finished product was better than I expected.  Some of my teammates are planning to use Voice Thread in their classes now.

Creating a Wiki for the 21 Things

Description: I converted the moodle we used in class to a wiki page.

Standards: TF-I.A-B (Technology Operations and Concepts)
                 TF-II.B-F (Planning and Designing Learning Environments and Experiences)
                 TF-V.A-D (Productivity and Professional Practice)
                 TF-VI.A,B,D,and F (Social, Ethical, Legal, and Human Issues)

Semester: Spring 2011

Hours: 5 hours

Population: Grad School Colleagues, School Colleagues

Reflection: I learned so much in my ITEC 7430 class with the 21 Things.  The on-line class was set up in a Moodle page that required a login and password.  I knew that we would loose access to that page pretty soon after the class was over, so I wanted to make sure I still had access to the important tools we learned about in class.  Using one of the tools I learned about - wikis, I decided to use as a place where I could store all the converted information from the Moodle.  I had to make sure that anything linked to the Moodle page was no longer directed to that site.  I went to You Tube and found the same videos that were used in the Moodle and embedded them into the wiki.  By doing all this I have made sure that I have access to these tools in the future just in case I forget how to do something based on insufficient use.  I am very proud of the wiki I made.  I hope others will be able to use it too. You can find my wiki page at
http://internet-tools-in-the-classroom.wikispaces.com/.

Thing 21- More Ways to Share (SlideShare)

The last of our 21 Things was SlideShare.  The idea is that you create a Power Point presentation and then upload it to Slide Share which then takes your presentation and shares it with the world through it's site.  You can find presentations on any number of topics.  I was able to find presentations that could be used with teachers, presentations for my first graders, and much more.  As with any source of information (presented in slide shows in this case) you may have to look through a lot of presentations to find what you are looking for; and if you don't find what you are looking for, you'll have to make it yourself.  SlideShare was very easy to use.  I created my Power Point presentation and simply uploaded it to the SlideShare site.

Wordle presentation

View more presentations from ybates.

I also found a pretty good presentation on Web 2.0.

Thing 20 - Jing It!

The latest tool I've learned about is called Jing.  Jing allows you to capture screen images and then narrate or illustrate how something happens.  You can use Jing to capture one screen shot or you can record several screens through a video feature.  I like the video feature because you can talk about what is happening and next steps as you go.  This is great for a person that really needs visuals to know how to do something on the computer.  I feel that this is a great tool for using with teachers in professional learning situations.  It's been very helpful to have these in the on-line portions of my grad classes so I could see how something was supposed to happen.  

I created a screencast for parents on how to access and subscribe to our class blog.  You can see it for yourself at http://screencast.com/t/aiDZDCbOwr4.

I found that I got very frustrated in the beginning because the tutorial provided in the site was not as specific as I wanted or needed. Thankfully, there were several more tutorials on YouTube.  The one I found most helpful was Jing Part 3.  The basic, free Jing subscription does not have an editing feature, so you have to make sure you have everything lined up correctly and have practiced so that you get what you need in one take.  If not, you'll have to start all over from the beginning (I won't even tell you how many times I had to start over).  I appreciated the pause button so I could catch a breath or organize my thoughts and pages before moving on.  This takes some planning in order to get a good product that you will be proud to use.  

Once you're finished recording or capturing, you can save it to your computer or to a site that holds your work.  The site gives you a url that can be posted in your blog or webpage.  You can also post your creations to YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, etc.  Your creations will be saved on your personal channel that you receive when you sign up on Jing.  

I plan to explore Jing some more, but for the moment, I'm glad this assignment is finished.

Collaborating on Homework Calendar Through Google Docs

Description:  I taught my fellow first grade teachers about Google Docs and used this as a way to collaborate with them before printing the monthly calendar for our students.

Standards: TF- V.D (Productivity and Professional Practice)

Hours: 4 hours

Population: First Grade Teachers

Reflection: Once I learned about Google Docs I was excited to share it with my teammates and discuss how we could use it in the collaboration of the homework calendars we send home at the beginning of the month.  Often when we have a letter that needs to go home to parents or a homework calendar, we end up sending it to each other via e-mail and it will then be revised by someone and sent out via e-mail again, and so on.  Using Google Docs we can invite each other to look over and revise on the spot and then take the final copy from there instead of sending it to one another over and over.  This worked fairly well once we had determined how everyone logged in and what e-mail addresses were being used (some made it hard to determine who was who).  Now it makes a lot of sense to use this tool in so many different areas.

Thing 19 - Let's Work Together On This One

I have never used Google Docs before now.  How could I have missed such a great tool?!  I used it today when putting together our 1st grade homework calendar.  I shared the doc with my fellow teachers and allowed them to edit as needed.  I think this is a great way for our collaboration to reach the next level.  Just a few weeks ago we were sitting in a teacher work session and one of the teachers had put together a field trip letter to go home.  She sent it to us via e-mail and asked if there were any changes that needed to be made.  I edited a few things and sent it back to her and the rest of our team.  Then someone else found something that needed to be changed and the letter was edited again and sent back and out to everyone. I'm sure you get the picture.  Crazy thing is.... I didn't know that there was an easier way to do that until now.  With Google Docs we could have saved ourselves a lot of time by all looking at the document on our computer and making changes as needed without sending it back and forth to each other five and six times.  I love when life is made simpler.

I did notice that not everything worked exactly as I would have hoped.  There were some graphics that did not transfer from my original and a shape that did not transfer the way I wanted it to, but the main idea was there and available to others for editing and feedback.  I also did not like that when my teammates clicked on the web address to get to the document they were then directed to sign in to Google and then sent to another page before getting to my document.  I had not had the opportunity to explain to everyone yet what my plan was for the Google Doc, so some of them did got frustrated and did not go past the first page and another signed in using an account name that I was not familiar with causing me to allow her to "view" but not "edit" because I didn't know who she was.

I can see how Google Doc is useful for teachers in this kind of collaboration.  I also like the idea of using it in the older grades to help with editing student work and provide teacher feedback.  This is a great tool and I intent to use it again very soon.

Thing 18 - Very Social

I love social networks!!!  I was a huge fan of Myspace.  It reminded me of a big scrapbook page that was ever-changing with backgrounds, pictures slideshows, calendars and countdowns, and music.  It was so much fun until my friends moved from Myspace to Facebook.  I refused to get on Facebook in the beginning (out of loyalty to Myspace and because I thought the set up was very boring). But, like I said, all my friends were now using Facebook, so I converted and now I can't get enough.

I am one of those people that think FB or something similar should be used with students for students to collaborate on homework and class assignments. I think it would be a beneficial co-learning place for students to feel free to help others on certain assignments and also gather advice from other students who had previously taken that same class and done similar assignments and activities.  Having said all that, I see the problem that teachers have with becoming "friends" with students. I have a strict rule that I do not accept students or class parents as friends on FB.  It seems that FB is not the only way to engage in a social network.  I have just recently been introduced to Ning.  Ning is a social network site that allows you to make a group and invite people to be a part of that group to provide ideas and generate discussions about the topics posted.  There are all kinds of groups that you can join. I chose to join the Classroom 2.0 group. I loved all the information that I was able to get from the site and the fact that I was then able to find other groups that better connected to my needs like the Classroom 2.0 Beginner Group and the Elementary School 2.0.

My only problem when exploring these sites was ALL the information available.  Between my RSS feed, Twitter sites shared, and now the Ning groups, I am feeling a bit overwhelmed with information. I am glad to know that I can find a plethora of information at my fingertips, but need to find the best way to take in all this great info.

Thing 17 - Watch What I Can Do!

YouTube amazes me! Seriously, I cannot get over how many videos there are to see and learn from. Just this year I learned about Zamzar and how to convert YouTube videos so I could download the videos from YouTube and show them to my students. When studying Benjamin Franklin, we watched a Storm Chasers video to show how Benjamin Franklin was actually the first "storm chaser". The kids loved it, and still ask if we can watch the Storm Chasers video again. People are so visually stimulated that it definitely helps to have a video that goes along with the concept being taught. Podcasts are great and useful when you are listening in the car or on the go, but if I have the ability, I want to SEE something. For instance, the videos that are linked to our weekly class lessons mainly provided by CommonCraft, always help me fully grasp what I am supposed to do or how something works.

I also use SchoolTube which is similar to TeacherTube. I have a channel where all my videos are and I can find them easily. I also tag my videos for easy access. Some of the videos created were for learning fun, like the Doubles Song we learned for addition of like numbers:


 or the one I made up and taught the kids to help them remember the parts of speech:

My co-teacher and I also decided it would be a great idea to help parents see how we were teaching a certain concept that may be challenging. We've only done one of these so far, but I'm sure there are more in our future. This is the one we created to show how to teach students to count mixed change.

We had some good parent feedback after posting this one to our site.

Here is one I found on YouTube that I thought was beneficial. It's called "How To Deal With a Screaming Child While Shopping".  :)


This is also a great way to put technology in our students' hands with the proper guidance.  Students can use smart phones, flip video cameras, digital cameras, etc. to record something and share with others, in some cases, immediately.  We had a 4th grader recently use her smart phone on the bus to video what was happening and post it on YouTube before she was dropped off at her stop.  She, of course, got in trouble for doing this because she did not have permission to video the bus driver or the other students on the bus.  When asked about the uploaded video, she said she just wanted to show her   experience as a kid on the bus.  The students already know how to use this kind of technology, so why not let them in a way that is allowed and educational.  This could have been a good school project or documentary of the goings on of the bus if it had just had the right permissions and a little guidance.

Thing 15 & 16 - Can You Hear Me Now?

Before I was sure about what a podcast was I had a general idea. Then I read the chapter in our textbook, got completely overwhelmed.  My general idea had been on the right track, but there was so much more that I was unaware of.  

Now that I've had some time to "play" and reflect, I'm interested in podcasting, but not quite sure the best way to go about it.  I had read an article that got my attention about podcasting for students where kindergarten teachers recorded themselves reading a book and would send home an ipod touch and the book for students who were struggling with reading to listen to each night.  What a novel idea.  This would be a great way for me to use the podcasting skills I've learned. I've mentioned this idea as well as one more in my podcast below.  Hope you'll take a moment to listen.

Found a site I thought had a lot of different podcasts called Learn Out Loud.  Click here for a pretty extensive catalog of all they have to offer.

Multimedia Project

In my multimedia project (aka Webquest), my students will be challenged to explore what animals need to survive.  Students will have the tasks of determining what is important when learning about how animals: eat, find shelter, protect themselves, and relate to plants and people.  Students will navigate through several websites listening to information and watching videos and record their answers to questions regarding the sites visited. 

i.e. Students will use the site: http://www.pbs.org/teachers/connect/resources/7770/preview/

which provides videos of a mama and papa eagle taking care of eggs and then baby chicks to answer the questions:

How do mama and papa protect the eggs/babies?

How do the mama and papa feed the babies?

What do you think the babies learn from the mama and papa?

What was most interesting to you?

I plan for students to have 2 weeks to work on the webquest.  Some activities will be completed whole group, while some will be completed during center time.