Web Adventures

The Rice University Center for Technology in Teaching and Learning developed a series of interactive web activities called Web Adventures. These interactive science activities are accompanied with lesson plans and ideas and links for further exploration and learning. They also cover several of the National Science Education Standards as well as the National Health Education Standards, in addition to nearly all of the NETS for students and teachers!

Through these Web Adventures, students get to explore science concepts, conduct experiments in virtual labs, and role play careers! I would suggest these mainly for high school and some middle school classes, as the topics include infectious diseases, the impact of alcohol on different body systems, using neuroscience to see the impacts of substance abuse, forensic crime solving, and virtual apprenticeship to careers.

This website also makes it easy on teachers, spelling out the standards and providing quizzes, additional activities, lesson plans, vocabulary, etc. At the end of each Web Adventure are links for further exploration, so students who finish early have something to do.

I think these are great tools for teachers to introduce concepts that may be less exciting to students. Having students complete the Web Adventures at the beginning of the unit would excite students and keep them interested throughout the lesson. My only hope is that they create more of the Web Adventures to expand a wider range of units and grades.

Bowling, K., L. Miller. (2012). Web Adventures: Explore Science One Game At A Time. Learning and Leading with Technology, 36, 34-35.

Will this be on the test?: What grades are doing to our students

How many times do you remember asking your teacher, "Will this be on the test?" or have a teacher tell you, "This is what you need to do to get an A". Students and teachers are so well trained to think about grades, that the content matter slips away. Studies show that students are less interested in a subject of they know they are being graded on it. It becomes a chore, therefore boring and uninteresting, often being erased from their minds once they "no longer need to know it". Alfie Kohn's article From Degrading to De-Grading, focuses on reasons we should stray away from grades all together. When students focus on grades, it becomes the main goal of their education, rather than learning. Kohn argues that students who are receiving a grade will choose the easiest assignment, if given a choice, because why wouldn't they do the least amount of work and effort to reach the same goal? This automatically makes the grade the goal, not the learning and assignment itself. This also leads to less critical and deep thinking. Students are doing what they need to get by.

Another disturbing thought are the teachers who expect a few good grades, a few bad grades, and most to fall in the middle. Our goal as teachers should be to get every student an A, so to speak. Students should all have the same ability and expectation to get an A, or achieve success. Focusing on grades ruins relationships between students and peers, as well as with teachers. Competition to be better than someone else, or to suck up to a teacher to get a good grade, impedes the learning process and can take up a lot of classroom time.

The problem in de-grading our schools lie in an easy way to evaluate students progress. How do we quantify the students' success without a grade? I was surprised to realize (a "duh" moment when I did) that grades are relatively arbitrary. Teachers put a numerical value on assignments and test questions that another teacher may place different value on. I think a non graded system would be more beneficial for students, but may be a lot more work for teachers and administrators. I think that a major obstacle is in re-vamping how we teach and assess students. I have no doubt it is extremely beneficial to students, but in a society that is so focused on status and built on competition, how easy will it be to convert?


Kohn, Alfie. (1999). "From Degrading to De-Grading". High School Magazine

Core Standards in Middle School

The Common Core State Standards movement is about setting standards that are the same across all states. It is the things that ALL students should know and be able to do by the time they graduate high school. I think this is a great movement. The common core standards help teachers develop lessons that will create a deeper understanding of the curriculum, rather than just knowing facts and methods.

For middle school, I think this transition will be extremely beneficial to students in preparing them for high school and college. Promoting collective thinking and peer lead discussions in solving problems and completing tasks can be very valuable. It allows students to get used to conversing with others and learning to understand their views. It also allows students to see many approaches to one solution. I also feel it is advantageous for students to read more non fiction. Many jobs, especially STEM careers and educational paths deal primarily with non fiction research and manuals. Learning to read and write based on non fiction sources will greatly increase their success in college and their careers.

There are a few road blocks to this movement. First of all is time. It takes a lot of time for teachers and administrators to revamp their lessons and strategies that they may have been using for years. It also has monetary road blocks. With budget cuts across the nation, schools are scraping by as it is, let alone trying to find more money, or more money in the budget to cover this core standards shift.

Overall, I am excited to see where this goes and its advantages to our students. It is unfortunate that the current economy is holding our students back.