Presentation in Thessaloniki January 20th 2012

1. Franco Di Cataldo, Thessaloniki January 20 2012

2. Marshall McLuhan pointed out in the 1960s, media are not just passive channels of information. They supply the stuff of thought, but they also shape the process of thought. What the Net seems to be doing is chipping away my capacity for concentration and contemplation. (“ Is Google Making Us Stupid? What the Internet is doing to our brains” by NICHOLAS CARR ) 20/01/2012 Franco Di Cataldo

3. In Plato’s Phaedrus , Socrates bemoaned the development of writing. He feared that people “cease to exercise their memory and become forgetful.” And because they would be able to “receive a quantity of information without proper instruction.” They would be “filled with the conceit of wisdom instead of real wisdom.” Socrates wasn’t wrong—the new technology did often have the effects he feared—but he was shortsighted. He couldn’t foresee the many ways that writing and reading would serve to spread information, spur fresh ideas, and expand human knowledge (if not wisdom ). (“ Is Google Making Us Stupid? What the Internet is doing to our brains” by NICHOLAS CARR ) Just as there’s a tendency to glorify technological progress, there’s a countertendency to expect the worst of every new tool or machine. 20/01/2012 Franco Di Cataldo

5. Collective intelligence in the network An intelligence distributed everywhere, continuosly valued, coordinated, in real time, which really brings up new competences and develops the idea to belong to a wide citizenship 20/01/2012 Franco Di Cataldo

6. A wiki is a website that allows the construction of a learning community, with the participation of members and organizers. 20/01/2012 Franco Di Cataldo A wiki is a website whose users can add, modify, or delete its content via a web browser using a simplified markup language. Wikis are typically powered by wiki software and are often used collaboratively by multiple users. Today some companies use wikis as their only collaborative software and as a replacement for static intranets, and some schools and universities use wikis to enhance group learning. http://studentresearcher.wikispaces.com

7. Every member can contribute to the common project writing the pages of the website with the possibility of modifying the contents of the pages. Wiki pages generally include a discussion function, giving access to discussion forums which function much like asynchronous discussion boards. 20/01/2012 Franco Di Cataldo

8. The organizer is the webmaster of the website that maintains the history of the inside changes. It is possible to regulate the accesses so that some pages cannot be modified. It is possible to go back to an old version of a webpage and to maintain a trace of different contributions through the history function. A history function allows changes to be tracked by the students and/or by the teachers. Changes can be easily undone, if necessary. 20/01/2012 Franco Di Cataldo

9. AFRAID project - A short dissertation on fear represented in art. An instrument to support the immersion of students in the theme of representation of fear in art. 20/01/2012 Franco Di Cataldo Pose questions after becoming immersed in compelling information: students are provoked by what they are learning and want to learn more. By becoming immersed in ideas, students begin to pose questions or problems that drive the inquiry process. The questions or problems focus on content—but are also driven by social concerns or personally meaningful issues. From "Teaching Middle School Students to Be Active Researchers" by J. M. Zorfass and H. Copel

10. SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT project: study booklets produced by ENEA (Italian National Agency for the economic sustainable development) that can be downloaded from the ENEA website To learn how to access varied resources and materials: students develop a plan of action to guide their investigations. The plan draws on many sources of information and can change over time as new and unexpected doors to information appear and open. 20/01/2012 Franco Di Cataldo

11. To make meaning from the information the students have gathered : students not only gather information from a variety of resources but also consciously organize and make meaning of this information ( awareness ). Constructing knowledge involves analysis and synthesis; these processes involve critical thinking . 20/01/2012 Franco Di Cataldo

12. Students represent their knowledge in varied formats: using varied media, students express and display what they have learned to an audience. The inquiry process deepens the researchers' understanding of an issue or question and strengthens their skills as independent learners. In addition, by sharing information, students contribute to the knowledge base of others. Communication writing and illustrating a story in a collaborative way Communication through a discussion on a specific issue in the website A visual art communication A statistical communication 20/01/2012 Franco Di Cataldo

13. A WebQuest is an inquiry-oriented activity in which some or all of the information that learners interact with comes from resources on the internet. The instructional goal of a WebQuest is what is intended as an issue extending and refining knowledge. The webquest is a typical example of a didatical methodology as the students have an active role when researching. After completing a WebQuest, a learner would have analyzed a body of knowledge deeply, transformed it in some way, and demonstrated an understanding of the material. 20/01/2012 Franco Di Cataldo

15. The Evaluation block is a new addition to the WebQuest model. Clearly, if we're going to justify the expense of using the web for learning, we need to be able to measure results. Therefore, an alternate evaluation is needed: an authentic assessment tool which is particularly useful in assessing criteria which are complex and subjective. 20/01/2012 Franco Di Cataldo

16. The webquest is a typical example of a didatic methodology as the students have an active role when researching. A well designed webquest is much more than a simple research session as it develops more cognitive and metacognitive skills having been worked out on the idea of the students making use of those cognitive skills needed in areas of comparison, classification, induction, deduction, analysis of mistakes, thesis discussion, abstraction and analysis of possible future prospects. As the webquest takes place through a research process of discovery , the students learn to create a conceptual structure of their own which results to be solid but also ready to take on later developments so as to be able to investigate further research areas. 20/01/2012 Franco Di Cataldo

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18. Discover the Mediterranean v Research the four major ancient civilizations that were located in the Mediterranean region using the links listed in resources section. v With the cooperation of all your group members, print out a copy of the Mediterranean Region Graphic Organizer and divide the topics and civilizations listed between the group members. v Complete your part of the research and fill in the related areas on the graphic organizer. v In your group, discuss the information you have recorded. Use it to answer the question: Which ancient civilization from the Mediterranean region most influenced the modern world? v Your group must then prepare a PowerPoint presentation to present your findings, opinions, and ideas for the new exhibit to the museum board. PROCESS 20/01/2012 Franco Di Cataldo

19. 20/01/2012 Franco Di Cataldo A support to create a webquest from http://webquest.sdsu.edu/LessonTemplate.html An example for the evaluation >>

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