2010/04/16 Week 5 Inquiry Based Learning

This week one of our goals in Inquiry Based Learning was to use web 2.0 tools to engage students in the inquiry process. This was by far one the more "fun" weeks to explore. I look at web 2.0 tools as a playground and who can resist a playground? Web 2.0 tools are the perfect vehicle to get your students interested in exploring and researching a topic. There is a multitude of sites to inspire everyone. It doesn't matter if you prefer writing poetry, painting pictures, designing graphs, organizing facts and figures, there is something for all tastes. The students who would otherwise be overwhelmed by traditional library research would be able to find a method of research on the web that fits their learning style. One of the best things a teacher could do for their students would be to introduce them to the many web tools available to use in an inquiry project. One of my very favorite places to get new ideas is from the site Janes Pick of the Day. This site is by Jane Knight, a Social Learning Specialist and founder of the Centre for Learning and Performance Technologies. Every day she features an item of e- learning interest. I have found it great place for resources. I encourage every teacher to expand their personal learning network and find sites like Jane's and help their students in the inquiry process.