I thought the Journell article was very useful. When I took TEAC 259: Instructional Technology I spent a lot of time concerned that many of the things we talked about wouldn't work in my classroom. This was one of the first points that Journell made: Students studying social science education hardly get the instruction needed in how to apply technology in their classrooms in a meaningful way. I think this article and the things we talked about in class last week truly enhance the way I think about utilizing technology in my future classroom.
I like the idea that inquiry-based instruction can take place through webquests. I think the important thing to remember with activities like this is that they shouldn't just be another research paper or presentation. The student needs to care about the topic they're looking into and want to make a great final product because they enjoyed doing the work behind it. I think the idea that these webquests lead to discussions amongst the students and in the class is unique. Never in my educational background did we discuss what we learned from other students' presentations, and I think that empowers the students who then feel like they have taught their peers something new.
The other two areas where we can use technology effectively, I don't necessarily agree with. In my personal experience as a secondary student, asking students to look around a museum website or a newspaper article just turns into social hour. There is little motivation to actually do the thing assigned to them with much effort put in. I wish the article had said more about how to get students engaged in that type of inquiry.
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