Journey of Self-Discovery

An Introductory Webquest For The Motorcycle Diaries

Introduction

As you are well aware, our Essential Question for Language, Literature, and Writing IV is “Who do I want to become, and what impact do I want to have on the world?” and what better way to figure some of that out than by actually seeing the world?!

Because I like you so much and am incredibly generous, I am giving you each $5,000 dollars to plan and implement a trip abroad. You better bring me back more than a t-shirt!

You are going to leave the day after graduation, June 8th , and travel until July 13th . This gives you a couple of weeks to get home in time to get ready for college.

TaskStudents will…

access technology to digitally explore the world and record their journeys

deal with authentic issues involving independence and travel

reflect upon their learning in writing

incorporate images to convey a message

discover new aspects about themselves

discover a new culture and appreciate/analyze its elements

make connections to the course essential question

have a foundation for the core novel: The Motorcycle Diaries

Process

Step 1: Set up your blog. Make sure to use first name, last initial, and class period in the url. This link must be shared with me via google.docs.

Step 2: Planning your trip!

Step 3: Compose your pre-travel blog (multiple paragraphs)

Step 4: Take your digital trip and blog on the things you see/experience/learn/ etc. (multiple paragraphs per entry)

Step 4: Compose your post-travel blog (multiple paragraphs)

ProductYour end product is the creation of a detailed travel blog that is both fictional/creative and non-fictional/factual.

You may use any blogging site you are comfortable with. If blogging is new to you, Blogger.com is a good basic site.

Please use first name, last initial, class period as the URL.

You must have at least 1 pre-travel blog, 5 travel blogs (one for each week of your “trip”), and 1 post travel blog. You may do more.

Blogs must have pictures and/or artifacts.

Blogs must have a bibliography of the sites you visited to gather your information.

The Blog

Please go to this site to review the top 10 best free bloggins sites. Pick one that you are comfortable with and create your Travel Blog.

http://topsitesblog.com/blog-websites/

Make sure your first name, last initial, and class period are in the url of your blog.

Come to me and please put your blog url into my google reader so that I may easily access your blog.

Create your bibliography section right away, so you can just add sites to it as you plan and then travel.

Planning Your Trip

Where will I travel to? What place will help me learn about who I am and others? Can I afford it? How will I travel? Where will I stay? What is my money worth there? Will I travel alone or with a companion? Etc!

There are so many decisions when it comes to traveling. Use the Trip Planning Resources to assist you.

The answers to the above questions should appear in some way in your Pre-travel Blog.

Trip Planning Resources A

Adventure Trip Ideas from National Geographic

32 Trips of a Lifetime from Conde Nast Traveler

Best Life-Changing Trips by Travel & Leisure

40 Trips To Change Your World by Travel & Leisure

Travelers Digest

Travel Warnings

Peace Corps

Volunteer Abroad

Trip Planning Resources B

Airfare Comparisons with Kayak

Currency Converter

Solo Travel

Best Places to Travel Alone

Hostel versus Hotel

Travelers’ Health & Vaccinations

Visa Requirements

Travel Checklist

Pre-Travel Blog

After reviewing all of the Trip Planning Resources and taking copious notes, you are ready to write your Pre-Travel Blog.

In the Pre-Travel Blog please explore where you are going and why that place appeals to you. What do you hope to get out of the trip? Also include your detailed plan for travel, rationale behind that plan, items to not forget, and some of the things you hope to see/do/experience.

Start Traveling! Using the search engines of your choice, begin

traveling.

Remember to keep real geography in mind (you would not fly from one end of a country to the other and then back again– you would travel extensively within a region).

Explore natural wonders, famous towns, museums, famous buildings, well-known eateries, unique stores, sporting events, theater, outdoor activities, etc.

You are to be interacting with the locals as well. You will need to explore people of the area.

Blogging As You Go

Keep blogging as you travel. You must compose at least 5 travel blogs.

Remember this is non-fictional and fictional writing. The places you go and things you do should be real. The stories you tell are not. You can make up relationships as well, but they should be based on life as much as possible.

Even though it is a digital format, please be sure that your writing has correct conventions (spelling, punctuation, usage, grammar, etc.)

Don’t forget to add pictures and artifacts to your blog as well!

Post-Travel Blog

Your blog should end with a reflective entry. In this entry you should reflect deeply on what you have learned about:

Travel in general

The places you visited

Most importantly, yourself

Evaluation

Click on the compass for the Scoring Guidelines for the Journey Of Self-Discovery Project

Conclusion This project was designed to help you learn about

yourselves and the world while digitally experiencing a little of what Ernesto Che Guevara went through during his life-altering trip across Latin America.

Now that you have digitally traveled abroad, hopefully it has inspired you to really go out there and see the world!

“You have brains in your head.You have feet in your shoes

You can steer yourselfany direction you choose.

You're on your own.  And you know what you know.And YOU are the guy who'll decide where to go.”

~ Dr. Suess