Wiki WebQuest Reflection

Preparing Future Students
In addition to the inherent nature of a wiki -- which gives countless individuals the ability to edit its contents at any given time (fostering student-centered learning) -- the wiki webquest offers a more visual and technological-based form of direct instruction (addressing a common student learning style preference and student interest).  The webquest itself (based on the novel The Great Gatsby and social class stratification in 1925 versus 2025) helps prepare students for the future by inviting them to think about the present through a lens of the past.  That is, as many have said a lot can be learned from just looking back at the past, students are made to take a look at the socioeconomic factors of wealth, family lineage/connections, education, marital status, race, and gender that applied in the 1920's, but also apply to today's social class hierarchical system.  The idea is to get students to see the inevitable parallelism between the kinds of separation and/or isolation that money and education can cause between people -- as well as the types of racial and gender discrimination people can inflict on each other -- regardless of the time period.
Core Values & Social Justice
Since a significant part of the 1920's and the foundation for The Great Gatsby is centered around the "American Dream", the webquest invites students to evaluate and/or consider the abovementioned socioeconomic factors alongside the values of ethics, logic, perseverance, responsibility, and resourcefulness.  In other words, students must ask themselves whether or not the characters in the novel are ultimately able to achieve the "American Dream" even though they live morally corrupt lives -- and whether or not someone today is able to do the same.  In this way, students realize the common tension between what one "is" (as defined by their social class status) and how one chooses to act upon their role in life (as seen through their actions, conversations, and treatment of other human beings).
As far as the concept of social justice, this webquest really lends itself to the issue of human inequality.  If people are to be judged and "ranked" according to what they (mostly) have little control of -- and are frequently ridiculed because of their position -- within the realm of social class stratification, then this is definitely evidence of a kind of inequality.
NCSS 8 & 9
In the webquest, students are invited to visit a few sites which mention the scientific inventions and technological progress of the 1920's.  The automobile is largely discussed as a pivotal turning point in the way Americans starting living and working, while other smaller inventions such as the refrigerator, radio, air-conditioning, and vacuum cleaners significantly improved people's lives.  Students are to reflect on how "commonplace" these object seem today, but also recognize what other kinds of inventions and technological improvements have been made since -- and how just like the automobile -- the internet has changed the way people live and work.  Even sources of communication (which were most commonly postal mail, the newspaper, and the radio in the 1920's) have changed dramatically over time, and students are urged to reflect on how communication is now largely driven by phone calls via cell phones, text messages, e-mail, and news by means of television programs and online websites in the 2020's.