Visit my nifty concept map at
http://www.mywebspiration.com/view/271495a31364
When I first entered the class on that fateful Thursday afternoon, I had no idea what a jolt of technology I would be receieving. I thought I had a pretty decent grasp on teaching strategies and knew about the latest and greatest. Boy was I ever wrong! Technology is always changing, and there are always new applications being released for the classroom. This was the first major insight I gained pertaining to the course.
Technology not only as an application, but as a resource.
Using technology to show students different ways on how to present material is of valuable interest to me. I always hated doing another dreaded, boring powerpoint for class material. I would end up hating the project and the content, and nothing was really gained. But after taking this course and seeing all the great proxy for information display and sharing I know I have more to give to my students.
The thing I valued most in the classroom was the sharing of the web based applications. I thought it was a great idea to create mini experts and then have them come back and give their assessment of a web based application. It's a great way to cover a lot of ground without losing a lot of time. Part of the battle with technology is having exposure, and by providing the concise presentations we are all much more knowledgable of such applications.
Technology is changing, and so is the career of the teacher. Technology has become such an ingrained part of the everyday citizen's life it would be ignorant and detrimental not to incorporate it into the classroom. I intend to make my best efforts to help show my students the value of technology in and outside of the classroom.
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Calling all Autobots for the "New Divide." (Thank you, Linkin Park & Michael Bay)
The fact that I even have to answer if as a teacher we should provide students "digital access" is absolutely preposterous. Of course we must! We live in a digital age, and denying our students basic access to technology is absolutely ridiculous. The fact that some students have more technology than they do at home is also absurd to me. Ignoring the technological environment would only spell catastrophe for our future. The world is changing---and for those who don't like technology need to get with he program. We live in a digital world and our students deserve to learn in a digital world. Not everythign needs to be technology based, but a substantial portion should be incoroporated. Why you may ask? I say, WHY NOT? From Webquests to Wikis, Digital History Projects to Zotero, the internet has a plethora of new and exciting strategeies for the teacher to utilize in the classroom. To feign ignorance and continue down the path of resistance is just silly. Is not the overall aim of education to provide a stimulating learning environment using all resources available to the teacher? Every avenue of learning must be explored, and if you're opposed to digital access, ask yourself, why? Do you not feel your students should be provided with as much opportunity as possible? This opportunity for bridging the digital divide comes in two waves, using the technology and having the technology in the classroom. Nothing makes me more irate than a wealthy school selfishly refusing to use technology and just letting it collect dust in the classroom.
As a teacher, I understand new technology can feel overwhelming. But we are teachers, people who love to learn. Why not learn and help our students out? If we choose to ignore the problem of digital access it will only further hinder them down the road when they need the skills the most--in the real world. God forbid we actually TEACH SOMETHING applicable to the real world. I can't tell you how many times of used matrices or had to separate acids from bases in my day to day life.
It doesnt need to start off as a major shift, make it transitional. There's a great website, http://www.educationworld.com/a_tech/tech/tech146.shtml. The site mentions 20 simple ways to start using technology in the classroom, such as a "this day in history moment" or exploring the digital history collections on the Library of Congress website. Also, for those who need some guidance in beginning their transition into the digital age, the site http://www.wtvi.com/teks/integrate/facilitatorssep99.htm has some great powerpoints on how to start becoming accustom to technology.
First and foremost, what are others doing out there to help bridge the digital divide. In Boston, on one of the largest scales, equity towards technology has become a huge issue as part of the local educational reform movement. (http://www.riverdeep.net/current/2002/01/011402t_divide.jhtml) Also, the city of Pittsburgh has been addressing both the physical lack of modern or even working technology as well as a lack of staff training in how to use or maintain computers.
(http://www.post-gazette.com/neigh_city/20010511techcity2.asp) The communities of East Paolo Alto, California (http://clinton4.nara.gov/WH/New/New_Markets-0004/20000417-6.html) and Selma, Alabama (http://www.ed.gov/Technology/digdiv.html) are examples of places where corporations have been the major donor for providing funds for technology in the classroom.
An article on CNN. com (http://archives.cnn.com/2000/TECH/computing/10/11/digital.divide/index.html) shows how detrimental the lack of technology can truly be on a person. This simply must not happen, and I will not be one of those teachers who sits by blindly aiding this plague of vacuous ignorance. The U.S. Department of Education even provides a "tool kit" for teachers, showing them how technology can become apart of the classroom. (http://www.ed.gov/Technology/tool_kit.html). This is one of the first steps I would take, grant writing. Grant writing seems less difficult and more tedious, but it would be worth it to provide further access to students. Also, I would seek out the wealthiest companies in the community and ask for their help. Afterall, tax donations are a large part of tax write offs for all corporations. I would also consider writing a letter to big technology companies, such as Apple, Microsoft, or Cisco.I would even send out a letter to parents letting them know of the dire situation in the classroom and provide reasons why we need technology and ask for their networking help. Parents themselves may night be able to help depending on their socioeconomic status, but they might know someone who can. Finally, I would get the government involved. How might 100s of letters addressed to a congressmen (eventually in a year of re-election) begging for technology help the situation? Politicians love a good publicity stunt and ways to enact their "humanitarian" side. Why not take advantage of the preposterous political climate, they certainly do!
All in all we are teachers and we must be creative! There are tons of ways to get technology in the classroom!
As a teacher, I understand new technology can feel overwhelming. But we are teachers, people who love to learn. Why not learn and help our students out? If we choose to ignore the problem of digital access it will only further hinder them down the road when they need the skills the most--in the real world. God forbid we actually TEACH SOMETHING applicable to the real world. I can't tell you how many times of used matrices or had to separate acids from bases in my day to day life.
It doesnt need to start off as a major shift, make it transitional. There's a great website, http://www.educationworld.com/a_tech/tech/tech146.shtml. The site mentions 20 simple ways to start using technology in the classroom, such as a "this day in history moment" or exploring the digital history collections on the Library of Congress website. Also, for those who need some guidance in beginning their transition into the digital age, the site http://www.wtvi.com/teks/integrate/facilitatorssep99.htm has some great powerpoints on how to start becoming accustom to technology.
First and foremost, what are others doing out there to help bridge the digital divide. In Boston, on one of the largest scales, equity towards technology has become a huge issue as part of the local educational reform movement. (http://www.riverdeep.net/current/2002/01/011402t_divide.jhtml) Also, the city of Pittsburgh has been addressing both the physical lack of modern or even working technology as well as a lack of staff training in how to use or maintain computers.
(http://www.post-gazette.com/neigh_city/20010511techcity2.asp) The communities of East Paolo Alto, California (http://clinton4.nara.gov/WH/New/New_Markets-0004/20000417-6.html) and Selma, Alabama (http://www.ed.gov/Technology/digdiv.html) are examples of places where corporations have been the major donor for providing funds for technology in the classroom.
An article on CNN. com (http://archives.cnn.com/2000/TECH/computing/10/11/digital.divide/index.html) shows how detrimental the lack of technology can truly be on a person. This simply must not happen, and I will not be one of those teachers who sits by blindly aiding this plague of vacuous ignorance. The U.S. Department of Education even provides a "tool kit" for teachers, showing them how technology can become apart of the classroom. (http://www.ed.gov/Technology/tool_kit.html). This is one of the first steps I would take, grant writing. Grant writing seems less difficult and more tedious, but it would be worth it to provide further access to students. Also, I would seek out the wealthiest companies in the community and ask for their help. Afterall, tax donations are a large part of tax write offs for all corporations. I would also consider writing a letter to big technology companies, such as Apple, Microsoft, or Cisco.I would even send out a letter to parents letting them know of the dire situation in the classroom and provide reasons why we need technology and ask for their networking help. Parents themselves may night be able to help depending on their socioeconomic status, but they might know someone who can. Finally, I would get the government involved. How might 100s of letters addressed to a congressmen (eventually in a year of re-election) begging for technology help the situation? Politicians love a good publicity stunt and ways to enact their "humanitarian" side. Why not take advantage of the preposterous political climate, they certainly do!
All in all we are teachers and we must be creative! There are tons of ways to get technology in the classroom!
Monday, November 9, 2009
"Greetings, Earthlings. Take me to your teacher leader."
Teacher leadership. It sounds nice enough, but what does it really mean? Is it something necessary or unessential? Although this may seem to be a poor question, often times it can be treated this way. Some people don't give any thought to the idea of teacher leaders. Teacher leadership is something we all need to examine, and the following two resources helped me attain a better grasp on the concept.
The first resource used was an interview conducted by Kate Reber and answered by Dr. Betsy Rogers. Dr. Rogers actually obtained her doctorate in educational leadership( http://www.teacherscount.org/topic/topic-rogers.shtml.) Essentially, teacher leadership is a phrase with a prolific definition. It can be anywhere from athletic coaches or policy making teachers. Teacher leadership not only includes being a superb instructor, but also being a leader outside of content and classroom. First and foremost, increasing and improving upon the quality is the most essential component of teacher leadership. A teacher always keeps in mind what is best for the students, not for his or her self. Dr. Rogers strongly advocates the creation of safe, and intellectually gratifying learning environments for her students.
The second resource used was an excerpt from the blog of Sheryl Beach. (http://21stcenturylearning.typepad.com/blog/2007/02/teacher_as_lead.html) Essentially a teacher leader reaches outside the four walls of the classroom and into the community. Beach talks about the link between teacher leadership and school success. She contends effective teacher leadership correlates strongly with school academic success. Beach also discusses how some teachers and administrators are being held accountable in the wake of No Child Left Behind. Beach also brings about the variegated definitions of teacher leadership by quoting some different references. First, describing it as"the ability to encourage colleagues to change, to do things they wouldn't ordinarily consider without the influence of the leader " and also as “teachers who are leaders within and beyond the classroom, identify with and contribute to a community of teacher learners and leaders, and influence others toward improved educational practice.” The resource also talks about the process of teacher leadership, contending that early leadership instruction is essential to teacher quality.
In looking at these two articles, it seems the general consensus is that there is no strict, definitive nature to being a teacher leader. But essentially it furthers the growth of educational development inside and outside me classroom. Personally, I concur that effective teachers try their hardest to be good teachers and participate in their community. Personally, I plan on obtaining a doctorate in curriculum and instruction so I can further the implementation of educational success. I believe there is a great deal of reform in education, and we musty begin with the teachers. What better way then have our instructors become more qualified? That being said, teachers need to be recognized and financially rewarded for such advances. Without the proper rewards and financial backing expanding teacher leadership could continue to move at a snail's pace.
Both resources talked heavily about participation outside the classroom and in the community. To play Devil's advocate, what are some of the potential pitfalls to teacher leadership? Are there any potential power abuse problems? Should all teachers be required to become qualified "leaders?" If so, how should this be implemented?
The first resource used was an interview conducted by Kate Reber and answered by Dr. Betsy Rogers. Dr. Rogers actually obtained her doctorate in educational leadership( http://www.teacherscount.org/topic/topic-rogers.shtml.) Essentially, teacher leadership is a phrase with a prolific definition. It can be anywhere from athletic coaches or policy making teachers. Teacher leadership not only includes being a superb instructor, but also being a leader outside of content and classroom. First and foremost, increasing and improving upon the quality is the most essential component of teacher leadership. A teacher always keeps in mind what is best for the students, not for his or her self. Dr. Rogers strongly advocates the creation of safe, and intellectually gratifying learning environments for her students.
The second resource used was an excerpt from the blog of Sheryl Beach. (http://21stcenturylearning.typepad.com/blog/2007/02/teacher_as_lead.html) Essentially a teacher leader reaches outside the four walls of the classroom and into the community. Beach talks about the link between teacher leadership and school success. She contends effective teacher leadership correlates strongly with school academic success. Beach also discusses how some teachers and administrators are being held accountable in the wake of No Child Left Behind. Beach also brings about the variegated definitions of teacher leadership by quoting some different references. First, describing it as"the ability to encourage colleagues to change, to do things they wouldn't ordinarily consider without the influence of the leader " and also as “teachers who are leaders within and beyond the classroom, identify with and contribute to a community of teacher learners and leaders, and influence others toward improved educational practice.” The resource also talks about the process of teacher leadership, contending that early leadership instruction is essential to teacher quality.
In looking at these two articles, it seems the general consensus is that there is no strict, definitive nature to being a teacher leader. But essentially it furthers the growth of educational development inside and outside me classroom. Personally, I concur that effective teachers try their hardest to be good teachers and participate in their community. Personally, I plan on obtaining a doctorate in curriculum and instruction so I can further the implementation of educational success. I believe there is a great deal of reform in education, and we musty begin with the teachers. What better way then have our instructors become more qualified? That being said, teachers need to be recognized and financially rewarded for such advances. Without the proper rewards and financial backing expanding teacher leadership could continue to move at a snail's pace.
Both resources talked heavily about participation outside the classroom and in the community. To play Devil's advocate, what are some of the potential pitfalls to teacher leadership? Are there any potential power abuse problems? Should all teachers be required to become qualified "leaders?" If so, how should this be implemented?
Monday, November 2, 2009
"Damn girl, that student got NETWORKED!"
Prior to the days of the advent of the Internet, the human network used to be a much smaller, isolated place. People could only communicate through letter and e-mail, and inter-continental communication was inefficient. Less people would and could communicate with each other. You used to only be able to meet people through others, and the opportunities were vastly different. The basic human network was the exchange of information and ideas amongst a limited set of people, typically when they were all in the same room or on a long distance phone call. The human network was much smaller, compact, and isolated. NOW the human network is virtually unlimited. Anytime of day, week, year people can contact each other. Exchange of thoughts and emotions has never been simpler. People actually meet each other on the Internet, and THEN meet in person.
Not far from this, the networked student is essentially a pupil who is able to utilize vast technological resources to connect globally with people to gain the most insight and best possible information available. The networked student virtually has no limitations on what he or she may learn, or how he may learn it. I think a central aspect of the networked student is connecting with people of other countries and cultures, and seeing things from their perspectives.
Of course, digital literacy is an integral component to the successful aspect of each networked students. With all the good the Internet can provide today, there is plenty of bad. Students must be able to be savvy enough to sift through all the nonsensical material and evaluate for themselves the credibility of websites. Students must also maintain their own ethical standards, knowing which sites to visit and which sites are not appropriate to visit. There is also digital literacy etiquette to learn, such as appropriate behavior on a web chat or live video conference. Digital literacy is a highly untaught component in my opinion, which brings us to the role of the teacher.
For the networked student, the teacher must serve as the ultimate facilitator. Much of the responsibility falls on the teacher for the successful implementation of networking. First and foremost, teachers must provide their students with the appropriate technological tools, and coach them in the field of "digital literacy." Teachers must serve to supervise and moderate class discussion and success. The teacher simply cannot sit back and enjoy the show, but must guide the students in their learning. Although the learning is largely independent, each classroom still needs a teacher for a basis of the assignment.
Personally, I believe this model of instruction is great as long the teacher maintains an active role in all the assignments. Student generated learning is fantastic, and I think this model can work well as a hybrid with some of the other more conventional methods.
Below is a site of networked learning I enjoyed examining because it's actually occurring outside of the school year. And yes, students ACTUALLY responded. I think the blog is a brilliant idea to keep students on task with any summer reading required.
http://teachers.emints.org/FY04/youngj/bookclub/
To play devil's advocate, what are some ways that networked learning can actually hinder student learning?
Not far from this, the networked student is essentially a pupil who is able to utilize vast technological resources to connect globally with people to gain the most insight and best possible information available. The networked student virtually has no limitations on what he or she may learn, or how he may learn it. I think a central aspect of the networked student is connecting with people of other countries and cultures, and seeing things from their perspectives.
Of course, digital literacy is an integral component to the successful aspect of each networked students. With all the good the Internet can provide today, there is plenty of bad. Students must be able to be savvy enough to sift through all the nonsensical material and evaluate for themselves the credibility of websites. Students must also maintain their own ethical standards, knowing which sites to visit and which sites are not appropriate to visit. There is also digital literacy etiquette to learn, such as appropriate behavior on a web chat or live video conference. Digital literacy is a highly untaught component in my opinion, which brings us to the role of the teacher.
For the networked student, the teacher must serve as the ultimate facilitator. Much of the responsibility falls on the teacher for the successful implementation of networking. First and foremost, teachers must provide their students with the appropriate technological tools, and coach them in the field of "digital literacy." Teachers must serve to supervise and moderate class discussion and success. The teacher simply cannot sit back and enjoy the show, but must guide the students in their learning. Although the learning is largely independent, each classroom still needs a teacher for a basis of the assignment.
Personally, I believe this model of instruction is great as long the teacher maintains an active role in all the assignments. Student generated learning is fantastic, and I think this model can work well as a hybrid with some of the other more conventional methods.
Below is a site of networked learning I enjoyed examining because it's actually occurring outside of the school year. And yes, students ACTUALLY responded. I think the blog is a brilliant idea to keep students on task with any summer reading required.
http://teachers.emints.org/FY04/youngj/bookclub/
To play devil's advocate, what are some ways that networked learning can actually hinder student learning?
Monday, October 26, 2009
Class Notes Thursday, October 22, 2009
Nice work, Ladies & Gents!
These notes were taken on various types of Service Learning Projects and how they can be taught by using various technologies.
Technology Notes
Chance
Cartoon movie extranormal.com
Civic values and active participation
Create a movie as a public service announcement
Z.
Create a lesson about using multimedia voting rights museum. Make lesson of own. Through skype, teach it to younger students. Website students can use forever. Show younger people how it is important.
Michael
Oral history. 1.5 million Americans nursing home. Isolated. Digital storytelling. Images with audio.
Adam
Voter registration/ get them to pre register to vote. Presentations, going to community center to get students interested. Incorporate media presentations to help get out the vote.
Megan
Human trafficking, 13th amendment. 17,000 people are trafficked. A non issue not discussed about. For high school students to spread awareness. Get into 4 groups to answer questions about how it is occurring in the real world. Use digital storytelling, pod casts. Letter writing campaign to congress. Website as a resource.
Taking it school wide. Also helps for students to recognize representatives.
Change twitter symbol or FB picture to awareness symbol. Social networking.
Jennifer
Letters electronically, to go overseas. Military and student interaction. Send different videos to people.
Jeremy
War on drugs, generating awareness. You tube clips changing times with drugs.
Important videos, images and music. Wikipedia going over all aspects of drugs.
Write representatives on a drug issue. Montage. Call to action.
Megan
Contacting soldiers through website to garner support. Weekly blogs, writing pen pal, upload videos, construct care packages. Soldiers from local community.
Liz
Operation Christmas boxes
Work with homeless, volunteer
Blogging and using zoozle
Pod cast reflection, make it personal
Eric
Using internet to improve lives of elderly
research project, communication outside of home. Life satisfaction
Teaching technology. Email, aim.
Megan
Immigration. Creating a Wiki. Presentations for school-wide viewing. Focus on culture and looking at school systems.
Mallory
Costs behind habitat for humanity. Glister. Interview different volunteers. Do research to find cost effective things. Students place reports on wikis, interviews families that have received homes.
Louisa
Nursing homes. Class wiki, vodcast. Help old people feel involved. Have a viewing party at the nursing home. Lives still important. Can compare daily lives.
Mark
Storybird. Global warming storytelling technique. Text and illustration. Keeps class involved with politicians.
Katy
Digital storytelling. Music, images, and texts. Visit local nursing home. Guiding questions. Getting to know elderly and students. Videos created by students about the interview/
Jeff
Local park. Environment. Building awareness of people’s effect on the environment.
Images with voiceover. Get people involved! Teaching experience for students. Wildlife awareness and conservation. Blog and videos acceptable.
Megan
Students research video turnout and stats in election. Look at social aspects of presidential elections. Using prezi to display. Interview with residents about past elections. Impact of media. Mini oral history project. Audio or video recording.
Return to the home to show the projects.
Brit
Increase voter turnout. Learn about frequency. Generate a survey, like survey monkey. Use of social networking sites. Action taken by students.
Nichole
Your vote. Students will raise awareness on voting by creating a campaign. Use google motion chart, trends from the past. Look at various demographics.
Angie
Educating students about individual rights. Look at declaration of independence and other primary docs. Individual rights. Small groups. Research topics. Class Wiki,
Can continue to use Wiki as a perpetual research.
Trish
Communicating with students in Japan. Expand socializing among different cultures. Letter exchange. Relate on perspectives on history and other subjects.
Wiki, assessment paper looking at bias and stereotypes
Opportunity to practice language, and confidence in something useful.
Allison
Patriot Act. Activity researching newspaper articles and how affected public opinion of Muslims. Research. Tradebooks, "Ask me no questions." Interviewing people's perspectives on the patriot act. Correlate today with WW2 Japanese perspective. Raising public awareness of government power.
Carrie
Unit on Cold War. Pick person, mural, landmark, etc. Come up with questions, wiki. Other classrooms and community invited to expand the wiki to cover more community history. Student articles will be published to bring awareness to the community.
Grizz
Geography of Haiti. Discuss school issues, systems, day to day aspects of learning. Cultural exchange between U.S. and Haiti. Class website collaboration between the two sets of students. Cover everything learned about each other and discuss any changes in perspective. Collecting funds.
These notes were taken on various types of Service Learning Projects and how they can be taught by using various technologies.
Technology Notes
Chance
Cartoon movie extranormal.com
Civic values and active participation
Create a movie as a public service announcement
Z.
Create a lesson about using multimedia voting rights museum. Make lesson of own. Through skype, teach it to younger students. Website students can use forever. Show younger people how it is important.
Michael
Oral history. 1.5 million Americans nursing home. Isolated. Digital storytelling. Images with audio.
Adam
Voter registration/ get them to pre register to vote. Presentations, going to community center to get students interested. Incorporate media presentations to help get out the vote.
Megan
Human trafficking, 13th amendment. 17,000 people are trafficked. A non issue not discussed about. For high school students to spread awareness. Get into 4 groups to answer questions about how it is occurring in the real world. Use digital storytelling, pod casts. Letter writing campaign to congress. Website as a resource.
Taking it school wide. Also helps for students to recognize representatives.
Change twitter symbol or FB picture to awareness symbol. Social networking.
Jennifer
Letters electronically, to go overseas. Military and student interaction. Send different videos to people.
Jeremy
War on drugs, generating awareness. You tube clips changing times with drugs.
Important videos, images and music. Wikipedia going over all aspects of drugs.
Write representatives on a drug issue. Montage. Call to action.
Megan
Contacting soldiers through website to garner support. Weekly blogs, writing pen pal, upload videos, construct care packages. Soldiers from local community.
Liz
Operation Christmas boxes
Work with homeless, volunteer
Blogging and using zoozle
Pod cast reflection, make it personal
Eric
Using internet to improve lives of elderly
research project, communication outside of home. Life satisfaction
Teaching technology. Email, aim.
Megan
Immigration. Creating a Wiki. Presentations for school-wide viewing. Focus on culture and looking at school systems.
Mallory
Costs behind habitat for humanity. Glister. Interview different volunteers. Do research to find cost effective things. Students place reports on wikis, interviews families that have received homes.
Louisa
Nursing homes. Class wiki, vodcast. Help old people feel involved. Have a viewing party at the nursing home. Lives still important. Can compare daily lives.
Mark
Storybird. Global warming storytelling technique. Text and illustration. Keeps class involved with politicians.
Katy
Digital storytelling. Music, images, and texts. Visit local nursing home. Guiding questions. Getting to know elderly and students. Videos created by students about the interview/
Jeff
Local park. Environment. Building awareness of people’s effect on the environment.
Images with voiceover. Get people involved! Teaching experience for students. Wildlife awareness and conservation. Blog and videos acceptable.
Megan
Students research video turnout and stats in election. Look at social aspects of presidential elections. Using prezi to display. Interview with residents about past elections. Impact of media. Mini oral history project. Audio or video recording.
Return to the home to show the projects.
Brit
Increase voter turnout. Learn about frequency. Generate a survey, like survey monkey. Use of social networking sites. Action taken by students.
Nichole
Your vote. Students will raise awareness on voting by creating a campaign. Use google motion chart, trends from the past. Look at various demographics.
Angie
Educating students about individual rights. Look at declaration of independence and other primary docs. Individual rights. Small groups. Research topics. Class Wiki,
Can continue to use Wiki as a perpetual research.
Trish
Communicating with students in Japan. Expand socializing among different cultures. Letter exchange. Relate on perspectives on history and other subjects.
Wiki, assessment paper looking at bias and stereotypes
Opportunity to practice language, and confidence in something useful.
Allison
Patriot Act. Activity researching newspaper articles and how affected public opinion of Muslims. Research. Tradebooks, "Ask me no questions." Interviewing people's perspectives on the patriot act. Correlate today with WW2 Japanese perspective. Raising public awareness of government power.
Carrie
Unit on Cold War. Pick person, mural, landmark, etc. Come up with questions, wiki. Other classrooms and community invited to expand the wiki to cover more community history. Student articles will be published to bring awareness to the community.
Grizz
Geography of Haiti. Discuss school issues, systems, day to day aspects of learning. Cultural exchange between U.S. and Haiti. Class website collaboration between the two sets of students. Cover everything learned about each other and discuss any changes in perspective. Collecting funds.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Service Learning Project
Service Learning Unit
Title: Honoring Our Veterans: An Understanding of Sacrifice
Area of Service: Civic Responsibility and Appreciation
Grade Level: 8-12
Subject Area: American History
Standards Met:
SS.8.A.1.7: View historic events through the eyes of those who were there as shown in their art, writings, music, and artifacts.
SS.912.C.2.5: Conduct a service project to further the public good.
SS.8.A.1.1: Provide supporting details for an answer from text, interview for oral history, check validity of information from research/text, and identify strong vs. weak arguments.
National Educational Technology Standards:
Creativity and Innovation
Students create original works as a means of personal or group expression.
Communication Tools
Students communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences using a variety of media and formats.
Students use telecommunications to collaborate, publish, and interact with peers, experts, and other audiences.
Research and Information Fluency
Students use technology to locate, evaluate, and collect information from a variety of sources.
Unit Description:
To most students, November 11th, is just another day to have a day off from school. I would even venture to say most people don’t really take a full acknowledgement of this important day. Veteran’s Day is an underappreciated and under celebrated holiday of American society. The main goal for students involved in this activity is to gain a deeper appreciation for those who risked their lives for freedom and share their newfound awareness with others, via technological platforms.
First, to gain an understanding of what Veterans mean and have done for the students every student will come up to the Smart board and write down the first words that come to mind. After every student has contributed, the teacher will select some words and have the students elaborate on their feelings pertaining to the words in a classroom discussion.
Next, the students will introduce the main assignment/activity to the students. Each student will be required to play reporter, and select a Veteran from any US war; such as World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Persian Gulf, Iraq, and Afghanistan.
The students will conduct at least a 20-30 minute interview, and will be required to compose their own questions about their participation and sacrifice in the various war efforts.
Once the students have chosen which war Veteran, prior to the interview students will be required to do some background research on the war they have selected, using Wikipedia. This is required just to give some basic knowledge to each student before the interview, so they at least know the basics behind each war. Students will be provided question prompts (What the war was about, Who was involved, Who won and lost) for their research. Students will be welcomed to use any other reliable internet resources, as long as they are cited in their research.
Once the students have done their research, the students will be asked to post their first blog assignment. Students will post their answers (in their own words) to their blog. The blog assignment one will have a description of the war and answers to the questions. Every student will be required to respond to at least three posts, on a war they are not interviewing about. The students will discuss what they have learned from each students posting.
Next, the students will conduct their interview with the Veteran of their choice. During the interview, the student will decide to record a two minute audio clip of their speaker. The speaker will be made aware of this by the student. Each student will be required to make a podcast with this recording, and provide an introduction and conclusion to the clip.
The instructor will gather all the Podcasts and create an entire collection, and post them on iTunes and make them available for anybody to see and subscribe to, hopefully furthering public interest.
Students will be required to complete two more blog posts. The first of which, the students are to list their questions asked to the veterans and the responses of the Veterans.
Students will also be required to discuss their experience from the interview. Students will discuss how the interview may have affected them, changed their understanding of the war, etc. Students will then be asked to respond to three more of their students posts on their experience.
The second post will require the student to do a basic follow-up with the Veteran of choice. The student will show the Veteran or make aware of the podcast collection. The student will ask for the thoughts/feelings on the collection and then blog about the Veteran’s reaction. Students will be required to respond to 3 more additional posts.
The overall goal of the assignment is to bring reality to each historic war. Most people don’t truly grasp the intensity of war, and by placing each student with a Veteran it helps humanize the idea of war. Students will gain a comprehensive understanding of the sacrifices made by our men and women, and see how it affects their friends and families. Students are to gain a renewed appreciation for these courageous men and women and make their findings known to the public via a podcast and have it presented around Veteran’s Day.
Technologies Utilized:
• Smart Board- Used as a brainstorming discussion assignment in class, gives instructor an idea of the background knowledge students have on the subject of Veterans.
• Internet/Wikipedia- Using reliable resources, students will research their war pertaining to the Veteran prior to the interview.
• Blog- Students will compose their thoughts, feelings, and attitudes on the assignment on the blog and be asked to interact with their peers in discussion. Students will also post the questions and answers from the interview.
• Podcast- Students will record themselves (introducing and concluding) and a two minute audio clip of their veteran describing their experience during the war. The teacher will compile all the Podcasts to create a collection, and make publicly available on iTunes.
Assessment:
Students will be assessed on the completion of the interview, creation of the Podcast, and the active participation in the blog assignment. Grading will go as follows:
Total: 100 points
Podcast Interview with Veteran (2 minute audio clip with intro and conclusion): 40 points
Quality Blog Participation (Includes 3 posts by the student, and 9 responses total): 60 points
Title: Honoring Our Veterans: An Understanding of Sacrifice
Area of Service: Civic Responsibility and Appreciation
Grade Level: 8-12
Subject Area: American History
Standards Met:
SS.8.A.1.7: View historic events through the eyes of those who were there as shown in their art, writings, music, and artifacts.
SS.912.C.2.5: Conduct a service project to further the public good.
SS.8.A.1.1: Provide supporting details for an answer from text, interview for oral history, check validity of information from research/text, and identify strong vs. weak arguments.
National Educational Technology Standards:
Creativity and Innovation
Students create original works as a means of personal or group expression.
Communication Tools
Students communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences using a variety of media and formats.
Students use telecommunications to collaborate, publish, and interact with peers, experts, and other audiences.
Research and Information Fluency
Students use technology to locate, evaluate, and collect information from a variety of sources.
Unit Description:
To most students, November 11th, is just another day to have a day off from school. I would even venture to say most people don’t really take a full acknowledgement of this important day. Veteran’s Day is an underappreciated and under celebrated holiday of American society. The main goal for students involved in this activity is to gain a deeper appreciation for those who risked their lives for freedom and share their newfound awareness with others, via technological platforms.
First, to gain an understanding of what Veterans mean and have done for the students every student will come up to the Smart board and write down the first words that come to mind. After every student has contributed, the teacher will select some words and have the students elaborate on their feelings pertaining to the words in a classroom discussion.
Next, the students will introduce the main assignment/activity to the students. Each student will be required to play reporter, and select a Veteran from any US war; such as World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Persian Gulf, Iraq, and Afghanistan.
The students will conduct at least a 20-30 minute interview, and will be required to compose their own questions about their participation and sacrifice in the various war efforts.
Once the students have chosen which war Veteran, prior to the interview students will be required to do some background research on the war they have selected, using Wikipedia. This is required just to give some basic knowledge to each student before the interview, so they at least know the basics behind each war. Students will be provided question prompts (What the war was about, Who was involved, Who won and lost) for their research. Students will be welcomed to use any other reliable internet resources, as long as they are cited in their research.
Once the students have done their research, the students will be asked to post their first blog assignment. Students will post their answers (in their own words) to their blog. The blog assignment one will have a description of the war and answers to the questions. Every student will be required to respond to at least three posts, on a war they are not interviewing about. The students will discuss what they have learned from each students posting.
Next, the students will conduct their interview with the Veteran of their choice. During the interview, the student will decide to record a two minute audio clip of their speaker. The speaker will be made aware of this by the student. Each student will be required to make a podcast with this recording, and provide an introduction and conclusion to the clip.
The instructor will gather all the Podcasts and create an entire collection, and post them on iTunes and make them available for anybody to see and subscribe to, hopefully furthering public interest.
Students will be required to complete two more blog posts. The first of which, the students are to list their questions asked to the veterans and the responses of the Veterans.
Students will also be required to discuss their experience from the interview. Students will discuss how the interview may have affected them, changed their understanding of the war, etc. Students will then be asked to respond to three more of their students posts on their experience.
The second post will require the student to do a basic follow-up with the Veteran of choice. The student will show the Veteran or make aware of the podcast collection. The student will ask for the thoughts/feelings on the collection and then blog about the Veteran’s reaction. Students will be required to respond to 3 more additional posts.
The overall goal of the assignment is to bring reality to each historic war. Most people don’t truly grasp the intensity of war, and by placing each student with a Veteran it helps humanize the idea of war. Students will gain a comprehensive understanding of the sacrifices made by our men and women, and see how it affects their friends and families. Students are to gain a renewed appreciation for these courageous men and women and make their findings known to the public via a podcast and have it presented around Veteran’s Day.
Technologies Utilized:
• Smart Board- Used as a brainstorming discussion assignment in class, gives instructor an idea of the background knowledge students have on the subject of Veterans.
• Internet/Wikipedia- Using reliable resources, students will research their war pertaining to the Veteran prior to the interview.
• Blog- Students will compose their thoughts, feelings, and attitudes on the assignment on the blog and be asked to interact with their peers in discussion. Students will also post the questions and answers from the interview.
• Podcast- Students will record themselves (introducing and concluding) and a two minute audio clip of their veteran describing their experience during the war. The teacher will compile all the Podcasts to create a collection, and make publicly available on iTunes.
Assessment:
Students will be assessed on the completion of the interview, creation of the Podcast, and the active participation in the blog assignment. Grading will go as follows:
Total: 100 points
Podcast Interview with Veteran (2 minute audio clip with intro and conclusion): 40 points
Quality Blog Participation (Includes 3 posts by the student, and 9 responses total): 60 points
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