ACTIVITY 1: DIGITAL AGE LEARNING
SOL: 7.5
NETS-S: C/T 6-8.1
This lesson is intended for a 7th grade English class. Using the photo book application Storehouse, on the ipad, I am having my students create a storybook that depicts five plot elements. The students are placed in groups of four or five, each group equipped with an ipad and a storybook, and they are required to read the storybook and then search for images or take pictures that represent each plot element in the story. I designed the activity to be the application of students knowledge of the plot elements and structure, which I would have taught the class period before. I decided to make it a collaborative activity to save time during presentations and divide the workload between several students. There are the two things I would change about the lesson, the first being the amount of days allotted for the activity. In my original plan I designed the lesson to be taught in one class period, including the introduction of the ipad and Storehouse application. I did not take into account that some students may not be familiar with taking, searching, or uploading pictures to ipad, nor did I take into account the time I would have to take to show students how to use Storehouse. I believe that one class period should be spent properly introducing the tool and program to be used, including the rules and expectations attached to each. Following, students will be given one class period to complete the assignment. I stated that they would present their visual storybooks, but for sake of time that may change. The second thing I would change is how I group the students. I did not assign students roles in this activity, but after going through the lesson plan I believe students would benefit from being given specific jobs to complete the task. Overall I think the activity is a great way for students to demonstrate their knowledge and learn a new way to utilize a tool they may all be familiar with. On the left is an example of the rubric I will use to grade the assignment. I discuss this rubric and the article that featured it in my PLN.
Please click Activity 1 to find the lesson.
NETS-S: C/T 6-8.1
This lesson is intended for a 7th grade English class. Using the photo book application Storehouse, on the ipad, I am having my students create a storybook that depicts five plot elements. The students are placed in groups of four or five, each group equipped with an ipad and a storybook, and they are required to read the storybook and then search for images or take pictures that represent each plot element in the story. I designed the activity to be the application of students knowledge of the plot elements and structure, which I would have taught the class period before. I decided to make it a collaborative activity to save time during presentations and divide the workload between several students. There are the two things I would change about the lesson, the first being the amount of days allotted for the activity. In my original plan I designed the lesson to be taught in one class period, including the introduction of the ipad and Storehouse application. I did not take into account that some students may not be familiar with taking, searching, or uploading pictures to ipad, nor did I take into account the time I would have to take to show students how to use Storehouse. I believe that one class period should be spent properly introducing the tool and program to be used, including the rules and expectations attached to each. Following, students will be given one class period to complete the assignment. I stated that they would present their visual storybooks, but for sake of time that may change. The second thing I would change is how I group the students. I did not assign students roles in this activity, but after going through the lesson plan I believe students would benefit from being given specific jobs to complete the task. Overall I think the activity is a great way for students to demonstrate their knowledge and learn a new way to utilize a tool they may all be familiar with. On the left is an example of the rubric I will use to grade the assignment. I discuss this rubric and the article that featured it in my PLN.
Please click Activity 1 to find the lesson.
ACTIVITY 2: DIGITAL CITIZENSHIP
VDOE TECHNOLOGY SOL
Social and Ethical Issues
C/T 6-8.3 Make responsible decisions—grounded in knowledge of digital safety and
security best practices—that pertain to various digital communication tools and
methods.
B. Discuss and model responsible behaviors when using information and
technology.
• Identify examples of inappropriate or bullying online behavior and
demonstrate an understanding of the reasons why such behavior is
inappropriate in a civil society.
Reflection on Cyberbullying
While I completed this viocethread and Prezi, I have to admit that I became very passionate about getting the information on cyberbullying across to students. I am a big advocate for the fight against bullying partly because of the way it has affected my family. One of my family members was physically and verbally bullied all throughout the 7th grade. Students would hit her, stuff her in lockers, call her names, talk about her clothes, pull her hair, torment her to the point she was afraid to go to school. The terrible thing was that she felt she could not tell anyone (we just found out about a year ago and she is now 23). The bullying sent her in a downward spiral where she began to believe she was worthless, became angry and bitter with everyone, and began attempting suicide. It was not until about a year ago, that she found a release through writing and working with children, and began seeing herself in a different light. Bullying is nothing but a cancer that is killing our children, and as a middle school educator I plan to fight against this monster.
Cyberbullying has become the deadliest way to bully others because it does not stop when the school bell rings. cyberbullying allows bullies to target their victims at night, early in the morning, on weekends, and on school vacations. The constant tormenting can cause a student to feel like there is no escape except to leave this earth, and that is why it is important for students to understand the damaging effects of cyberbulling. While cyberbullies know that they are hurting their targets, I do not believe that all understand the magnitude to which their bullying is mentally and emotionally ruining their target. As students continue to use technology and social media, it is our jobs as educators to make sure they understand the importance of digital etiquette, exhibiting responsible behavior, and disengaging in any cyberbullying. It is also our job to educate them on how to report inappropriate behavior and cyberbullying as that too is their duty as cyber citizens.
Cyberbullying Prezi
Social and Ethical Issues
C/T 6-8.3 Make responsible decisions—grounded in knowledge of digital safety and
security best practices—that pertain to various digital communication tools and
methods.
B. Discuss and model responsible behaviors when using information and
technology.
• Identify examples of inappropriate or bullying online behavior and
demonstrate an understanding of the reasons why such behavior is
inappropriate in a civil society.
Reflection on Cyberbullying
While I completed this viocethread and Prezi, I have to admit that I became very passionate about getting the information on cyberbullying across to students. I am a big advocate for the fight against bullying partly because of the way it has affected my family. One of my family members was physically and verbally bullied all throughout the 7th grade. Students would hit her, stuff her in lockers, call her names, talk about her clothes, pull her hair, torment her to the point she was afraid to go to school. The terrible thing was that she felt she could not tell anyone (we just found out about a year ago and she is now 23). The bullying sent her in a downward spiral where she began to believe she was worthless, became angry and bitter with everyone, and began attempting suicide. It was not until about a year ago, that she found a release through writing and working with children, and began seeing herself in a different light. Bullying is nothing but a cancer that is killing our children, and as a middle school educator I plan to fight against this monster.
Cyberbullying has become the deadliest way to bully others because it does not stop when the school bell rings. cyberbullying allows bullies to target their victims at night, early in the morning, on weekends, and on school vacations. The constant tormenting can cause a student to feel like there is no escape except to leave this earth, and that is why it is important for students to understand the damaging effects of cyberbulling. While cyberbullies know that they are hurting their targets, I do not believe that all understand the magnitude to which their bullying is mentally and emotionally ruining their target. As students continue to use technology and social media, it is our jobs as educators to make sure they understand the importance of digital etiquette, exhibiting responsible behavior, and disengaging in any cyberbullying. It is also our job to educate them on how to report inappropriate behavior and cyberbullying as that too is their duty as cyber citizens.
Cyberbullying Prezi
ACTIVITY 3: LONG WALK TO WATER GOOGLE TREK
SOL: 8.7
VDOE TECHNOLOGY SOL: C/T 6-8.7; 6-8.8
NETS-S: 1A; 2A
This activity is designed to coincide with the book Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park.
I truly am proud of this activity because it makes the book Long Walk to Water more meaningful. I remember the first time I read it with a group of students and their lackadaisical reaction to it. I knew then that it was important for students to understand that the unsafe water crisis is still a current problem. I also knew that students would only learn the relevance if they had the opportunity to see it for themselves. Google Trek is an interesting tool that makes learning about the countries fun because of the visual it provides. In addition, the snapshot information makes researching a bit easier because the students are already presented with information and they have a higher chance of becoming interested in continuing research based on what they read. What I like most about this activity is the culmination between researching and writing. It requires students to demonstrate their learned knowledge of persuasive writing in a creative way (instead of the usual prompt and five paragraphs). They are not only learning about research, but they are learning how to communicate their findings to educate others.
Though I enjoyed creating this activity, it can not go without saying that it was one of the hardest I had to complete. If I learned anything it is that technology is not easy. I encountered many problems along the way - the biggest one was switching back to classic Google Maps which I never could do - that made me want to give up. I imagine that is how a lot of my students feel when they are learning a new skill. Often times I get frustrated with their lack of effort when I should appreciate the fact that they too get frustrated with new challenges. Through this activity I realized that I need to be more understanding of my students struggles. I need to be more patient with them and assist them in working through the challenges they encounter when learning new content. If I could change anything about this activity it would be the amount of sources I provided the students. I believe I started off giving them too many sources, which defeats the purpose of having them find other sources on their own. In the end, I am really impressed with Google Trek. It is a remarkable tool that puts a fun twist on learning new information. I will definitely be adding Google Trek to my list of technological tools.
You can find my Google Trek Map and lesson plan by clicking on the appropriate links below:
Long Walk to Water Google Trek Map
Click here to view the lesson plan for the Long Walk to Water Google Trek Map Project
VDOE TECHNOLOGY SOL: C/T 6-8.7; 6-8.8
NETS-S: 1A; 2A
This activity is designed to coincide with the book Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park.
I truly am proud of this activity because it makes the book Long Walk to Water more meaningful. I remember the first time I read it with a group of students and their lackadaisical reaction to it. I knew then that it was important for students to understand that the unsafe water crisis is still a current problem. I also knew that students would only learn the relevance if they had the opportunity to see it for themselves. Google Trek is an interesting tool that makes learning about the countries fun because of the visual it provides. In addition, the snapshot information makes researching a bit easier because the students are already presented with information and they have a higher chance of becoming interested in continuing research based on what they read. What I like most about this activity is the culmination between researching and writing. It requires students to demonstrate their learned knowledge of persuasive writing in a creative way (instead of the usual prompt and five paragraphs). They are not only learning about research, but they are learning how to communicate their findings to educate others.
Though I enjoyed creating this activity, it can not go without saying that it was one of the hardest I had to complete. If I learned anything it is that technology is not easy. I encountered many problems along the way - the biggest one was switching back to classic Google Maps which I never could do - that made me want to give up. I imagine that is how a lot of my students feel when they are learning a new skill. Often times I get frustrated with their lack of effort when I should appreciate the fact that they too get frustrated with new challenges. Through this activity I realized that I need to be more understanding of my students struggles. I need to be more patient with them and assist them in working through the challenges they encounter when learning new content. If I could change anything about this activity it would be the amount of sources I provided the students. I believe I started off giving them too many sources, which defeats the purpose of having them find other sources on their own. In the end, I am really impressed with Google Trek. It is a remarkable tool that puts a fun twist on learning new information. I will definitely be adding Google Trek to my list of technological tools.
You can find my Google Trek Map and lesson plan by clicking on the appropriate links below:
Long Walk to Water Google Trek Map
Click here to view the lesson plan for the Long Walk to Water Google Trek Map Project
ACTIVITY 4: HORROR STORY
SOL: 7.7
VDOE TECHNOLOGY SOL: C/T 6-8.13
NETS-S: 4
This activity was the one I felt most comfortable completing because I worked with a tool I am familiar with (YAY for not feeling like a digital immigrant). The teachers at my school push for students to use Google Docs for their presentations and writing assignments. They like it for the same reasons it is useful: the convenience of automatic save, being able to check students work throughout the assignment via the web, and the cooperative learning it promotes. I created a lesson using Google Docs that required the students to upload a rough draft of a writing piece, and invite two students from my other classes to view and edit the writing. I feel that having students from other classes edit the papers will limit anxiety and reluctancy to complete the peer-editing portion. I also feel that it extends students knowledge of collaboration. Many students may not be aware that collaboration is not limited to the people in your class or your desk partner, so opening up to people outside of the class may be a new concept for them to learn.
This activity taught me that collaboration is a necessary activity to incorporate into my classroom. In order for my students to be successful in the 21st century they need to learn how to communicate with others, problem solve both independently and dependently, and do both through technological devices. The most effective way to teach those skills is to design cooperative activities that force students to do all the above. Even more so, I need to realize that students collaborate everyday through their phones and social media, so it should be fun for them to collaborate through new tools like laptops, video conferencing, or SKYPE. I am a big believe in cooperative activities, but now I am more interesting in moving the collaborative groups from the classroom to online.
View lesson plan here
VDOE TECHNOLOGY SOL: C/T 6-8.13
NETS-S: 4
This activity was the one I felt most comfortable completing because I worked with a tool I am familiar with (YAY for not feeling like a digital immigrant). The teachers at my school push for students to use Google Docs for their presentations and writing assignments. They like it for the same reasons it is useful: the convenience of automatic save, being able to check students work throughout the assignment via the web, and the cooperative learning it promotes. I created a lesson using Google Docs that required the students to upload a rough draft of a writing piece, and invite two students from my other classes to view and edit the writing. I feel that having students from other classes edit the papers will limit anxiety and reluctancy to complete the peer-editing portion. I also feel that it extends students knowledge of collaboration. Many students may not be aware that collaboration is not limited to the people in your class or your desk partner, so opening up to people outside of the class may be a new concept for them to learn.
This activity taught me that collaboration is a necessary activity to incorporate into my classroom. In order for my students to be successful in the 21st century they need to learn how to communicate with others, problem solve both independently and dependently, and do both through technological devices. The most effective way to teach those skills is to design cooperative activities that force students to do all the above. Even more so, I need to realize that students collaborate everyday through their phones and social media, so it should be fun for them to collaborate through new tools like laptops, video conferencing, or SKYPE. I am a big believe in cooperative activities, but now I am more interesting in moving the collaborative groups from the classroom to online.
View lesson plan here
WEB INQUIRY
Here is the link to my Web Inquiry activity. I must say that creating a web inquiry is not as hard as I anticipated; however, it is very time consuming. If I had completed it in the correct manner I would have had more time to iron out the kinks that frustrated me more than anything. I can say that it was fun thinking about the ways students would answer the questions, as well as ways that I could incorporate it into the classroom.
I decided to have students focus on media and essentially is possible positive and negative effects in society. The students had to take a stand about the media, do research to support their stand, and then present their findings in a paper and Pecha Kucha. I based this activity on SOLs 8.3, 8.7, and 8.9. The technology tools I used were Google Docs and the Pecha Kucha. I will have the students type and upload their paper on Google Docs because it is convenient for me and I will be able to monitor the participation of each student. It is also makes it possible for students to collaborate outside of the classroom if they wanted to work on the paper at home. I decided to use the Pecha Kucha because I did not want the students to create a powerpoint full of words they will read from the screen. By having them create a powerpoint full of pictures and then having them explain the meaning of each to their research, I am requiring that they be creative and innovative. They also have to become familiar with their event and the details that support their stand. I also think that the audience will enjoy looking at pictures much more than words.
I decided to have students focus on media and essentially is possible positive and negative effects in society. The students had to take a stand about the media, do research to support their stand, and then present their findings in a paper and Pecha Kucha. I based this activity on SOLs 8.3, 8.7, and 8.9. The technology tools I used were Google Docs and the Pecha Kucha. I will have the students type and upload their paper on Google Docs because it is convenient for me and I will be able to monitor the participation of each student. It is also makes it possible for students to collaborate outside of the classroom if they wanted to work on the paper at home. I decided to use the Pecha Kucha because I did not want the students to create a powerpoint full of words they will read from the screen. By having them create a powerpoint full of pictures and then having them explain the meaning of each to their research, I am requiring that they be creative and innovative. They also have to become familiar with their event and the details that support their stand. I also think that the audience will enjoy looking at pictures much more than words.