I made my second technology lesson plan for 8th grade language arts since I will be with 8th grade next year for student teaching and Language Arts is my subject area.
I think Lan. Arts can be a difficult subject to incorporate technology into because so much of it is writing, grammar, etc. ….unless you count typing on the computer as using technology, which technically it is, but for the purpose of this class I think we usually think of something more advanced than Word.
Actually, blogging and even microblogging such as twitter and facebook are forms of writing and maybe they can even be supported by the GLCE’s. For this lesson, I chose to use a combination of different online tools: Penzu, Google Docs, and a graphic organizer site called Read Write Think.
Now, I almost regret doing my lesson on writing because I did not have enough time to actually write out an example story of high enough quality to post. Although I admit that attempting to write it helpedme write the rubric because I realized that the original page requirements were too long and that the Resolution Map is essentially unnecessary. Experiencing what the students experience while doing assignments is good for keeping the directions and rubric clear and reasonable.
I was disappointed that the graphic organizers I used limits the amount of writing. Being concise is good for some circumstances but not when I’m trying to encourage students to write with a lot of detail!
I was also pleasantly surprised at how much the organizers helped me write my story… and I’m in college! Hopefully my students will find it useful as well.
Quick Lesson Plan Idea:
I was watching the news this evening while eating dinner and wondering what the news would have been like hundreds or thousands of years ago. Then, I thought that would be an awesome project for students to do and it could apply to a wide range of ages. It could be an entire class project, smaller group projects, and/or an option on a list of projects students can pick from. Students could pick a time period or just do it on the time period you're currently studying. Then, they would research the daily lives of those living during that time as well as major events of the area. Students could make a video of their 'broadcast.' They could even cover sports of that time! They could try to dress up similar to the way they would at that time or even just create a comic strip of the news instead of doing it live.
Another idea is integrating this into the morning announcements for the entire school especially if they are done by video.
OR, instead of assigning this as a project to students, the teacher could prepare this type of thing as a creative way of presenting history. Yeah, I know it would be a lot of work, but a possibility would be to assign it to students one year and then use their base work to expand upon it and show it to future grades. I had a high school history teacher who presented time periods in a similar way. He created slide shows of scenes from that time and place as well as inserting figures with student faces pasted on the heads. The figures had speech bubbles commenting on events happening at that time.
They could also do it in written form such as a newspaper which could be another option on a list of possible projects to pick from.
Thinking from the students' perspective, I think the key to making this worthwhile and fun is to provide valuable and engaging resources for the students to use for research. And they could try dressing up for it.
You could have them start out with questions. Questions are good to drive the motivation for research and to guide the research as opposed to students feeling like they're looking stuff up but aren't sure what they're looking up.
Question: Do you have the students cover world events in their news as if it's similar to the way we do news now? OR do you have them do it more authentically which means they would only do regional news since various cultures of the world were not in communication especially in any efficient or speedy sort of way.
Now that I think about it, this is probably not that original of an idea but why haven't I seen it done more often?
Something else that could go on the list of optional projects is a digital storyboard about the a time period similar to this lesson plan which involves researching the history surrounding a particular piece of art.
aMap, or argumentative Map, is a site in which users can create a debate with other users in the form of a web or map. You do not create an account; anyone can create a map, but for each time that you create a new map, you must provide a user name, city, postcode, and email address.
If I used this in a classroom, I would start with a quick lesson on how to fill out the aMap form:
- Your position (I think . . .) – what you think overall
- Propositions (Because . . .) – reasons that support your position
- Arguments (As . . .) – supporting arguments that back up each of your propositions
- Evidence (Supported by . . .) – supporting evidence to back up your arguments
It looks like this:
Their example is:
I THINK... "Man U are the best team in the Premiership” (State their position)
BECAUSE... "They’re the most successful on the pitch” (State their proposition/reason)
AS... "They win the most silverware and have the best players” (State supporting argument)
SUPPORTED BY...“In 2008 Man U won the Champions League and Ronaldo won best European Player of the year.” (State supporting evidence)
Students can also look over examples of already created aMaps.
I would require students to create a minimum of one map and to reply to a minimum of 3 of their classmates' maps. Students would choose their issue in class on a sign-up sheet to ensure that multiple people do not choose the same topic. They would also draft their map either in class or as a homework assignment because it is difficult to edit in the website.
Pros/Cons
+integrates technology into teaching students how to debate
+lays out a basic format for creating an argument
+their maps can be expanded upon for a formal paper later on
+can follow maps on twitter, facebook, and myspace
-no way to edit your aMap once you've officially shared it so students would have to create and edit their arguments on paper or in a Word document first
-its format is rigid and not very flexible- some arguments and points are more complicated than the 3 tiered argument they offer and others may be simpler.
-text for each box is limited by a set number of characters
This lesson fulfills the following GLCE's for 8th Grade Language Arts W.PR.08.03 draft focused ideas experimenting with various ways of sequencing information including ordering arguments, or sequencing ideas chronologically by importance when writing compositions. S.DS.08.01 engage in interactive, extended discourse to socially construct meaning in book clubs, literature circles, partnerships, or other conversation protocols. S.DS.08.02 respond to multiple text types in order to explore problems and pose solutions supported with evidence, take a stand on an issue and support it, and identify personally with a universal theme.
METS 6-8.CI.3. illustrate a content-related concept using a model, simulation, or concept-mapping software 6-8.CC.1. use digital resources (e.g., discussion groups, blogs, podcasts, videoconferences, Moodle, Blackboard) to collaborate with peers, experts, and other audiences
I used 8th grade GLCE's, but I think this site could be used in any classroom from late elementary through even high school depending on how it's used and the need of the students.
I am still not confident with the form they use especially the "supporting argument: As....." It's one of those situations in which I get it when I look at their examples but I am unsure what to put when creating my own.
I have recently fallen in love with using the street view and images on Google Maps to explore the world (list of places to visit). For instance, as my friend was physically visiting the Cliffs of Moher in Ireland, I was viewing them online. I see it as a free way to expand my horizons while sitting in my living room. A new option is now being offered by Google: Google Art Project.
Google Art Project provides virtual tours of art museums around the world. It is free and you do not need to set up an account to use it. There are two main ways of experiencing the tour: “Explore Museum” or “View Artwork.” Exploring the museum gives you the view as if you are actually walking around. Viewing the artwork shows you one painting at a time in which you may zoom in and out or go to the next painting. I created a video explaining it in depth as opposed to trying, in vain, to explain it in written words.
I suggest pressing the "expand" button at the bottom right corner to watch it in full screen.
Pros &Cons
+field trip to museums without permission slips and transportation fees
+“go” to places you wouldn’t be able to on a normal field trip (such as other countries)
+get an idea of the actual size of the paintings. For example, I’ve seen the image of the Mona Lisa hundreds of times but I’ve heard that it’s actually unexpectedly small.
+can navigate virtually as if you were there
+don’t have to worry about students breaking anything, pulling the fire alarm, getting left behind or lost, etc.
+audio tours and youtube videos produced by the museums as well as links to the museum website
-/+visual quality is low in “explore museum” mode however quality is excellent when you select a specific painting
-/+miss out on having a guide tell you about the paintings and cannot read the descriptions on the wall, but you can read about them under “viewing notes”
-sometimes “see more” under “viewing notes” gives information in a different language than English
-moving around in “explore museum” can be difficult
-controlling students exposure to nudity? If that’s an issue
-some of the paintings have glare on them from the “explore museum” mode
Lesson Plan Ideas
Write about your reactions to this painting. What are your first impressions? What are your impressions from being zoomed out or zoomed in on a specific spot? Try using all five senses even though you are not actually there; use your imagination.
Do a comparison project. Choose one painting or sculpture that you like, write or record your voice about your reaction to it, and then find out more information about the artwork and the artist. Then, discuss how knowing the background information changed your view of it for good or bad or did not change your view. Repeat for a piece of art that you find boring and do not like, and then compare your initial reactions to both paintings to your reactions after finding out more information.
Discuss why someone would paint this? What moved them? Why would someone buy it? What is the importance of art and expression amidst a world of science?
Write a story inspired by the painting they see. This could involve using the background information or not.
Create your own artwork collection (account required). Choose five pieces of art that speak to you and write about what specifically strikes you in the comments. OR choose five views of one piece of art and write about what each one means to the big picture in the comments.
As far as TPACK, the Google Art Project lessons focus more on the technology and art aspect than on traditional academia. I tried finding some GLCE’s to support the above lesson plan ideas but I mostly only found those pertaining to writing and composing since there are no art GLCE’s of which I am aware. I think the benefit of doing an activity such as this with your students is demonstrating to them how the internet can give them access to the world.
P.S. I'm sorry that the video is not focused. This was my first time playing around with a screencasting software. I tried out a few of them and am not overly pleased with any so far. I'm open for any tips.
