Students/Teachers

The curriculum web is designed to be taught to fourth grade students in Georgia. The first year (Fall 2010) it will be taught to one fourth grade class. The class will be selected based on teacher interest in collaborating with the media specialist in this project. This class will be an average average-high performing class which will skew the outcome. 

Scheduling Logistics

As the media center is very likely to be part of the specials rotation, it is very likely that portions of this will be taught in 40 minute segments during the time when that class comes to media for specials. Hopefully, the computer lab teacher will agree to collaborate with the media specialist and homeroom teacher in teaching this curriculum web. If so, then the 40 minutes each week that the class attends computer lab with also be devoted to the curriculum web. If this is only taught as part of the specialist rotation it will take at least 2 months to complete the unit as 40 time segments is a very unnatural portion of time. It is my plan that the homeroom teacher will also devote a portion of her instructional time to teaching the unit which would make it take significantly less time.

Introducing Unit

If the teacher agrees to help with the unit, then the unit will be introduced by both the media specialist and homeroom teacher at a special session (not part of the rotation) conducted in the media center. It will be presented as a unit that will cover social studies, research, and technology skills. The entry page and home pages of the web will be shown for the entire class using the ceiling mounted LCD projector and Promethean board. An explanation of what the unit will entail and an overview of the layout of the curriculum web will follow. As a whole group, students will be assigned to read portions of the homepage. After which the class will be directed to write their answer to the quiz down. After two minutes students will be called upon to answer each question and click on the response. Then students be paired with a partner (the homeroom teacher will have been asked in advance how she thinks this would best be achieved and pairings will be left to her discretion since she is the expert on her students’ academic and interpersonal dynamics). The Planets WebQuest will be briefly described. Students will be asked to be thinking about planet they would like to convince NASA to fund. Students will given the “Planets Comparison Table” to complete. If there is not enough time this segment will be conducted as the first part of the media rotation.

Sequencing of lessons after Introduction will be:

Stars Unit and Night Sky Units will be collaborative taught by media specialist and homeroom outside of the rotation. Media specialist focusing on teaching technology portions (Audacity, etc.) and homeroom teacher focusing on content instruction.

Strengths and Weaknesses

Teaching staff:

Strengths:  The vast majority of teachers at this school readily and enthusiastically embrace technology despite their varying skill levels.  The computer lab teacher and I have a wonderful history of collaboratively teaching units (students research with me and produce a product with both).

Strengths: There is lab with 30 computers equipped with fiber (T1) level access to the school/district network and Internet. All computers run all applications needed for this project. The media center has 20 computers with equal access. There are also wireless laptop carts with varying numbers of laptops on them.  Every instructional room in building has a mounted LCD projector. Weaknesses:  Unfortunately, since the media center will most likely be 2/3 time in the specials rotation that would mean that this  unit will probably be wholly or partially  taught as part of the rotation  If it is taught in the rotation then it will be taught in 40 minute segments and will take approximately 3 months to complete.  I will try to get the 2 homeroom teachers to commit additional time so it could be completed in less time.

 

Backup Plan in Event of Technology Failure

1. Use print encyclopedias for research phase if Internet is down. .
2. Big Shanty very seldom experiences network outages so this should rarely be a problem. Since program runs locally only problem would be saving work to student drive. Since media specialist and lab instructor always have flash drives these would be utilized to save student work.

Student Progress

Will be assessed by each of the three teachers as students are working with them. Their work will be kept in a folder that will be circulated between the three teachers so they will know where each dyad is the process.

Feedback

There is a Google Docs survey that students will be asked to fill out after completion of the curriculum web. The lab instructor and class room teacher will be asked tofill out after completion of the curriculum web. The lab instructor and class room teacher will be asked to provide feedback via  a survey as well. provide feedback via  a survey as well.