Discussion Question #2
Please post your thinking as to what your class project / prototype will be. State who your target audience is and the primary goal(s) you have for the interaction. Please make your initial entry here, and comment on at least two other project ideas from your classmates offering encouragement and suggestions. We can assist each other as we work through these beginning stages of the process.
Jason Seliskar · December 13, 2009 at 11:51 pm
My target audience is going to be elementary teachers in my district. The goal of this project is provide a instructional tool that teachers can refer to help them navigate in our online math component, ThinkCentral.com. This project will serve as an added feature to some podcasts I have created on the topic.
Janet Williford · December 28, 2009 at 6:49 pm
I would like to make my class project some type of presentation based on Marc Prensky’s ideas in realizing the differences between older teaching methods and updated presentation methods to be able to connect with today’s students from “Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants.” My target audience would be my school staff in convincing the importance of adapting technological methods of instruction to keep students interested in the curriculum in similar ways used within the culture.
Lynese · December 30, 2009 at 10:40 pm
Both projects sound wonderful and informative! I wish I were on the recieving end of them! My target audience will be my 2nd grade/3rd grade students. iI would like to target English Language Convetion standards 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4. I’m thinking of having a soldier as the hero that must save the princess . Unfortunately, she will only allow the soldier with proper speech and usage to rescue her. Students will navigate through series of chilces to rescue the properly spoken princess and save the day. Corny? Will there be buy in? Is the concept overdone? I’d like to taget staff in some type of training, but am not sure what I know enough of to “lead” an inservice/training.
Maria Arce · January 5, 2010 at 4:23 pm
I like the idea of having a soldier save the princess by using proper speech for 2nd graders. I think they will be entertained and at the same time review what they have been learning about English Language Conventions. My target audience will be my kindergarten students. I’m debating between having a game for number recognition or reading two syllable words and matching them to the pictures that illustrate the word. Maybe the words could be clues for Clifford, the big red dog, to find his treasure. They are both kinder standards. Any ideas?
Charlie Loya Jr · February 27, 2010 at 10:12 pm
I would like my class project to be a website for my 5th graders created on Weebly.com. My target audience will be the 5th graders in my class and their parents. I would like to have the students develop their state projects want them to create their own state websites. They will add their work to the website as they go through the project. The Website will allow parents to view their child’s work and allow parents to interact with what their children are creating. I know that with only 8 kids in the class I feel that this would be very obtainable. Since I have never done something like this before, I would appreciate any advise from those in the class that might have some experience in this area.
Christian Arteaga · February 28, 2010 at 3:51 pm
My project sounds very similar to Charlie’s. I too would like to create a website for my fifth graders and their parents. I am currently enrolled in EDUC 525 as well and we are working on websites in that class. I would like to incorporate our final project of this class as a link on my website. I too would like to focus on incorporating my state report on my website. As for my project for this class, I would like it to be interactive asking random questions of standards that I have taught throughout the year.
Katie Minor · March 1, 2010 at 1:10 pm
Charlie, one thing you can do to get the ball rolling is assign your students to comment on the work of at least 2 other students. This will help them get into the routine of being an active participant on your website. How active are your parents in the classroom? If you have great parents you can ask them to comment on the students work too. It would be kind of like a “parent homework assignment.” You’d just have to make sure they were on board before you started. By having all this interaction you can get some really good conversations going on between students and parents. Think of all the great critical thinking that will happen!!!
As for me, I’m really unsure of what to do. I struggle teaching math… at least 5th grade math. I really would like to incorporate technology into my daily math block but I’m really stuck. Any ideas?????
Christian Arteaga · March 7, 2010 at 12:44 pm
Katie, it depends on which math curriculum your site will be using because some curriculum have an electronic component to it. For example, Envision math, which we use in our district, has a website that has the lesson taught through a short video. I teach the lesson then play the video, so that the student get a different perspective. Works for me.
David Dearie · March 1, 2010 at 8:50 pm
I’m at a lose. Not being a teacher and missing the first day of class, I’m pretty clueless as to expectation.
David Lopez · March 1, 2010 at 9:05 pm
I too am having my student’s create a blog for the classroom. We are currently using Twitter and they seem to be enjoying it and using it as a good resource. I have seen a lot of interaction with students that would normally be very shy or quiet in the classroom. It has opened up a new avenue for them to voice their opinion. I want to have them use both the blog and Twitter to cross promote/interact with each other. In addition, we will be using iMovie and Garageband and I want to have the students post their Podcasts and Videos on their blog and then share it via Twitter. I plan next year to really push parent involvement using Twitter and the blog as a resource to track their students progress and achievement.
I like Katie’s idea of having the students respond to at least 2 other students posts. I require that student ‘follow’ at least 5 other classmates and I find that they make new friends and interact much more than if it was a traditional class setup. It requires a lot of prep work on the teachers part to setup and prepare the blog and ensure that its all linked correctly, but it can be done if you plan ahead and do a little research before jumping in! Good luck everyone.
Christian Arteaga · March 7, 2010 at 12:52 pm
Great idea David about having those shy students voicing their opinions through writing. I too have a student or two that never talk in class because of being too shy, but they are a different person on paper. I could see how this could benefit them. Your students are definitely at an advantage by having a teacher teaching them all of the current tools available on the web. While taking these master classes, I’m barely being exposed to what’s out there, and your students are acquiring it at an earlier age. Great job, keep it up!
Ranger, Bob · March 1, 2010 at 9:33 pm
Katie…. Have you seen the program BrainPop http://www.brainpop.com/ this has been a great sites for my wife, she teaches special education elementary school (RSP). She uses it as an introduction, also an opportunity to view and practice new math concepts. Students really seem to like it…. downfall…. it costs, but there is a free trial. This site might give you some ideas on how to set up an interactive web site for 5th grade math.
I am thinking about creating an interactive web site for my Web Design class. As it stands all class instruction and demonstration material is stored on a file server. The file server also serves as storage for student’s individual work. I am thinking of creating an easier access to the class material and support the instruction with readily accessible tutorials. This web site would also give students the opportunity to post examples of their work and for other students to comment. The main constraint is keeping this website on an Intranet basis. By providing more interactive activities would make the experience of web design more enjoyable, easier to access information, more interactions among students to share ideas, and an opportunity to gain feedback on their projects.
Liliana Tolson · March 2, 2010 at 2:26 pm
My goal for my class project is to create an interactive computer literacy website for my adult learners. I’m interested in creating a virtual space for them to share their thoughts and ideas in regards to what they have learned in my computer literacy workshops. Hopefully, I will be able to create a user-friendly experience using Weebly.com for my adult learners since they tend to be new to technology. Ideally, I would like for them to share websites featuring educational videos, photos, clipart, etc. that will enhance their learning experience. Perhaps incorporating a blog will be a good starting point! In addition, I will provide access to handouts and reference sites for them to use and explore at their leisure.
Katie Minor · March 15, 2010 at 1:54 pm
Thanks for the help! I do have access to Brain Pop… thanks to my old district not canceling my account! I do like their videos so I’ll check them out.
My project is going to be designed for 5th grade students. They will be using it as practice and reteaching adding and subtracting fractions. This standard was so hard for my students to master last year so I want to create something that will help them see their mistakes as they work through problems.
Liliana Tolson · March 30, 2010 at 11:19 am
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Katie Minor · March 15, 2010 at 1:58 pm
Liliana, if you are having your adult learners create a blog you could make interactive screen shots. Last week, Lance mentioned an interactive project he made for some of the staff at his school. He said he had screen shots and they would actually click on the picture of the real buttons as if they were on the real website and not in a powerpoint. That would be really helpful if you want them to all set up a blog. You wouldn’t have to walk everyone through it as a group. They could go at their own pace.
Am I making sense?!?!
Liliana Tolson · March 30, 2010 at 10:51 am
Thanks Katie for your ideas! I ended up switching my project to focus on Word 2007. I recently had a Word 2007 workshop and had to explain the Ribbon since they had no previous experience with it. I hope to create an interactive project that will help them get familiar with it. Thanks again for your help! -Liliana