Wednesday, June 26, 2013

I did not make the document concerning our virtual PenPal assignment and am unsure how to make this link accessible to Dr.Horvitz. Therefore I am composing this post to share the information through the blog, hoping we get points for completing the project for we had it done on time.



  • Who are the students your students will communicate with (specific location, grade level)? Students will be communicating with other students located in a different region. For Instance, we can have students from Kalamazoo write to students in other regions to compare/contrast these regions based on their geography, culture, economics, and history. An example of what we can do is have our students from Kalamazoo create pen pals with students from a large city such as New York or Los Angeles. This way the students can write back and forth comparing and contrasting their regions in which they live.

  • When would your students contact these other students (at what point in their project work)? Students would contact these others students throughout their entire project. It would be necessary for these students to do research on each other’s regions and develop a discussion about the comparisons/contrasts of each region.

  • What kinds of questions would they ask each other and what kinds of information would they share? Students would ask each other questions based on their regions’ culture, geography, economics, and history. They will share information about their own region to help the other students better their understanding of where they live compared to where a different student lives.  What will they do with the information they get from the other students? Students will collect the information that they receive and create Venn diagrams along with other tools to present their project.

Does this seem like a good start Katelyn and Marissa? What else should we mention on here before we turn this in on Sunday?

Looks great, not sure what the map is supposed to be?
couldnt find google maps on my drive? otherwise i would start this for us :/


Hey guys I think the information looks complete for partA. I also tried beginning partB for us but I am confused by the instructions. We create a map of what exactly? Is this an idea we have to come up with as a group? Do we create a map of local Kalamazoo? I was thinking maybe we create a map of kalamazoo that will help our “students” explain to their “ePals” to help them visualize, connect, and relate to one another... any ideas?

Sunday, June 23, 2013

Podcast

Hi Ryan and Marissa,

I have just finished adding details to our team web page, please check it out! Review, add, correct, change anything you may want done differently! I think it looks pretty well done but if there is anything I have overlooked feel free to inform me! I added a cool video that highlights our podcast. I realize the sound does not sound perfect but that is because my Toshiba microphone isn't the best.

https://sites.google.com/site/kzoolocalhistoryedt/

I will be available by text or call this evening and will try to check me e-mail every so often. Thanks guys! Good luck!

Katelyn

Google Map

Google map for virtual pen pals

Google maps offer street maps, a route planner for traveling by foot, car, bike (beta), or with public transportation and a locator for urban businesses in numerous countries around the world. This is a useful technology tool to implement within any classroom. We are going to conduct a mini-lesson about how useful Google maps can be in every day life. Next, we will have a class discussion about how we are going to use a Google map to chose a place in the United States to communicate with other students with similar age, grade level, and interests to compare culture, local history, government, and geography.
Virtual Pen Pals Activity
In order to develop cultural understanding and global awareness, this assignment will engage students with learners of other cultures. For instance, our students will connect with other students of the same age to practice communicating and demonstrate cultural understanding.

Final Concept Map


Friday, June 21, 2013

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B5uKclOEIvCycmlTZnBfZnUzRnc/edit?usp=drivesdk
Hi Guys, Started on the final concept map however wasn't sure what your assessments and ideas were for your sections of "local history"
Maybe you can fill them in? e-mail me if you cant open the file, as im not sure how else to upload it :/

Saturday, June 15, 2013

PodCast

Hey Ryan and Marissa,
 I went ahead and put together a script for our podcast. If you could both review this and give me feedback I would appreciate it. Feel free to change anything you don't agree with. Each team member has to record their part of the script on Audacity and then we need to send it to one person and add each portion. I haven't assigned anyone to a particular section so if you want to choose one and adjust it to say what you want, go right ahead. I'm not all that great with putting it all together and adding music but I could give it a try sometime tomorrow unless one of you wouldn't mind. I am busy tonight and most of tomorrow as I'm sure both of you are so lets try to be in contact with each other this evening or early tomorrow morning with a game plan!! Thanks:)

Katelyn




PODCAST SCRIPT:

(1 Topic from Textbook)
As future educators we would like to encourage the use of project-base learning within our classrooms. It is also important for educators to be aware of PBL as they begin their journey because the business world demands employees who know how to work as a team, access and analyze information, and think creatively to solve problems. Teachers should be aware that learners pursue their own questions to create their own meaning in project-based learning that is powered by contemporary technology. Project-based learning has been shown to be effective in increasing student motivation and improving students’ problem-solving and higher-order thinking skills. By maximizing the use of digital tools to reach essential learning goals, teachers can overcome the boundaries and limitations of the traditional classroom. Though challenging, if teachers invest the required amount of time to develop these project-based learning instructional strategies they will find their students
  • engage in real-world activities and practice the strategies of authentic disciplines
  • AND working collaboratively to solve problems that matter to them, students using technology as a tool for discovery, collaborating, and communication, taking learners places they couldn’t otherwise go and helping teachers achieve essential learning goals in new ways.

(1st ASPECT FROM OUR PROJECT)
There are several aspects of 21st-century based skills and literacy. One aspect of these project-based learning techniques that we ourselves experimented with is called Blogging. A collaborative blog can be used as a learning community that exists in cyberspace. It is an easily edited Web page with one primary author controlling the contents. Viewers can comment on postings made by the author. A blog is a great tool for communicating about progress or milestones and to broadcast news related to a project. As educators, we highly recommend creating similar blogs for your students in a classroom to publish their thoughts, questions, and ideas in throughout their journey.

(2nd ASPECT FROM OUR PROJECT)
Another aspect of project-based learning that is useful for young learners is Virtual PenPals. Virtual or digital pen pals are a great way for students to learn about other students with similar or different backgrounds, geography, culture, language, history, and art. We encourage teachers to use their resources to design a project where their students can practice effective communication through various types of digital-age literacy. This will help reach high-order thinking and high productivity. Students can create a wiki, blog, etc and share information and interests with their “pen pals.”

(3rd ASPECT FROM OUR PROJECT)
An additional aspect of PBL that is beneficial in the classroom is creating digital stories. A digital story is a short form of digital media production that allows everyday people to share aspects of their life story. In this course, we produced a digital story using MovieMaker. Teachers and students can use this to provide vibrant pictures, appropriate music, and narration accompanied by subtitles. Content-related digital stories help elementary students understand abstract concepts. Teachers can use digital stories to facilitate class discussions and introduce new topics. Students can make their own digital story to help present and synthesize information while supporting higher level thinking and literacy skills.

(2 Topic from Textbook)
We have only highlighted a few of our favorite project-based learning techniques; there are numerous others to be explored. After a year of curriculum rich in projects it is essential to set time aside for reflection. Setting aside time for reflection is an essential element in learning. It encourages students to create their own meaning from different view points. Reflection helps prepare students beyond the experience to the next challenge they encounter, whether it be in the classroom or real-world. Reflection also helps students think about things they may have not considered before such as what they learned, what they enjoyed learning, how they have grown as a learner, and what they want to learn in the future. Reflection activities provide students with time to find personal meaning in the project experience. Giving students the opportunity to reflect on their challenges, frustrations, and joy they found in a project allows them to think about their learning growth. It also encourages them to think creatively about how they changed as a learner or what they will try to do better in the future. Asking students to draw attention to positive experiences they had in a project builds confidence and could even help you as a teacher understand how to better your instruction for the next project.

Thursday, June 6, 2013

Collaborative Podcast

Hello my group members!
   I have been looking at this collaborative podcast information and it seems like we all need to choose a different aspect of the project for each team member to talk about. I am not sure what we are supposed ot be talking about within this aspect so if anyone understands feel free to blog back! Two people need to make their podcast on audacity and then transfer it to the 3rd person so that they can attach their podcast and we can submit it as a group podcast. We must use 2 concepts from the book as well as having music and 3-5 minutes in length. If either of you understand what we are supposed to be talking about within our aspect for 3-5 minutes please let me know! Also, if you two have any ideas as to what our 3 aspects can be so that we each have our own aspect that would be great!!

Sunday, June 2, 2013

PartB: MAP URL

<iframe width="425" height="350" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="https://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&amp;source=s_d&amp;saddr=Kalamazoo,+MI&amp;daddr=Los+Angeles,+CA&amp;hl=en&amp;geocode=FftRhQId4wrm-im5kjFJeZ0XiDEJMFdJ0vh82g%3BFYqYBwIdm77z-CkT2ifcXcfCgDH0CEYlb98v4g&amp;aq=0&amp;oq=LA+cali&amp;sll=45.00109,-86.270553&amp;sspn=7.876748,21.643066&amp;mra=ls&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;ll=38.173408,-101.915864&amp;spn=8.24209,32.657144&amp;t=m&amp;output=embed"></iframe><br /><small><a href="https://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&amp;source=embed&amp;saddr=Kalamazoo,+MI&amp;daddr=Los+Angeles,+CA&amp;hl=en&amp;geocode=FftRhQId4wrm-im5kjFJeZ0XiDEJMFdJ0vh82g%3BFYqYBwIdm77z-CkT2ifcXcfCgDH0CEYlb98v4g&amp;aq=0&amp;oq=LA+cali&amp;sll=45.00109,-86.270553&amp;sspn=7.876748,21.643066&amp;mra=ls&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;ll=38.173408,-101.915864&amp;spn=8.24209,32.657144&amp;t=m" style="color:#0000FF;text-align:left">View Larger Map</a></small>
Not sure if that is exactly what is required of us but I found a map representing the route from our local area to where the students "PenPals" would be located at in LA, California. From there they would make connections about the similarities and differences in their communities local history. Any comments or suggestions would be helpful! Thanks!