Prompts

Looking around lesson plan web sites, our group was searching for an interesting lesson that students would enjoy incorporating technology into. We stumbled upon a lesson focusing on the preservation of National Parks. Together as a group we discussed interesting Web 2.0 components that could be successfully integrated into the lesson. We had several ideas such as Skype, GoogleMaps, and a virtual tour. The social studies lesson plan we selected is for grades 4-6 and is included in a unit about US National Parks. The objectives of the lesson are for students to be able to identify the reasons that nature should be preserved and write a persuasive news article detailing why Yosemite Valley should be set aside as a national park. During the lesson a story about John Muir, the man who fought to have Yosemite recognized as a national park, is read to the class. After the completion of the reading, students are asked to pretend they are John Muir and answer a prompt to be published in a newspaper during John Muir's life. The prompt presented to the students states: "How can I convince readers that the Yosemite Valley needs to be saved?" Conservation will be explained to the class. The lesson simply ends with students drafting their newspaper articles, handing them in, and asking questions. As a group we decided that this lesson could be enhanced by the use of technology in many ways. The lesson appeared to have great potential and brought an interesting topic to the forefront. With a little bit of technology we decided this good lesson could be made great. Students could become more engaged and involved by using several Web 2.0 tools.
 * Why did we choose this lesson? **

Upon creating the Web 2.0 lesson plan our group first and foremost decided that the students needed a ‘hook’ to get them involved and engaged with the lesson. Since this is the third lesson on a large unit surrounding US National Parks, we decided to begin the lesson by using a slide show demonstrating the parks we have already covered. As a group we chose a few parks that the class might have been covering. During the opening of the new Web 2.0 lesson, the teacher will display a PhotoPeach slide show demonstrating several National Park photos. This will grab the interest of the students and create a focus upon the content at hand. After the introduction, the original lesson plan reads a story about the work of John Muir. We decided to include a video along with this intro in order to create a visual component for the class. Before reading the story, the video clip found on pbs.org will be shown. This will set the stage for the students to learn more details about his life. Students will be able to visualize John Muir in their heads during the story and realize that he was important enough to talk with President Teddy Roosevelt. In order for students to step into the shoes of John Muir and write a newspaper article as him, they need to understand how hard the efforts of John Muir were. The technology components we have added to this lesson have provided the students with a stronger awareness of Muir’s life than simply the text originally used.
 * Define new lesson plan design/goals of lesson. **
 * What tools did we choose to incorporate into this lesson to potentially improve it? **
 * Why did we choose these tools? **

The teacher of the original lesson plan stated the purpose of the lesson to the students before reading the text. Students are asked to pretend they are John Muir and answer a prompt to be published in a newspaper during John Muir's life. The prompt presented to the students states: "How can I convince readers that the Yosemite Valley needs to be saved?" Conservation is also briefly explained to the class. As a group, we decided that to improve student engagement we would add to this assignment. Students will not only write the newspaper article, yet be able to publish it on a created “Classroom Newspaper Wiki”. The wiki will be set up so that student articles can be freely posted and comments can be made. Students will be able to work hands on with the wiki within the classroom. Pictures can also be added! The reading of the story will take place after this assignment is detailed. Hopefully students will be excited about the web-based assignment and become more aware of the text while it’s read.

After the text reading, our group decided to provide students a real life view of Yosemite National Park. We decided to GoogleMap several areas of the park. If available we would also provide a virtual tour! After the discussion that is included in the original lesson, students are to begin to answer the prompt. We decided that instead of beginning the prompt at this time, students would be provided with a chance to gain additional information pertaining to the topic. Websites will be provided to the students such as [|www.nps.gov/yose], [|www.yosemite.org/vryos], and [|www.pbs.org/nationalparks]. Students will be able to navigate through these sites in groups and on their own time. As a class, Skype will be utilized to talk to a Yosemite National Park ranger. Any questions the students have will now not only be able to be addressed to the teacher, but to someone who works daily at the park. The information the students gain from this interview will benefit the learning of the students. Questions that the teacher might not have been able to answer will now be addressed. All of these components have been added to our Web 2.0 Lesson Plan. The only addition we were hoping to find, although was unable to locate, would have been the implimentation of a virtual tour. While GoogleEarth will help with this, a tour would have been opportune! The addition of many of these Web 2.0 components will provide the students with a wider variety of information about preserving National Parks. With this information they will be able to create a more thorough newspaper article on saving Yosemite. Will Richardson mentions that using Web 2.0 tools can expand the walls of the classroom. We hope that our technological integrations provided in this lesson will do just this.

==**Do you feel this will improve your teaching? If so, why? ****Do you feel this will help improve student learning? If so, how and why? **==  Through this lesson, we became familiar with many aspects of technology. These features have proven to be useful in enhancing student learning and creating self-intrinsic motivation. The Web 2.0 tools that we used helped us to become more familiar with the many facets of each. Actually creating opportunities for students to learn using these tools allowed us to realize how these would be used in our own future classrooms. While viewing online lesson plans, the benefits of technology became apparent and clear. We could see many areas that could be improved in some lessons. The ability to actually alter one of these lessons and use our technology knowledge to include tools helped us to learn how we would include technology when we create our own lessons. Our familiarity with the tools will allow us to implement them in our classrooms with ease and guide students through their technology discoveries. The students will be able to learn outside of the classroom through the internet and the Web 2.0 tools. The connections to various outlets such as blogs, wikis, and video chats, will allow the students many opportunities that they may not have had before or may not have even now at home. Other students may use technology often, but could be unfamiliar with many of the Web 2.0 tools. Varying the technologies used in the classroom will give them access to many different tools. New and exciting ideas are often intriguing to students and since many may already be acquainted with computers and technology, it will motivate them to learn more and use each tool. These connections to the ‘outside world’ will broaden the students’ thinking and allow them to see the topics that they are learning about in a new way. As teachers, it is our responsibility to provide multiple modes of communication to access all types of learners. Web 2.0 tools make differentiated instruction easier and allow teachers to access visual and kinesthetic learners.

What standards were you using to guide your decision on this? NETS?
**The ISTE National Educational Technology Standards (NETS•T)** **and Performance Indicators for Teachers**

The NETS standard that guided our enhancements to our lesson plan was primarily NETS–T Standard 2: Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments

Teachers design, develop, and evaluate authentic learning experiences and assessments incorporating contemporary tools and resources to maximize content learning in context and to develop the knowledge, skills, and attitudes identified in the NETS•S. Teachers:


 * design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity
 * //Through our classroom experiences, our text reading and videos such as “Digital Nation” students are learning in a whole new way, providing students with learning experiences that incorporate digital tools is imperative to engagement, a key ingredient to promote student learning. We have incorporated videos, slideshow, skype, websites and wikis into the lesson plan that exposes the students to a variety of technology and provides opportunity to learning in an engaging manner.//


 * develop technology-enriched learning environments that enable all students to pursue their individual curiosities and become active participants in setting their own educational goals, managing their own learning, and assessing their own progress
 * //In the enhancement of this lesson plan we have provided the students with opportunities to develop and explore their own interests both in technology and in the content material. By enabling students to use this technology, the students will be able to investigate new areas of awareness and relevance to their own experiences. By making connections to their own life, students become active participants in their own education.//

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 * The ISTE National Educational Technology Standards (NETS•S)**
 * and Performance Indicators for Students

The NETS standard that we incorporated as assessments for our lesson plan was primarily NETS–S Standard 1:Creativity and Innovation

Students demonstrate creative thinking, construct knowledge, and develop innovative products and processes using technology. Students: **
 * apply existing knowledge to generate new ideas, products, or processes.
 * create original works as a means of personal or group expression.
 * //Students used prior knowledge of the lessons on National Parks plus the material used in the enhanced lesson plan to develop there own ideas and incorporate it into the classroom blog.//

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 * Rhode Island Professional Teaching Standards**

Standard 3: Teachers create instructional opportunities that reflect an understanding of how children learn and develop. Teachers…


 * understand how students use their prior knowledge to construct knowledge, acquire skills, develop habits of mind, and acquire positive dispositions toward learning
 * design instruction that meets the current cognitive, social and personal needs of their students
 * create age-appropriate lessons and activities that meet the variety of developmental levels of students within a class.
 * //Through our classroom experiences, our text reading and videos such as “Digital Nation” students are learning in a whole new way, providing students with learning experiences that incorporate digital tools is imperative to engagement, a key ingredient to promote student learning. We have incorporated videos, slideshow, skype, websites and wikis into the lesson plan that exposes the students to a variety of technology and provides opportunity to learning in an engaging manner.//
 * //In the enhancement of this lesson plan we have provided the students with opportunities to develop and explore their own interests both in technology and in the content material. By enabling students to use this technology, the students will be able to investigate new areas of awareness and relevance to their own experiences. By making connections to their own life, students become active participants in their own education.//

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**Rhode Island Grade Level Expectations**

W–5–6 In informational writing (reports or procedures), students organize ideas/concepts by …


 * W–5–6.1 __Using an organizational text structure appropriate to focus/controlling idea__ (Local)

EXAMPLES (of text structures): description, sequential, chronology, proposition/support, compare/contrast


 * W–5–6.2 Selecting appropriate information to set the context (Local)

Earth and Space Science: Unifying Themes of Science - Nature of Science


 * Accumulation of science knowledge (evidence & reasoning, looking at work of others)
 * Attitudes and dispositions of science (avoiding bias, divergent ideas, healthy skepticism)
 * History of Science
 * Science/Tech/ Society

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