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Technology Integration for Meaningful Classroom Use: Digital Storytelling

Lesson Title: Creating Digital Resources for the Outdoor Learning Center Grade Level: 6 Related Lessons: Designing an Outdoor Learning Center using PBL, Classroom Collaboration Using Wikis Unit: Ecology ** Goals **

// Science Processes //
 * Content Standards:**
 * Identify the need for evidence in making scientific decisions.
 * Evaluate scientific explanations based on current evidence and scientific principles.
 * Demonstrate scientific concepts through various illustrations, performances, models, exhibits, and activities.
 * Describe how science and technology have advanced because of the contributions of many people throughout history and across cultures.

// Life Science – Ecology //
 * Identify and describe examples of populations, communities, and ecosystems including the Great Lakes region.
 * Identify the living (biotic) and nonliving (abiotic) components of an ecosystem.
 * Identify the factors in an ecosystem that influence changes in population size.
 * Describe how human beings are part of the ecosystem of the Earth and that human activity can purposefully, or accidentally, alter the balance in ecosystems.
 * Predict possible consequences of overpopulation of organisms, including humans, (for example: species extinction, resource depletion, climate change, pollution).


 * ISTE NETS-S**
 * Creativity and Innovation
 * Communication and collaboration
 * Research and information fluency
 * Critical thinking, problem solving, and decision making
 * Technology operations and concepts

//**Instructional Objective(s):**//

Students will produce educational video resources through digital storytelling to be used as part of the outdoor learning center’s curriculum with a target audience of kindergarten through fifth grade students.

Action
 * //Introducing the Project//**

Prior to the lesson, students will have completed their team projects described in the lesson, “Design an Outdoor Learning Center through Problem Based Learning.” Using their team wiki pages, students will brainstorm with team members to identify a topic related to their team project that they can be used to produce a digital story that will be used as an educational resource to teach elementary students about the ecology of our school forest and its connection to Ojibwe culture. Students will need to determine whether they will tell a story, create a guide, or create an information-base project. Final products should be 2-4 minutes in length and have a targeted audience within the elementary grade range.

It is important to model and provide exemplars of quality digital stories produced by peers. Show students samples of student work found on the internet. It is important to show students several different styles to ensure their confidence in displaying their creativity and originality in their own work. (If students do not have prior experience using digital storytelling software, model the process of creating a digital story before continuing with the project.)


 * //Story Time//**

Once students have identified their main idea for their collaborative story, they will need to begin creating a storyboard using a [|storyboard template] for Google Docs. The use of Google Docs will allow students to collaborate on their storyboard as a team. Storyboards do not need to be perfect, they are merely a means for students to plan their layout and write their script. (2-3 class periods)

After completing their storyboards, students will need to begin organizing the illustrations, photographs, animation, audio, and video to be used in their projects. It will more than likely be necessary to take students out to the school forest to photograph or video record any ecological components of the school forest they may not already have. (2 class periods)

Having collected and organized images and video clips in a shared folder, students are now ready to begin producing their digital story. Possible ideas for individual team projects:

Team 1: Wildlife Management Plan
 * Summary of the proposed wildlife management plan
 * Importance of habitat restoration and conservation
 * Relationship between abiotic and biotic factors in the ecosystem

Team 2: Outdoor Learning Center Facilities
 * Impact of human activity on an ecosystem (specifically the proposed learning center plan)
 * Selecting an eco-conscious site for an outdoor learning center
 * Consequences and effects of human pollution on ecosystems

Teams 3 and 4: Educational Activities
 * Interactive story in which viewers are asked to identify examples of populations, communities, and ecosystems.
 * Use a traditional Ojibwe story to demonstrate the difference between populations, communities, and ecosystems.
 * Use a traditional Ojibwe story to show how human beings are part of the ecosystem and can alter the balance in ecosystems.

Team 4: Interpretive Trails and Maps
 * Video tour of the trails highlighting the interesting and unique ecological components found along them
 * Interactive scavenger hunt in which viewers follow clues to find specific ecological components in the story pictures
 * Virtual hike in which abiotic and biotic factors are described throughout

Student teams will determine the most appropriate form of digital media that best meets the needs of their projects. Students will choose from the following previously learned tools: Movie Maker, Animoto, VoiceThread, or Storybird. (2-3 class periods)

Monitor
 * Ongoing Assessment(s):** Students should be monitored to ensure they are staying focused on content and integration of culture. Students will use a rubric to identify and complete components of their digital story to quality standards.


 * Accommodations and Extensions:**
 * GT(Gifted and Talented)- students demonstrating exceptionally high technology skills will be required to include illustrations, photographs, animation, audio, and video in their projects. They will be required to include at least one special effect and modify the background color and text.


 * Special Needs – students struggling to work independently using technology will use Storybird to create their digital story independently as it provides art and photos to choose from, allowing students to focus on their script rather than the technology associated with locating and uploading images and other files.

Evaluation Integration and identification of standards demonstrated in projects will be assessed by both peers and teacher. Projects will be assessed using the [|Digital Storytelling Rubric].

** Technology Integration for Meaningful Classroom Use: Online Collaboration **

Lesson Title: Wiki in the Woods Grade Level: 6 Unit: Ecology Related Lessons: Design an Outdoor Learning Center using PBL, Creating Digital Resources for the Outdoor Learning Center

** Goals **

// Science Processes //
 * Content Standards**
 * Evaluate scientific explanations based on current evidence and scientific principles.
 * Demonstrate scientific concepts through various illustrations, performances, models, exhibits, and activities.

// Life Science – Ecology // ü Creativity and Innovation ü Communication and collaboration ü Research and information fluency ü Critical thinking, problem solving, and decision making ü Technology operations and concepts
 * Identify and describe examples of populations, communities, and ecosystems including the Great Lakes region.
 * Identify the living (biotic) and nonliving (abiotic) components of an ecosystem.
 * Identify the factors in an ecosystem that influence changes in population size.
 * Describe how human beings are part of the ecosystem of the Earth and that human activity can purposefully, or accidentally, alter the balance in ecosystems.
 * Predict possible consequences of overpopulation of organisms, including humans, (for example: species extinction, resource depletion, climate change, pollution).
 * ISTE NETS-S**

Instructional Objective(s): Students work confidently with team members, taking responsibility for their own part in collaborating online to design their team component of the outdoor learning center.

** Action **

Create class wiki page and invite all participating students. Students must create individual wiki accounts and request an invite to the class wiki page before they can be accepted as members. Once students have selected their team project, organize project pages on the wiki. When using Wikispaces, templates include a “Projects” section on the navigation menu. Create a project for both the Outdoor Learning Center and Wildlife Management Plan. Once projects are created, as many teams as necessary can be added to each project. //Outdoor Learning Center Teams//
 * //Setting Up the Class Wiki//**
 * Educational Activities
 * Facilities
 * Interpretive Trails
 * Wildlife Management Plan

Students (wiki members) should be added to their selected teams at this time so that they will have full editing permissions for their team project page.


 * //Wiki in the Woods//**

Show students the video, [|“Wikis in Plain English”] before allowing them to log into the class wiki page. Using the Promethean Board, guide students through a tour of the class wiki, modeling and reinforcing the strategies demonstrated in the video. The following wiki tools should be modeled and demonstrated to ensure student understanding: (1 class period)
 * Discussion tab
 * Edit button
 * Text features (size, bold, color, etc.)
 * Linking a new page
 * File uploading (images, videos, documents)
 * Widgets (calendar, videos, discussions, etc.)

Following the wiki demonstration, students will log into the wiki and find their team wiki page. They will begin collaborating as to the vision for their team using the Discussion tab on their team wiki pages. As students begin to generate ideas as a result of their online collaboration, they should begin posting descriptions, images, diagrams, etc. on their team wiki page for team members to comment on and edit. Students will continue to use their team wiki as an online collaboration tool to further plan, develop, and design their projects. (3-5 class periods)

** Monitor **
 * Ongoing Assessment(s):** Students will contribute a minimum of two edits and two discussions per week. Student contribution and ability to work with others must be monitored regularly and consistently. Integration and application of content standards will be monitored through wiki posts and discussions.

** Evaluate ** Students will be evaluated according to the [|Collaboration Rubric] as well as the [|Collaborative Editing using an Online Word Processor Rubric]. Students will complete an online [|Peer Evaluation] to evaluate themselves as well as their peers.
 * Accommodations and Extensions:**
 * GT(Gifted and Talented)- students demonstrating exceptionally high technology skills will be assigned as technology mentors. They will be paired with special needs students as needed to assist with wiki editing and discussion comments.
 * Special Needs – students struggling to work independently using technology will use be paired with a teacher-assigned student technology mentor to assist them with wiki editing and posting discussion comments

Technology and Social Media Integration for Meaningful Classroom Use Ecology Unit PBL GAME Plan =**Lesson Title:** Design an Outdoor Learning Center= ** GOALS **
 * Grade Level:** 6
 * Unit:** Ecology
 * Content Standards:**
 * Michigan GLCE Science Grade 6**

// Science Processes //
 * Generate scientific questions based on observations, investigations, and research.
 * Design and conduct scientific investigations.
 * Use multiple sources of information to evaluate strengths and weaknesses of claims, arguments, or data.
 * Identify the need for evidence in making scientific decisions.

// Life Science – Ecology //
 * Identify and describe examples of populations, communities, and ecosystems including the Great Lakes region.
 * Describe common patterns of relationships between and among populations (competition, parasitism, symbiosis, predator/prey).
 * Identify the living (biotic) and nonliving (abiotic) components of an ecosystem.
 * Identify the factors in an ecosystem that influence changes in population size.
 * Explain how two populations of organisms can be mutually beneficial and how that can lead to interdependency.
 * Predict how changes in one population might affect other populations based upon their relationships in the food web.
 * Describe how human beings are part of the ecosystem of the Earth and that human activity can purposefully, or accidentally, alter the balance in ecosystems.
 * Predict possible consequences of overpopulation of organisms, including humans, (for example: species extinction, resource depletion, climate change, pollution).


 * ISTE NETS-S**
 * Creativity and Innovation
 * Communication and collaboration
 * Research and information fluency
 * Critical thinking, problem solving, and decision making
 * Technology operations and concepts

//Instructional Objectives:// Students work in design teams to design an outdoor learning center for the school forest as well as create and propose a wildlife management plan for the same area.

** ACTION ** Students will be introduced to this Ecology unit by being presented with the following scenario:
 * //Introducing the “Big Problem” (1-2 class periods)//**

//JKL Bahweting School has received a grant for $10,000 to promote environmental education. You have been selected to be part of a team hired to design an outdoor learning center for our school forest. The outdoor learning center will be used to educate students K-8. As a Native American Charter School, culture must be integrated into presentations, demonstrations, activities, and design. Prior to design and plan approval, a wildlife management plan for the area must be drafted and approved.//

Students will be assigned to teams based on their personal interests, experience, and skill level. Students who have demonstrated proficiency on the unit’s pre-assessment will be assigned to the wildlife management plan. Students must be able to work independently and possess the skills of a self-directed learner. Remaining students will be a part of the outdoor learning center team and will further divide themselves into groups of three to four to meet the following outdoor learning center needs: facilities, curriculum, and educational programs.

Students will use a wiki created specifically for this project to manage their projects and collaboration. Each team has their own wiki page assigned to them that can be viewed by the entire class but only edited by team members. This is essential in assuring that teams have full control over their individual projects while allowing all project members to see what is going on in other groups. Students will use the GAME plan process to create goals and actions incorporating grade-level content standards that will help them to successfully complete their projects, and ultimately combine their team projects into a successful master project: JKL Outdoor Learning Center.

**//Students Taking Action (5-7 class periods)//**
As students are all working collaboratively in small groups, the classroom will undoubtedly be buzzing with learning and communication. Class activities at this time will depend on individual team projects. The following actions will need to be completed by the specified groups:

Students will demonstrate self-directed learning skills by learning and understanding the requirements according to Purdue Extension’s guidelines outlined and described in their web publication, [|Developing a Wildlife Habitat Management Plan]. Once students have familiarized themselves with the information requirements, they will need to make observations and collect data in the school forest. Wildlife biology students will be recruited to take students out into the forest to make direct and indirect observations to collect both qualitative and quantitative data. Students will use GPS devices to mark waypoints and trail routes and will record observed data on iPads to be analyzed and evaluated back in the classroom as they write up the formal management plan. Students will use [|Google Earth] to locate and map the school forest property, labeling areas of interest on their customized maps. They will use [|Diigo] to share resources as they research the species and populations present in the school forest as well as their habitat requirements, relationships, and limiting factors. Students will use their [|Evernote] accounts to organize their research prior to collaborating on the writing of the formal management plan. Students will need to take the budget into account while planning the materials list and facilities plan. they must also consult the wildlife management plan team as to the species present and if there are any materials that may prove harmful or not in the best interest of all involved (i.e. porcupines eat wood siding). They may look into the possibility of harvesting timber from the school forest. Students must also consider viewing areas for species that can be attracted with feeders for observation such as birds, squirrels, deer, etc. which would affect window height and size. There are many other considerations that will undoubtedly come up. Since we are taking the self-directed, problem-based learning approach, I prefer to allow students to come up with them independently. Students will need to research successful outdoor learning centers to determine what works and what doesn’t. They will organize their research in the [|Evernote] notebooks. After collaboration using the wiki, students will use [|Google SketchUp]to create a three dimensional virtual model of the facility they have designed. Upon approval, they will begin building a physical scale model of the proposed facility.
 * Team 1: Wildlife Management Plan**
 * Team 2: Outdoor Learning Center Facilities**

Students in these two teams will have to work closely together to align curriculum and programming. Students will develop a curriculum focused on Great Lakes ecology based on sixth grade GLCEs. Educational programming will research, collect, and create activities and presentations aligned with the curriculum developed by Team 3.
 * Teams 3 and 4: Curriculum and Educational Programming**

Students will collaborate using their team wiki pages to share resources, as well as to brainstorm and develop ideas. They will have the opportunity to choose from and of the web 2.0 tools found on the Web Tools Symbaloo webmix on their Personal Learning Environment. (Glogster, Weebly, Prezi, Microsoft Publisher, Picnic, MovieMaker, etc.)

**MONITOR**
 * Ongoing Assessments:**
 * Student team participation will be monitored for content on their wiki page and discussions.
 * Content standard target dates will be set and monitored using online quizzes.
 * Students generated checklists will be assigned target dates and monitored for completion.
 * Daily check-ins will be made to monitor project progress as well as content understanding.
 * Weekly "quizzes" on content standards will be given as formative assessments to ensure content is being learned.


 * Accommondations and Extensions:**
 * GT(Gifted and Talented)- students demonstrating proficiency scoring 75% or above on the pre-assessment will be assigned to the Wildlife Management Plan Team, as it requires a strong backgroung knowledge in ecology, self-directed learning skills, higher level thinking skills, and the ability to work independently (with minimal guidance from the teacher) in collaboration with peers.
 * Special Needs - students with accommodations in reading and writing will be tasked with researching websites at their reading level using the search engine [|Twurdy]. They will be tasked with creating display boards for lower elementary students for the outdoor learning center with graphics of organisms found in the school forest and Great Lakes ecosystem.

**EVALUATION** Complete projects will be assessed using rubrics created on Rubistar. Projects will be considered a means of summative assessment of the authentic, problem-based learning experience. Content standard proficiency will also be measured by performance on district Common Assessments administered electronically using Data Director.

Comment: I like how your PBL requires students to work together as as a class "team" to answer the problem. I always think of group work as small groups or pairs. I like how you have divided the class into categories - they become experts in their area; then they educate classmates. I wonder if there is a way for your students to collaborate with experts related to their assigned team. Overall, a very powerful unit that engages students in a rigorous lesson. ~Jessica Holloway

Comment: Heather Shores

Hey Heather, I had to come over and check yours out. Yep it's long. Like mine. I had to smile a little. Great ideas. Of course I quickly wrote down all the sites you so quickly refer to as if you've been using them all your life. LOL! Okay, seriously though, I like that you followed the GAME plan format as requested. It's a good model for this type of lesson. Hope it goes well for you. Great ideas, originality, and creativity. Wouldn't expect anything less.