I think my project has some real challenges and since I'm not from a teaching background it could provide even more of a challenge for me personally. The ironic thing is that yesterday I had a teacher at the middle school ask for help with a technology related project. Her idea is pretty interesting, she has 14 eighth grade gifted students in her science class and she plans on taking them off the curriculum plan for the next 9 weeks. Students will work in pairs and she is going to give them the standards and they will develop the lessons but they are going to make them into podcast that the students can use for review. She wants me to show the first pair how to do a podcast then they will train the next pair of students. She did something similar last year but didn't use the technology piece of it. I think her idea is a perfect match for LoTi Level 4 or higher activity.
More to come later....
Go Dawgs!
4 comments:
Roman-
First of all, I agree that involving the students in the assessment piece of the project not only heightens their involvement and learning curve, but it also goes that extra step necessary to get into the higher levels of LoTi. I too learned a lot from last Tuesday's class and plan to implement several of those ideas in my project. One of the major changes will be along the same lines as yours: giving some assessment control back to the students, thereby transferring ownership.
As far as your other project idea, would that mean that you're turning away from your original idea completely? Just curious. The other project idea would be a good one, as well, and you're right- it would definitely fall along the LoTi level 4a, if not 4b, range.
Good luck as you look to make some important decisions. And, of course, Go Dawgs!
Mark
Hi, Roman,
I totally agree with yours and Titus' thoughts on allowing the students to have as much control as possible over the evaluation criteria for the lesson. Allowing the students to participate at this level will definitely help you reach LoTi level 4a or 4b.
Whether or not you are from a teaching background, I think you have some really excellent and creative ideas for incorporating technology which should make your project extremely interesting and beneficial to the students.
Good luck, & Go Dawgs, unless, of course, they are playing Mississippi, and then, well, I'm sorry....lol!
Roman,
I've been looking around online at some insect movies created by students.
I saw one that was like a news broadcast http://www.teachertube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=d0ed1e0e83a7176d2d28
Another was a mixture of stills (with Ken Burns effect), video, and student created animation http://www.teachertube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=bc919bd4b28609e2f713
Students in one class created insect poems that the turned into songs with Garageband http://edcommunity.apple.com/ali/story.php?itemID=285
And yet another (that I could never get to download completely) in which a class videotaped what they noticed on a hike on their nature trail http://www.teachertube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=6920f64b3063bda47f97
I think it would be great if your students naturally come up with a variety of styles for their iMovies. I don't know if it is better to see if they do or to expose them to a variety of techniques and then let them decide on the style they want to use. I'm not sure which approach is more limiting!
I was particularly intrigued by the animation segments and saw potential for a lot of creativity.
What grade are the students you would be working with? It would be interesting to look at the GPS. Instead of just a report style video on this is my insect this is where it lives... this is what it eats, it might be interesting, if they are 4th graders, to ask the students to identify if it is a producer, consumer, or decomposer in its community GPS S4L1a or identify external features that allow it to survive or reproduce better than organisms that do not have these features (for example: camouflage, use of hibernation, protection, etc.) S4L2a.
I bet the teacher you are working with already has that part figured out :)
Thanks for all your suggestions. They are all very helpful.
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