ADDIE Questions and concept map

Questions

1.    Who is the audience?

·      The audience for this project are 7^th grade students, homogeneously grouped.  The students are not leveled and of various learning abilities.

2.    What do they need to learn?

·      Goal

o   To produce a digital story describing the events of the Persian War

·      Objective

o   Find an app that will allow the students to tell the story of the Persian war in a digital format

o   Ensure the story identifies the timeline of major events that characterize the Persian War

o   Limit the length of the production to less than 5 minutes and more than 3 minutes

3.    Create a concept map based on preliminary research

·      Products of a series of brainstorming sessions, and are the starting points for the flow charts providing clear directions for the production of the product

4.    What are the delivery options?

·      Drop box

5.    What constraints exist?

Time can become a factor.  The students are of various learning styles and ability level.  Unified completion of the activity is unlikely.  Incorporation of additional detail to product will become needed as due date approaches

The students are between the ages of 11-12.  The students will chose which app will work best for the project then use an Apple iPad to complete the project.

6.    What will the students do to determine competency?

o   Students will have to complete the required reads and the worksheets that accompany them.  Students will complete a timeline comic strip exercise.  Students will complete a postcard from both the perspective of the Persians and the Greeks as if it was composed during or after one of the 4 main conflicts of the Persian War.  Students will take a quiz.

7.    What is the timeline for project completion?

o   Project completion will be three full weeks. Additional time will be decided on as class nears the end of the three weeks.

8.    What are the classroom/Web learning differences?

o   Students must submit a completion sheet at the end of each class. The sheet is a Google form that will be posted on my web page via a hyper link. A checklist will be provided to students so they can check off items when they have satisfactorily completed them.

9.    What are the pedagogical considerations?

Students will be provided written and verbal instructions.  Additional resources will be posted on my website.
 

Concept Map

My Collage

Here is the link for my Vuvox collage...check it out.

<object width="100%" height="400"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="movie" value="http://www.vuvox.com/collage_express/collage.swf?collageID=05de96702b"/><embed src="http://www.vuvox.com/collage_express/collage.swf?collageID=05de96702b" allowFullScreen="true" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="100%" height="400"></embed></object>


http://www.vuvox.com/collage/detail/05de96702b

I recently read the Horizon Report: K-12 Edition.  The Horizon report, for those of you who do not know, is a comprehensive research venture that attempts to identify new and emerging trends and technologies in education.  The report addressed six emerging technologies that are reshaping the way teachers teach.  Of the six mentioned I am most excited about natural user interfaces.  Natural user interfaces allow the movements and gestures of people to control the operation of a device, program or system.  The most popular example of this type of technology is the XBox kinect.  The kinect device allows gamers to control the action through body gestures rather than a conventional remote control.  I am really compelled by the idea of technology adapting to the individual and creating a level playing field for every user, something every teacher who has had a special needs student has craved for.  For years technology has been developing new "user friendly" ways to both sell a product and exciting the user.  As technology has expanded to every aspect of our life, the increasing demand to need technology has made the way we use technology as important as the devices themselves.  Gesture based interfaces have dominated the technology market over the past two years.  Cell phones and tablets are popular for both their convenience and portability.  They are both, however, embraced for the gesture based interface that appeals to all ages.

karen cator: Transforming American Education

I recently watched a presentation by Karen Cator titled transforming American Education.  As an educator who has embraced the use of technology in the classroom, though at times reluctantly, I welcomed the message of a government policy dedicated to an Anything Is Possible approach to technology integration in our schools. 

The lecture style presentation designed as an informative platform to bring about awareness the to the current administrations education policy on technology integration was ironically delivered in a stale 90’s style PowerPoint presentation.  I would think the material would demand a more cutting edge approach to rolling out the carpet on technology policy.  Maybe some strobe lights and an iPad could have helped, but I digress.  The point was driven home; Digital literacy is an issue we face in a globally connected world that thrives on the geniuses of that next great technological invention.  The question is how do we make use of all these tablets, pads and Internet sources?

The movement to reshape the way we view education has been active for sometime.  The point I believe Karen Cator was making is that unlike previous decades and generations, when the talk of recalibrating education in our country and the world surfaced, it was often just a redressing of traditional models of education.   Cator places use at a crossroads when the best of traditional education and modern technology based learning can be fused to create a new form of educational schooling that is still anchored in concepts and standards but approached in a more inclusive and individualized format that meets everyone’s needs.  It is like one big IEP for the education system and the mandated requirement is that the infusion of technology be used as a guide, similar to the roll of the 21^st century teacher.

Transparent data, inspiring people of all ages and addressing the current gap in digital literacy are just a few of the points touched on her mulit-step platform toward integrating technology both now and the future generations to come.

New year

I have not blogged in sometime.  With the new school year on the way, I have a tremendous amount to fill everybody in on how I am using technology in the classroom this year.