Mike+Herron


 * TECHNOLOGY INTEGRATION FOR MEANINGFUL CLASSROOM USE**


 * Daily Lesson GAME Plan**


 * Lesson Title:** Discovering Utopias
 * Grade Level**: Ninth Grade
 * Unit**: Literature -- Lois Lowry’s The Giver


 * GOALS**


 * NYS ELA Learning Standards:**

Students will read, write, listen and speak for information and understanding. - collecting data, facts, and ideas, discovering relationships, concepts, and generalizations. Students will read, write, listen and speak for literary response and expression. - developing an understanding of the diverse social, historical, and cultural dimensions the texts and performances represent. Students will read, write, listen and speak for social interaction. - using social communications of others to enrich their understanding of people and their views.


 * ISTE NETS-S**:
 * Creativity and innovation
 * Communication and collaboration
 * Research and information fluency
 * Critical thinking, problem solving, & decision making
 * Digital citizenship
 * Technology operations and concepts


 * Instructional Objective(s):** This is a collaborative project where students will create a virtual communities that aspire to certain Utopian ideals. Working in groups, students will conduct research on historical Utopian societies, including communes and religious cults. Groups will collate their research and develop multidimensional communities.


 * ACTION**


 * Before-Class Preparation:**

//Prompt:// What does a perfect world look like? Is it a world without racism, war, and famine? Is it a world where peace is literally the currency that controls all variables? Believe it or not, there have been many attempts at creating a perfect society. Within your group, you will research historical communities that have aspired to a utopian ideal.

After analyzing your research, your group will then create a hypothetical/virtual society that achieves “perfection” according to your group definition of what a perfect world looks like. Ideally, you will have at least one documented problem or world issue that does not exist in your community. Your group will also have to decide and list in order of importance for the structures: economy, religion, freedom, law, and government and politics.


 * Time Time || Instructional Activities || Materials & Resources ||
 * 1 || Student groups are set heterogeneously. Groups receive prompt and assign roles. Researchers begin research process; Public Relations begins poster process, etc. || Instructional Handouts: prompt, group member roles and procedures; computer and Internet access ||
 * 2 || In groups, students begin collating research and work from roles. Groups will draft a statement of intention for their prospective Utopian society; finalize creation of a poster advertising their hypothetical utopia. || Computer and Internet access; physical presentation materials: construction paper, markers, glue stick, etc. ||
 * 3,4,5 || Student groups will construct their virtual societies: constitution/doctrine, community-based programs, conceptual framework. Group leaders will establish a wiki or blog to journal their progress. || Computer and Internet access; PowerPoint; Wiki/Blog sites presenting the constructed societies. ||
 * 6,7 || Students will present group-created societies using presentation software, illustrations, and wiki sites. || Computer and Internet access; PowerPoint; Wiki site presenting the constructed societies; LCD projectors, speakers, etc. ||
 * MONITOR**


 * Ongoing Assessment**: Group roles will be assigned: leader, public relations, speaker, laborer. Roles will cycle through group members over the course of the project, ideally with each member holding each role at a given point. Group progress will be monitored by checkpoints and markers set up be individual groups. The actual grouping will be done with heterogeneous-minded pairings so that communities will effectively mirror a societal spectrum.


 * Accommodations and Extensions:** Time allowances are made for students with documented learning difficulties; overall project expectations are amended where needed.


 * Back-up Plan**: In anticipation of potential technological issues, archived sites on historical utopias have been accessed and stored as hard data on school drives. Extra time allotments are also in place to buffer potential delays.


 * EVALUATION**


 * Lesson Reflections and Notes:**

//Notes:// Steps 3-7 will take place on days outside of the first lesson. Also, be mindful of groupings and make corrections swiftly on the first day. Offer incentives to the group that has the most cohesive design. Offer incentives to the group that reaches each given checkpoint first.

** Mike, It sounds like you have a great lesson prepared for you students. One suggestion I have would be to give specific detail on what your accomidations might be for students with disabilities or ESL students. Extending time is great, but what else might you do? Would you shorten the assignment? Do you work with a co-teacher? What is thier role? Can they do part of the assignment in thier own language and translate it? This is just a thought.

Katherine Ewing **

**Online Collaboration Lesson**

 * Daily Lesson GAME Plan**


 * Lesson Title**: Wikitopias
 * Grade Level:** Ninth Grade
 * Unit**: Literature -- Lois Lowry’s The Giver


 * GOALS**


 * NYS ELA Learning Standards:**

Students will read, write, listen and speak for information and understanding. - collecting data, facts, and ideas, discovering relationships, concepts, and generalizations. Students will read, write, listen and speak for literary response and expression. Students will read, write, listen and speak for social interaction. - using social communications of others to enrich their understanding of people and their views.

- Creativity and innovation - and collaboration - Research and information fluency - Critical thinking, problem solving, & decision making - Digital citizenship - Technology operations and concepts
 * ISTE NETS-S:**


 * Lesson Introduction & Instructional Objective**

Students will continue along with the presentation of their created utopias. Using wikis, which offer extensive online collaboration, student groups will present multidimensional views of their conceptual utopia. Each group wikitopia will be presented visually, statistically, and theoretically. Group collaboration will take place as each individual member freely edits and contributes to the wiki simultaneously while working within the computer lab setting. As students have had a previous lesson to plan, assign, and delegate duties, all work during this construction stage will be collaborative.

Steps || Description || Materials & Resources ||
 * Lesson Steps**
 * Time
 * 1 || Students immediately access laptops from the mobile cart and log in to save time. During this time, begin spiraling over the previous lesson and highlight different groups’ progress/procedures. Within the first five minutes, groups will briefly describe the framework, or conceptual idea behind their utopia. This “taster” also works to inspire other groups and create a level of competition within the classroom. || Instructional Handouts: prompt, group member roles and procedures; computer and Internet access ||
 * 2 || Students are directed to use Moodle, a virtual online collaborative workspace located on the district server. Due to district policy, the class’s Moodle site will adequately house ands showcase student work, but without access from the wider community. || Moodle virtual classroom on server; student instructions ||
 * 3 || In groups, students will resume their roles and follow the step-by-step instructions for assigning and delegating duties. A handout of roles and steps will be distributed and group leaders will use the handout to further group progress. || Moodle virtual classroom on server; student instructions ||
 * 4 || Teacher will cycle through groups, offering assistance and analyzing both group cohesion and individual work progress. Based on observations and/or questions, whole class instruction may break any period of work as teacher facilitates a tutorial demo, troubleshoot situation, or teaching point. || Computer and Internet access; LCD projectors, speakers, etc. ||
 * 5 || After approximately thirty minutes of group work, wikitopias (even in unfinished states) will be made available for whole group browsing for a period of five minutes. Students will be able to view peer progress, gain insight, and further inspiration. This window also works well to continue the competition aspect. || As noted earlier. ||
 * 6 || This lesson and project will carry into homework, where students may freely log into the class Moodle site and work on their wikitopias. In the following lesson, approximately one half of the block will be dedicated to working and finalizing groups’ wikitopia spaces. || As noted earlier. ||


 * MONITOR**


 * Ongoing Assessment:** Teacher observations and notes will informally assess group roles, attitudes, and individual contributions. As the administrator of the class Moodle, full access of all sites, as well as user editing and contribution is accessible to view. Group progress will be monitored by checkpoints and markers set up be individual groups.


 * Accommodations and Extensions:** Because the grouping has been done heterogeneously, members mirror varying levels of ability and competence. This grouping approach presents real world inclusion and provides for challenging situations for true collaboration. While some time allowances and reductions in duties are made for some students, there is an overall group goal to achieve. That being said, some expectations will be made upon groups to make accommodations on their own. For example, if a student is not meeting a specific timeline for their duty, then it will be the group leader’s job to devise a support. Teacher will provide assistance when necessary, but ultimate collaboration should teach group leaders how to lead during adverse situations.


 * Back-up Plan:** In anticipation of potential technological issues, archived sites on historical utopias have been accessed and stored as hard data on school drives. Extra time allotments are also in place to buffer potential delays.


 * EVALUATION**


 * Lesson Reflections and Notes:**


 * Notes:** //Competition for this activity is used as a motivational incentive. In the first lesson, groups that reached the two checkpoints first were rewarded with “blow-pop” suckers. The competitive aspect is meant to motivate, inspire, and foster true collaboration. Society has shown that groups bind together most when a prize is up for grabs. While discussing this aspect with students, I use examples of popular TV shows like Survivor, Top Chef, etc.//

**Digital Storytelling Lesson in English Language Arts**


 * Daily Lesson GAME Plan**


 * Lesson Title:** Digital Essays
 * Grade Level**: Ninth Grade; 90 minute block scheduling
 * Unit**: Literature -- Lois Lowry’s The Giver


 * GOALS**


 * NYS ELA Learning Standards:**

Students will read, write, listen and speak for information and understanding. - collecting data, facts, and ideas, discovering relationships, concepts, and making generalizations. Students will read, write, listen and speak for literary response and expression. - developing an understanding of the diverse social, historical, and cultural dimensions the texts and performances represent. Students will read, write, listen, and speak for critical analysis and evaluation. - presenting in oral and written language and from a variety of perspectives, their opinions and judgments on experiences, ideas, information and issues.

· Creativity and innovation · Research and information fluency · Critical thinking, problem solving, & decision making · Digital citizenship · Technology operations and concepts
 * ISTE NETS-S**:


 * Instructional Objective(s):** Students will use digital storytelling to analyze and discuss themes present within the novel //The// Giver by Lois Lowry. Students will use Microsoft’s Photostory 3 to create digital essays and commentaries that dynamically combine audio and visual communication. Students will share their digital work during a writer’s theater activity at the end of the lesson.


 * ACTION**

Identify examples of themes from the novel and related comments. Give students a handout detailing a table of themes and issues explored within the text. Offer students time to expand upon individual themes presented within the table.
 * Before-Class Preparation:**

**15 min** || Begin with the handout explaining the sample theme “Love” within the novel //The Giver//. Discuss the relevance of the theme with relation to the plot, characters, and conflict. Have students generate concept maps and thesis statements for analyzing “Love” in the novel, as well as explanations and evidence from the text. Students will choose theme(s) for their digital essays. || Instructional Handout(s) Digital essay rubric Inspiration software (concept mapping) || **15** **min** || Whole class instruction and refresher tutorial of Photostory3 software. Students view an exemplar of the digital essay assignment they will be creating. In small impromptu groups, students will score the exemplar digital essay using the provided rubric. After brief discussions, students will fully understand expectations and requirements. Students receive handout detailing instructions for digital citizenship, ethical use of information, and appropriate citing instructions. || Computer and Internet access Microsoft Photostory3 Exemplar digital essay: Love in //The Giver// || **90** **min** || Working individually, students will begin drafting their digital essays using Microsoft Word and Mozilla Firefox for acquiring digital images. Students will keep a running cited page of any images and/or text they have pulled for their digital works. Students will begin constructing their digital essays using the linear timeline editing feature of Photostory3. Students will transcribe their drafted work into the Photostory3 platform, including images and music to create a 21st century communicative learning object. || Computer and Internet access Microsoft Photostory3 Audio resources available on the network drive || **60**  **min** || Students will present their digital essays to the class through a writer’s theatre session. Students will stand, briefly introduce their theme with an explanation for choosing their theme, and physically play their digital essays for their classmates. Each student will receive one positive and one constructive feedback point from peers. The teacher will facilitate this part of the lesson. || Computer and Internet access; LCD projector and speakers Microsoft Photostory3 Audio resources ||
 * Time**
 * Step Time ** ||
 * Instructional Activities** ||
 * Materials & Resources** ||
 * Instructional Activities** ||
 * Materials & Resources** ||


 * MONITOR**
 * Ongoing Assessment**: During whole class discussion, monitor and gauge student comprehension of themes and lesson concepts. Using the graphic organizer part of the lesson, assist students individually with their concept mapping, specifically plugging in theme analysis into the text. Provide exemplars for students to follow when necessary.


 * Accommodations and Extensions:** Students are familiar with all technology used in the lesson so readiness should be universally at a high level. Word Processing on Word will assist writers and provide drafting assistance prior to digital essay construction using Photostory3. Time allowances are made for students with difficulties; overall project expectations are amended where needed.


 * Back-up Plan**: Provide and have on hand physical resources for creating static essay posters exploring themes. In case of technological problems (network outage, maintenance, etc.) resources will be available for student use.


 * EVALUATION**
 * Lesson Reflections and Notes:**

Students are evaluated on their digital Photostory essays. During the lesson students receive a rubric with expected/graded criteria. After the mock evaluation activity, students will fully understand requirements associated with the project. // Notes: // Construction of the digital essays will take place during a second lesson. Presentations during the writer’s theater will commence during the final thirty minutes of the second lesson. This lesson will segue into a static writing assignment where students will create controlling idea essays linking //The Giver// and the major motion picture //The Truman Show//.