3.1 Discussion- Collaboration Scenarios

Scenario 1:

Upon walking into the classroom of a new eighth grade English 

language arts (ELA) teacher, the teacher informs you that she will be teaching a 

lesson on fate versus free will the following week. She plans on using excerpts from 

Oedipus Rex and Dante’s Inferno. She has not put the lesson plan together yet but 

intends to have the students present examples from the readings to support their 

case through a persuasive essay.

I've always enjoyed English and I remember being frustrated when doing projects because I wanted to do more.  With all of the advances in technology, even since I was in high school, there are so many cool ways to create English projects.  My idea for this particular lesson was to allow students to present their examples either independently or as a group.  Students will make a video using either animoto, goanimate, or a flip camera and actually record themselves.  After they've finished their work they can use AirDrop to turn in their assignment using an iPad or other apple device.  The great thing about AirDrop is that is allows students to have the freedom to do this project anywhere and send it in whenever they're done (unless they need an iPad).  The cool thing about it is that is doesn't need WiFi and doesn't require apple devices to actually touch in order to send information.  This is a quick and easy way to keep up with things people send to you and it's great if a student has no WiFi at home or is out of range.  I think that giving the students different choices in how to approach this project would help them to be creative and enjoy the process more than if they were forced to do it one way.  

Scenario 2:

 A high school science teacher is presenting a unit on astronomy, 

specifically on how Polaris is no longer the central point of the northern sky. The 

teacher is confident that he can teach it out of a book but is anxious to give the 

students a better experience from the lesson. He is hoping that the technology 

integration specialist will be able to help make a more authentic study for the 

students. 

I had trouble with this scenario at first, but I think that the app called Star Walk would make this lesson really cool for students.  Star Walk allows you to look at constellations, planets, moons, etc. and I think the coolest thing about it is the fact that the graphics are 3D and can be manipulated easily.  The second website was through McGraw-Hill and I like the many links students can go to depending on what they'd like to do or what they're studying at the time.  There's a link that let's you play with equations for the evolution of the universe and let's you see how the universe can change along with all the stars and planets in it.  I think this would help students get a better grasp of why Polaris is not the central point anymore.   

Scenario 3:

In a fourth grade social studies class, the class is discussing the 

role of landscape and surroundings on early natives—what type of food they ate, the 

type of dwellings they built, and of course defensive systems or escape routes. Many 

of the students have never traveled out of their own state and are not familiar with 

alternate surroundings. The social studies teacher has requested that the technology 

integrator help her create a new lesson. 

This lesson really appeals to me and I enjoy watching kids get to see places they've never been introduced to before.  GoogleEarth is a great tool that allows anyone to zoom in to a particular place in the world and see exactly what it looks like right now.  Students could easily visualize what things would have been like for the Native Americans with this website.  Another tool I've used before in class is Arounder, which let's you view pictures from all over the world and while viewing them you can drag your mouse and get a complete view of what's around you in the picture.  My students absolutely love this website!  The last website I came across was from the History Channel and there are some great videos students could watch as well as physical descriptions of each part of the United States as it was before the Europeans came over.  I think each of these would greatly enrich student learning.    

Scenario 4:

According to the math teacher, math is everywhere. The teacher is 

concentrating on a geometry unit discussing area and volume. The teacher is hoping 

to have the students design a home consisting of 1500 square feet of living space 

with three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a family room, and a kitchen. A playroom or 

dining room are nice to have but are not needed. In the past, the teacher has asked 

the students to draw it out with paper and pencil; however, this proved to be a poor 

choice for reasons he has not given. The teacher is currently thinking of using craft 

sticks and glue to have the students build models, but this does not fall within the 

budget. The teacher is turning to the technology integrator for help. 

One website I found that could be useful to students is called floor planner and it's free and allows students to draw their own floor plans and design the interiors too.  The second tool I found was sketchup and I think it's really cool because it's in 3D and looks like a lot of fun to use.  I think either of these tools would provide students with something that should make their ideas come to life.  Since the teacher is trying to save money, these are perfect because they're free and don't require any apple devices for use!