2.3 Authentic Learning
Candidates model and facilitate the use of digital tools and resources to engage students in authentic learning experiences. (PSC 2.3/ISTE 2c)
Artifacts: Engaged Learning Project
The Engaged Learning project was created during my first instructional technology course, which was ITEC 7400 21st Century Teaching and Learning. For this artifact I had to develop an extended technology-supported student learning experience for my students. Within this project I had to model and facilitate appropriate and innovative uses of technology to support Engaged Learning indicators, including opportunities for higher-order thinking, collaboration, differentiation, and authentic learning. The project opens with several hooks to engage my students and increase their interests on their assignment. The first hook encourages them to work in collaborative groups to solve my mystery word, which gives them just a peak into the unit topic. Next, the students are engaged in a story that is read to them online. After the story students are given a pretest on all of the fifty states. Students are asked to share their family pictures that they brought with them to class in their cooperative groups. During these interactions the students will describe where these pictures took place and who are displayed in the picture.
After students have shared their family photos taken from all over the fifty states then they will begin to decide which state they would like to research. Students are encouraged to choose a state that is meaningful and relevant to them. Once choices have been made then students will begin creating their state portfolios. These state portfolios will contain the student’s weekly research on their state. The indicators of Engaged Learning that will be present are: meaningful/authentic, standards-based, multidisciplinary, and challenging. Students will choose a state that is important to them and create a kid friendly webpage for vacationers to use. This is a cross-curricular thematic unit for the purpose of exploring the United States. As students learn about their assigned state they will also practice their skills in communication, math, social studies, research and technology. Students will be introduced to a variety of research sites and they will have to read for meaning to locate facts about their chosen state.
When I first created this project, I received a lot of great feedback from the gifted teachers that I work with. I initially wanted my students to create a brochure for their culminating project. I decided to change from the brochure project to having the students make a kid-friendly vacation webpage to support their knowledge about their state. This change would increase my students authentic and meaningful response to their projects, mainly because they will be given a choice and they will be able to educate others. I also added in the element of collaboration with their peers. Students will be able to work together and brainstorm ideas on what important facts should be added and the layout of the webpage.
This artifact was shared with the other gifted elementary liaisons in my system. It was a good starting point that I eventually kept reshaping. The impact can be assessed by examining my students culminating projects and reviewing their state-ly portfolios. Also, the impact can be assessed in my own personal development over time. This project included my initial thoughts, but as I grew, through this program, I was able to reshape it into the final product which can be found on my Webquest.
After students have shared their family photos taken from all over the fifty states then they will begin to decide which state they would like to research. Students are encouraged to choose a state that is meaningful and relevant to them. Once choices have been made then students will begin creating their state portfolios. These state portfolios will contain the student’s weekly research on their state. The indicators of Engaged Learning that will be present are: meaningful/authentic, standards-based, multidisciplinary, and challenging. Students will choose a state that is important to them and create a kid friendly webpage for vacationers to use. This is a cross-curricular thematic unit for the purpose of exploring the United States. As students learn about their assigned state they will also practice their skills in communication, math, social studies, research and technology. Students will be introduced to a variety of research sites and they will have to read for meaning to locate facts about their chosen state.
When I first created this project, I received a lot of great feedback from the gifted teachers that I work with. I initially wanted my students to create a brochure for their culminating project. I decided to change from the brochure project to having the students make a kid-friendly vacation webpage to support their knowledge about their state. This change would increase my students authentic and meaningful response to their projects, mainly because they will be given a choice and they will be able to educate others. I also added in the element of collaboration with their peers. Students will be able to work together and brainstorm ideas on what important facts should be added and the layout of the webpage.
This artifact was shared with the other gifted elementary liaisons in my system. It was a good starting point that I eventually kept reshaping. The impact can be assessed by examining my students culminating projects and reviewing their state-ly portfolios. Also, the impact can be assessed in my own personal development over time. This project included my initial thoughts, but as I grew, through this program, I was able to reshape it into the final product which can be found on my Webquest.