Grant

=Social networking link= = = =Classrooms without Borders=

[|Grant application] http://www.btboces.org/Trc/Default.shtm

Project description: a. Objectives: What is the purpose?

A connection made by a fourth grade teacher, using her own laptop and limited resources, with a class in New Zealand has created an interest and excitement among teachers and students throughout or school. Our plan is to expand this 4th grade connection and create meaningful links for classes across three other grade levels the first year, and the remaining two in the 2nd year. Our longterm goal is for every student in the school to experience some level of non-local collaboration each year. We are committed to committed, as Alan November inspires us, "...to helping educators share and explore ideas in a global forum - to motivating children to develop an awareness of their unique selves and exploring how they can contribute positively to the world around them to truly make a difference." (<[|http://www.NovemberLearning.com]>)

I//n an article for the National Council for Technology Planning (<[|http://www.nctp.com]>), John See states that, "//Effective technology plans focus on applications, not technology." In other words, a technology plan should be outcome-based, not input-based; a plan should be developed that specifies what students, staff, and administration should be able to do with technology and those outcomes should determine the types and amount of technology requested. For that reason, our plan starts with existing curriculum, and strives to enhance the lessons with social networking technology and collaborative global projects.

This project will introduce students to new social networking technology, and to new collaboration tools within the existing curriculum. It will allow them to interact with students in other countries, to work with them on real problems and projects, and to help them become globalcentric thinkers. It will begin partnerships with schools around the world, through authentic writing and digital recording experiences. With this project, students will be able to share their ideas with an authentic global audience, and to learn about cultural and broadening their learning experiences to include the opinions and viewpoints of students in other regions and countries//.//

Objectives in brief: To broaden the learning experience To help students become globalcentric thinkers. //To integrate collaborative technology into the existing curriculum// //To introduce authentic writing and digital recording experiences//

How will it enhance the teaching-learning process?

Students' learning will be enhanced by the addition of multiple points of view, by the global perspective, and by their ability to communicate with persons outside of their immediate neighborhood. These projects will add credibility and authenticity to the curriculum and engage students of many different learning abilities and intelligences. The project will encourage authentic writing experiences; the use of digital communication technology will excite students and teachers, and introduce them to technologies that will be used in the real world.

"Authentic learning is based on students' use of reading and writing for purposes other than satisfying the teacher's assignments. Authentic tasks are those that students might do even if they are not trying to improve their reading or writing." (T//eaching Reading 3-5//, <[|http://www.learner.org/channel/workshops/teachreading35/session3/sec4p3.html>)] Authentic learning means learning about the world by interacting with the people and things in the world. Each grades' project will engage students in authentic interactive writing and allow them to create exciting and artistic media that will be shared with a global audience. Sharing work with students in other countries should motivate them to read, write, and edit their work more carefully. Lessons learned through collaborative projects will be more authentic, as well, since they will be based on real-world problems, questions and experiments. Collaboration with other students from around the world will allow our students to gain a global perspective that will prove invaluable as they enter a global society.

How does it align with NYS Learning Standards? This project aligns with and supports: > Students will use mathematical analysis, scientific inquiry, and engineering design, as appropriate, to pose questions, seek answers, and develop solutions. > Standard 2: Information Systems > Students will access, generate, process, and transfer information using appropriate technologies. > Students will actively engage in the processes that constitute creation and performance in the arts (dance, music, theatre, and visual arts) and participate in various roles in the arts. > Standard 2: Knowing and Using Arts Materials and Resources > Students will be knowledgeable about and make use of the materials and resources available for participation in the arts in various roles. > > How does it align with current educational theory, research, practice? > //By opening the walls of the school to other cultures and countries, we are preparing students to work and live in an ever emerging global economy. Collaboration with other students from around the world will allow our students to gain a global perspective that will prove to be invaluable as they enter this global society. The integration of collaborative technology is// //vital to the learning....as the students advance, they will need this background....// > //new technology reinvigorates Dewey's (1915) idea of linking school with society. Technology builds a bridge that allows young people to participate in the learning practices of professionals; in the process, they develop epistemological frameworks that organize the skills, habits, and understandings they need to thrive in a complex, postindustrial society.// by [|David Williamson Shaffer] — 2004 > b. Activities: What will you do to accomplish those objectives? > Using collaboration sites such as ePals, TakingITGlobal, and connections that have already been made with classes in New Zealand by a 4th grade teacher, the librarian and 4th grade teacher will locate projects that connect to existing curriculum. Projects are available for all grade levels and on many different topics. They will then assist the teachers as they connect with schools in other countries and work with the schools on a variety of topics. Projects will be worked on collaboratively within the classes, among our classes, and shared with partner schools via the Internet, VOI phone, and SmartBoard. The SmartBoard adds the much-needed visual dimension, and allows students to share actual classwork and images in real time across great distances. > For example, our kindergarten students annually watch caterpillars become butterflies, then they release the Monarch butterflies in the neighboring park. As a project, they could write, draw and take pictures of their butterflies, then share their stories and their pictures, with the aid of the SmartBoard, with a school in Mexico where the Monarchs migrate every year. In return, the Mexican students could document the Fall migration, and communicate with our students through email and blogs. The SmartBoard will enable the teachers to share communications with the whole kindergarten at the same time, and will allow the students to participate in Language Experience writing and reading as they watch their handwritten notes turned to email. > Third grade students will be able to expand upon their Fairy Tales lesson by sharing Cinderella tales with students around the world in a project that already exists through ePals. Through stories, drawings and conversations, they will compare the social and literary differences in Cinderella versions around the world. They will be able to create Venn diagrams of the different versions on the SmartBoard, and actually share the discussion and comparison in real time with the partner schools. Original versions of the tale can be created by the class with the SmartBoard, and saved, edited and shared as a group. > Through connections that have already been made, students in Fourth grade could correspond with students in New Zealand and United Kingdom on a variety of topics, including: seasons, timezones, water cycles, animal, plant life and other science topics that appear annually on the 4th grade science test. Students will be creating blogs and contributing to a shared wiki as part on an international team. They will also discuss the American Revolution with their international peers when they study it in class. Chances are that the students in the other countries have very different viewpoints about this time in history. The grade will expand their contacts throughout the year and in future years.
 * all of the New York State ELA standards for elementary students.
 * Social Studies Standard 3: Geography Students will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of the geography of the interdependent world in which we live—local, national, and global—including the distribution of people, places, and environments over the Earth’s surface.
 * Mathematics, Science and Technology :Standard 1: Analysis, Inquiry, and Design
 * The Arts: Standard 1: Creating, Performing, and Participating in the Arts
 * All of the National Educational Technology Standards (NETS)

Through ePals, the 5th grade students could enhance their weather unit by taking part in an international weather watch project, monitoring weather changes and exchanging data with students in many other countries. With shared visuals and weather maps shared via the SmartBoard and a cooperative wiki, the students will be able to put what they learn about weather into practice, and observe how our weather patterns relate to the global climate.

All students will be able to communicate informally as they work with students in other regions, and so they will also learn of cultural, societal and educational differences firsthand. They will learn the technique and etiquette of email, they will learn to create blogs and wikis, to take and edit photographs, to record podcasts and video, and to edit carefully for an unfamiliar audience.

c. Evaluation: How will you determine if you have met the objectives? What criteria will be used?
 * · Students will demonstrate familiarity with technology by utilizing a variety of communication forms. This will be assessed informally through teacher observations, and evaluated at the end of the individual projects.
 * · Students will demonstrate understanding of various cultures through communication with the students in buddy schools. This will be assessed through the use of surveys before and after the projects. Introductory survey will assess student familiarity with the technology and knowledge and attitudes towards international cultures. Final survey will determine to what extent the projects have improved technological skills and cultural/geographical awareness.
 * · Students will demonstrate the ability to compose and edit own posts, and to use various communication forms to communicate effectively and properly. This will be assessed by the teacher who monitors the postings.

d. Executive summary: 100 words or less describing the proposal.

The excitement that was generated by a 4th grade connection to a school in New Zealand has convinced us of the value of creating meaningful connections for the students in every grade level. Research proves that students’ learning is enhanced by the addition of multiple points of view, by a global perspective, and by authentic reading and writing experiences. The addition of technology will allow this project to be expanded to accommodate various learning styles, will facilitate real collaborative projects, will introduce students to new technologies, and will help our students gain a global learning perspective.

2. Budget a. Supplies/Equipment - description and prices b. Travel: Destination, purpose, costs, registration fees, lodging, food, etc. None
 * Polyvision Touch Sensitive Interactive Whiteboard from Electronic Whiteboards Warehouse - for interactive lessons related to individual grade projects, and for sharing visual aspects of the projects with partner schools. For example, weather information can be collected, edited by each class, then shared, via SmartBoard, with international schools.
 * InFocus SVGA IN24 Projector from Tiger Direct to work in conjunction with SmartBoard and allow full class viewing and sharing of blogs, photos, videos and other recorded media.
 * HP M527xi Cameras from Tiger Direct for taking pictures to include in the creation of posts, and photos needed for project success. ex: The kindergarteners will be photographing the butterfly lifecycle and documenting their release into nature, photos can enhance weather project, and history projects.
 * SanDisk Sansa m230 mp3 player/recorder from Tiger Direct to record interviews and conversations. This will also allow younger and high need students with reading and writing difficulties to create oral posts.
 * SanDisk Cruzer Flash Drives from Staples to save projects, and to enable portable applications
 * TECHNOLOGY || Number || Unit Cost || Total Cost ||
 * Polyvision Interactive SmartBoard || 1 || $1450 inc. shipping || $1450 ||
 * InFocus IN24 Projector || 1 || 650 || 650 ||
 * HP M527xi Digital Camera || 2 || 120 || 240 ||
 * SanDisk Sansa m230 mp3 player/recorder || 1 || 45 || 45 ||
 * 1 GB SanDisk Cruzer Flash Drive || 2 || 30 || 60 ||
 * Total costs ||  ||   || $2445 ||
 * Total costs ||  ||   || $2445 ||

c. In-kind contribution: District will supply any additional shipping and tax charges incurred, technical and software support, additional computers, instructional time, additional ePals membership, additional cameras, batteries, CD storage. (ePals now limited to 35 students)

d. Miscellaneous: Other items and costs- None

3. Outline of Report

Final report will document:
 * actual costs paid for all technology purchased
 * success of the projects as indicated by survey and rubric results
 * connections made,
 * projects on which students collaborated.
 * how the projects will be continued in following years, and
 * will include actual work created by students, and anecdotal evidence of student involvement and quality of their work.

4. Outline of Presentation Describe the method you will use to present the results of research project at the NYSCATE regional conference.

In our presentation at the NYCATE conference, we will present:
 * step by step process that was used to set up collaborations
 * video and photographic excerpts of student communication,
 * examples of the projects on which the students worked collaboratively,
 * evidence of students' success as documented by surveys and rubrics
 * reactions and anecdotal evidence of student involvement from students and teachers
 * plans for continuation of the projects

Information Literacy and Pedagogy
The Boyer Commission Report, //Reinventing Undergraduate Education//, recommends strategies that require the student to engage actively in "framing of a significant question or set of questions, the research or creative exploration to find answers, and the communications skills to convey the results..." [|4] Courses structured in such a way create student-centered learning environments where inquiry is the norm, problem solving becomes the focus, and thinking critically is part of the process. Such learning environments require information literacy competencies. Gaining skills in information literacy multiplies the opportunities for students’ self-directed learning, as they become engaged in using a wide variety of information sources to expand their knowledge, ask informed questions, and sharpen their critical thinking for still further self-directed learning. Achieving competency in information literacy requires an understanding that this cluster of abilities is not extraneous to the curriculum but is woven into the curriculum’s content, structure, and sequence. This curricular integration also affords many possibilities for furthering the influence and impact of such student-centered teaching methods as problem-based learning, evidence-based learning, and inquiry learning. Guided by faculty and others in problem-based approaches, students reason about course content at a deeper level than is possible through the exclusive use of lectures and textbooks. To take fullest advantage of problem-based learning, students must often use thinking skills requiring them to become skilled users of information sources in many locations and formats, thereby increasing their responsibility for their own learning. To obtain the information they seek for their investigations, individuals have many options. One is to utilize an information retrieval system, such as may be found in a library or in databases accessible by computer from any location. Another option is to select an appropriate investigative method for observing phenomena directly. For example, physicians, archaeologists, and astronomers frequently depend upon physical examination to detect the presence of particular phenomena. In addition, mathematicians, chemists, and physicists often utilize technologies such as statistical software or simulators to create artificial conditions in which to observe and analyze the interaction of phenomena. As students progress through their undergraduate years and graduate programs, they need to have repeated opportunities for seeking, evaluating, and managing information gathered from multiple sources and discipline-specific research methods.