Final Concept Map

Final Concept Map (2)

Final Concept Map: Rough Draft

Team Web Site & Part B Concept Map

Good morning!

It looks like this is our final module!

Here are the assignments and their due dates:
- Part B Concept Map (April 23)
- Team Website (April 23)
- Reading Reflection 11 (April 9) ~ and two comments by that following Wednesday
- Reading Reflection 12 (April 16) ~ and two comments by that following Wednesday

I can start up a web site today at some point and share the link on here. Amanda, since I did the first concept map and Bethany did the second one, it looks like you will have to be responsible for this concept map. Thoughts on what we need to add or tweak on the Revised revised-concept map?

The website has been shared with each of our emails, however it was created through a separate email account that I created per the professor's request. If you would like the username and password, I can text it to you both.

***I first tried to create the web site using classic sites, however after getting frustrated with it, I created a new site using the new google sites. Hope this is okay with you guys - it seems more user-friendly!***

Division of Web Pages:

HOME PAGE: Everyone
STANDARDS PAGE: Everyone
LOCAL HISTORY: Bethany
HISTORICAL FIGURES: Bethany
PREPARING FOR OUR MUSEUM: Taylor
DESIGNING OUR MUSEUM: Amanda
PLANNING OUR MUSEUM: Amanda
OUR LIVE HISTORY MUSEUM: Taylor
WRAP-UP: Taylor

*For the web pages to be assigned, I wondered if we each wanted to choose the ones we wanted to do? Or if we wanted to do them collaboratively? 

Story Board Part A

Good morning!

It looks like this week, we each have two papers to write as well as do our reading reflections. In addition, we have our collaborative story board (part A) due on FRIDAY. We should start collaborating about this as soon as possible. What times work best for everyone to communicate? I am available in the mornings until about noon/one o'clock and again in the afternoon and evening. I am pretty flexible! Would you be interested in working on a google document to complete this assignment? Then, when it comes time to submit it, one group member can download the google document as a word document, save it to their computer, and then submit it. I can do this if you guys would like? I will start a google document and send it / share it with you shortly.

Digital Stories

Good morning!

For this week, we each have to create a digital story. Post your idea or theme/concept below so that we can make sure not to overlap one another in terms of what our stories are about.

Taylor - Types of Sources to use when gathering data on their historical figure

Bethany - A Visit to a Museum

Amanda - Identifying artifacts from the historical figures lifetime and their material of origin.

Revised Concept Map (Assignment II, Part B)

To see an enlarged version of the revised concept map, please click on the image.

Above is the image of our revised concept map for Assignment II, Part B. In this concept map, we organized the different components of the project from teacher planning to implementation of the project (student planning, student research, and product creation), to formative assessment during the project and technology implementation. Additionally, we added on various pieces of the project that we did not have included in our original concept map within each category.

Draft: Revised Concept Map

Hello!
I have re-worked our concept map, included the suggested additions, categorized the stages of the project, and reorganized it. Let me know what you think of this draft! I will gladly make any changes (additions, deletions, etc.) as you see fit.
*One thing I was unsure of was how many days we were providing for students to do each component. I know we decided on four days of research, but beyond that I wasn't sure. For student planning of the event, prop/artifact creation, and costume creation, how much time should we permit?
*Did we want to include a piece on summative assessment?

March 5th - March 19th

Hello!

Are either of you going anywhere for Spring Break? If not, are either of you interested in possibly working ahead this week on the following week's assignments? It looks like we will have a reading reflection, a revised concept map, and each a lesson plan to do that week. I don't mind remaking the final revised concept map since I am familiar with the program. Ideas for what we should revise from our original concept map? For the lesson plan, write below what it is you will be doing and a small description so we each know who is doing what exactly so as not to repeat anything.

Concept Blog Ideas:
To Remove:

I noticed that there are kind of two separate things for the prop/artifacts segment. Should we combine these somehow?

To Add: Technology (what are students doing their project/research on? - e.g. Google Drive); Formative assessment (ideas for it too);

where it says types of sources, I think we should add the types of sources. Right now it just says biography vs autobiography. Maybe we should add things like, newspapers (microfilm), vital records, census records, books about an event or the town, etc.

--I agree. When I said biography vs. autobiography, I was thinking just so students would discern they are different and to determine which they were writing for their projects. I think those sources should definitely be added on.
********************************************************************************
Please review this list of items to ADD to the revised concept map and/or move to different categories. Please make suggestions/corrections.

• Technology
• Google Drive
• Cloud Storage
• Online Project Space
• Integrate Podcasts - idea: each student will be interviewed as their historical figure for a podcast?

• Formative Assessment
• Exit slips
• Milestones
• Ongoing observation
• Participation
• Engagement

• Artifacts
• Realistic
• Painting, model, paper mache, sketch, etc.

• Props
• Fake facial hair/wigs/makeup
• Clothing
• Furniture

• Allotted work time - for each component?

**What do you think of organizing the concept map around the different stages of the project? Planning, implementation, assessment, etc. so there is a more organized flow?

Lesson Plan 2:
Taylor: Data collection on how old each student's historical figure was when they were most active / significantly contributing to Kalamazoo's history (in brackets of 10 - e.g. 10s 20s 30s 40s 50s etc.)

Bethany: Data collection on where each student's historical figure was from PRIOR to settling in Kalamazoo - to see how far and wide people came to be a part of Kalamazoo's community?

Amanda:

Artifacts from the lifetime of each student's historical figure. What were the artifacts? What materials were used in the creation of the original artifact? (This will help the students with the creation of their own artifact replicas, in making them realistic and relevant.)

Collaborative Podcast - Scripts

I thought it might be easier and more organized if we put the scripts we made into a separate post. Once each of us have created our scripts, we can edit and add onto this post with what we came up with. Then, can make comments on each others' scripts and offer any suggestions or feedback we may have. I hope this is okay with everyone!

Introduction:

Hello! [Introduce Names – each person records short clip saying their name]. Together, we are the Local History group. In our project, our students will be putting on a live history museum at our school on a historical person of their choosing from Kalamazoo, Michigan. In this podcast, we will discuss why we have chosen to use project-based learning, what we have done so far in our project, and what we will be doing in the future. 

Amanda (Why we use PBL)
As we begin the journey through Project Based Learning (PBL), we need to remember that children are more capable than we want to give them credit for and they are most definitely up to the challenge. This is made most apparent in the ease, with which children today, move through today’s world and technology. Students not only live, but learn in the real world. Completing projects which speak to them, and working on something with real world context, gives their work an authentic feel. The students feel they are working toward a “greater good", a goal impactful on not just a classroom grade, but the world around them. Giving students a chance to guide their own learning and truly understand the concept with which they are working, as opposed to memorizing information for test performance, is why we use Project Based Learning. Many benefits exist in regards to the PBL approach, such as, a deeper understanding of the content. This stems from the hands-on methods, used in Project Based Learning. Instead of memorizing content and forgetting the information after it has outlived its usefulness, students are interested in the content and want make their own discoveries its regard. Because PBL is learner driven, the students must work to solve their own problems which, may arise during the project, instead of being influenced by someone else’s opinion or following another’s instruction in solving the problem. The projects are the centerpiece and not the final piece of a unit, meant to tie everything together and demonstrate all that has been learned. Instead the students truly learn by working through the project, developing and using the skills necessary to succeed in today's society. One such skill is collaboration. PBL teaches students to work collaboratively, using technology and the web as a tool of discovery, collaboration, and communication. In a world where individuals are absorbed by their technological devices, and personal interaction is significantly limited, it is important students learn to work collaboratively with others, as interaction is a necessary part of the work force and life. Authenticity, true learning and understanding, and the life skills students acquire, is why we use Project Based Learning.

Taylor (What we have done so far)

One of the very first things we did after choosing our project was create a concept map using a program called bubble.us. This tool helped us to use our Big Project – a live history museum – to develop ideas. Some of the main ideas that surfaced were where it would take place, how to research and what to research, giving and writing a speech, audience, and clothing and props. These main ideas helped us to each create a lesson plan for our classroom. Each of the lessons involved the use of a hot list, a set list of sources provided by the teacher, that the students used to research a particular topic. Taylor’s lesson focused primarily on the idea of speech writing and giving. In this lesson, students researched a presidential speech and made a brochure on a Microsoft World template that informs others about the speech and what they can learn from the speech when giving their own speeches. Bethany’s lesson emphasized clothing trends that were prevalent in the era that Kalamazoo was founded, the 1820s to the 1830s. Students chose an article of clothing, created an advertisement for it by writing a script, made a PowerPoint presentation about the major selling points of their clothing, and presented it in front of the class. Amanda’s lesson was about the venue at which the living history museum would take place. The students were each assigned a venue after which they had to write a letter of intent for the reservation to the venue. Students peer reviewed their letters in groups and wrote final drafts. Lastly, the students created YouTube videos that provided instruction on how to research, identify, and reserve a venue. Each of these individual lessons prioritized the need for setting milestones when planning for formative assessment. Each lesson was broken down into manageable chunks which allowed the teacher to check in on the students, correct or redirect, and reteach when needed. One last important piece to our project we have done so far is create a virtual pen pal assignment. In this assignment, our students from Kalamazoo, Michigan connected with students from Marquette, Michigan who are also involved in a living history museum. The purpose of this assignment was for students to compare various components between their own city and the city from which their ePal is from via email. Students also asked questions about their ePal’s chosen historical figure. The information that the students gathered was then organized in the form of a Venn Diagram, displayed in a PowerPoint Presentation, and presented orally. The virtual pen pal assignment addresses the third essential learning function: collaboration. Students in our classroom collaborated with students from a different area via tools that supported collaboration, such as Google Drive. Collaboration using digital-age technology enabled students to gain a cultural understanding as well as global awareness.

Bethany (What we will be doing)
Features of our project are designed to have qualities that only “the best projects” share. The project is meant to be realistic as it will be crossing multiple disciplines. This project has a realistic nature, so capturing student interest is absolutely key. The project will have students involved in every component, and they will be involved in every part of the planning process. This will make way for learning dispositions to be strengthened. As this is meant to be an authentic experience, students will also be presenting their final projects to a carefully selected authentic audience. Students will choose who they believe should be invited to their Live History event. This idea encapsulates yet another important feature of the best projects – it is reaching beyond the scope of the school to involve others. Additionally, this taps into the idea of how students’ learning will be assessed. Students will be getting rich data from primary sources from the Kalamazoo community, interacting with experts in local history, and all the while, learning from their peers and gaining digital-age skills. Periodic, scheduled check-ins to monitor student progress will occur throughout the project cycle. And at the conclusion of the Live History Museum project, students will be putting on an event for community members, teachers, parents, and their peers where they portray their figure from Kalamazoo’s history. Even though each student’s project will be unique, the summative assessment will be based on the predetermined learning objectives. With these ends in mind, we must fine tune what exactly we are expecting of students, and how it relates to their overall learning objectives. Students will be creating something new, which is their costume and artifact based on their research. Also, students will be put in a position where they will receive real-world assessment. In all, the project assignments are carefully selected to make sure knowledge and skills across multiple content standards are addressed, and that assessment measures their capacity of research skills and require student-initiated planning, management, and ideas.

Collaborative Podcast

Hello!

It looks like our next group assignment is a collaborative podcast, which is due March 5th. Below I have included possible sign-up ideas as suggested in the instructions for this coming week. We can discuss in the comments what items in the text should be included. I would like to discuss what we have been doing so far if that is okay with you both? I know I could tie it in with some of the things I have been writing from the text for the Reading and Reflections. Also, I have added a section below where we can write our "due dates" or I guess "goals" for dates we want certain things done by. Please edit or adjust this post based on what you choose to do. Let me know what you think!

~Taylor


Who is Doing What:

• Amanda
• Topic 1: Discuss why we are using project-based learning.
• Text Concept 1:
Students are up to the challenge and live and learn in the real world.
• Text Concept 2:
Benefits of PBL

• Taylor
• Topic 2: Discuss what we have done so far.
• Text Concept 1:
• Text Concept 2: 

• Bethany
• Topic 3: Discuss where we are headed (to the big project).
• Text Concept 1: The Best Projects Share Important Features (p. 87-88)
• Text Concept 2: Assessment for Learning/Assessment of Learning (p. 97)
• Text Concept 3: Selecting Project Assignments and Performance Tasks

"Due Dates"

• Initial Podcast Scripts to be done by Tuesday 2/28
• Initial Podcast Recordings Wednesday 3/1
• All editing to be done by Thursday 3/2
• Review on Saturday 3/4
• Submit by: Sunday March 5th at 11:59 p.m.

Assignment VI, Assignment VII, and Reading Reflection #5

Good morning!

It appears that this week are working individually to complete the following assignments:
1. Assignment VI
2. Assignment VII
3. Reading Reflections 5

If anyone has questions or comments about these assignments this week, post it on the blog. Make sure to make a comment at some point this week to receive your points!

How did everyone's first lessons turn out?

- Taylor

Lesson Plan I

Good morning!

This week it looks like we are each writing our own lesson plans that correspond to different areas of our concept map. Each of us will need to cover a different area of our concept map. When you figure out what you will be doing, edit this post to include your assignment topic / area below so that we do not overlap one another. Does everyone have Taskstream? While we are working on our lessons, if anyone has any questions or things, comment on the blog!

*When you plan your lesson, remember to do fifth-grade.*

Lesson Plan I Assignment Topics:

Taylor: Speeches

Bethany: Clothing of the Era

Amanda: Researching and Securing Venues

Virtual Pen Pal Assignment Link

https://docs.google.com/document/d/15tfXmqmTkvph1Zr3G0LWpHBtQlGGXh-xLXG_eG864xw/edit?usp=sharing

Virtual Pen Pals Map

This map of Michigan displays information in regards to the cities of Kalamazoo and Marquette. The map includes a typical driving route from Kalamazoo to Marquette, as well as a map and satellite image of each city, and images connected with the individual cities. The map shows the terrain of the area. By clicking on either location's pin point (Marquette's green pin point and Kalamazoo's gold pin point), a side section will appear on the left side of the screen, presenting the map and satellite images and photos. The images can be accessed by scrolling to the bottom of the side section and clicking on the image on the bottom, which indicates the number of photos connected to the city.

Assignment IV

Hello! I have just shared with you all an invitation to edit a google document. For this assignment, what type of assignment would you guys want to do with our class? It should have something to do with Local History, particularly with famous people of the area. Maybe we could do something with the founder of the area and how it was founded? So, we could do an assignment in which students have to compare and contrast the similarities and differences between Kalamazoo and a different place. This could focus on how the region or place was founded, who founded it, and maybe what it was like it the early days or why it was founded? What do you guys think?

Here is the first part of the assignment (we will also need to make a map):

Part A: The first step in this assignment is for your group to decide what type of assignment you would do with your class (that directly relates to your Project-based Learning topic) to demonstrate cultural understanding and global awareness. Together, your team will write up a detailed description of this assignment. Examples might be having students in your class and in a class from a different place compare and contrast differences and similarities between their regions as they relate to the content of their projects (i.e. different/similar vegetables, birds, weather, etc.) Assume that will use ePals to help you identify and connect with another group of students. Be sure to add the following in this description (this will take some creativity and imagination):

• Who are the students your students will communicate with (specific location, grade level)?
• When would your students contact these other students (at what point in their project work)?
• What kinds of questions would they ask each other and what kinds of information would they share?
• What will they do with the information they get from the other students?

Assignment III Discussion Post ~ Evaluating Websites

Good morning!

For this post, let's edit what I have written here to include what websites each of us will be evaluating. Prior to evaluating these, however, you need to evaluate the website in the lesson for this week and email the professor. This is due by Wednesday. This week's assignments are individual assignments. Each of us will be evaluating 3 different websites. Please include below the URLs for the websites you will be evaluating. In terms of types of websites we are looking it, I think they should be about how to research or resources on researching for kids or teaching kids and specific content about significant people of Kalamazoo. I have started a list below of types of websites we think we should look to evaluate - please feel free to add to it.

Here are the due dates for this week as well:
Email to instructor, due by Wednesday, January 25, 2017 at 11:59 p.m. 
Evaluation of Web Sites is due by 11:59 p.m., Sunday, January 29, 2017.

-Taylor


Types of Websites to Evaluate:
- Resources on researching for students / teaching students about researching (5th grade)
- Significant people of Kalamazoo / biographies


Websites We are Evaluating:

Taylor:
1. http://www.kpl.gov/local-history/all-about-kalamazoo/
2. http://teachinghistory.org/teaching-materials/ask-a-master-teacher/25208
3. http://www.swmidirectory.org/History_of_Kalamazoo_County.html

Bethany: 
1. http://www.kalamazoomi.com/hisf.htm
2.https://www.edutopia.org/blog/elementary-research-mary-beth-hertz
3. http://education.cu-portland.edu/blog/reference-material/five-ways-to-teach-research-skills-to-elementary-school-children/

Amanda: 
1. kalamazoocity.org/history
2. http://ancestrylibrary.proquest.com.libproxy.library.wmich.edu
3. https://www.archives.gov

Part A - Collaborative Concept Map (Assignment II)

Concept Maps [Rough Drafts]

As you get your concept maps drawn, please upload an image of your concept map by editing this post and inserting an image. I thought this was the easiest, most effective way to have each of the concept maps in one place for us to look over.

I added in blue to the one that I have drawn to include other ideas from your concept maps as well:

Communication Blog for Assignment II

Here we can discuss what we would like for our semester long project to look like. Prof. Peterson posted on Elearning some great ideas for our group and what the project could look like. Once we decide on a project, we can begin our concept maps!

Thanks!
-Bethany

Getting Started

Hello!

Thank you for joining! I have posted the blog URL on Elearning. We can begin communicating about assignment II - the concept map - as soon as you would like. In addition, we need to complete the first Reading Reflection.  I know it is not due until Sunday, January 22nd, but I figured it could be better to start earlier rather than later. We need to decide how we are approaching these assignments, whether that be we do them all as a group or if we divide up the work between us and do our work individually. Also, I think it could be a good idea if we set up a time where we all meet on the blog to communicate to one another each week. Let me know what you think by replying to this post.

Thank you!

-Taylor