Final Project – Podcast on PPT

I don’t have fancy programs so had to do this old-school style with PowerPoint. Hope it works!

Edtec700 – Final Project

ADDIE

Analysis

My users are seventh grade (about age twelve) students at an urban magnet San Diego middle school. I want them to be able to define key words that will be used throughout the course (as well as in future English classes) and of course, work together as a team. This will likely be the first time these users have contributed to a wiki, but nearly have used Wikipedia and have posted comments to online communities such as Myspace. Performance drivers that might prevent them from learning with this tool would be environmental. My classroom only has one computer — my laptop. Some students do not have computers at home. The most efficient way for students to access the wiki is from the school computer lab.

Design

I want users to easily find the section they will be contributing to and as a class define terms or write character descriptions. The wiki as a whole will be a recurring effort, but the different sections will only be used for short periods throughout the school year.

Development

The tools used will be my school laptop or home PC to add to the wiki and the school computer lab for students to access the wiki. Customizations are for my specific English class, or more specifically, the texts we will read during the school year and the terms we ill discuss and use. I am pretty satisfied with how it turned out because I have never created or contributed to a wiki before this course.

Implementation

I will introduce this to the class first via an overhead projector and model for my classes what the wiki looks like and what it does. There will be a preliminary test drive in the computer lab so every student has an opportunity to practice and feel comfortable with the concept of a wiki. Permission would be granted through the school librarian.

Evaluation

This site will help students define characters and terms used in class. Within the classroom, we will discuss in whole and small groups these ideas. There will also be written (pen & paper type) assignments and assessments to fortify what they are doing online. Students will be evaluated based on the quality of their wiki contributions, as well as meeting a minimum contribution quota.

Podcast

Women in Heian Japan

Here is a podcast about women in Heian Japan. The Heian period began in 784 and lasts nearly four centuries. Sei Shonagon’s The Pillow Book was written during this time.

the first post : me!

I taught 8th grade English last school year, which was also the last year of my middle school. So at the moment I am unsure what grade / school I will have in the fall. I am hoping for 8th or 9th.  I loved my kids last year and secretly hope I get a job at the nearby high school so I can teach them again.  Weird, huh?

(My avatar photo was taken at Central Park. My husband and I visited NYC for the first time earlier this summer. It is a fun city — highly recommended.)

It looks as if this class will be a lot of fun, but more importantly, useful for the classroom.  I already like this site and want to use it for the upcoming school year for a class site.  I think that will intertwine somehow with my final project. Perhaps a blog / wiki for a novel we’re reading in class or a blog for a choice novel the students are reading (?). I’d like a venue for the students to be more engaged with reading. Perhaps the internet is the key.