Project+Statement

= Project Statement =

=1. Briefly describe your proposed project. =

===[|Making Global Connections Using Glogster]- === ===Students will share their community with others by creating electronic posters. They will create the electronic posters using Glogster. Students will share their community, whether it is across the country or across the world. They will showcase their community from their personal perspective. This may include recreation, food, sports, schools, shopping, etc. There are no age limits for this project. ===

=2. How will you improve learner performance by engaging learners in authentic experiences? = ===The learners will get to have a personal sense of accomplishment through the creation of this project which will create an authentic experience. The poster will be a personal representation of each person's understanding of their personal community. Each person seeing the same situation in a different manner so each Gloster will be personal and unique which will create enthusiasm for learning. ===

=3. How will you facilitate learning through constructivist, collaborative learning experiences? = ===By definition, Constructivism learning uses collaborative learning along with critical thinking, self-regulation, and mindful reflection (Driscoll, 2005). The creation of an individualized Glogster, or electronic poster, brings in all the previously mentioned descriptions in this specific project. The collaboration aspect will come into play within each individual classroom with each individual child presenting their unique view of their community. Also this project will bring about a personal reflection of the self and how they really view specific aspects of their life. This aspect of the project might need prompting from the teacher since many students do not have a great deal of cognitive development to have an in-depth personal reflection. The class can start out with a brainstorming activity which will help the students to start to think about situations on a personal level which is the self-reflection. Also with this self-reflection comes mindful reflection as well in reference to their community and other individuals that help to influence their lives. ===

=4. How will you create sound instructional materials and learning environments that are based on solid research and learning theory? =

=== The definition of learning theory according to Driscoll (2005) is “a set of constructs linking observed changes in performance with what is thought to bring about those changes” (p.9). Through collaboration of ideas the students will become aware of other ideas and though patterns concerning their personal community. The underlying events or constructs that lead a student to have a deeper understanding of their original thought process is more associated with cognitive or a constructivist learning theory. The semantic memory which is general information that is stored in the long term memory (Driscoll, 2005) can be information gathered concerning the student’s understanding of their community. The teacher can use this information as a starting point to increase their knowledge of their community through research and also through other classes Glogsters from their community and around the world. The students can also be given an assignment in which they must research a specific aspect of their community. During this process the teacher can redefine or define for the first time what it means to complete “research.” During this lesson the teacher can talk about quantitative verse qualitative research, the concept of plagiarism, what information is needed, and websites that would be credible. This process of understanding how to complete research might take some time for the teacher to convey to her students however, through this process sound instructional material these concepts can easily be learned, recognized, and ultimately transferred into long term memory for recall later in life. ===

=5. How will you facilitate the use of innovations through the diffusion and integration of new technologies and technological experiences for your learners? =

=== To effectively facilitate the use of the innovations we will need to teach the students how to properly utilize the tools. Tutorials should be created in order to aid students with any questions that they might have after the initial introduction/teaching of the tools has been completed. Examples should be given to students to aid the students in their learning quest. ===

=6. How will you most effectively manage this process? =

=== A white board should be used to complete a whole group glogster as an example covering all of the tools and ins and outs of the new technologies being introduced so that students can have some hands on experience before venturing off to complete their own glogster. Whole group activities should include the use of the Glogster tools, search engines, and any other area that might be needed for the project. Once students have completed “whole group training” then they can begin work on their own glogsters. Tutorials can be viewed by students who might need extra help or memory joggers. ===

=7. What ethical considerations will you make to ensure sound decisions are made? =

=== We will utilize Internet Safety guidelines as put forth by our school districts along with any other rules/regulations that are to be adhered to. We will also discuss with our classes the good, the bad, and the ugly truths of the internet and how to be safe while utilizing it. Because of the nature of the assignment instructors and students alike will be sensitive to personal beliefs, cultural differences, and personal values. This project will aid students in getting a better idea of differing cultures and environments. ===

=<span style="color: #800000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">8. What processes and resources will you include? =

===<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; margin-left: 0.5in;">Students will compare communities to identify common features in all communities. Students will explore their community and create an electronic poster to highlight their communities’ features. The communities will be compared to determine both similarities and differences. Students may use photos, video clips, audio, etc. to display the communities’ features. Students will also create a blog where they will post their virtual poster for others to view and comment upon. Students will comment upon 10 virtual posters and then blog about what they have learned through this project. ===

=<span style="color: #800000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">9. Describe the learning environment and population that will be engaged in your project: =


 * ===<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Audience: Anyone ===
 * ===<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Learner characteristics (i.e. grade level, number of students): Grades K-12 – maximum 90 students (30 per classroom). ===
 * ===<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Anticipated entry level skills of audience: Beginning to advanced technology users ===
 * ===<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">School environment: Elementary, Middle, &/or high school level students/classes ===
 * ===<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Support for project by community, parents, or administrators - ===