Staff Development Unit by: Garrece Walker

Title of Unit

Let Them Do It Too Iste NETS.S Standards:

Topic: Technology Projects for Young Students

Grade Level

Professional Learning for teachers

1. Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity Teachers use their knowledge of subject matter, teaching and learning, and technology to facilitate experiences that advance student learning, creativity, and innovation in both face-to-face and virtual environments. Promote, support, and model creative and innovative thinking and inventiveness. Promote student reflection using collaborative tools to reveal and clarify students conceptual understanding and thinking, planning, and creative processes

2. Design and deliver digital age learning experiences and assessments. Teachers design, develop, and evaluate authentic learning experiences and assessment incorporating contemporary tools and resources to maximize content, learning in context and to develop the knowledge, skills, and attitudes identified in the NETSS. Design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity. Develop technology-enriched learning environments that enable all students to pursue their individual curiosities and become active participants in setting their own educational goals, managing their own learning, and assessing their own progress. Customize and personalize learning activities to address students diverse learning styles, working strategies, and abilities using digital tools and resources.

Understandings:
Creating technology experiences for young students, particularly K-2, presents a unique set of obstacles. Using and selecting appropriate technology varies by the participants involved.

Essential Questions: What obstacles does a person face in creating technology experiences for young students? How does the choice of tools affect the final project? How can the experiences be adapted for younger students?

Staff Development Unit by: Garrece Walker Educators will know:

The benefits and challenges of using technology with younger students. The benefits of selecting appropriate technology tools.

Educators will be able to:

Adapt technology projects for younger students. Select appropriate tools for younger students. Demonstrate how create a technology project for younger students, including prepared resources.

Stage 2: Assessment Evidence

Performance Task(s): As a teacher who has acquired technology training, you understand the importance of creating technology experiences in the 21st century classroom. However, you and your colleagues have had considerable difficulty in creating appropriate technology experiences for the younger students in K-2. You want to meet the needs of your students; therefore it is your goal to come up with creative, organized, and easy technology projects for these younger students. You will create a project for class in which the students will share facts they have learned about the moon, sun, or stars.

Key Criteria: To demonstrate learning and understanding the following must occur: Examine a minimum of 10 digital presentation tools and 10 web resources. Select 5 each, that you consider appropriate for your grade level. Create a technology project with accessible prepared resources. Explain why you chose this project and how you have made it easier for younger students.

Stage 3: Learning Plan

1. Begin class by asking, which presentation tools have your students used in the past? Write responses on smartboard. Ask: What portions of the presentation process was the most difficult? 2. Show video: You Cant Be My Teacher http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0VSymMbMYHA&feature=related and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UgBwl_JrC50 . 3. Discuss reactions to videos and why teachers find it difficult to incorporate technology with the very young students. 4. Discuss the goals of this unit and show example project. 5. Ask teachers to give examples of projects gone wrong with young students. 6. Discuss how technology projects can be beneficial to young students. 7. Divide class into groups to work together on creating technology projects. They must list the major obstacles for their age group as well and solutions to the obstacles. 8. Discuss project ideas and solutions to age/maturation obstacles.

Staff Development Unit by: Garrece Walker

9. Discuss how building a prepared resource folder may resolve obstacles with younger students. Show example project, resource folder. 1o. Show Instructions for saving to shared classroom folder. 11. Discuss creating a step by step instruction sheet for project. 12. Teachers build their own shared folders for their mock project. 13. Teachers present their project and shared folder and discuss how they simplified project for younger students. 14. Have class complete self-assessment rubric.

Self-Assessment Rubric

Criteria

Confident

Gained some understanding but need a little more information

I dont get it!

Selecting appropriate tech tools for presentations.

Creating and adapting tech projects.

Creating a resource folder for classroom projects.

Comfort Level in creating technology projects for young students

Total: How many do you have of each?