Online Projects, Collaboration Sites and Publishing Opportunities

Lesson Idea Name: Sharing Stories

Content Area: English Language Arts and Technology
Grade Level(s): Fifth Grade
Content Standard Addressed: ELAGSE5W3Writenarrativesto develop real or imagined experiences or events
using effective technique, descriptive details, and clear event sequences.

Technology Standard Addressed: 3. Knowledge Constructor: Students critically curate a variety of resources
using digital tools to construct knowledge, produce creative artifacts and make meaningful learning
experiences for themselves and others.

Selected Online Project/Collaboration Site/Publishing Opportunity: KidPub

URL(s) to support the lesson: http://www.kidpub.com

Describe how you would incorporate an Online Project/Collaboration Site/Publishing Opportunity in your
classroom:
I would start the lesson by telling my students how important their writings are and how when we write
stories, we should write about things that are important to us. We should write about things that we love,
and we should share our stories with other people. I would then pull up the KidPub website and show the
students all of the different stories that other students have posted from all over the world. From there I
would have the students decide on the topics they want to write about. I would have them brainstorm and
build as much details in their brainstorming that they could possibly think of. Then I would have them begin
to write their stories. They would do drafts, peer reviews, and then ultimately the final draft.

While they are doing these drafts, peer reviews, and final drafts, they will also be using the KidPub website.
They will post their drafts on the website discussion forums so that others are able to give them some
feedback. They would be able to collaborate with others and ask questions to help guide their writing. When
they are finished with their story, they will be able to submit the final draft to the writing contests on KidPub.
Every student will get the chance to enter the contest, collaborate online with others, and grew their writing
knowledge.

What technologies would be required to implement this proposed learning activity in a classroom?
Laptops or computers would be needed in the classroom
Describe how the following features are addressed in this learning experience (note: all of them may not be
addressed in the project, but most should be if you are reaching a high LoTi Level).
a. Collaboration with peers, near-peers, mentors outside their classroom and often beyond their
school: The students will get the chance to collaborate with others through the KidPub website. They
will be able to talk with others about their writing on the discussion forums and then they will submit
their work for the writing contest.

b. Student-centered learning and knowledge creation (creating original data and or producing original
products as a result of engaging in a project): Students will create their own works of art by writing a
story about something that is meaningful to them, something they love, or whatever topic they
choose.

c. Higher-order thinking: The students will use higher order thinking when they are writing their stories.
Since they have to create their own story on their own topic it will make the students use their critical
thinking skills in order to create a complete and attention-grabbing story.

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 Online Projects, Collaboration Sites and Publishing Opportunities
d. Students publishing their original work to others who will use/care about their product: The
students will publish their final drafts to KidPub for the writing contest. They could win a prize and
even get their writing published.

Bloom’s Taxonomy Level(s):

☐ Remembering ☐ Understanding ☒ Applying ☐ Analyzing ☐ Evaluating ☒ Creating

Levels of Technology Integration (LoTi Level):

☐ Level 1: Awareness ☐ Level 2: Exploration ☐ Level 3: Infusion ☐ Level 4: Integration
☒ Level 5: Expansion ☐ Level 6: Refinement

Universal Design for Learning (UDL):

From the Universal Design for Learning Wheel, this lesson will support Engagement. The students will be able
to have an individual choice in this lesson because they will be able to choose what they want their story to
be about. The students will also have authenticity because their story will be completely their own and
authentic to each individual student. Students will also be given the chance to collaborate with others
through the KidPub to get feedback on their work and talk with others about their topic. The students will
also get the chance to self-assess and reflect back on their work to see the purpose of what they did.
Lesson idea implementation and Internet Safety Policies:
Before doing anything on the computer I would send permission slips home to the parents asking if they will
allow their children to be involved on the website and a guide telling them how to and why they should talk
to their children about internet safety. Also, before beginning the lesson, I would do a short lesson with the
students about internet safety. I would tell them that they will be using a Pseudonym while online and they
should never give out their real name. I would also give them all of the other important information that they
would need to know to help keep them safe while being online and comply with the district’s Internet Safety
and Student Privacy Policies.
Reflective Practice:
I feel that the activities that I created would help to build student learning because while the students are
building their writing skills, they will also be building their knowledge about internet safety and how to
collaborate well with others about their work. This will also help to impact their learning, because sometimes
learning from a source outside of the classroom can be more beneficial to different students.
This lesson could be extended by having the students further their writing. I could have the students add
more detail and ideas to their stories. I could also have them use different online sites that would help them
give more detail to their stories, collaborate with other students their age around the world to get a different
perspective of their story, as in what the story may look like in a different country, and allow the students to
publish their stories to more than just contests to allow others to enjoy their work.

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