Project+Statement

=Module 2 = =Capstone Project, Task 5: Project Statement =

Assume your school system has hired you as an educational consultant to help move its instructional programs to the next level of technological interaction, involving faculty and students to enhance the digital experiences of their students. You want to start small with a 1-week collaborative project with two other schools. Identify an area for a project you would like to implement in your school. Develop a collaborative project where all three schools and/or classes represented by your learning community could be engaged in a topic of interest, using digital tools for communication. The class Discussion for this module should provide many possible ideas for your learning community’s consideration.


 * 1. Project Statement:Identify the project your learning community wants to develop. Briefly respond to the following questions, using each expert’s knowledge as a guide. These elements may change as you continue to develop your ideas for your project, so the purpose of this brainstorming is to begin to plan your Capstone Proj Briefly describe your proposed project. **

During this project the students will learn how making healthy food choices can have a positive impact on their lives. To start the unit the students utilize an educational social network site called Twiducate to tweet me and their classmates everything they know about how to be healthy. Once the background knowledge has been established the students engage in several activities that build on what they already know and myths about being healthy. Some of those activities include, exploring the food groups, collecting data on balanced diets, creating a family meal on a budget, and creating a persuasive commercial. The commercial will be used as the summative assessment.


 * 2. How will you improve learner performance by engaging learners in authentic experiences? **

Students are analyzing a real world situation and coming up with a solution using technology tools. Research suggests that learning by doing in authentic contexts fosters deeper understanding.  The students are engaging in higher level thinking skills, collaboration, and logical reasoning.


 * 3. How will you facilitate learning through constructivist, collaborative learning experiences? **

Students will work collaboratively to research health information through the use of Twiducate application on the Ipad. This is a constructivist project because students will eventually work collaboratively to create a persuasive commercial as their summative assessment.


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

Ipad's many applications will be used for instructional materials to create collaboration. The iPad camera and.


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

Much of the movement in educational technology has been toward making it more accessible and more portable. With the advent of the smart phone and tablet devices, we have expanded the use of the internet has greatly expanded to the pocket sized devices. We are moving from the computer lab full of desktops and then to mobile laptop labs, to one to one environments. The use of the iPad is the next step in the miniature-izing of the computer. The resources and development of applications and even the interactive textbooks will revolutionize how we learn and teach. The implementation of the iPad devices will be the first step in such a facilitation of diffusion and integration of new technologies. During this project, students will use a variety of technology application from the internet. IN addition, students will be introduced to specific iPad apps to assist with their projects.


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

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">To manage the process of implementation, we must concern ourselves with a few items. First, teachers must be trained and proficient in their use for learning and teaching in the classroom. Teachers must be fairly comfortable adapting lessons and creating new lessons for the technology. Additionally, students and parents must understand their responsibility to successful implementation including: insurance of the devices, charging the devices, utilization, and acceptable use. Infrastructure must be tested to make sure that the existing networks can handle the load of all the devices at once. Learning and teaching methods must continually be monitored to insure the best possible results from the implementation. A technology specialist should be available for consult with teachers and be ready to provide additional training as needed.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">· Bookmarked website established <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">· Assign students specific roles and have check sheets to monitor progress <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">· Conference with students on their progress and make suggestions where needed <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">· Monitor entries on Twiducate and Lino sites


 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">7. What ethical considerations will you make to ensure sound decisions are made? **

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">-Since the majority of this project will require the student to access the internet, the facilitator will conduct a short mini lesson on internet safety. In addition, after the safety lesson the students will be required to sign an agreement stating they will follow all the safety rules. The letter will also be sent home to the parents.


 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">8. What processes and resources will you include? **

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The students will use a variety of technology tools for this project. The two main technology tools will be the internet and the iPad. However, the students will use other collaborative applications such as Twiducate and Linot. Various bookmarked sites will also be used:

· @http://www.cdc.gov/about/grand-rounds/archives/2010/06-June.htm (Video on the Health Epidemic of Adolescences) · USDA picture of the food groups @http://teamnutrition.usda.gov/Resources/mpk_poster.pdf · www.twiducate.com · @http://www.bam.gov/sub_foodnutrition/index.html · @http://kidshealth.org/kid/stay_healthy/food/fitness_nutrition_center.html · @http://www.choosemyplate.gov/espanol.html <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">· @http://teamnutrition.usda.gov/Resources/mpk_poster.pdf

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">//· Audience:// Elementary Students <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">//· Learner characteristics:// Elementary students in 3rd grade. (The project can be adapted for middle and high school students.) The classroom has a total of 15 students. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">//· Anticipated entry-level skills of audience:// Basic computer skills and beginning iPad skills <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">//· School environment;// The project is designed for a Title I elementary school. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">//· Support for project by community, parents, or administrators;// The parents and other schools members will have an active part in the project.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">9. Describe the learning environment and population that will be engaged in your project: **

// Completed by Rachel, LaTonya, and Kevin //