Tsenala+Paul

As I'm having navigation trouble (see my discussion posting on the home page), I'll just post my Online Collaboration learning right here, at the top of the page. My PBL lesson follows it.

Here my Lesson appears as a document, which might be easier to read.

And here is the full text, copied and pasted and likely with multiple formatting abnormalities.

TECHNOLOGY INTEGRATION FOR MEANINGFUL CLASSROOM USE
= Daily Lesson GAME Plan = Digital Storytelling Problem Based Learning British Culture Discover London American Culture National Parks Australia’s Aboriginals || Regional Studies: Geography & Culture || Communication Standard 1.1: Students engage in conversations, provide and obtain information, express feelings and emotions, and exchange opinions Communication Standard 1.2: Students understand and interpret written and spoken language on a variety of topics Communication Standard 1.3: Students present information, concepts, and ideas to an audience of listeners or readers on a variety of topics Cultures Standard 2.1: Students demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between the practices and perspectives of the culture studied Connections Standard 3.1: Students reinforce and further their knowledge of other disciplines through the foreign language Connections Standard 3.2: Students acquire information and recognize the distinctive viewpoints that are only available through the foreign language and its cultures Communities Standard 5.1: Students use the language both within and beyond the school setting Society & Culture Standard 4.1.1: Students understand the characteristics of the regions and main cities of Great Britain Society & Culture Standard 4.1.2: Students understand the characteristics of the regions and main cities of the USA Intercultural Competence Standard 4.2.1: Students are able to behave according to the social norms of the USA and Great Britain in standard situations Intercultural Competence Standard 4.2.6: Students engage in written communication with American or British partners.
 * ** Lesson Title ** : Online Collaboration || ** Related Lessons: **
 * || ** Unit ** :
 * GOALS ||
 * Content Standards: **
 * National Standards for Foreign Language Learning: **
 * Content Standards for English in Baden-Württemberg **

o Creativity and innovation þ Communication and collaboration þ Research and information fluency ||  þ Critical thinking, problem-solving, & decision-making o Digital citizenship o Technology operations and concepts || 30 min 45 min 45 min Approx. 20-40 min per mail exchange (integrated over a 3 day period) 30 min ||  · Introduce students to the ePals site, through which they will be communicating and collaborating with their partners. Guide students through the tools offered by ePals which can be used to support their developing language skills. Students write a warm-up mail to teacher in response to a writing prompt designed to get them focused on the goals of the email exchange to come. · Students compose first email to their ePals partners introducing themselves and asking two or three general questions about the region or city they are investigating. After receiving corrections from the teacher, students send mail. · Students receive their first responses and compose their second email. Email content will include: (1) A response to the questions, ideas, and information contained in their partner’s email, and (2) a new component, as determined by a teacher prompt. Students invite their partners to visit their group blogs and post comments, if they like (not required). After receiving corrections, students send mail. · Students synthesize the new insights and information they have received from their partners with the information they have discovered in their online research. Each student posts a summary of their findings and questions thus far to the group blog. · The exchange continues until a minimum of four emails have been sent and received over a period of approximately two weeks. In this period, a minimum of two blog postings must be made per student. · Students integrate the cultural insights they have gained through their ePals exchange into their digital storytelling presentations, giving credit to their partners. · Upon completing their digital stories, students link them to their blogs and send a final “Thank You” email to their ePals partners inviting them to view their videos and post comments. · Students check back periodically to see if their partners have posted comments and to respond to these. || · Computer lab, projector · Computer lab · Computer lab · Graphic Organizer for help in synthesis, computer access from home, library, or computer lab · Computer lab · Digital Storytelling software · Computer lab || || MONITOR
 * ** ISTE NETS-S **
 * Instructional objective(s): ** Students will engage in authentic communication in the target language with peers living in the city or region they are investigating. This will take place primarily through an email exchange, but can also include the extended use of student blogs. As a result of this communication, students will practice and improve their written language and gain knowledge of and insight into the culture of the location they are investigating.
 * ACTION ||
 * ** Before-class preparation: ** Students are introduced to the problem-based context framing their investigation. Students form small groups of three and begin to research their topics. Each group posts updates of their progress to their group blogs. Teacher locates suitable collaboration partners in ePals, establishes the parameters of the exchange with collaborating teachers/homeschoolers, and sets up an email account for each student in ePals. Teacher also reserves adequate computer lab time. ||
 * During class  ||
 * Time  ||   Instructional Activities   ||   Materials & Resources   ||
 * 30 min.
 * Notes: ** Student work needn’t run strictly parallel; students may work on different aspects of their research and collaborations at different times. Provide for peer language assistance for struggling students.
 * Ongoing assessment(s): ** All sent emails will be routed through the teacher’s ePals account for assessment with the purpose of (1) establishing whether the requirements are being met, (2) assessing student writing skills and developing content knowledge, and (3) becoming aware of student needs in order to make any necessary adjustments. In addition to student emails, student blog entries and notes swill serve as artifacts of student knowledge, skills, and learning processes.
 * Accommodations and extensions: ** Students in need of language support will be allowed more time to compose their emails. Struggling language learners can receive assistance from other group members as they compose, revise, and edit their emails. More fluent students can turn their attention to online research and note-taking upon completing their emails. Higher level language learners can also extend their online collaboration beyond the four required emails and teacher-provided prompts; these students must be encouraged to blog actively and involve their ePals partners as much as possible.
 * Backup plan: ** If not enough ePals are available from each region, multiple students can be paired with one ePal partner.
 * EVALUATE AND EXTEND ||
 * Lesson reflections and notes: ** Reflect on student email writing and provide mini-lessons as needed to address problems. Review student notes regularly to ensure that students are managing to accurately pull relevant information out of their partners’ emails and synthesize this with other sources (* some students will need added scaffolding! Stay alert and provide as needed.). It is likely that the ePals exchange will continue; coordinate actively with collaborating teachers/homeschoolers to facilitate and extend this work.

TECHNOLOGY INTEGRATION FOR MEANINGFUL CLASSROOM USE
= Daily Lesson GAME Plan = Problem Based Learning: So many places, so little time! || ** Related Lessons: ** Digital Storytelling British Culture Discover London American Culture National Parks Australia’s Aboriginals || Regional Studies: Geography & Culture || Communication Standard 1.1: Students engage in conversations, provide and obtain information, express feelings and emotions, and exchange opinions
 * ** Lesson Title: **
 * **Grade & Subject:** Grade 9; English as a foreign language || ** Unit: **
 * GOALS ||
 * Content Standards: **
 * National Standards for Foreign Language Learning: **

Communication Standard 1.2: Students understand and interpret written and spoken language on a variety of topics

Communication Standard 1.3: Students present information, concepts, and ideas to an audience of listeners or readers on a variety of topics

Cultures Standard 2.1: Students demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between the practices and perspectives of the culture studied

Connections Standard 3.1: Students reinforce and further their knowledge of other disciplines through the foreign language

Communities Standard 5.1: Students use the language both within and beyond the school setting

** X ** Creativity and innovation ** X ** Communication and collaboration ** X ** Research and information fluency || ** X ** Critical thinking, problem-solving, & decision-making O Digital citizenship ** X ** Technology operations and concepts ||
 * ** ISTE NETS-S **
 * Instructional objective(s): ** Many students aspire to travel to English speaking destinations to improve their English and experience a foreign culture. This can take place within the framework of a holiday trip, a class trip, or a student exchange. Yet how do students know what location to choose when there are so many possibilities and they lack first-hand knowledge? In this lesson, students will explore a location of their choice in the English-speaking world and propose a four-day travel itinerary for the location to their peers. All sights and activities included in the travel itinerary must be presented in terms of their historical and cultural significance. Students will use English and work cooperatively to understand the problem, make an action plan to gather any information needed, conduct research and propose possible solutions. Upon agreeing on one best solution, groups will produce a video using digital storytelling software to present their solution to the class. During the presentation phase, all students will become critical consumers of information and will determine what they consider to be the two best solutions proposed.

10 min
 * ACTION ||
 * ** Before-class preparation: ** As this is the beginning of a new unit, no prior student action is expected. Teacher must ensure that student groups have access to computers with an Internet search engine as well as email and blogging capabilities (beware of too-tight school filters!). Email accounts for all students will have been created in ePals and blogs set up for each group through Kidblog. Pre-determine student groups. ||
 * During class ||
 * Time ||  Instructional Activities  ||  Materials & Resources  ||
 * ** Day 1 **

10 min

x x

5 min x

15 min x

** Day 2 ** 25 min

15 min

** Days ** ** 3-6 ** 4 full periods

** Day 7 ** 35 min x

10 min

** Days ** ** 8-10 ** 3 full periods

** Days ** ** 11-12 ** 2 full periods

** Day 13 ** 45 min || Activate student prior knowledge by asking them to list as many places in the English-speaking world as they can think of and indicating what they know about each place.

Introduce the problem through digital storytelling technology. Digital story presents a multitude of images of famous places and cultural associations as well as a person caught in a dilemma: where to go when there are so many places to visit and so little time available?

Present the problem: What destination in the English-speaking world would I most like to plan to visit (either on holiday, as a class trip, or for a student exchange) and what does this location have to offer?

Using the ideas collected during the prior knowledge phase, groups meet to discuss possible locations to research and agree on one.

Groups collaborate to make a chart indicating what they know about their location, what they need to know to solve the problem, and how they will be able to find the information they need.

Groups post a brief summary of what is known, what they need to know, and their information gathering plan to their group blog as an artifact for informal assessment.

Students engage in information gathering. Artifacts to assess progress, learning, and needs will include student notes, blog posts, copies of emails, and interviews.

Groups collaborate to synthesize the information they have gathered and determine possible solutions: Solutions will take the form of a four-day travel itinerary in which students plan to visit important or popular sights, and partake in culturally typical activities (including meals, sports, etc.).

Groups agree on one best solution.

Beginning of presentation phase. Groups use digital storytelling technology to prepare a promotional video touting the virtues of their chosen location and proposing a four-day travel itinerary. Information about the historical and cultural significance of their chosen sights and activities will be integrated into the video. Groups also produce a printed summary of their proposed itinerary.

Groups present their promotional videos to the class and distribute text itineraries. Learners take notes on key points using organizer provided. Itineraries and links to group videos are posted to the class website for parents and fellow students to view.

Each student chooses a first and second choice location for a holiday visit, class trip, or student exchange and provides the teacher with a written justification of his/her choices which reflects acquired content knowledge. || Chalkboard x x

Projector with speakers for audio x x  x  x  x

Scaffolding: language for making suggestions, agreeing/disagreeing, clarifying

Chart to record and plan. Methods for gathering info will include books, internet, and interviews with residents of target location via ePals Computer access for blog posts Computer access for Internet searches, emailing, and blog posts

Graphic organizer to aid in synthesis and development of at least two possible solutions x x x

Digital storytelling software; internet access to retrieve photos and maps; microphone and recording software for narration.

Graphic organizer; class website || || MONITOR
 * Notes: ** Student groups should take into account and attempt to balance a variety of skills including technological, language, and organizational skills. Avoid grouping by friendship ties.
 * ** Ongoing assessment(s): ** Artifacts to demonstrate learning, document progress, and highlight group processes will be collected regularly. Artifacts will include group blogs (postings will be due regularly and in response to specific prompts), copies of email exchanges via ePals, teacher-student interviews, and student notes. Final product evaluation will be based on the group’s promotional video and text itinerary, as well as students’ individual essays.
 * Accommodations and extensions: ** Students with very low language proficiency will need extra scaffolding in the form of specific, clear, and manageable mini-tasks. These students are likely to get lost in the enormity of the project and will need their role to be very clearly defined and limited in scope.
 * Backup plan: ** Students use books and magazines to gather information. In the place of personal contact via ePals with target location residents, students can conduct interviews locally with people who have visited their location. Likewise, photos can be gathered from locally available sources. In place of promotional videos using digital storytelling, students can present their solutions in a traditional presentation format using posters to illustrate their ideas. In this case, students would also be expected to produce a travel brochure with text and pictures. || EVALUATE AND EXTEND ||
 * Lesson reflections and notes: ** Use a checklist to keep track of student artifacts. It will also probably be a good idea to organize after-school computer lab access during the information gathering and presentation phases for students without home access or in need of additional help to work outside of class. Also be sure to monitor what websites students are using for information to ensure that they conduct their research in the target language.