Title of Unit

Content Curation in the

Classroom

Grade Level

Third Grade Teachers

Curriculum Area

Professional Development

Time Frame

30-minute session

Developed By

N. Bennett-OBrien
Stage 1: Identify Desired Results

Content Standards
NETS-T
5. Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership: Teachers continuously improve their professional practice, model
lifelong learning, and exhibit leadership in their school and professional community by promoting and demonstrating the
effective use of digital tools and resources.

Understandings
Overarching Understandings
How to define content curation.
How to use web-based tools for content curation.
How to locate lessons and resources within
Blendspace.
How to use Blendspace to enhance instruction and
engage students.

Essential Questions
Overarching
Topical
How can web-based tools
be used to curate
content?
How can I use
technology to enhance
instruction?

How can Blendspace be

used as a tool to curate
lesson content?
How can I use
Blendspace to more
effectively plan
instruction?

Related Misconceptions
Using web-based tools to curate content is time
consuming and not effective for instruction.
Students and families do not have access to digital
devices that would allow them to view curated
resources.

Knowledge
Teachers will know

How to add a title to a lesson.

How to add an extra row of tiles to lessons.
How to curate resources using Blendspace.
How to locate lessons and resources within
Blendspace.

Skills
Students will be able to

Create new lessons.

Search for existing lessons.
Insert digital content.
Share lessons and resources.

Stage 2: Assessment Evidence

Performance Task Description
Teachers will be able to curate resources in Blendspace and successfully share them
Goal
Role
Audience
Situation
Product/Performance
Standards

publicly.
The role of the performance task is to allow teachers the opportunity to digitally curate
content using Blendspace.
Third Grade Teachers
Teachers will attend a 30-minute afterschool training on effective content curation using
Blendspace.
The final products will be CCGPS-based lessons created using Blendspace.
NETS-T 5. Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership: Teachers continuously
improve their professional practice, model lifelong learning, and exhibit leadership in
their school and professional community by promoting and demonstrating the effective
use of digital tools and resources.

Other Evidence
Teacher exit slips.
Observation of teacher performance and understanding during session.

Stage 3: Learning Plan

Before the meeting:
1. The SLMS will e-mail the agenda infographics to participating teachers with the following instructions:
Please complete Steps 1 and 2 of the agenda before our meeting. Doing so will ensure we can maximize our
time together and really focus in on how this technology can be used to enhance instruction. On the day of our
meeting, please plan to bring your laptops. We will be using them to develop our curated resources. I am so
looking forward to meeting with you!
2. The SLMS will follow up with participating teachers to ensure they received the instructions and were
successful with completing Steps 1 and 2.
During the Meeting:
1. As teachers enter, they will be welcomed by the SLMS and asked to pull up their agenda infographics and sign
into Blendspace.
2. Using the SMARTBoard and media projector, the SLMS will pull up and present the lesson objectives located
on the digital learning module.
3. The SLMS will show a screenshot of a computer task bar with multiple windows open and ask, How many of
you are like me and have a toolbar that looks like this because you have pulled up all of the resources you need
to teach your daily lessons at the beginning of the day? Now how many of you are also like me in that you
find yourself wasting precious instructional time because you are constantly toggling back and forth between
resources as you need them for your lessons?
4. The SLMS will explain that todays professional development is aimed at curating content resources in a more
effective way that will protect instructional time and organize resources so that they are more beneficial for
both teachers and students.
5. The SLMS will explain that before we go any further, it is necessary to talk about what curating content
resources actually means. Using Christopher Pappas definition, the SLMS will define content curation as,
Finding educational content in the web is no big deal- but managing it, is. Educational content curation is the
art rather than the act of sorting out the vast amounts of educational content on the web and organizing
them around a specific educational topic in a coherent way. The SLMS will explain that Blendspace is the
web-based tool that will be used to curate content resources in this session.
6. Since teachers have already completed Steps 1 and 2 of the agenda, the SLMS will explain that we will now
move on to Step 3 in order to identify specific content topics that will be used to create our Blendspace
canvases. To do this, teachers will access grade-level CCGPS standards by clicking on the icon located within
Step 3.
7. As this group of teachers plans for an assigned subject, the SLMS will instruct them to create a short list of 3 to
5 topics in their subject area. As they create their lists, the SLMS will circulate to assist and address any
questions teachers may have.
8. Using a topic identified by one of the teachers, the SLMS will model how to create a new lesson within
Blendspace. She will model how to add a title, drop in resources, add text/quizzes, add additional rows, change
the template/theme, and finally how to share their curated resources.
9. Using one of the topics identified on their lists, teachers will take time to create their own Blendspace canvas;
the SLMS will again circulate to assist and address any questions teachers may have.
10. After creating their first Blendspace canvas, the SLMS will next model how to search for existing lessons within
the gallery. As she models, the SLMS will be sure to explain how to copy existing lessons into their own
canvases.
11. Using another topic from their list, teachers will take time to search and find existing lessons within the gallery
and practice copying them to their own canvases.
12. To sum up the professional development, the SLMS will share the online learning module and explain that all
of the resources shared today (and more) have been added to the site for their reference.
13. As a closing activity, teachers will have two tasks. 1) They will be given a plastic egg and a small strip of paper
with the instructions to write down one way Blendspace can be used to enhance instruction and student
engagement through content curation and place it inside the egg. The SLMS will collect the eggs and place
them in the basket; 2) Teachers will be instructed to write down any questions they still have and place them in
the Garden of Questions. (Side note: The SLMS will review the questions after the session and promptly

respond to teachers.)
14. As teachers exit, they will be asked to take one egg from the basket as an inspiration of how Blendspace can be
used in the classroom to curate and organize content resources.