WEBSITE AND CLASSROOM BLOG CREATION TOOLS

Name: Casie Gosnell

Directions: Using the template below, describe how students could use a blog, wiki, or other website-
creation tool to learn required learning standards in your content area: For an A grade provide an idea that
reaches a Level of Technology Implementation of 4 or above. Remember higher levels (4-6) require that
students assume adult/professional roles; engage in higher-order thinking; and use technology
create/publish original content for their classmates and/or others beyond their school/classroom. The
learning activities and products should be engaging and meaningful to the students and to others who will
view/use/benefit from students work. Review your handouts on Engaged Learning, Authenticity, and LoTi.
Grade Level: Kindergarten
Content Area: Science
Technology Used (check all that apply):
Blog Wiki Other Website Creation Tool (list):
Content Area/Grade/Standards/Topics Addressed: SKE1. Students will describe time patterns
(such as day to night and night to day) and objects (such as sun, moon, stars) in the day and night
sky. a. Describe changes that occur in the sky during the day, as day turns into night, during the night,
and as night turns into day. b. Classify objects according to those seen in the day sky and those seen
in the night sky. c. Recognize that the Sun supplies heat and light to Earth.
Brief Description of Learning Experience:
Students will complete an outside of class assignment that they will find on my blog and complete. Students
will be describing the differences between day and night, and the different objects found in the sky such as
the sun, moon, and stars. Students will go on to my blog and find a template that they will complete for one
week at home. Students will go outside once during the day, and once at night in order to complete the
assignment. The students will write down what they see in the sky each time they go outside. For
example, if the student goes outside at 8:00 they might write down they see a crescent shaped moon and a
bunch of little stars. Students will try to go outside and observe at different times each day of the week.
That way, students will hopefully see different objects and patterns of the day and night sky.

Once students have completed the template at home, the teacher will take each template and make a big
chart telling what each student saw. The class will then try and draw their own conclusions from the
findings on time patterns and objects in the day and night sky. This project will originally be introduced by
the teacher putting up pictures of different things you might see in the sky and having students try to
identify them. The teacher will not tell them if they are right or wrong, but that they will instead complete a
project on their own in order to find the answers. After sharing each students findings with the class, each
student will pick either the moon, stars, or sun to research on their own. Students will create a PowerPoint
or use some other online program to display their research and findings. Students will then share their
findings with the class. Students will over all have two weeks to complete this project, one week to collect
their data, and another week to create their presentations.

Blooms Level of Critical Thinking Required (check all that apply):

See http://epltt.coe.uga.edu/index.php?title=Bloom%27s_Taxonomy
Remembering Understanding Applying Analyzing Evaluating Creating

Student Engagement/Level of Technology Implementation (LoTi): What LoTi would this lesson be and
Why? This lesson is at a Loti level of 4. Technology is a tool that helps identify and solve problems.
Students are collecting data on their own and are then using that data to create a product. Students are then
presenting their data to a group of people that care about their findings.

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 WEBSITE AND CLASSROOM BLOG CREATION TOOLS

Importance of technology:
Using a website-creating tool is critical to the project because students need a way to accurately and easily
display their findings. This activity could probably be completed without the use of technology but it
would be much more time consuming. Instead of using a browser to search for images and information,
students would have to look through tons of books and resources in order to find information on their topic.
Students would also have to make some kind of poster to display their information without the use on
online resources such as PowerPoint. That would be much more time consuming and harder for the
students to complete. Students will get to practice searching through safe website to find information on
the topic and putting their information into a safe place such as PowerPoint to present it.
Inspiration (optional): If you used existing example as a model for your project (whether in part or
whole), include the URL(s) so we can visit. Explain what concepts you borrowed from others.

Internet Safety and Student Privacy:

If I had students just searching through Google to find their information, students could run into internet
safety problems. However, by the teacher giving specific websites for the students to use and look through
for their information, a lot of those safety issues are taken away. The teacher will have already looked
through the websites given to ensure they are safe and that all the content is appropriate.
Describe your personal learning goal for this activity.
I have not had students complete a project that is 2 weeks long before. Students have to remember to go
outside, twice a day for a week in order to collect all of their data. I will be sure to send home a note or
email parents every day during that week to remind them to complete the activity with their children. I
hope this will help students learn to observe characteristics on their own, and get a taste for how to present
information to others. I hope to see if students are capable of a project that is this long and if they keep up
with their data collecting every day.
Other comments about your proposed activity: