While most of us have never formally studied Latin, we’ve still felt its influence on modern language and popular culture. Scores of books and films, including Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson series, Disney’s animated Hercules, and the upcoming feature Wrath of the Titans are based on Greco-Roman mythology.  In retelling these tales, the legacy of the ancient world lives on.

In this spirit, our seventh grade Latin students recently completed a mini-unit on mythology for which they created short digital stories based on well known Roman and Greek myths.  Using NoodleTools, Photostory, books, and Internet sources, they crafted a script, collected images, and produced a final product that captured the essence of the myth and honored the culture from which it came.

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Manageable and Meaningful

To make the process manageable and meaningful, a simple project wiki was used to communicate background information, required elements, and deadlines. Having everything in one place improved the students’ organization and enabled the teacher to better monitor their progress over the course of this endeavor.  Equally as important, it also served as a central repository for the completed stories, allowing the students to view and learn from each other’s work.

Because myths are based on oral tradition, there is no one official version of any story.  Consequently, the first major task after selecting a topic was to locate at least two renditions of the myth.   Based on their findings, students used Google Docs to write a condensed, common storyline in their own words and shared their drafts via NoodleTools.  For those not familiar with this resource, NoodleTools helps students search intelligently, assess the quality of results, record information using online notecards, and properly format their bibliography.  We use a paid version of the service that integrates with Google Apps for Education, but they also offer a suite of free tools that are extremely useful.

Digital storytelling is an art form that requires careful attention to the selection and pairing of words and images.  And as any screenwriter knows, having a well written story is one thing; having a well written script is quite another.  To make the transformation, students used a storyboard to chunk their prose into narrations, then sketched representations of the main ideas in the story before looking for actual images from these sites:

• Flickr Creative Commons: http://www.flickr.com/creativecommons
• Quality Image Search: http://qualityimagesearch.com/
• Encyclopedia Mythica: http://www.pantheon.org/areas/gallery/

To evaluate the projects, we developed a rubric that focused on three main areas: the research process, the storytelling process, and the final product itself.  By emphasizing the thinking processes, not just the tangible product, students received feedback that could shape as opposed to judge their learning.

Myths Rubric

If you have a favorite Greco-Roman myth and/or would like to use some of these resources with your students, feel free to visit the project page for more information.  Gratias visitando!

This year, in an effort to incorporate more interdisciplinary, thematic experiences into the curriculum, our fifth grade team participated in and received training from the Monarch Teacher Network.  Their program, which began in 2001, has enabled more than 3600 educators to “teach essential skills in literacy, math, science, geography, technology, Spanish, the arts and social studies… through the captivating story of monarchs.”

Using science and Spanish as the anchor disciplines, students acquired caterpillars, observed them transform into chrysalises, and later released the adult butterflies into the wild.  In addition to studying the life cycle of this unique insect, they also learned about Mexican culture and acquired key vocabulary words and phrases in the target language.  As a capstone for the experience, they created stop motion animations, narrated in Spanish, of el ciclo de vida de la mariposa Monarca.

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 Stop Motion Animation

Stop motion animation, in which objects are moved in small increments between individually photographed frames, has been used since the earliest days of film.  While those of us who grew up in the 1970s may recall watching classic stop motion holiday specials such as Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer or Santa Clause is Coming to Town, the technique has made a comeback with today’s youth thanks to popular features like Wallace and Gromit and Adult Swim’s Robot Chicken series.  Although these technologically sophisticated animations are the result of large teams of creative professionals working in concert, simple yet powerful tools like SAM Animation make stop motion viable for even the youngest of learners.

Animation projects can be made with free tools like Windows Live Movie Maker, but the benefits of using an application dedicated to the task are well worth the nominal expense.  Live onion skinning, chroma keying, time lapse photography, and multiple audio tracks are just a few of the features that SAM and other animation programs offer.  As shown in the clip below, getting started is literally as easy as 1-2-3.

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Getting Started

Like any project, stop motion animation requires careful planning and preparation.  To make the endeavor manageable for teachers and successful for students, here are a few points to consider:

• Because animation is multifaceted, cooperative learning groups of 2-3 students are ideal.  Creating and moving models,  capturing and arranging images, and recording audio are all tasks that can be shared and/or rotated.
• Provide students with a storyboard so they can organize their thoughts prior to starting the project.  Having rough sketches and snippets of dialog in place before building or filming can save hours of time.
• Modeling clay (even Model Magic) can be expensive and difficult for students to manipulate; not everyone is a sculptor.   Legos, plastic figurines, even drawings made with colored pencils can be effective alternatives.
• External web cams are a must.  Integrated cameras, though seemingly convenient, face the user and thus can’t be consistently positioned to capture images on the wall or floor.  The cameras we used cost less than $20 each and proved extremely capable.
• Don’t just judge the product, evaluate the process.  The thinking and learning that occurs during a project of this nature does not always come through in the final video.

To learn more about how stop motion animation can enhance your teaching, visit the SAM Animation homepage and download a free trial version of the software.  The possibilities, made one frame at a time, are truly endless.

Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection, the basis for his seminal work On the Origin of Species, is an overarching theme in our seventh grade life science course.  As a year-end experience, our students complete “The Evolution Project“.  This multi-faceted, well scaffolded endeavor includes and combines scholarly research, public speaking, technology,  and differentiation into a truly meaningful and memorable learning experience.

Background and Task

To make the project easily accessible and the students’ progress highly transparent, the entire project structure is organized on The Evolution Project wiki. To begin, students are provided the following background and task:

Background: Up to this point in our short study of evolution, you have learned about evolution and how it happens through natural selection. Mutations in DNA and new combinations of DNA from sexual reproduction can lead to variation in the individuals in a species. This variation can be harmful or helpful. If helpful, the organism is left with an adaptation that makes it better suited to its environment, thus increasing its chances for survival against the natural pressures from predators, competition for living space and food, and changes in an organism’s environment.

Your Task: You will choose one of the options below as your final project for the evolution unit. All class time and homework time will be dedicated to completing this project. You will present your project, using PowerPoint, in front of the class, and it will be video recorded and streamed live over the internet for others (like your parents!) to see.

The task options, while focused on evolution, represent three levels of academic challenge.  This tiered approach to differentiation allows students to choose the option that best suits their abilities and aspirations.

Option 1: Humans are environmental scientists and conservationists who work to study organisms and the environment in which they live. These professionals try to prevent endangered species from becoming extinct. An endangered species is one that is on the verge of extinction. CHOOSE AN ENDANGERED SPECIES and research the following questions/topics. (“B+” level of difficulty)

1. Why did you choose to research this species?
2. Where does this species live and what survival pressures does it experience there?
3. Which variants within the species might be better adapted to survive the pressures? (This might not be in the research, so you might have to infer it for yourself)
4. How are environmental scientists and conservationists helping to save the species from extinction?
5. Service/action component: You do something to help in addition to researching this topic

Option 2. Humans are evolutionary biologists who study how species evolve (when and how they appear, change, or go extinct). They also study how different species are related. CHOOSE A LIVING OR EXTINCT SPECIES and research the following questions/topics. (“A-” level of difficulty)

1. Why did you choose to research this species?
2. When did this species appear in Earth’s history?
3. Describe the environment and adaptations that led to the selection of this species.
4. Describe the evolutionary history of this species: From what organisms did this species evolve? Who are some of its ancestors? (Use a clade or branching tree in presentation).
5. What evidence supports the common ancestry or relationships identified in #4?
6. If extinct, describe the environment/circumstances that led to its extinction. Which organism(s) came next? Or…
7. If still living, what’s next for this species?

Option 3. Humans are the most powerful organisms on Earth, and we are intentionally and unintentionally interfering with the selection of other species because of our behavior. Just one example is how we develop land for our own use, which can destroy the habitat for other species naturally found there (like with endangered Asian elephant). CHOOSE A HUMAN ACTIVITY and research the following questions/topics. (“A” level of difficulty)

1. Provide an overview of this human activity: Describe what your human activity is and why humans do it.
2. Identify some species whose selection is affected by this human activity. Complete the following for each example:
   • Name of species:
   • Location of human interference (if applicable):
   • How is this organism evolving because of this human activity? Or, if no change has been documented yet, predict how these organism(s) might evolve as a result.
   • What evidence shows that this organism is affected by this human activity? Look for data and statistics.
3. Why should we be concerned by the impact of this pressure? Why should we care?

To help students chose the best option, they are provided possible topics and resources, including a list of human activities that have the potential to drive natural selection:

• Land Development/Destruction
• Use of Antibiotics (antibiotic resistance)
• Use of Herbicides (herbicide resistance)
• Use of Pesticides (pesticide resistance)
• Over-Fishing (commercial)
• Hunting/Poaching
• Genetic Engineering
• Selective Breeding
• Pollution

Once they have selected a task option and specific topic, they begin the research process.

Research Wiki

Each student group is provided a wiki page that outlines the major components of the research process.  This approach provides several benefits, including the ability to better facilitate group work, see the contributions of each member, and allow the teacher to provide timely feedback via the Discussion tab.  Notice the formative feedback in the example shown below:

In addition to library resources, students are encouraged to locate relevant websites. Each site used, however, must be evaluated by the student using a simple Website Evaluation Form based on the The Big6 approach to research:
Website Evaluation

Visual Aid and Presentation

As a culminating activity and in lieu of writing a traditional research paper, students create an image-based PowerPoint (i.e. minimal text) and present their finding to the class.   The presentations are streamed live  and recorded via UStream.tv and parents are invited to watch at their convenience.  Students complete a peer evaluation for each  presentation and are required to view their own and fill out a self-evaluation form.  Sharing their work in this way helps develop their sense of audience, and the reflection that occurs as they critique themselves adds a valuable dimension to the experience.

Video streaming by Ustream
Making it Work in Your Classroom

The Evolution Project can easily be adapted to other disciplines and grade levels but there are a few points to consider:

• Provide Engaging Choices: In general, the research options engaged the students because they were timely and relevant.  Students will not invest themselves in something they cannot relate to or care about so the task must be meaningful.  Remember: not everyone enjoys your subject as much as you do.
• Leverage the Wiki:  Students appreciate the organization and collaboration benefits of using a wiki.  The Discussion tab can be a very powerful tool for monitoring progress and providing feedback, and the History tab provides insight into student contributions.  Collaboration does not mean divide and conquer; students must be taught how to work together even when they are apart.
• Visual Literacy is Important: A formal paper is not the only way to demonstrate knowledge.  The visual aids the students constructed required them to have at least a basic understanding of good design and visual literacy.  A picture can truly be worth a thousand words.
• Audience Matters: Streaming and recording the presentations raised the performance bar and helped the students appreciate the concept of audience.  Sharing beyond the classroom provides new opportunities for learning; you’ll be amazed how parents, colleagues, and even students will respond.

Last week I demonstrated how Wikispaces could improve student organization, make learning more transparency, and heighten teacher feedback within the study of Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird.  For the second entry in this series we’ll examine how MediaWiki can foster student collaboration, in and out of the classroom, in the context of Animal Farm.

Animal Farm

Animal Farm is “a dystopian allegorical novella by George Orwell.  Published in England on 17 August 1945, the book reflects events leading up to and during the Stalin era before World War II.”¹ Because World War II and the Cold War are major components of our 7th grade history curriculum, the students are grounded in the book’s setting.  To discover and understand Orwell’s commentary on revolution and corrupt leadership, however, the students were charged with teaching the novel to their peers.

Image Source: http://www.writeawriting.com

Because Animal Farm is the final book assigned in  7th grade English, the teaching exercise is a culminating event for the course.  Using a Discussion Group model that was employed throughout the year, students were broken into groups of 3-4 and assigned two chapters for which to create a lesson plan to teach to their class.  To ensure that all members of the group contributed and were held accountable, the assignment was carefully framed on the Animal Farm Project Wiki:

PROJECT GUIDELINES

Directions: Each group member will be responsible for 1-2 of the jobs listed below. The work must be evenly and fairly distributed. EVERYONE will be assessed on the “Lesson Plan.” ALL of your work should be loaded onto the wiki. Your grade will be based on your individual contributions on the wiki and during the discussion, but all the parts need to work like a single, fluid lesson plan. Please use the guidelines below to help you accomplish your tasks. This is the rubric on which I’ll grade your work.

Lesson Plan

Directions: Each group will have to write a formal Lesson Plan that identifies the goals for the lesson and the chronological plan for the class. You MUST publish a final copy on your group’s wiki page no later than the day before your discussion. For each part of your plan, include the approximate time you intend to spend. Check the schedule for the day of your discussion to be sure you have filled the time.

Discussion Questions

Directions: There are two components to this job. On the wiki, you will write a variety of factual (3-5), interpretive (3+), and evaluative (1-2) questions and their answers on the wiki. Write questions that will help your class better understand what happened in the novel and why. You might work with the Passage Finder to mix questions with important passages. Your answers should be based on specific details from the book. During class, you will be responsible to leading the discussion during class. As you lead, be sure that you develop the conversation, give students time to think, and draw everyone into the conversation.

Passage Finder

Directions: For this job, you should identify three important passages from the assigned chapters. You might choose these passages because they reveal character/plot development, irony, foreshadowing, interesting language, etc. During the discussion, be prepared to share these passages with the class. You might work with the discussion leader to see if you can choose quotes that lead to or answer a question. On the wiki, explain why you chose each quote in a paragraph. Why is this passage important for the lesson about these chapters?

Historian: Allusions in Animal Farm

Directions: Since Animal Farm is an allegory, its story is a mirror of many historical events that happened in Russia from the Revolution through the Cold War. Your job is to identify as many of these historical events as possible. Use what you’ve learned in history class or what you can find through research to help you identify these allusions. On the wiki, list the historical allusions in your chapters and explain briefly how the story in the book relates to the historical event in the chart provided. During the discussion, work with the passage finder and discussion leader to incorporate your findings into the conversation. If you find a great visual to go along with the historical event, you might use it as part of your “Wow!” factor.

Wow! Factor

Directions: What makes learning fun? What captures your attention, helps you remember an important idea, or makes a concept clearer? This is what we call the “Wow!” factor of a lesson. To save your lesson from being boring, create on Wow! moment. You have a lot of creative latitude with this. It might be a visual, song, comic, or movie clip. It might be a creative activity to involve everyone in the discussion or get the discussion started. It might even be a game. The key elements to the “Wow!” factor are 1. That it engages and impresses the class with its creativity, and 2. It is relevant to your chapters and works with your lesson plan. Be sure that you work with your Discussion Leader, Passage Finder, and Historian to complement their work.

Vocabulary

Directions: Find five words form the assigned chapters that you think would make good vocabulary words. On the wiki, define each word, provide the sentence from the novel that uses the word, and write an original sentence using each vocabulary word. Use the chart below to complete your work. During the discussion, point out each of the words. It would be great if the words were a part of a passage that will be highlighted during the class, though this is not a necessity.

Why a Wiki?

Group work and cooperative learning are not one in the same; for students to truly “cooperate” they need to collaborate.  Because this project spanned several days, involved work outside of class, and required that all group members were aware of all five tasks/roles, the project was organized using MediaWiki.  Unlike Wikispaces, MediaWiki (upon which Wikipedia is built) allows pages to be broken into separately editable sections.  For a lesson plan, having everything flow on one page is preferable to clicking through multiple links for each sub-set of the lesson (the template for the wiki page is available here).  Additionally, group members were able to work on their specific assignments (synchronously or asynchronously) yet easily see the progress of their peers.

Editing in MediaWiki does require a basic knowledge of wiki syntax and is a bit more involved than GUI tools like Wikispaces or PBworks.  Because this exercise is predominately text-driven, however, the learning curve is gentle and given some guidance, students will quickly master the essential elements of the tool.

Presentation and Assessment

As a culminating activity, each group presented their lesson to the class and was assessed using the following rubric:

Animal Farm Rubric

Evaluating collaborative projects can be difficult, especially if students have uneven abilities or levels of participation.  For that reason, every student was given a group and individual grade.   Because the lesson plan was a cooperative learning endeavor, everyone in the group received the same grade for the lesson’s overall design and execution (i.e. they were assessed as a team).  Each student was then individually assessed on his/her area of responsibility on the wiki (i.e. they were assessed on their own merits).  This two-pronged approach goes a long way toward fostering a true collaborative mentality and the idea that the whole is only as strong as the sum of its parts.

Just as the To Kill a Mockingbird project is easily adapted to other works, so too is our approach to Animal Farm.  If you would like to modify our efforts to meet your needs, I would invite you to visit the  Animal Farm wiki and explore wiki-fueled collaboration.

One of the major purposes of Technology in the Middle is to share examples of technology’s role in teaching and learning.  Consequently, to mark my return to the online world I’ve decided to begin a short, three part series featuring wikis in the classroom.  Although wikis are familiar to many, their  flexibility allows them to be used in new and creative ways.  I hope you find the first of these curricular vignettes useful and motivating.

To Kill a Mockingbird

Harper Lee’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, is a staple of our 8th grade English curriculum.  In an effort to breathe new life into teaching this classic of modern American literature, our English team designed a character study using Wikispaces and the concept of expression styles.  The goal of this project was to provide students an opportunity to “step inside the skin” of a character other than Scout in the novel.  We wanted them to imagine themselves as their character of choice  in a particular situation that moved them and was especially effective at revealing inner conflict or motivation.

To ensure that students went beyond merely reporting the information given in the novel, the exercise was guided by three essential questions:

• Why did you focus on the particular character? What was your personal connection?
• How does your project inform us about any of these key themes: prejudice, ignorance, fear, meanness, tradition/history (a reluctance to change from the way things are), dignity, pride, selflessness, justice, empathy, hope, love, or courage?
• How did your understanding change or grow as you worked on the project?

In addition, students were to use these questions to move them to deeper understanding:

• Does the historical setting affect your understanding?
• Which character traits stay the same and which change?
• What is the evidence from the text that supports your idea?

Although writing is integral to any English curriculum, it is not the only way to demonstrate understanding.  To that end, students were given the option of crafting a final product using one of three expression styles: music, visual arts, and written language.  Because technology can support all three forms of expression, students were also given digital options for each product.

Music

Approximately 5% of our students choose to express themselves musically.  In addition to singing or playing an instrument, there are a number of technologies that support musical expression:

• Aviary Roc: Create music and beats completely from scratch and right in a web browser.
• Audacity: Free audio recording and editing software.
• GarageBand: Compose music on your Mac.
• Mixcraft Multi-track recording studio with free trial.
• TrakAxPC: Create music and video mixes on your PC.
• WolframTones: Combines Wolfram’s computational universe, music theory and Mathematica algorithms to render music.

Sample Project: Dying in the Dark

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Visual Art

Approximately 45% of our students opted for the arts.  In addition to the traditional plastic arts, there are a number of technologies that support artistic expression:

• Adobe Premiere: Video editing software similar to iMovie.
• ArtRage Draw and paint using your stylus as a brush.
• Glogster Interactive posters made from images, text, music and video.
• Pencil Create traditional hand-drawn animation (cartoon) using both bitmap and vector graphics
• Photoshop Elements Powerful image editing software that integrates with Adobe Premiere.
• Prezi Create zooming presentations live and on the web.
• Storybird Storybirds are short, visual stories that you make to share.

Sample Project: Raymond’s Mask

Written Language

Approximately 50% of our students elected to create a written final product.  For this project, students had the option of writing poetry, a short story, or a one-act play. In addition to word processing, there are a number of other technologies that support written expression:

• Blogs A blog is a type of website with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video.
• Publisher Create, personalize, and share a range of professional-quality publications.
• Myebook Online book creator that lets you design, publish, and share your work.
• ReadWriteThink Printing Press Create a brochure, booklet, or newspaper online.
• Wikispaces: Wikis are simple web pages that groups, friends, and families can edit together.

Sample Project: Boo Radley: Behind the Glass

That little Scout so young so sweet
So innocent prancing across the street
The things she goes through while she’s young
The ignorant talk from a person’s tongue
She can’t pick what her papa does
Only understand what was

She wants to play and be a kid
Oh how I wish I did what she did
Living her life without any fear
Only showing courage
I wish I were able to get out of here
Behind this window I hide my face
From the sunlight and the space

I try to be friendly by leaving little gifts
But in the end people just throw fits
They all have this idea
Of me as a killer
When I did nothing
Making my life like a story book thriller

Words don’t just hurt a person’s soul
Then leave you behind windows
Not wanting to go out for a stroll

My papa has this idea
Of a perfect kind of man
Well I’m sorry I’m not perfect
So to make you happy I ran

Everyone makes mistakes
Too bad mine are bigger than most
Now my reputation has left me washed up on the coast
I am swimming through my regrets
Drowning me in sorrows I wish I could forget
I’m stuck like the glue holding my rickety old chair together
I don’t want to be sitting here forever

People don’t understand
There is nothing to be scared of
I just wish I could be as strong as Scout
And take away all the doubt
I want to be able to break out from behind this glass
Feel free and alive
Facing the world at full blast

Why a Wiki?

Three teachers managing nearly 150 unique projects can be an overwhelming task, so the team created a To Kill a Mockingbird Wiki to frame the learning experience.  Each student was given his/her own page for sharing their work, including a digital representation of the final product.  Because wikis are typically viewed as collaborative tools, however, and this was an individual project, one may question why we elected to use a wiki.  The short answer: organization, transparency, and feedback.

Organization is an issue for many (perhaps most) middle school students, particularly with respect to long-term assignments.  By having an online template of the project guidelines, essential questions and deadlines, there were no materials to misplace or important elements to overlook.  Students, parents, tutors, and teachers were all able to reference the project at any and every point in the process.

With a web-based tool, students could work on the exercise from any computer with Internet access, and being able to easily monitor their progress made the learning experience more transparent.  Their reflections and revisions, all of which could be monitored by their teacher, provided a window into their thinking and reinforced our belief that process is just as important as product.

The wiki’s Discussion Tab provided an ideal place to provide  formative feedback and help students make course corrections as necessary.  Students crave feedback and such an approach is far superior to the all-too-familiar “assign it now, grade it later” model of assessment.  Collectively, these benefits extended the learning beyond the classroom (and the school day itself) and ultimately led to more meaningful work.

Presentation and Assessment

As a culminating activity, each student presented his/her project to the class and was assessed using the following rubric:
TKAM Rubric
Creating one rubric to assess a wide variety of final products did present some challenges; it can be difficult to evaluate music, art, and verse by the same criteria.  By focusing on the essential questions, oral presentation, and effectiveness of the  final product, however, we were able to construct a set of criteria that could be applied to all students.

Although this project was specifically designed for To Kill a Mockingbird, is could easily be applied to any number of novels.  If you would like to adapt our efforts to meet your needs, I would invite you to visit the To Kill a Mockingbird Wiki and discover first-hand how a simple wiki and student choice can facilitate creative, higher-order thinking.

We invited teachers to show us how ePals has opened the world for their students. Applicants each submitted projects that they had successfully implemented in their classrooms, examples of student work, and a video application, telling us what ePals brought to their teaching and to their students’ learning. Outstanding entries came from all corners of the world, inspiring us with amazing projects, successful collaborations, and enthusiastic students. The winning Teacher Ambassadors showcase ePals core principles of global awareness, collaborative and authentic learning, digital literacy and innovation. Take a look at their projects; watch their videos; peruse their student work. They are inspirations to the entire ePals Global Community. Congratulations to ePals 2010 Ambassadors.

Natural Disaster/Severe Weather Investigation

Mike’s Natural Disaster/Severe Weather Investigation Project, which was also featured on St. Louis’ Fox 2 News, asked students from around the world to respond to three questions:

1. What severe weather/disasters does your country experience?
2. What do you do to prepare for such events.
3. Tell us about a famous weather/disaster event that occurred in your country.

Here is Mike’s video overview of the project:

The artifacts and final products, which include photographs, videos, and essays, are all available on Mike’s GeoSquirts Website.  Here are some of his students reading first-hand accounts of Typhoon Ondoy from fellow students at the Claret School, Quezon City, the Philippines:

Winter Olympics

In the spirit of the Olympic games, Jeff’s class created their own Olympic torch and attempted a “virtual” torch relay. The five Olympic rings represent the five regions of the world, the Americas, Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia. Their goal was to see if they could get their torch to all of these regions.

Here is Jeff’s video overview of the project:

All the images submitted of the torch are available on Jeff’s Winter Olympics Project site. Here is the class Wallwisher page with comments from students from several continents and countries:

Congratulations to Mike, Jeff, and their students; you have made global education come alive in the classroom!

Angela: Inspiration, Adaptation, and Being Intentional

Candice sent me the materials she had previously used for TKM. In several email attachments I found vocabulary words, reading notes, a multi-genre project, and a variety of miscellaneous files. The mutli-genre project caught my eye, instantly I had an idea to both revamp the project and introduce students (and incidentally Candice herself) to the Prezi.

In the upper school I’d seen teachers use the Prezi in the place of PowerPoint and other presentation editors, but I had not seen students introduced and asked to create something with the technology. The idea of allowing them to take charge and create something new based on TKM was too good to pass up.

I spent the following weekend brainstorming and adapting the multi-genre project for the Prezi. The original project consisted of three parts: a creative writing piece, a visual arts piece, and a technological piece. From the materials given to me by Candice it was clear that students had to add another layer to the book outside of what is presented by Scout’s (the narrator) point of view. It seemed to me that the Prezi would provide an interesting medium to bring all three components of the project to one place.

Before presenting the idea to Candice I showed her previous Prezi’s I had created.

With Candice’s support I immediately started work on a TKM Prezi to introduce students to both the technology as well as how TKM could be transformed. I began by playing around with images (both contemporary and historic) to represent the varying aspects of Scout and Maycomb. I decided to focus on the first half of the book based on Scout’s viewpoint. My first crack at creating a Prezi for TKM left me feeling as if I was not quite expressing what I needed. I was not being intentional enough. I had to sit down and rethink how to arrange the Prezi to show students the capabilities of a Prezi (the cool zooming effects and hidden images within larger words and images) while having an invisible path that made sense to 8th graders. Furthermore, I had to be more intentional about content. If I was going to ask 8th grade students to not only tackle a new technology but to complete an assignment worth a significant part of their grade I had to be intentional about showing them new aspects of the book not presented directly in the text.

I presented my rather lengthy and content heavy Prezi to students. We discussed how I had given my Prezi its path, why I had chosen to visually present it the way I did, and why I chose the images I used. Students understood that while my path was invisible there was indeed a method to my madness. I chose to path my Prezi based on the chronology of the book, introducing characters as they were introduced by Scout. I used quotes from Scout to give a snapshot view of the characters personality. For example “Jem was born hero” and “Dill Harris could tell the biggest one’s I’d ever heard”. Furthermore, family members were placed together in frames to represent kinship, something highly important to the older citizens of Maycomb. A map of Maycomb, drawn by a child, was used as the centerpiece of my Prezi. Students were asked why this was appropriate – the narrator Scout is a young girl.

Through Scout readers are introduced to the geography of Maycomb as well as the underlining themes of race, class, and gender. Using Scout I introduced students to the conflict between Scout’s tomboyish ways and the sweet young lady Jean Louise (Scout’s birth name) is supposed to be according to the matriarch of the family (Aunt Alexandra). To introduce the theme of racism, students were shown a series of quotes from Scout about her caretaker Calpurnia and the mistreatment of the Robinson family compared to the much despised Ewells. Lastly, Scout’s encounters with the Cunninghams and Ewells gave the perfect opportunity to introduce students to the underlying theme of classism.

After presenting, I informed students that they would soon be given the opportunity to create their own Prezis. They were instructed to begin thinking about what they would like to do – they were not allowed to use Scout. They were told that they needed to choose a character or a theme based on TKM and add another layer based on their own understanding.

Lessons Learned

While hindsight is a blessing, it means nothing if it does not lead to reflection and lessons learned. In designing and implementing this project I learned quite a bit:

• Eighth grade students for the most part may be easily overwhelmed and/or will do the least amount of work when introduced to new technology.
• While some projects were brilliant, far too many were subpar and showed little understanding for the intended goal of the project. Learning how to create a Prezi was secondary goal and due to its status as new technology for these students became the focal point instead of the book.
• More class time is needed to discuss the capabilities of the Prezi as an English tool
• In my view, the Prezi is a much needed complement to the study of classic literature. In a one-to-one school such as MICDS often students fail to see the value of classic texts, with computers always at arm’s length there is always a video or pre-packaged tool to use. With the Prezi students are pushed to evaluate the book and incorporate visual support for the themes found in literature. Imagine a student giving a presentation on symbolism and using images to present to his or her peers. Or a student wanting to delve deeper into the use of juxtaposition as a literary tool and using the technology of the Prezi to give a visual representation of its usage in a novel. Using the Prezi students are able to create a marriage between the never ending resources they have access to via the web and stylistic elements of classroom literature.
• In teaching the Prezi to students, Candice also became a student.

Similar to any other student presentation, a Prezi must be graded not only on the visual aspect, but on what is added. Students own perspectives and interpretations of the novel must shine through creating a second layer to the story.

Candice: Becoming the Student

Angela sat next to me one day and said, “Hey. Have you ever seen a Prezi?”

“No,” I replied, “I’ve never even heard of one.”

“Here, let me show you one I made.”

And she did. I was amazed at what Angela had accomplished with this application and asked if she thought it would work as a tool for my students to use for a project for To Kill a Mockingbird. We commiserated on the objectives of the lesson, but I settled back and for the next couple of classes, while Angela taught, and became a student myself.

This is what I learned:

1. It is not easy to learn a new application. It takes time and practice and repetition.
2. It is not easy to put all the steps together. Lessons need to be broken into chunks.
3. Students need to see the objective of the project clearly before they undertake putting the project together.
4. It would be a great idea to talk through ideas before allowing students to pull information together from the internet.
5. Students need to create a Prezi file!
6. Putting in the pathways could drive a person crazy! (Until they discover this sweet shortcut!!! Which now that Angela showed me, I can explain it to students myself ahead of time).
7. Teachers should create their own projects because then we can troubleshoot better! (Having been through the process ourselves)
8. The Prezi can help enhance presentations that start out with a broad idea and focus into a main idea, Prezis are good for comparing and contrasting, and Prezis do not take the place of an oral presentation but rather enhance the oral presentation.
9. It is a good idea for the student to write the presentation first…then create the Prezi around it.
10. Prezis are a good tool for a creative and more informal presentation…the PowerPoint is better for a formal and more direct presentation.

To experience Prezi for yourself, create a free account and then visit the Prezi Academy for Basic, Advanced, and Expert lessons that will guide you through the creation process. As Angela, Candice, and the students will attest, Prezi can be a very powerful tool for teaching and learning…even when applied to a modern classic.

Background and Task

To make the project easily accessible and the students’ progress highly transparent, the entire project structure is organized on The Evolution Project wiki. To begin, students are provided the following background and task:

Background: Up to this point in our short study of evolution, you have learned about evolution and how it happens through natural selection. Mutations in DNA and new combinations of DNA from sexual reproduction can lead to variation in the individuals in a species. This variation can be harmful or helpful. If helpful, the organism is left with an adaptation that makes it better suited to its environment, thus increasing its chances for survival against the natural pressures from predators, competition for living space and food, and changes in an organism’s environment.

Your Task: You will choose one of the options below as your final project for the evolution unit. All class time and homework time will be dedicated to completing this project. You will present your project, using PowerPoint, in front of the class, and it will be video recorded and streamed live over the internet for others (like your parents!) to see. More info will come later about whether you are working alone or in groups.

The task options, while focused on evolution, represent three levels of academic challenge. This tiered approach to differentiation allows students to choose the option that best suits their abilities and aspirations.

Option 1: Humans are environmental scientists and conservationists who work to study organisms and the environment in which they live. These professionals try to prevent endangered species from becoming extinct. An endangered species is one that is on the verge of extinction. Pick an endangered species and research the following questions/topics. (67 points = B)

1. Why did you choose to research this species?
2. Where does this species live and what survival pressures does it experience there?
3. Which variants within the species might be better adapted to survive the pressures? (This might not be in the research…you might have to figure it out.)
4. How are environmental scientists and conservationists helping to save the species from extinction?
5. What can we do to help?

Option 2. Humans are evolutionary biologists who study how species evolve (when and how they appear, change, or go extinct). They also study how different species are related. Pick a species – living or extinct – and research the following questions/topics. (72 points = B+)

1. Why did you choose to research this species?
2. When did this species appear in Earth’s history?
3. Describe the environment and adaptations that led to the selection of this species.
4. Describe the evolutionary history of this species: From what organisms did this species evolve? Who are some of its ancestors? (Use a timeline or branching tree in description).
5. What evidence supports the common ancestry or relationships identified in #4?
6. What’s next for this species?

Option 3. Humans are driving the evolution of other species because of how we impact the environment. Just one example is how we develop land for our own use, which can destroy the habitat for other species naturally found there. Pick a human activity and research the following questions/topics. (80 points = A)

1. Define/Describe what your human activity means. Why do humans do it?
2. What are some populations of species that are affected by this human activity, and how does this human activity contribute to their struggle for existence?
3. How do we know these species are being affected by this pressure? What is the evidence?
4. Because of this human activity, how is natural selection at work in these populations? Or, if no change has been documented yet, then predict how these organism(s) might evolve.
5. Why should we be concerned by the impact of this pressure?

To help students chose the best option, they are provided possible topics and resources, including a list of human activities that have the potential to drive natural selection:

• Land Development/Destruction
• Use of Antibiotics (antibiotic resistance)
• Use of Herbicides (herbicide resistance)
• Use of Pesticides (pesticide resistance)
• Over-Fishing (commercial)
• Hunting/Poaching
• Genetic Engineering
• Selective Breeding
• Pollution

Once they have selected a task option and specific topic, they begin the research process.

Research Wiki

Each student group is provided a wiki page that outlines the major components of the research process. This approach provides several benefits, including the ability to better facilitate group work, see the contributions of each member, and allow the teacher to provide timely feedback via the Discussion tab. Notice the corrective feedback in the example shown below (click to view full size):

In addition to library resources, students are encouraged to locate relevant websites. Each site used, however, must be evaluated by the student using a simple Website Evaluation Form based on the The Big6 approach to research:
Website Evaluation

Visual Aid and Presentation

As a culminating activity and in lieu of writing a traditional research paper, students create an image-based PowerPoint (i.e. minimal text) and present their finding to the class. The presentations are streamed live and recorded via UStream.tv and parents are invited to watch at their convenience. Students complete a peer evaluation for each presentation and are required to view their own and fill out a self-evaluation form. Sharing their work in this way helps develop their sense of audience, and the reflection that occurs as they critique themselves adds a valuable dimension to the experience.

Making it Work in Your Classroom

The Evolution Project can easily be adapted to other disciplines and grade levels but there are a few points to consider:

• Provide Engaging Choices: In general, the research options engaged the students because they were timely and relevant. Students will not invest themselves in something they cannot relate to or care about so the task must be meaningful. Remember: not everyone enjoys your subject as much as you do.
• Leverage the Wiki: Students appreciate the organization and collaboration benefits of using a wiki. The Discussion tab can be a very powerful tool for monitoring progress and providing feedback, and the History tab provides insight into student contributions. Collaboration does not mean divide and conquer; students must be taught how to work together even when they are apart.
• Visual Literacy is Important: A formal paper is not the only way to demonstrate knowledge. The visual aids the students constructed required them to have at least a basic understanding of good design and visual literacy. A picture can truly be worth a thousand words.
• Audience Matters: Streaming and recording the presentations raised the performance bar and helped the students appreciate the concept of audience. Sharing beyond the classroom provides new opportunities for learning; you’ll be amazed how parents, colleagues, and even students will respond.

To structure the experience, the unit was comprised of four projects, each with a specific goal:

Project 1 will be a personal interview with a individual who has experienced a significant severe weather event or a natural disaster.

Project 2 will be a series of public service videos that the MICDS students will prepare for their school to educate the entire student body about procedures to follow in the event of an earthquake or a tornado.

Project 3 will be an effort by the MICDS 5th grade to purchase and store Red Cross emergency preparedness kits in classrooms.

Project 4 will be an ongoing effort to collect stories and anecdotes from our partner schools around the world about what natural events they find themselves preparing for and how such events influence how they live their lives.

The final projects, including feedback and input from partner schools, are all available on the class wiki.  If you are interested in joining the project next year, feel free to contact Mike for more information.

Models and simulations, though, can bring clarity and heightened comprehension to the process.  Our seventh grade science students recently used a Flash simulation from http://www.techapps.net and a STELLA  model adapted from The University of Michigan’s Global Change Curriculum to interactively explore how predation and pollution can drive natural selection in peppered moths.

Modeling Natural Selection 2010

Part A:  Simulating Natural Selection

The evolution of the peppered moth over the last two hundred years has been studied in detail.  In the 1950′s, H.B.D. Kettlewell ran a series of experiments and field observations to find out if natural selection had actually caused the rise of the dark peppered moth.  The animated Peppered Moths: Natural Selection in Black and White reviews Kettlewell’s work and includes a “Birds Eye View” simulation in which students act as birds of prey in light and dark colored forests.  In addition to providing a solid overview of moths and industrial melanism, the simulation makes clear the idea of selective pressure and serves as a nice introduction to STELLA modeling.

Part B: Modeling Natural Selection

To paraphrase George Box, all models are flawed but some are useful.  STELLA models offer a practical way to dynamically visualize and communicate how complex processes, such as natural selection, really work and enable students to explore “what if” questions.  Our model, based on Kettlewell’s research, monitored the phenotype and genotype frequencies of a moth population subjected to predation and various levels of industrial pollution.   By manipulating the amount of pollution and charting the number of homozygous dominant (AA), heterozygous (Aa), and homozygous recessive (aa) moths present over a time frame of 200 years, students were able to predict and then see the relations between pollution, selective pressure, genetics, and ultimately evolution.  While the model is flawed (e.g. moth survival rates do not account for other genetic  variations), it does make the concept of natural selection experiential.

Getting Started

Model and simulations can and should play an important role in the classroom, particularly in the sciences.  Online simulations abound (the University of Colorado at Boulder has a very nice collection) and the STELLA website includes several sample models and the free STELLA player.  If you would like to try our Natural Selection model, download the model, the player, the guiding questions, and get started; it’s just that easy!