Project+1+James1981

Project Number 1: Lesson Plan for Using the Internet in the Classroom.

__Purpose__ In the interest of helping students to see the relevance of the internet not only as a source of information but also as a means of transferring information themselves, I think it would be useful, meaningful, and fun to have the student create a wikipedia page in which they highlight their school. The first step would be to setup a wikipedia account in my name, since I think it would be unfair to allow one student to be in charge of creating the page. It would be much more beneficial for the students, in my opinion, if they were divided into several small groups that focused on the information to be contained in the webpage. In working out this lesson plan, I created a wikipedia account so that I could view and make sense of the page creation aspect of wikipedia. I view this project as a way to use the internet to display what they have learned about the school rather than a lesson that focuses on the use of the technology. All the information contained within the wikipedia page that the students will create (both text and pictures) will be created by the students themselves in small groups, so all concerns about copyrighted information are irrelevant.

__Getting Started--What's in a webpage?__ After I [|setup a wikipedia account] I will show the students [|an example of a wikipedia page] and lead a discussion in which we decide what should be included in a quality website. Through a guided discussion (which means I know exactly what conclusions the students should, in my opinion, draw) we will conclude that a good wikipedia page should have pictures of the topic discussed and historical information about the topic. In addition, I will ask the students what specifically should be included in a webpage about a school. Hopefully the students will come to the conclusion that it should include information about the adults who work there (teachers, administrators, cafeteria, janitorial) and the students. Thus four groups will be formed: history, pictures, student body information, and personnel information. The class will then break into groups and research their topics. Naturally most students will want to be in the "pictures" group, so I will, in the interest of fairness, assign students to groups randomly.

__Four Groups--Four Areas of Research and Expertise__ The students in the picture group will have to meet and decide what pictures (what parts of the school) should be taken and what captions should say. They will draft a list and then run it by me. When they have provided a thorough list (that includes a picture of the school from outside, the office, an example of a classroom, the library, and maybe the gym or cafeteria), I will entrust them (big responsibility) with my digital camera and set them loose upon the school grounds (with the permission of the administration). I will make sure they all share the picture taking responsibilities. For the group in charge of history, they should, as a team, research the school's webpage (if it exists) or the district's webpage for relevant historical information. Additionally, they should conduct interviews with members of the school personnel who have been there for longer than most (which I will help them determine). They should then write up a paragraph detailing the history and I will help them edit it. The group whose responsibility is school personnel will be sent on a scavenger hunt of sorts, scouring the school for as many names of people working there as possible. I will stress that they need not disturb anyone who is working, but they can reference names of teachers on the outside of the doors. For each name they should also note what position that person has in the school (if a teacher, they should also note what grade that teacher teaches) After compiling the list students should go to the office (with a preset meeting) and ask the secretary for help ensuring all personnel are accounted for in their list. The final group, whose responsibility is discovering the nature of the students, should (through my help) set up a meeting with the relevant office person whose job it is to keep track of student population and demographic information. They should, before the interview, draft a list of questions to ask that person and I will help them, as with the other groups, edit their work.

__Assembling the Final Product__ Once all the groups have completed their assignment, I will randomly select from each group a student who then has the responsibility of typing (or in the case of the pictures, importing) the information into the [|page creation section of wikipedia]. This page can be a little difficult to navigate, so I will work with the four "leader" students to help them add their contributions in a sensible way. This will be particularly necessary for the picture group. After students have typed in their information, I will save the page and make sure it looks right. I will also ask the student what we could add that would help someone visiting the page to learn more about the school if they desired. Hopefully someone will suggest a [|link to school's official website]l. If no one comes up with this idea, I will simply lead them in that direction. If a couple small changes need to be made here or there, I will simply do that myself. If major changes need to be made, I will list what problems exist and as a class we will decide what to change. After the page is ready to go, I will create it officially and we will view it as a class. Periodically we will revisit the page to make changes as necessary depending on changes that may take place in the school.

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