1.+Project+Statement


 * Project Statement **
 * 1) Briefly describe your proposed project.
 * 2) How will you improve learner performance by engaging learners in authentic experiences?
 * 3) How will you facilitate learning through constructivist, collaborative learning experiences?
 * 4) How will you create sound instructional materials and learning environments that are based on solid research and learning theory?
 * 5) How will you facilitate the use of innovations through the diffusion and integration of new technologies and technological experiences for your learners?
 * 6) How will you most effectively manage this process?
 * 7) What ethical considerations will you make to ensure sound decisions are made?
 * 8) What processes and resources will you include?
 * 9) Describe the learning environment and population that will be engaged in your project:
 * 10) Audience
 * Learner characteristics: grade level, number of students
 * Anticipated entry level skills of audience
 * School environment
 * Support for project by community, parents, or administrators

**Lesson plan ideas for The Great Mail Race (shared with me by Mary McLawhorn)...**

 1. We are proposing a writing project that will help the students learn about writing, geography, and Skype (communicating through technology). The activity is called "The Great Mail Race" and information can be found from several schools who have already participated in this type of letter writing/geography lesson.

 2. In this activity, the students will be writing to a school from each of the 50 states; they will mark the places on a map of the responses they receive (we will either have a huge map on display in the hallway at school, or use a map on our class wiki); they will correspond with the other schools through "snail" mail, email, and through Skype conversations.

 3. The teacher will be in charge of arranging the contacts at the other schools, but the students will be responsible for the ongoing communications and activities that are shared; the students will have to work together in order to complete their letters, presentations for the other schools (powerpoints that will show things about their school, community, and state).** 4. Prior to beginning the project administration from each school from around the country will be contacted to request a class to be a penpal. Once selected the teachers will collaborate through a wiki to best determine the activities that each class will participate in. Students will be actively engaged in their learning using various means of media. The schools will be encouraged to submit videos or links to their school's website. This will serve as a visual cue for the visual learners. The goal will be to collect data from all fifty states.

5. Teachers that will be serving as the penpal classes will be given a checklist of information expected or wanted to be shared. The teacher of the host school and the penpal school will share their email addresses to clarify any information. The goal is for every class to participate and the host school (ours) will have a facilitator for any problems that may arise. As each state responds a map will be plotted to indicate a response.

6. The process will be managed primarily through the wiki that is created. The students will check the wiki and the email link provided daily to see if a school has responded. Once a school has been notified they will be given a two week period for a response. If no response, then another school can be notified. Students will keep a daily record of school responses and respond. Classes may choose to write a paper or thank you letter to the class to get some writing skills involved. The facilitator of the host school will check to make sure the process is being followed.

7. To keep in mind the fact that kids are kids, it is important to have parent permission to participate in the activity. Though working with younger kids, they do have the tendency to share too much about themselves. In addition to popular social media, kids may chose to friend their penpals on Facebook, for instance. It is important for parents to know who their children are coming into contact with and why. This is also important if the kids faces will be shown, like with using Skype. It is also important to stress the details of the assignment to the children so they can better understand the learning motivation behind the lesson, not the social.

8. If teachers are unfamiliar with making wikis, a training will need to be done. Access to a computer is necessary and also a projector (if every student can not use a computer). With a projector, the teacher can share the class created wiki for everyone to see. In order to provide the students with more ownership of the project, they would also need some training in simplistic skills, like typing. Access to resources like Skype would have to be supported by the school environment.

9. This learning environment is student-centered. Without the participation from student's penpals or family/friends (for the 2nd example), the lesson is not possible. The teacher serves as a facilitator to make sure the students are in contact and on task, but the material comes from the information that is exchanged which is dependent on the students.

10. This lesson is structured for...
 * elementary school students, the grade varies depending on the variation of the activity selected, classes need to be smaller (around 20) for easier management
 * writing is an important skill that students will have to have mastered (or be working on it); skills will be perfected with practice; speaking skills also important for use of Skype
 * school must provide outlet for students and teacher to have access to needed technology
 * community support is needed for the project to be successful (i.e. especially in the 2nd provided lesson plan example)