Online Projects, Collaboration Sites, and Publishing Opportunities

Lesson Idea Template

Name: Caroline Manus
Grade Level: First Grade
Content Area: Writing
Standards Addressed: ELAGSE1W6: with guidance and support from adults,
use a variety of tools to produce and publish writing, including digital tools and
collaboration with peers.
Title of Online Project/Collaboration Site/Publishing Opportunity: Letters to Santa
URL of Online Project/Collaboration Site/Publishing Opportunity:
http://www.globalschoolnet.org/gsnsanta/
Describe how you would use the Online Project/Collaboration Site/Publishing
Opportunity in your classroom: I will have each of my students write a letter
to Santa Clause. Then, our classroom will be partnered with another
classroom, but they are older students who know Santa Clause does not
exist. That class will carefully articulate responses from Santa to my
students who wrote letters.
What technologies would be required to implement this proposed learning activity
in a classroom? Email, Word processing, list server, text.
Describe how the following features are addressed in this learning experience
(note: all of them may not be addressed in the project, but most should be if you
are reaching a high LoTi Level.):
a. Collaboration with peers, near-peers, mentors outside their classroom
and often beyond their school: Students will be collaborating with
other students around the world but wont even know it. They think
they are receiving a letter from Santa and he could be viewed as a
mentor.
b. Student-centered learning and knowledge creation (collecting original
data and or producing original products as a result of engaging in the
project): Each student will write his/her own original letter to Santa.
This letter will be personalized from what the individual wants to
share with Santa.
c. Higher-order thinking: Students will be remembering, understanding
and applying the essential parts to a letter such as address, signature,
body, stamp, return address, etc.
d. Students publishing their original work to others who will use/care
about their product: Students are publishing their work by sending in
the mail to Santa or other students.
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
What Level of Technology Implementation best describes this learning activity and
Why?
1

Since the learning experiences by the children reach outside of the classroom, the
LoTi level 5 is reached. They are collaborating with mentors outside of the
classroom and produce meaningful work to themselves.
How could you implement this proposed learning experience and still comply with
your districts Internet Safety and Student Privacy policies?
The information on the card would be no personal information. The return address
will be the schools address and the childs last name will not be used. The
collaborating teacher will have to have a completed background check. Students
will only be allowed to participate if parents or guardians sign a consent form.
Before sending the letters, teacher will read through to verify that no private
information is given.