WEBSITE AND CLASSROOM BLOG CREATION TOOLS

Name: Amber VanRoyen

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: 5th grade
Content Area: Social Studies
Technology Used (check all that apply):
Blog Wiki Other Website Creation Tool (list): Glogster
Content Area/Grade/Standards/Topics Addressed: SS5H5 Discuss the origins and consequences of the
Cold War.
Brief Description of Learning Experience: What learning standards will be addressed? What will
students and teachers do? What products will students create? How will the project be introduced? How
long will it take to complete? What audience will use/care about the product(s) students are creating? How
broad is this audience? (Overview should be a minimum of 2 paragraphs).

For the beginning of this lesson students will be instructed to go to the flipped classroom page of the
classroom blog. I will instruct them that there is a video they will need to watch first and then an audio file
that they will look at second. After they go to the blog and watch the video, the audio file will provide them
instructions on what to do next.
This lesson will be highly student-centered. The teacher will be virtually non-existent in this lesson.
The students will get their directions from the audio file on the blog and then they are on their own for
creating their Glogster. The teacher will be around to monitor and answer questions if needed but this
lesson would be more of an activity that the students did at home and then present to the class. There would
be some class work days for students who dont have access to computers at home or for those who need
help but for the most part this is an at-home activity.
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 would be a LoTi level of 4. This is because Ill be showing a video on the topic of the Cuban
Missile Crisis. From there on, students will pick out a person or event/situation from that time period and
create a Glogster over what they picked. This is giving the students choice on what they will be doing their
Glogster over and they are creating their own online poster and applying what they have learned to the
online poster.
Importance of technology: Why is using a website-creation tool critical to the project? Could the project
be completed without this technology? What would be lost without using it? What other types of
technology, if any, are going to be used in the learning experience?

This lesson could be done without using the blog or Glogster but it wouldnt be as engaging. I think the
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 WEBSITE AND CLASSROOM BLOG CREATION TOOLS
technology is important because it gets the students interested and engaged but it also allows for the
students to have more freedom, be independent, and get creative. This lesson is mainly focused on the blog
and how to get the students using it and getting instruction for it but for this lesson we are also
incorporating Glogster. I think without the technology, this lesson would result in the students either
making a poster, powerpoint, or writing a paper. While a poster and powerpoint can be fun and engaging,
they are commonly used so incorporating Glogster or other website creation sites can really grab the
attention and focus of your students.
Internet Safety and Student Privacy: Briefly discuss some possible issues surrounding Internet safety and
student privacy that could arise while implementing this learning experience and explain how you would
(1) minimize risks to students/yourself; (2) alleviate any fears by parents/administrators, and (3) follow
common Internet Safety/Acceptable Use Policies.

There are many issues when dealing with the internet, especially for young students. There is the worry
about privacy, personal information, and collaboration or working with others online. However, to prevent
these worries, beforehand you can go to these sites you want to use and make sure they have the custom
accounts that require a login and password, see if there is a way to monitor who you talk to if there is
collaboration or chat involved, and make sure that the sites dont require personal information from the
students.
Describe your personal learning goal for this activity. What are you trying that you have not tried
before? What do you hope to learn from this activity? How do you hope it will help students learn?

I am hoping that using the Glogster as an addition to the blog will get the students fully immersed into
whatever subject they choose and that it will get them researching and wanting to know more. Im also
hoping that the students will see that there are more ways to present information other than papers or
powerpoints and show them enough websites that whenever we have to choose a project, the students can
choose whichever method they liked the best that way there is diversity in how the students present their
information.