Online Projects, Collaboration Sites and Publishing Opportunities

Lesson Idea Name: The Peacemakers

Content Area: Social Studies
Grade Level(s): 4th
Content Standard Addressed:
SS4H4: Examine the main ideas of the abolitionists and suffrage movements
a. Discuss contributions of and challenges faced by Susan B. Anthony, Fredrick Douglas, Elizabeth Cady
Stanton, Sojourner Truth, and Harriet Tubman
Technology Standard Addressed:
ISTE-Standard 3: Knowledge Conductor

Selected Online Project/Collaboration Site/Publishing Opportunity:

Hands for Peace, Mãos para a Paz, and Manos para la Paz from iEarn
URL(s) to support the lesson:
https://iearn.org/cc/space-2/group-484/about

Describe how you would incorporate an Online Project/Collaboration Site/Publishing Opportunity in your
classroom (Minimum 2 paragraph overview):
I would incorporate this online project/collaboration site/publishing opportunity in my classroom by
asking the students how they would describe what a “peacemaker” is and how they define peace. Then, I
would have the students get on a computer or mobile device and go to http://www.us.iearn.org/ and explore
the website and the different programs they offer for students and teachers all around the world. Next, I
would have the students get connected to the collaboration forum and help them navigate through the
website. Finally, I would have the students look at the “Hands for Peace” project and explain to them that we
will be participating in this project and that they will be submitting their own research findings and paper to
the online learning project. Thus, familiarizing them with what iEarn is and the different programs that (with
parent permission) could participate in outside of the classroom.
Furthermore, I would make sure that the students are consistently participating in the discussion
forum, so they keep up communication with friends and peers all around the world. The students’ cultural
awareness will continue to development throughout the year. I will continue to record the progress and
communication during the online collaboration. This will not only help students develop communication skills,
but also hold them accountable for their collaboration.
What technologies would be required to implement this proposed learning activity in a classroom?
The technologies required to implement this proposed learning activities in a classroom would be
NetTrekker, CreativeCommons, BrainPop, Popplet, Ginger Software. NetTreker and CreativeCommons would
be search engines that the students could use to locate information and content related to their peacemaker.
BrainPop is an informational system that the students can use to find videos and Newsela articles that pertain
to their topic. Popplet will be how the students will organize their information they gather about their
peacemaker, so they can easily access and locate the information they have researched on the topic. Finally,
Ginger Software will be implemented into this classroom because it is a great editing and revision tool for
students to use when they are typing their papers, need to find a particular word, or translation of
information.
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: The student will collaborate with peers, near-peers, or mentors outside their classroom by
participating in iEarns discussion forum when they have questions or need help finding information on
their peacemaker. The teacher will monitor the student’s discussions and require that the students get
on the forum at least twice while they are working on their online learning project.
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b. Student-centered learning and knowledge creation (creating original data and or producing original
products as a result of engaging in a project): This project is student-centered learning and knowledge
creation because the leading their own research study on a peacemaker of their choice (Susan B.
Anthony, Susan B. Anthony, Fredrick Douglas, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Sojourner Truth, and Harriet
Tubman). The student will then write a two-page research paper on their peacemaker using popplet to
brainstorm and gather information and ginger software to edit their papers (after they do peer
revisions). The teacher will be a facilitator by guiding the students when they have questions about an
unclear article or about the information they gather, but they will not take the leading role within this
project.

c. Higher-order thinking: The students engage in higher-order thinking by creating their own original
work by analyzing the peacemaker’s life and comparing their life to their own, assessing how to
become more like their peacemaker, then creating a research paper on their peacemaker. Additionally,
the students extend their thinking by asking questions that are more open-minded, such as:
i. What makes my person a “peacemaker?”
ii. What are the key characteristics essential for peacemakers?
iii. How could I become a peacemaker?

d. Students publishing their original work to others who will use/care about their product: When the
students have completed their research paper they will post their finding onto iEarn for students and
teachers all around the world to see their findings and recognize their peacemaker as influential.
Moreover, when the students post their papers onto iEarn they will be providing information to other
people that they could use for their own research. Thus, the students are publishing their original work
to other that could potentially use/care about their product because it could help with their own
research on what makes a peacemaker, a peacemaker.

Bloom’s Taxonomy Level(s):

☒ Remembering ☒ Understanding ☒ Applying ☒ Analyzing ☒ Evaluating ☒ Creating

Levels of Technology Integration (LoTi Level): (Select the best level)

☐ Level 1: Awareness ☐ Level 2: Exploration ☐ Level 3: Infusion ☒ Level 4: Integration
☐ Level 5: Expansion ☐ Level 6: Refinement

Universal Design for Learning (UDL):

I could address Universal Design for Learning principles to extend and support the learning experiences
for all students by encouraging students to use the Ginger Software to edit their paper before their final
submission onto the iEarn “Hands for Peace” page. Ginger Software will allow students to make sure that
their work is grammatically correct and professional formatted and point out errors they have made in the
paper. This could help the students become more aware of these reoccurring errors and help the student
avoid them the next time they write a paper. Thus, this software extends learning by creating grammatical
and syntactic awareness and supporting learning that need help translating words or finding correct
vocabulary for their paper.
Lesson idea implementation and Internet Safety Policies:
I could implement this proposed learning experience and still comply with my district’s Internet Safety
and Student Privacy Policies by making sure that none of the student’s personal information is posted online
and make sure that I have taught my students the importance of giving credit to your sources. For example, I
would make sure that all my students posted their papers using pseudonym name, communicate each
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student’s specific pseudonym name with their parent or guardian, and ask the students’ parents or guardian
permission to post their work. In addition, I would make sure that my students understand the consequences
of not giving credit to a source. In fact, to alleviate any fears for parents I would make sure to schedule a
phone conference or parent-teacher conference to explain how iEarn’s forum works [the student work that
will be posted] and iEarn’s postings will never include any student’s personal information [real names,
address, email, phone numbers, ID number, etc.]. Furthermore, to alleviate the fears of administration I
would make sure to collect a form from each student’s parents or guardians stating if they approve or
disapprove of having their child’s work being posted online. Thus, making sure that I am not disregarding any
parents or guardians circumstance or opinion, keeping my students identity and daily lives safe, and following
all school regulations.
Reflective Practice:
After designing this lesson idea, I feel the activities I created could impact student learning by creating
cultural awareness through the collaboration with peer and mentors around the world. In addition, I believe
that be interacting with students and teachers outside the classroom the students can build off others
learning experiences, which would call the student to a higher thinking because when a student builds off of
information they have read or researched they are extending their own comprehension of that specific topic
or subject. Thus, I believe that by exposing student to different cultures not only extends comprehension and
learning, but also provides students opportunities to interact with people they would never usually talk or
interact with.

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