Professional Development Lesson Plan

Technology Professional Development Lesson Plan
Introduction to Animoto

Title: Introduction to Animoto

Grade Level: Professional Development

Curriculum area: all

ISTE Standards addressed in this lesson:

Technology Operations and Concepts:
Teachers demonstrate a sound understanding of technology operations and concepts. Teachers: demonstrate growth in technology and skills to stay on top of current and emerging technologies.
Planning and Designing Learning Environments and Experiences
Teachers plan and design effective learning environments and experiences supported by technology. Teachers:
A. Design developmentally appropriate learning opportunities that apply technology-enhanced instructional strategies to support the diverse needs of learners.
Teaching, Learning, and the Curriculum
Teachers implement curriculum plans that include methods and strategies for applying technology standards.
A. Facilitate technology-enhanced experiences that address content standards and student technology standards.
B. Use technology to support learner-centered strategies that address the diverse needs of students
C. Apply technology to develop students’ higher order skills and creativity
D. Manage student-learning activities in a technology-enhanced environment.

Materials:
Lap top computers
Paper
Pencil
Digital cameras for at home project

Related website:
Animoto.com/education

Procedures:
1) Have a brief discussion of Animoto and how it works.
2) Demo Animoto using my computer and a LCD projector.
3) Have the teachers open and log onto their lap top computers, and open Firefox.
4) Have the following resources available on the shared network drive for the teachers to explore:
a. http://www.nortellearnit.org/LearniT/videoembeds/animoto/
b. http://animoto.com/education/case_studies
c. http://www.edtechswami.com/digital-storytelling-with-animoto-my-teachmeet-presentation/
d. http://www.speedofcreativity.org/2008/08/07/animoto-for-education-use-it-for-thoughtful-media-creations/
e. http://www.classroom20.com/forum/topics/hello-animoto



In class assignment:
The next portion of this lesson is to have the teachers become familiar with Animoto and what it can do. Teachers will be asked to explore the websites that are provided on their shared network. They should begin to think of ways they can use this tool in their own classrooms. Teachers will be encouraged to share any interesting ideas with a small group.

Outside assignment:
Demonstrate your knowledge of Animoto by creating an Animoto project related to your classroom curriculum. Projects will be shared with the group at a later time. After all of the projects have been shared, there will be a discussion of the educational value of using a tool like Animoto.

Assessment:

The assessment will be done after the teachers have made their Animoto project. There will be a whole group discussion about using Animoto. Teachers will fill out an evaluation form that will let me know if they thought this professional development was useful as well as suggestions for improving this lesson.

Final reflection

As yet another class at NLU comes to a close, I've done some thinking. Overall, I have to admit that this class has been one of the most useful and helpful yet that I've taken in regards to actual classroom use. I know that I will continue to use many of the skills gained in this class. I was able to start thinking about can I teach my lessons with out technology? Why do I need to use technology in the classroom? Am I still a good teacher if I don't use it? Also something to consider is implementing sandbox time. I think it is really important for the students to freely explore a new tool. I want my students to get excited about the technology I choose to use and I feel without some sandbox time they won't learn on their own. I can stand up in front and lecture them step by step, but most people learn by doing, not just by listening. This is true for students and teachers, teachers need sandbox time too! I need to be able to explore web tools before I can introduce it to my students. This class has given me more confidence for searching for tools and finding ways to use them in the classroom.

Week 4 reflection

So this week things are starting to come together a bit more for me. I'm starting to understand how a PLN can be useful to me. I updated my twitter so I could have lists for the ed tech people that I follow and to keep them separate from my friends or other people I follow. I have found some really interesting people who have a lot of information on technology use for special education which is what is the most interesting thing for me. During the school year I found that I have a great interest for assistive technology because a lot of my students used many different devices. I am trying to broaden my knowledge on new ideas to use technology for next year with my new special education classroom. I have been reading more blogs that I follow in my google reader, but since I follow so many it's still a bit overwhelming to read them. One of the most interesting sites that I found this week from someone's "tweet" was a site that had a list of over a 100 apps for the iphone/ipod/ipad for special education. Since I have an Iphone I was exploring what some of the apps were. If I had my dream classroom and I could convince my principal that all the students should have either an Ipod or IPad there are really great apps! A lot of the kids that I work with have trouble communicating and transitioning, and I found many apps that have visual schedules for the students, as well as apps that can speak for the child. It got me really excited to go back to school in the fall! Granted, I don't want to pay for these apps on my iphone but I can keep them in mind for the school year, and see if I can convince the school to get them for our students.

Something that I am still struggling with is the question of can you do the lesson plans with out technology. When I think about the lesson plan that I submitted I could do parts of it without technology. For example I could have my students draw their animal and habitat with paper instead of using an online resource. However, I felt that students would be more willing to draw on the computer rather then using pencil and paper. It's a tough question to answer all the time, but it really gets me thinking. I think technology in the classrooms is a great thing to have, but is it necessary? Teachers can be good teachers with out using technology. I think you need to have a purpose for using it with your students, not just to entertain them. I'm still gathering my thoughts on that one...

Animal Habitat Lesson Plan

Carley Vogel

7/21/10

Animal habitat lesson Plan

Title: Animal Habitat Webquest

Introduction:

In this lesson students will be given names of specific animals that they will explore using a WebQuest. They will be learning about different types of habitats (desserts, tundra’s, rainforests, forests, and oceans) and they will figure out which habitat their animal would live in and why based on the animals needs (air, water, food and shelter).

Task:

At the end of this lesson students will have learned about various habitats and will understand how to draw using http://sketchfu.com/.

Resources:

http://sketchfu.com/draw/ Sketchfu.com is a simple easy to use online resource where students will be able to draw freely. They will not need a lot of training to be able to use this tool and they should already be familiar with it from previous school years. A quick review on how to change colors, and sizes will be done before this project is started. Students will be using this tool to create a picture of a habitat and an animal and label important sections.

Powerpoint presentation for Webquest. The teacher will have created a powerpoint presentation on animals and habitats for the students to explore on Webquest. This will be downloaded for them on their individual computers. I based my lesson plan off of this WebQuest http://questgarden.com/91/12/0/100706114102/process.htm. I would be changing it around depending on my class and I would need to edit it more to make it more of my own.

Process

Engage:

Tell the students that we will be working on a new project in science. Tell them that they should remember all of the things they have learned thus far about living things. Students will have a brief discussion about things that all living things needs. Remind the students that all living things need air, water, food and shelter to survive. Explain that animals have to live somewhere that includes all of those things and a place where plants and animals live is called a habitat. Ask the students if they can name one habitat one earth.

The teacher will tell the students to imagine that last night before they went to bed a package arrived at their house that was special just for them. The package included a wild animal inside. (The teacher should have already prepared packages to hand out to the students) Students will open their eyes and the teacher will give each student a package with a picture of the wild animal inside.

Make sure that all students can correctly identify the animal in their package. Ask the students if they think their animal could live in the school, their home, or a playground. Why do they think that way? Ask the students to predict where they think their animal may live. What kind of food do you think it eats? What kind of shelter does it need? Pair up with your learning buddy and share your thoughts for 2 minutes. After they are done sharing tell the students that they are now ready to do some research on habitats. Their task is to research habitats and discover the correct habitat for their animal.

Explore:

Tell the students that they are now going to get ready to explore using their lap top computers. Students will need to be fill out the recoding sheet as they explore. The teacher will go over the sheet to make sure everyone understands it correctly. Tell the students that you are going to show them how to use Webquest to find all the answers they will need. All the computers will have the Webquest open already to make any transitions easier. The teacher will project her screen so the students can follow along as she explains how to go through Webquest. The teacher will show the students how to navigate between the slides. She will explain that some slides will have words, some will have words and pictures, some slides may have an audio file, and some may have video files. The teacher will have to show students how to go from clicking on a link in the file to getting back to the WebQuest page. The teacher will navigate to the first page and let the students know they will be able to practice this soon on their own. We will review the first few slides as a class, so students can practice navigating back and forth between slides. After you have gone through this with them you will let the students know that it is time to look at the rest of the WebQuest on their own. Remind them that they need to look very closely at everything because when they are done they will have to draw a picture of your animal living in its habitat. Students need to know what their animal eats, how it finds water, and what kind of shelter it has. Remind them they will find this information by listening to audio clips, looking at pictures or videos. The teacher will need to circulate throughout the room to help students if needed. The teacher needs to give time reminders to help students to use their time wisely. This lesson may need more then one computer time to complete everything.

Elaborate:

Bring the students back together as a group. Tell the students that they need to return the wild animal that showed up at their house and put it back in their natural habitat. The way they can return the animals is they will need to draw a picture of the animal in its natural habitat that shows all the things the animal needs to survive (food, water, shelter). Ask the students to tell you how they are going to draw their animal’s habitat. Call on a handful of students to share with the class what they want to include in their drawings. Explain that air is a difficult aspect to draw, and ask for ideas of how that could be incorporated into their drawings. An example of drawing air would be to draw swirls.

Students will be given their laptops with the website http://sketchfu.com/draw already opened for them. They will need to do a quick review with the teacher on how to change line thickness, and colors. They also need to review how to add text to pictures. Tell the students they should try to use appropriate colors. Tell them that when they are finished they will need to label the animal’s food, air, water and shelter. The words will be listed on the board so they know how to spell them. When all the students are finished with their work they will be able to print out their pictures and share with the class.

Explain:

When the students have printed out their pictures they are to get their science journals and they will need to write a story about their animal living in its natural habitat. They should include facts that interested them that they learned from their WebQuest, or they can include other details they may know. The story needs to be a minimum of 5 sentences.

At the end of this lesson the students will be allowed to share their work and stories with the class. The teacher should call for all students from each habitat to present together, so that the students can see similarities in the representations. The teacher will need to guide the students to notices the similarities about the habitats and how the animal’s needs are met within that habitat.

Evaluate:

At the end of this lesson the students should be able to:

· list at least 3 animal habitats

· Name the 4 needs of all living things (air, water, food, shelter).

· Correctly identify a specific animal’s habitiat

· Create a drawing using http://sketchfu.com/draw of their animal in its habitat with correct labels

· Create a story about their animal using at least 5 sentences.

Work will be evaluated using a rubric.

Extend:

Students can act out their animal or create a skit to show how their animal can survive in its habitat.

Students can use pictures or drawings to show what their animal eats. They can pretend to make up a recipe using their animal’s food sources.

************************ Students Worksheet they would fill out **************************

Name: _____________________ Date: ____________

Animal Habitats WebQuest

Recording Sheet

My animal is _________________________________________

Its habitat is ________________________________________

The habitat looks like __________________________________

__________________________________________________

The animal looks like __________________________________

__________________________________________________

It eats ____________________________________________

Its shelter is _______________________________________

Other interesting things I learned about my animal:

__________________________________________________

__________________________________________________

__________________________________________________

__________________________________________________

********************** Rubric ***************************

	Beginning 1	Developing 2	Accomplished 3	Exemplary 4	Score
Animal and Habitat	Animal and/or habitat are unclear. The animal is not in its correct habitat. There are no details, or details are sparse.	Animal or habitat is unclear, but not both. Animal may or may not be in the correct habitat. Minimal details are included.	Animal and habitat are both clear. The animal is placed in its correct habitat. There are some details of habitat features.	Animal and habitat are both clear. The animal is placed in its correct habitat. Details are included to show greater understanding of how that animal adapts to its environment.
Needs of Living Things	Two or fewer needs are drawn and labeled. Labeling is unclear or incorrect.	At least three needs are drawn and labeled. Some labeling may be unclear or incorrect.	All four needs (air, water, food, shelter) are drawn and labeled. Labeling is clear for the most part.	All four needs (air, water, food, shelter) are drawn and labeled in a clear manner. Creativity and higher-level thinking is apparent.
Artwork	Stick figures. Limited or no color.	Basic lines and shapes are used in the drawing. There is some color.	Animal and habitat are drawn clearly using appropriate colors.	Animal and habitat are drawn clearly using appropriate colors and proper proportions. Details are included and enhance the drawing.
Story	The writing does not match the picture. Student has written 1-3 sentences. Student is unable to read own writing, and it is illegible.	Student has written 4 or 5 sentences. Most sentences are on topic.	Student has written at least 5 sentences that are all related to the habitat drawing.	Student has written more than 5 sentences that are all related to the habitat drawing. The story includes creativity and detail.

habitat lesson plan by Carley Vogel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

Week 3 reflection

I have always found that I am interested in technology. I like to learn about new tools, and play around with things. One of the main reasons why I decided to do the TIE program was for my passion for technology use in the classrooms. I believe there are so many great ways that students can learn online that often teachers are just too afraid to go out and try them. I think that if more teachers took an interest in using technology then we could prepare the students for the world more efficiently. Students these days are capable of using technology in ways that weren't yet around when I was in school. I don't think that anyone isn't a "good" teacher if they aren't using any technology in the classroom, I just feel that a "good" teacher could have potential to be an even better teacher if they open their eyes up. I think that students need to feel comfortable with technology because by the time they're out in the real world they won't think twice about using it. Even the most basic thing such as how to type in a word document is a skill that can't be reproduced with out technology. If you want to have any type of job now a days you need to have at least basic knowledge of how to use programs such as Microsoft Word. So, that is my thought on why technology is very important in the classrooms. I look forward to keep learning new tools that I can teach my fellow colleagues about as well as use it with my students.

This week instead of meeting in person on Thursday we have a virtual meeting with our group members. I really enjoyed this experience because I think it's a skill that you should have to keep with you. I had never heard of such tools as dimdim or enterprise. I think those would be fun to explore with my students in the future.

Week 2 reflection

Week 2:

This week has been a little overwhelming with so much information to take in. I'm glad we got to actually meet the teacher in person instead of having him skype into us. One tool that I found really interesting that I would consider using in my future classroom is the today's meet. I felt that it was a great way for the students to speak their thoughts with out interrupting the teacher. I had also never considered twitter to be something that could help me find resources for lesson plans. I always thought it was more of a social network or something where people post pointless things. I have started following the people who have skyped into us, and have been looking for other good resources for the fall. On Thursday's class the aspect I thought was more important to me was learning about the keyword search options. I thought the websites that were shown to us showed me a more efficient way to search the web. I also liked Quintura for kids. I think its important that that website filters the searches so the students can't search anything inappropriate. These are all resources I would like to bring with me to my future classroom.