EDLD+WEEK+5+Submission+Content

=This five weeks has been by far the most difficult thus far. I did not realize how difficult it is to work as a group to create a technology based curriculum for group of diverse achievers. I am a computer applications teacher in a fairly large school district. Our district only have five elementary level computer applications teachers, and we are not required to collaborate. We are allowed to create our own curriculum, which consists of the required standards. During this course, I was able to work with five other peers on a project. We created a google site to share ideas and information about our project. Communication with my peers seemed to be a little difficult. We only communicated by way of our gmail and google site. Though this process appeared to be a bit tedious, we were able to pull together and complete what we needed to accomplish. Based on the senerio provided, our team decided on using a 5th grade science lesson for our project. The focal point of this lesson is the study of ecosystems and biomes. We chose this unit, because we felt that this content area integrated with the proper technology and activities will properly accommodate the teacher's group of diverse learners. In our project, we have created a variety of technology based and interactive activities to help enhance learning. Due to the different levels of achievers, one of the activities allow the students to work in a small group setting that is made up of students with different academic levels. This activity is called "The Ecosystem Plan". This activity allows the learners to collaborate with one another by brainstorming and holding a discussion about the characteristics of an ecosystem. The students will work together to design an ecosystem. The teacher will provide the learners with a variety of material and resources they will need to complete this project. The group of students will discuss and make a decision on what materials they will use to create the ecosystem. The student's will also have access to websites that contain how to videos, interactive science clips and information pertaining to ecosystems. The student's will also have the opportunity to use a variety of web 2.0 tools. I feel that this activity is perfect for this group of learners, because it allows the students' to help one another by sharing ideas, planning, and building on each others knowledge. The teacher will be required to attend basic professional development in the use of technology and computer applications. Our team completed the project by providing lessons and a variety of activities that are accommodating for the group of students in the teacher's classroom. Using the CAST lesson and ebook builder played a huge part in our successful completion of our project. The CAST website was easy to use and very informative. This experience was challenging yet rewarding, because I've learned even more about the importance of collaborating and planning with you school or districts administrators. =