"Teachers design, develop, and evaluate authentic learning experiences and assessments incorporating contemporary tools and resources to maximize content learning in context and to develop the knowledge, skills, and attitudes identified in the NETS-S."
Historic Figure Trading Cards
Using the "Read Write Think" Trading Card Creator, I developed a lesson involving research of a historic figure that my class had studied. Using my school library's online World Book Encyclopedia resource, my students were responsible for learning about an individual, gather information about their lives, and rather than write a report or biography on the person, design a digital trading card based on the individual.
This completely free, online application is a great way to get students excited about doing research on various topics. The website has a variety of templates for different types of trading cards. They include: fictional person, real person, fictional place, real place, physical object, event, abstract concept, and create your own.
Not only is there a free web-based version of this application, there is also a version that is packaged free iPad app.
This completely free, online application is a great way to get students excited about doing research on various topics. The website has a variety of templates for different types of trading cards. They include: fictional person, real person, fictional place, real place, physical object, event, abstract concept, and create your own.
Not only is there a free web-based version of this application, there is also a version that is packaged free iPad app.
Civil War WebQuest & Technology Integrated Lesson Plan
One really great tool that has been discussed in many of the courses that I have taken, both as a graduate and undergraduate student, is the WebQuest. WebQuests are lessons in which students are presented with a task that revolves around investigating and exploring internet resources that are specifically selected by the instructor. By presenting students with specific information, WebQuests provide a safe and controlled learning environment for students to learn through the use of technology.
This WebQuest was originally designed for ED 617, Advanced Educational Technology (Spring 2011 - Dr. Heeter). It uses the Civil War as a vehicle for presenting the assignment, which is to write a fictitious letter home from the perspective of a Civil War soldier. Having a focus on both social studies and writing standards, this WebQuest offers a co-curricular angle to content that is usually taught from a history standpoint.
Through the use of technology, students have the opportunity to explore content in a way that is usually not possible. They look at what it was like to be a soldier during the Civil War, and are presented with pictures, original documents, and even audio and lyrics to music played by regimental bands. Without technology, this would not be possible.
Like I said, this WebQuest was originally designed as part of my graduate coursework, but through my experience instructing summer school at Keystone SMILES AmeriCorps, I was able to incorporate the WebQuest into one of my lessons. Overall, the students that participated in the activity responded to the technology sources in a positive way, and they all seemed to enjoy working on the writing assignment. I feel as though by allowing students to explore information and content on their own and at their own pace, even if it is regulated by the teacher, they are able to build stronger connections to the material which leads to better understanding.
This WebQuest was originally designed for ED 617, Advanced Educational Technology (Spring 2011 - Dr. Heeter). It uses the Civil War as a vehicle for presenting the assignment, which is to write a fictitious letter home from the perspective of a Civil War soldier. Having a focus on both social studies and writing standards, this WebQuest offers a co-curricular angle to content that is usually taught from a history standpoint.
Through the use of technology, students have the opportunity to explore content in a way that is usually not possible. They look at what it was like to be a soldier during the Civil War, and are presented with pictures, original documents, and even audio and lyrics to music played by regimental bands. Without technology, this would not be possible.
Like I said, this WebQuest was originally designed as part of my graduate coursework, but through my experience instructing summer school at Keystone SMILES AmeriCorps, I was able to incorporate the WebQuest into one of my lessons. Overall, the students that participated in the activity responded to the technology sources in a positive way, and they all seemed to enjoy working on the writing assignment. I feel as though by allowing students to explore information and content on their own and at their own pace, even if it is regulated by the teacher, they are able to build stronger connections to the material which leads to better understanding.
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* Please Note: The WebQuest available for download is modified from it's original format. Excluded are audio and video files due to file-size constraints. To access the WebQuest, unzip the attached file and run the slideshow contained in the .pptx file.
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Instructional Design - Technology in the Music Classroom
The course ED 540, Principles of Instructional Design (Spring 2011 - Dr. Heeter), offered me with a new insight into the world of educational technology. Up until this course, my ideas about the definition instructional technology was very limited. I had the belief that instructional technology involved an instructor using and utilizing various forms of technology within their teaching. Little did I know that there are instructional design specialists that assist classroom teachers with this process.
The final product of this course, which built upon itself from week one, was to design a complete instructional design document/plan for another instructor in a content that is not familiar. One of my old roommates is employed as a music teacher/band director, so I decided to collaborate with him for this assignment.
The basics of the instructional design process involves analyzing a problem and implementing technology in a way to better the issue. In this case, the music teacher was wasting a lot of class time while switching CDs in and out of his stereo system while presenting his class with audio examples. I chose to help him through the design of a process by which he digitally presents these audio clips and saves a lot of wasted instructional time.
I really gained a lot from going through this process as an outsider trying to solve an instructional issue with technology. Sometimes it is difficult to identify issues in one's own instruction, but when an unbiased third party can step in to assist, the results can be very significant. In my future endeavors, I hope to once again step into the role of an instructional design specialist to assist my fellow teachers. I would enjoy being in a position working on a technology committee within a school district and will definitely pursue this leadership role once employed.
The final product of this course, which built upon itself from week one, was to design a complete instructional design document/plan for another instructor in a content that is not familiar. One of my old roommates is employed as a music teacher/band director, so I decided to collaborate with him for this assignment.
The basics of the instructional design process involves analyzing a problem and implementing technology in a way to better the issue. In this case, the music teacher was wasting a lot of class time while switching CDs in and out of his stereo system while presenting his class with audio examples. I chose to help him through the design of a process by which he digitally presents these audio clips and saves a lot of wasted instructional time.
I really gained a lot from going through this process as an outsider trying to solve an instructional issue with technology. Sometimes it is difficult to identify issues in one's own instruction, but when an unbiased third party can step in to assist, the results can be very significant. In my future endeavors, I hope to once again step into the role of an instructional design specialist to assist my fellow teachers. I would enjoy being in a position working on a technology committee within a school district and will definitely pursue this leadership role once employed.
Music Education Instructional Design by Nathan Pearce | |
File Size: | 914 kb |
File Type: | docx |
Jefferson County History Center - 105th Regiment Informational Videos
This was the capstone project of my work as a graduate assistant during the 2010-2011 academic year.
Working for the Jefferson County History Center has exposed me to a number of opportunities to utilize and apply my technological skills and knowledge to informative and instructional materials for the organization. Since 2011 marks the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, the JCHC's focus on exhibit and program design for the next few years is based around the topic. Being a small historical society that focuses on local history, I decided to take on the task of researching the Civil War regiment that was comprised of men from Jefferson County, the 105th Regiment of PA Volunteers.
One of the main goals of the Jefferson County History Center is to educate and inspire anybody that becomes involved with or visits the organization. This allowed me the perfect opportunity to take my research to the next level and apply it in an instructional capacity through the use of technology.
What I set out to do was to track the major events that in which the 105th regiment was involved. It all started out just as a Google Map, but it eventually grew into a much larger project. The final product ended up being a series of videos (one for each year of the Civil War) that were made using iMovie to edit together clips captured from a virtual tour made with Google Earth. Using "pushpins" for each of the major events, information is presented in a pop-up bubble, then the map shifts to the next event...and so on. Once I had all of the clips captured and edited together, I went through and recorded myself reading the narration for each event and added some Civil War era music to all of the videos.
The entire process took a few months to complete, but the final result is worth the effort. Now when guests enter the Jefferson County History Center, they can walk up to one of the museum's touchscreen kiosks and press a button to be engaged in a technological, multi-sensory learning experience that focuses on meaningful, local history. These types of learning experiences present an opportunity for all parties involved to develop a connection to the content: myself through the effort and work put into its creation, and the viewers through the stimulating presentation of relevant information.
Located on my blog are much more in-depth looks at different processes that went into the creation of the final product.
Working for the Jefferson County History Center has exposed me to a number of opportunities to utilize and apply my technological skills and knowledge to informative and instructional materials for the organization. Since 2011 marks the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, the JCHC's focus on exhibit and program design for the next few years is based around the topic. Being a small historical society that focuses on local history, I decided to take on the task of researching the Civil War regiment that was comprised of men from Jefferson County, the 105th Regiment of PA Volunteers.
One of the main goals of the Jefferson County History Center is to educate and inspire anybody that becomes involved with or visits the organization. This allowed me the perfect opportunity to take my research to the next level and apply it in an instructional capacity through the use of technology.
What I set out to do was to track the major events that in which the 105th regiment was involved. It all started out just as a Google Map, but it eventually grew into a much larger project. The final product ended up being a series of videos (one for each year of the Civil War) that were made using iMovie to edit together clips captured from a virtual tour made with Google Earth. Using "pushpins" for each of the major events, information is presented in a pop-up bubble, then the map shifts to the next event...and so on. Once I had all of the clips captured and edited together, I went through and recorded myself reading the narration for each event and added some Civil War era music to all of the videos.
The entire process took a few months to complete, but the final result is worth the effort. Now when guests enter the Jefferson County History Center, they can walk up to one of the museum's touchscreen kiosks and press a button to be engaged in a technological, multi-sensory learning experience that focuses on meaningful, local history. These types of learning experiences present an opportunity for all parties involved to develop a connection to the content: myself through the effort and work put into its creation, and the viewers through the stimulating presentation of relevant information.
Located on my blog are much more in-depth looks at different processes that went into the creation of the final product.
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© 2011 Nathan J. Pearce