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I am currently 3rd grade teacher at West Burlington Elementary School in West Burlington, Iowa. I'm in my ninth year of teaching at the same school I attended from K-12. I pursuing my Master's degree in Instructional Technology through the University of Northern Iowa and I am so excited about this adventure.

Thursday, December 15, 2011

Selection & Integration of Technology

Integrated Technology Learning Experience Outline

Unit Title:  People in Communities

Unit Length:  5  weeks

Grade Level: 3rd

Description of Students:   21 students, 10 boys and 11 girls. 1 identified special ed, 5 At-risk students.  Reading levels ranges from 0.9 – 5.2  

Unit Description:  3rd grade social studies unit about people in communities.  Students will learn how people in communities express their culture. They will investigate different cultures in their community and nation, and even outside our nation.  They will also learn how different cultures can make life in a community more interesting.

Goals for this Unit:  (BIG IDEA)
1.  Students will understand that cultural differences enrich communities and make them diverse. 
2.  Student will use technology tools to express ideas and collaborate with peers.

Iowa Core Curriculum Standards 
~Understand how geographic and human characteristics create culture and define regions.
~Understand how human factors and the distribution of resources affect the development of society and the movement of populations.
~Understand the role of culture and cultural diffusion on the development and maintenance of societies.
~Use technology resources to create original products, identify patterns and problems, make predictions, and propose solutions.
~Use interactive technologies in a collaborative group to produce digital presentations or products in a curricular area.
~Understand and practice appropriate, legal, and safe uses of technology for lifelong learning.

Learning Outcomes (specific skills you expect your students to master):
Students will understand why people move from place to place and how communities are affected by these movements.
Students will be able to describe different cultures found in the United States.
Students will explain what makes up our American Heritage.
Students will show ways that people express their cultures.
Students will illustrate how customs are different around the world.

Overall Sequence for the Multiple Lesson Unit:
    Our American Culture
                Moving to New Places
                Sharing Cultures
                Our American Heritage

   Cultures Around the World
                Expressions of Culture
                Holidays and Traditions
                Cultures of the World
Unit Content:
Our American Culture
                1.  Moving to New Places: 
                                Identify reasons why people move and settle in new places
                                Describe immigrants’ arrival and living conditions in the U.S.
                                Identify reasons why people move within a country
Many immigrants come to the United States to find new opportunities.
                2.  Sharing Cultures: 
Understand how different groups share their cultures in the U.S.
Compare and contrast cultures and diversity in communities
Identify ways that immigrants contribute to communities.
(Ethnic groups in Washington D.C., include Asian, Caribbean, Latin American, and African.)
                3.  Our American Heritage
Identify American landmarks
Identify and explain the significance of national holidays

Cultures Around the World
                1.   Expressions of Culture
                                Recognize literature, art, music, dance, architecture, and religion as expressions of culture
                                Compare and contrast the many ways people express their culture
                2.  Holidays and Traditions (GRR example)
Focus Lesson(s)
Purpose: Review cause and effect and show students how that relates to lesson 2 Holidays and Traditions reading

Guided Instruction
Activity/Activities: Students will partner up and using the cause & effect sheet, read through lesson 2  and discuss the reasons behind the celebrations
Guidance: I will work with a few groups to reinforce proper use of the cause and effect sheet.
Formative Assessment: We’ll come back together as a class and discuss what they read

Productive Group Work:
Collaborations: students will work in groups of 3-4 to create invitations to a cultural celebration they’ve read about.
Technology-Enhanced Collaborative Process(es) Used: students may use a web 2.0 tool of their choice to create or share their invitation
Accountability: each student will have a job in the process

Independent Learning
Activities:  Writing project ~ What’s Your Custom
                Students will think about customs or traditions their families share.  These can include an activity that occurs during a holiday or a tradition involving everyday life.  Students will create a descriptive blog post about a time when they took part in the tradition, or simply describe the tradition. 
Assessment: Teacher will assess the students understanding of what a custom or tradition is and if they’ve described the cause and effect properly.

                3.  Cultures of the World
                                Compare and contrast language, dress, and food in various cultures around the world
                                Define cultural identity
                                Identify expressions of different cultures around the world

Further Unit Analysis
Describe how you integrated each of the modular topics into your unit. (Please refer to the assignment sheet for the specifics of what is expected.)

Integrating Digital Technology:
There are several activities that involve technology. Students collaborate in creating an invitation of their choice and their work in “A Week in the Life” project would lie on the Authentic-Infusion part of the matrix.  Students use technology tools to link learning to the world beyond the instructional setting and the teacher provides the learning context and the students choose the technology tools to achieve the outcome.

21st Century Classrooms:
I integrated the Flat Classroom A Week in the Life project into this unit. It allowed students to collaborate with other students in other states and countries.  It allows students to be more involved in what they want to learn and in finding ways to accomplish that on their own therefore creating a more student centered learning environment. 


Students needed to be aware of what information is safe and not safe to share on the internet. Students learn to always ask permission from their parents and other trusted adults before filling out forms online and learn to create secure passwords for their accounts.  They learn what spam is, and how to deal with it when they see it. Finally, they decode privacy policies, and think critically about the implications for the information that they share online.

Universal Design for Learning: 
The unit included several differentiated activities for the students.  Leveled research materials were provided for students at different reading levels.   The differentiated lessons address multiple methods of representation, expression and engagement of learners with information and knowledge. This unit involves a variety of instructional goals, methods, materials, and assessments.

This unit will be very successful.  I have used pieces of this unit before, however not in the sequence or with the technology projects integrated into it.  I’ve learned that it is much easier to use technology on a deeper level than I first though, however the skills of the students can always provide challenges in activities involving technology.  We are always changing and adapting lessons to better fit the needs of the students.  Having done so in this unit will provide some guidance to look at others in the future.

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