Capstone Project Lesson Plan Template

Based on materials from Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works, 2nd ed. and the 21things4teachers.net.

Lesson Title: Creating a digital portfolio

Grade Level: 9

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

• Use technology, including the Internet, to produce, publish, and update individual or shared writing products, taking advantage of technology’s capacity to link to other information and to display information flexibly and dynamically.

LESSON OVERVIEW At the end of each term, students will choose 5 artifacts of exemplary work they have done.  After watching and taking guided notes on 2-3 videos explaining the available features of different web-hosting services/publishing platforms (weebly, blogger, wordpress, wikispaces, wix, etc.), students choose two to compare and contrast using a Venn diagram from Creately.com or Gliffy.com. Using a problem-solving process, students hypothesize which service/platform will help the best achieve their goal. Using this chosen service/platform, students upload scanned or photographed copies of their work and write reflections on each piece, making explicit reference to standards met.  The resulting online portfolios will include links, digital photos, downloadable documents, and other basics of web design.

TIME FRAME 2 class periods

TEACHER RESOURCES (materials, equipment, technology tools or resources)

• Videos showing basic tips for using each of the services/platforms
• Computer lab

STUDENT RESOURCES (materials, equipment, technology tools or resources) 

• Cellphone, digital camera, or scanner

TEACHER PREPARATION (downloads, links, copies, filtering issues)

• Will need to make sure that videos are available both on YouTube and as .wmv’s in case students need to access them at school (due to filtering on student accounts)
• Last minute retesting of links and downloads before assigning online work will also be an important step

TEACHER DIRECTIONS FOR LESSON 

1. Day One: The first day of class begins with a warm-up exercise during which students list technologies they have used to publish content.  This can include platforms as simple and common as Twitter or Facebook. Next to each of these platforms, students list what kinds of content they have published or otherwise made available through this platform (photos, video, audio, documents, external links, etc.).  
2. Discuss these together, creating master lists of the platforms and the types of content published. Spend a short amount of time discussing why students tend to prefer one platform over another.
3. Pass out a handout, explaining the rationale, objectives, and criteria for the online portfolio. On the back of this same sheet will be the rubric with which they will be scored.
4. Teacher shows location of videos demonstrating different web-hosting services/publishing platforms. Pass out teacher-guided notes for students to use with the 2-3 videos watched.
5. At home, students access videos and complete teacher-guided notes.
6. Day Two: Class begins with a warm-up and discussion of web-hosting services/publishing platforms researched.
7. Teacher demonstrates use of Gliffy and/or Creately to create a Venn diagram.  We collaboratively evaluate the resulting diagram using the Venn Diagram Rubric.
8. In lab, students create and print an online Venn diagram, comparing and contrasting the available features between two of the sites researched.  Feedback provided using the Venn Diagram Rubric.
9. Day Three: Warm up: As a conclusion for the Venn diagram, complete a reflection addressing the following problem-solving steps:

1. Identify goals for your online portfolio
2. Describe the barriers/constraints to achieving goal
3. Hypothesize which of the two services/platforms has the best chance of success
4. Try your solution
5. After the portfolio is set up, return to this response, explaining whether your hypothesis was correct. Do you need to test another hypothesis?

10. Re-examine the original handout explaining the rationale, objectives, and criteria for the online portfolio. Show a student exemplar online portfolio. Collaboratively use the rubric to assign a score, referencing specific quotes from the rubric that relate to aspects of the portfolio.
11. Day Four and Five: Students work in lab creating their online portfolio.
12. Students "turn in" their portfolio on Moodle by posting the link in Moodle's Discussion Forum activity.  Students will then receive feedback from their peers based on the rubric’s criteria.  Teacher gives them this feedback online through Moodle's assignment resource.
13. Students receive Class Badges based on the level students score on the rubric.  

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RED ZONE Strategies—Setting the Environment for Learning

Directions: Please fill out your reflections for each section of the lesson plan. Use the information that you posted in the RED ZONE Discussion Forum to help you complete this section.  Indicate how you and/or your students will use technology to help set the environment for learning in one or both of the last two sections.

PROVIDING FEEDBACK Verbally during class discussions and individual conferences; through the Venn Diagram and Online Portfolio Rubric

PROVIDING RECOGNITION Students will receive badges based on their level of attainment on the Online Portfolio Rubric

COOPERATIVE LEARNING By giving each other substantive feedback the Discussion Forum activity on Moodle

Teacher Use of Technology: Providing online feedback through Moodle’s assignment resource; awarding badges through Classbadges.com

Student Use of Technology: Moodle Discussion Forum

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ORANGE ZONE Strategies--Developing Understanding

Directions: Please fill out your reflections for each section of the lesson plan. Use the information you completed in the ORANGE ZONE Discussion Forum to help you complete this section.  Indicate how you and/or your students will use technology to help develop understanding in one or both of the last two sections.

CUES, QUESTIONS, AND ADVANCE ORGANIZERS I will use a playlist of YouTube videos which enumerate the features of various web-hosting services/publishing platforms. The video playlist will be prefaced with explicit cues (e.g. “After watching the video, you should be able to…”) thus providing guidance as to what is important in each video. I will also use my Google calendar (embedded in Moodle or wikispaces) to lay out due dates.

NONLINGUISTIC REPRESENTATION The YouTube playlist (under “Cues, Questions, and Advance Organizers”) is also considered a nonlinguistic representation.

SUMMARIZING AND NOTE-TAKING Students will use teacher-directed notes as they watch the YouTube instructional videos. Completed notes will help them as they begin work on their own portfolio.

ASSIGNING HOMEWORK AND PROVIDING PRACTICE Students will access video instruction at home and work with teacher at school (flipped classroom); video will remain available for later reference (anytime-anywhere learning)

Teacher Use of Technology: Screen-recording software (I use SMART Recorder), YouTube, wikispaces or Moodle, different web-hosting services/publishing platforms

Student Use of Technology: YouTube, web-hosting service/publishing platform of choice

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BLUE ZONE Strategies--Extending and Applying Knowledge

Select one or more of the BLUE ZONE categories. Explain how you will incorporate this category of best practice into the lesson. Use the information you provided in the Blue Zone Discussion forum to help you complete this section.  Indicate how you and/or your students will use technology to help extend and apply knowledge in one or both of the last two sections.

IDENTIFYING SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES: After watching videos of at least 2 potential web-hosting services/publishing platforms, students create an online Venn diagram comparing and contrasting available features

GENERATING AND TESTING HYPOTHESES:  As a conclusion for the Venn diagram, complete a reflection addressing the following problem-solving steps:

1. Identify goals for your online portfolio

2. Describe the barriers/constraints to achieving goal

3. Hypothesize which of the two services/platforms has the best chance of success

4. Try your solution

5. After the portfolio is set up, return to this response, explaining whether your hypothesis was correct. Do you need to test another hypothesis?

Teacher Use of Technology: YouTube playlist of videos

Student Use of Technology: Gliffy or Creately for Venn diagram; web-hosting service/publishing platform

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ASSESSMENT/RUBRIC: Online Portfolio Rubric

Core Content National Standards 

• Writing Standards→Production and Distribution of Writing→Standard #6: “Use technology, including the Internet, to produce, publish, and update individual or shared writing products, taking advantage of technology’s capacity to link to other information and to display information flexibly and dynamically.”

ISTE Standards for Students

• 2a. Interact, collaborate, and publish with peers, experts, or others employing a variety of digital environments and media
• 2b. Communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences using a variety of media and formats

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CREDITS

Creator Name: Arthur Chiaravalli

School District: Haslett Public Schools