Godys Armengot

EDTC 645 Integrating Technology: Global Perspectives

Global Classroom Module
3 November 2015
Professor Joseph Wieczorek

Dubrovnik, Croatia

Global Classroom Module Summary:

The lessons in this Global Conversations module connect my intermediate Spanish students with
students at a similar level in another classroom outside the United States to interact in Spanish on
the subject of biotechnology. My class will work via Skype in Spanish with another class to
create an international forum where they will share concepts and ideas on biotechnology. I chose
biotechnology because this is a current topic of interest for many students at my university and
around the world. It can be controversial and people may have different ideas about this topic. It
is not in my textbooks and I have not taught this topic before. I think it will have a lot of
potential for global cooperation and debate and it will be a unique contribution to my curriculum.
My university has campuses in Croatia, Dubai and Kosovo. Currently only the Croatia campus
offers sections of the subject and level that I teach, Intermediate Spanish. I plan to work with my
colleagues who teach a similar level of college Spanish in Croatia to have their Spanish students
collaborate with my students to create an international dialogue in Spanish about biotechnology.

Background concerning the school and the group:

I work at Rochester Institute of Technology. It is a private university in upstate New York. It has
almost 20,000 students. It also has National Technical Institute for the Deaf. About 10 % or more
of our students are deaf or hard of hearing and we use interpreters and captioning to make our
classes accessible. If I have Deaf students when I teach this module, I will use captioning or chat
on Skype to make sure all students can participate actively in Spanish.
Time frame:
Over four weeks I will have two units of four 50 minute periods each. These units will take place
in the Modern Language Technology Center where each student will have access to a computer
to use during class time. I will reserve this lab space before the semester begins to avoid conflicts
with other classes scheduled in the lab. The reservation link is for the main lab is
https://www.rit.edu/cla/modernlanguages/mltc-lab-01-3263 .
Subject And Grade level:
Intermediate College Spanish
Topic and Rationale:
The project about Global Conversations on Biotechnology for my Spanish class will allow my
students to share their ideas and learn about their peers' ideas in another country while using their

language skills at the intermediate level to engage in meaningful interactions and debates. I plan
to use XploreHealth, which is one of the projects of Scientix. This is a European Schoolnet
network project. My students will benefit from expanding their international connections and
considering different perspectives. I will ask my colleagues who teach a similar level of college
Spanish in Croatia to see if they will have their Spanish students collaborate with my students to
create an international dialogue on Biotechnology in Spanish. This is a communicative activity
because students will exchange real information about a contemporary subject and engage in
critical thinking through debates with peers in another country.

Global Network You Plan to Use:

European Schoolnet. (2015). Scientix. The community for science education in Europe. Brussels.
Retrieved from http://scientix.eu/web/guest/about
Key Challenges:
The main challenges may be the time difference, making the students feel comfortable sharing
their ideas with others, and helping the quieter students participate equally with the more
extroverted students. I will work with my colleagues in Croatia to develop a schedule that will
work for both classes. I will design the activities to involve every student instead of the first to
answer. I will give students the questions before class so they have time to think and prepare.
Prior Knowledge:
This unit builds on the unit about technology and science. I will assess the students' knowledge
through the written unit quiz before they begin the Global Conversations unit.
Standards and Key Concepts
Content Standards:
ACTFL Communication Standard 1.1: Students engage in conversations, provide and obtain
information, express feelings and emotions, and exchange opinions.
ACTFL Connections Standard 3.1: Students reinforce and further their knowledge of other
disciplines through the foreign language.

National Education Technology Standard for Students NETS (S): Relevant Student
Performance standards

2a. Use telecommunications to collaborate, publish, and interact with peers, experts, and other
audiences.

Global Theme:
The theme that is most connected to the module is planet management: resources, energy, and
environment because this theme requires us to think about the impact of our technology on the
planet including the environment. These are critical issues today and biotechnology is a growing
field that raises a lot of questions about resources and management.
Pre-Lesson Steps:
I will need to reach out to my department chair to ask permission to collaborate with another
classroom. Then I will contact my colleagues in Croatia to find the most similar class that will
have the best curricular connection. Finally I will work with my colleagues in Croatia to make
sure that the lesson design will work well for both classrooms and keep their curricular needs in
mind as well as mine.
Technology Use:
I will have students use Google docs, email, Skype, or Facetime to work with their peers in
Croatia and do research on the internet on the topics before the debates. I will create a wiki for
them to post their findings. Then I will have both classrooms connect using Skype to interact
simultaneously for conversations and debates.
Essential Question (s):
What is biotechnology?
What are the potential applications of biotechnology?
What are the ethical issues related to biotechnology?
What is the precautionary principle?
Starting Activity For Module:
I will use the question of cloning as a hook to get the students interested in researching more and
debating about biotechnology. I will ask them to each prepare a short statement about whether or
not scientists should clone humans and why.
Lesson Plans:
Lesson One: International Research on Biotechnology

I will give each student (and my colleague in Croatia will give the Croatian students) a topic to
research on the internet (for example, stem cells, embryo screening, synthetic biology, etc.). They
will teach each other the basic concept in Spanish. They will use the MyCourses learning
management system where they post their topics and explanations for reference in the discussion
area.
Lesson Two: Biotechnology Debate
Students will use the Biotechnology Revolution activity cards created by Xplore Health to
engage in a debate about biotechnology.
Xplore Health. (n.d.) La revolucion de la biotecnologia [The biotechnology revolution].
Retrieved from http://www.xplorehealth.eu/es/estudiantes/la-revolucion-biotecnologica
Summative Assessment:
I will assess the module through a written quiz on the key biotechnology concepts to evaluate the
students' learning and a short survey about the global classroom interactions to see how effective
the international conversations were.

Lesson Plan # 1 International Research on Biotechnology

Summary: This lesson will introduce the topic of biotechnology and the concept of the
international classroom connection. The objective is for the class to generate the basic content
knowledge on biotechnology that can allow students to have a common knowledge base for
discussing their own and global perspectives with their peers in Rochester and in Croatia. I will
introduce the module by asking students in my class (and having my colleague in Croatia ask her
class) to defend or critique the concept of human cloning. This will bring the topics of ethical
concerns and the role of science and technology in society today to the discussion. It will also
allow them to use the science and technology vocabulary and the subjunctive mode that they will
have already studied prior to this module. Then, the concept of the global classroom connection
will be introduced and students will be paired with an international student in Croatia by email

(and by Skype if their schedules allow). Pairs will be assigned to get to know each other using
either a written interview through Google Docs or email or if their schedules work, they can
answer the interview questions by Skype/Facetime interview. Each pair will then research a key
biotechnology term and its significance in Spanish (for example, stem cells, embryo screening,
synthetic biology, etc.). Students will work together online and then give a short oral
presentation on the results individually to their respective classes in Rochester or Croatia.
Finally, they will post their topics and explanations on the MyCourses discussion site for the
module for easy reference and written practice.
Formative and Summative Assessment: While the students are preparing their presentations, I
will be checking their progress to formatively assess their work. Summative assessment will take
the form of the oral presentations and MyCourses entries. Students will be graded using ACTFL
standards for oral presentation and written communication (ACTFL, 2012).
Description of the Major Assignment: Both classes will receive a list of topics and based on
the students interests, topics will be assigned to individual students in each class. If there are
more students in one class than the other, a few students will have more than one topic to make
sure everyone has at least one international peer to work with on the project. They will work in
pairs to research the topic and prepare a draft for presentation. Then they will work together to
post their concept description on MyCourses. Finally students will take a written quiz on the key
concepts.
Differentiated Instruction: I will differentiate the instruction by having each pair focus on a
particular aspect of biotechnology. The topic they are assigned will be related to their interests
where possible. I will make sure Deaf and hard of hearing students have chat available or can use
Google docs instead of video conferencing to communicate with their peers. Students requiring

other assistance will be provided with access technology including screen readers or other tools
to help them locate and understand sources they find in their research.
Lesson Plan Template # 1

Lesson Title:

International Research on Biotechnology

(Project # 1 of the Biotechnology Module)
Intermediate College Spanish

Grade Level/Subject
Area:

Concept/Topic:

The topic/concept of this project is creating an effective

opportunity for collaboration between my students and Croatian
Intermediate College Spanish students on the topic of
biotechnology.

Length of Lesson:

Four 50 minute blocks

This project will run over the course of two weeks. Students will
work on the project for three class periods and on the fourth day
students will give short oral presentations. After the oral
presentations, students will post their written topic explanations
on the MyCourses discussion area as homework.

Standards Addressed:
(Local or National
Standards)

Curriculum Standards:
ACTFL Communication Standard 1.1: Students engage in
conversations, provide and obtain information, express feelings
and emotions, and exchange opinions.
ACTFL Connections Standard 3.1: Students reinforce and

further their knowledge of other disciplines through the foreign

language. (ACTFL, 2012)

National Education Technology Standard for Students NETS

(S): 2. Communication and Collaboration (a) Use
telecommunications to collaborate, publish, and interact with
peers, experts, and other audiences. (ISTE, 2007)

Lesson
Goals:

The goal of the lesson is for students to work with an

international peer to research a key biotechnology concept in
Spanish and then individually present the results of their research
in Spanish to their class and post their written explanation of the
concept on the class wiki.
The goal of the collaborative research is for students to get to
know a peer in another country and to establish a knowledge
base and interpersonal connections that will support further
collaboration, conversation, and debates.

Performance
Objectives:

After completion of the lesson, students will be able to:

Accurately describe a biotechnology concept in Spanish orally
(for hearing students) and in writing (for all students).
Identify other biotechnology concepts.
Engage in a positive global collaborative environment online

Introduction:

Biotechnology is a controversial topic that connects science,

technology, environment, ethics, and politics in our
contemporary global society and our visions of the future. RIT is
a university that emphasizes technology and innovation. The
module brings these topics into the global classroom through
collaboration with ACMT Croatia.

Step-By-Step
Procedures:

Explain to students that this is the beginning of a global

collaborative module on biotechnology. Explain that this module
is a long-term project that will be in three parts. Explain that the
first part is to create an effective collaborative environment by
working with a peer in another country to research a key concept
and create a knowledge base for international discussion and
debate on biotechnology in a global society.
Day 1:
Warm up: Students will be asked their position on human
cloning. For this classroom discussion, they will use sentence
starters including impersonal expressions of certainty and
uncertainty to express opinions and hypotheses using the
subjuntive and indicative and the science and technology
vocabulary introduced in earlier units.

1.
2.
3.

4.

After the discussion, students will be introduced to the global

collaboration for the module with ACMT Croatia.
Introduce students to the topic of biotechnology, the main
assignments, and the goals for the module.
Lead students in discussion about the importance of creating a
positive and effective collaborative work environment.
Hand each student a topic (based on their earlier identified
interests where possible from the previous unit on science and
technology) and the name of a peer in Croatia who has also been
assigned the same research topic.
Have the class brainstorm a list of 8-10 introductory get to know
you questions for their Croatian peers. Write the questions on the
board or use a smartboard or projector to type and project the
class questions. Include a question on availability (times, days,
and tools including Google Docs, Skype or Facetime).

5. Have students email their research partner from the lab so that no
one forgets to get in contact.

Day 2:
Warm up: How can you find the most valuable sources online

about your assigned concepts?

1. Lead students in discussion about information literacy and
identifying sources.
2. Provide a model of an effective internet search in Spanish.
3. The students will be given the rest of the class time to find
sources on their topic. The teacher will go around the room to
answer questions and to help students with their research.
4. As homework students will meet (synchronously or
asynchronously) with their Croatian peer to share their research
results and prepare a draft for their presentation.
Day 3:
Warm up: What are the strategies that are most effective for
communicating scientific concepts in a second language?
1. Lead students in discussion of effective presentation and
communication skills.
2. Students will be given class time to work on their presentations.
The instructor will walk around to help with pronunciation
practice, grammar, vocabulary, and presentation skills.
3. At the end of class, students will email their revised presentation
drafts to their research partners from the lab for feedback.
Day 4:
Warm up: Who is your research partner and what have you
learned about each other through your collaboration?
1. Lead students in discussion about ACMT Croatia and the partner
classroom, what students learned, found interesting, and would
like to know more about.
2. Students will present their concepts orally and respond to
questions or comments from classmates.
3. After the presentations, the students will complete the written
quiz about the biotechnology concepts to make sure the basic
ideas are understood.
4. As homework, students will work with their Croatian research
partner to post their concept descriptions in the MyCourses
discussion area.

Technology
Requirements:

Resources:

Related URLs:

Computer lab with internet access

Microphones and webcams for video conferencing
Google accounts for written work
Smart board/projector (or white board)
MyCourses learning management system

Xplore Health. (n.d.). Guia docente: La revolucion

biotecnologica Retrieved from
http://files.eun.org/scientix/resources/TranslationOnDemand/The
%20BiotechnologyRevolution_BackInfo_ES.pdf

http://www.scientix.eu/
http://www.xplorehealth.eu/es
http://www.xplorehealth.eu/es/estudiantes/la-revolucionbiotecnologica

Assessment Based on
Objectives:

Students will complete an individual oral presentation in Spanish

on their assigned biotechnology topic based on their
collaborative internet research.
They will post the results of their research on a class MyCourses
page in Spanish.
Students will also complete a written quiz on key biotechnology
concepts in Spanish

Follow-Up:

Following the lesson and activities, students will access the

MyCourses discussion area to post and review the key concepts.

This will prepare them for the following lesson.

Classroom
Management:

The instructor will assist students with their initial contacts to

ensure that the interview questions are appropriate and will
discuss the importance of positive international collaboration
before students interact with their Croatian peers. The instructor
will monitor all MyCourses posts to make sure they are
appropriate and go around the lab to each student to make sure
they are staying on task and getting the work done.

Accommodations:

Differentiated instruction for students will be available. Students

that have hearing or vision disabilities will be given a transcript
of the presentations. Deaf students will project typed
presentations instead of audio. Advanced students will assist
others or work with more than one international peer. All
students will have access to lab computers during class time.

(Special needs / gifted &

talented)

Comments / Notes:

Lesson Plan Template # 2

If scheduling differences are not an obstacle, encourage students

to meet their research partners through Skype (using the chat
function for Deaf students) or other video conferencing software.

Lesson Title:

Biotechnology Debate
(Final Project of the Biotechnology Module)
Intermediate College Spanish

Grade Level/Subject
Area:

Concept/Topic:

The topic/concept of this project is building on the collaboration

between my students and Croatian Intermediate College Spanish
students to debate contemporary scientific and ethical issues on
biotechnology.

Length
of Lesson:

Four 50 minute blocks

This project will run over the course of two weeks. Students will
prepare during two class periods and on the third and fourth days
will hold debate. After the debates, students will post their
feedback on the MyCourses discussion area as homework and
take a written survey on the global collaboration experience.

Standards Addressed:
(Local or National
Standards)

Curriculum Standards:
ACTFL Communication Standard 1.1: Students engage in
conversations, provide and obtain information, express feelings
and emotions, and exchange opinions.
ACTFL Connections Standard 3.1: Students reinforce and
further their knowledge of other disciplines through the foreign
language. (ACTFL, 2012)

National Education Technology Standard for Students NETS

(S): 2. Communication and Collaboration (a) Use
telecommunications to collaborate, publish, and interact with
peers, experts, and other audiences. (ISTE, 2007)

Lesson
Goals:

The goal of the lesson is for students to respond to scientific and

ethical questions about biotechnology in Spanish in the form of
two debates with the global classroom partner.
The goal of the debate format is for students to engage with peers
in another country through authentic discussion about topics on
contemporary issues related to science, technology, and ethics.

Performance
Objectives:

After completion of the lesson, students will be able to:

Express their opinions on current debates related to science,
technology, and ethics.
Defend their positions using accurate descriptions of
biotechnology concepts.
Engage in a positive global collaborative environment online

Introduction:

Step-By-Step
Procedures:

Biotechnology is a controversial topic that connects science,

technology, environment, ethics, and politics in our
contemporary global society and our visions of the future. RIT is
a university that emphasizes technology and innovation. The
module brings these topics into the global classroom through
collaboration with ACMT Croatia.
Explain to students that this is the final project of the global
collaborative module on biotechnology. Explain that in this
lesson students will build on the connections they have
established with Croatian peers and the research completed on
key concepts to prepare authentic international debates on the
role of biotechnology in todays global society.
Day 1:
Warm up: Students will be introduced to the Scientix (2015)
Global Networks Xplore Health Project and Biotechnology

Revolution debate activity.

1. Introduce students to the debate activity, the main assignments,
and the goals for the module.
2. Lead students in discussion about the importance of creating a
positive and effective intellectual environment for debate and
exchange of ideas.
3. Give each student the debate cards and the corresponding
information cards from Xplore Health. They will work with the
same Croatian peer from the previous lesson to prepare for the
debate.
4. Have students email their debate partner from the lab to identify
the best times for virtual meeting so that noone forgets to get in
contact.
Day 2:
Warm up: How can we gain from other perspectives even if we
do not always agree?
5. Lead students in discussion about the benefits of engaging in
intellectual debate.
6. The students will be given the rest of the class time to prepare
arguments for their positions on the debate cards. The teacher
will go around the room to answer questions and to help students
with their arguments. Students place their cards in order from
agree to disagree according to their own perspectives on each
card.
7. As homework students will meet (synchronously or
asynchronously) with their Croatian peer to compare the order of
their cards from agree to disagree and to share their arguments.

Day 3:
Warm up: What are the strategies that are most effective for
debating ideas in a second language?
4. Lead students in discussion of effective communication and
debate skills and remind them of the importance of maintaining a
supportive environment during debates.
5. Hold the debate activity by giving each student a turn to place a

debate card in order from agree to disagree and explain the

reason for the placement. Take turns until all students have
moved multiple cards and defended the moves with specific
arguments.
6. At the end of class, the instructor from each class (Rochester and
Croatia) will post the results on the MyCourses discussion area.
Day 4:
Warm up: How similar or different are the two classrooms
results from the debate? Why do you think they are similar or
different?
5. Lead students in discussion about the partner classrooms results,
what students learned from preparing for the debate with their
Croatian peers, what they found interesting, and would like to
know more about.
6. Skype with the Croatian class or if the scheduling does not work,
have each instructor prepare a short web cam report on their
classroom debate results in Spanish.
7. Students will take a short survey in the lab on the global
classroom collaboration to see what was most effective and how
the experience can be improved.

Technology
Requirements:

Computer lab with internet access

Microphones and webcams for video conferencing
Google accounts for written work
Smart board/projector (or white board)
MyCourses learning management system

Resources:

Xplore Health. (n.d.) La revolucion de la biotecnologia [The

biotechnology revolution]. Retrieved from

http://www.xplorehealth.eu/sites/default/files/Xplore%20Health
%20Discussion%20Continuum%20Game
%203%20Biotechnology%20Revolution%20ES.pdf

Related URLs:

Assessment Based on
Objectives:

Scientix. http://www.scientix.eu/web/guest/resources/details?
resourceId=3379

Students will participate in a group debate in Spanish on

biotechnology based on their responses to the Xplore Health
debate cards and their debate preparation with their Croatian
peer.
Students will analyze similarities and differences in the debate
results from the two classrooms.
Students will also complete a written survey on the global
collaboration experience.

Follow-Up:

Following the lesson and activities, students will access the

MyCourses discussion area to review the debate results. Students
will be encouraged to follow up with their Croatian peer for
future collaborations.

Classroom
Management:

The instructor will assist students to ensure that the international

collaboration with their Croatian peers is productive. The
instructor will go around the lab to each student to make sure
they are staying on task and getting the work done and being
respectful of their classmates.

Accommodations:
(Special needs / gifted &
talented)

Comments
/ Notes:

Differentiated instruction for students will be available. Students

that have hearing or vision disabilities will be given a transcript
of the presentations. Deaf students will project typed arguments
instead of presenting their arguments orally. Advanced students
will assist others or work with more than one international peer.
All students will have access to lab computers during class time.

If scheduling differences are not an obstacle, encourage students

to meet their research partners through Skype (using the chat
function for Deaf students) or other video conferencing software.

Debate Participation Rubric:

Student Name: ________________________________________________________

CATEGORY

4 - Exceeds
Expectations

3 - Meets
Expectations

2 - Approaching
Expectations

1 - Below
Expectations

Score
(Out of
20 total
possible
points)

Position
Statement

The position
statement
provides a
clear, strong
statement of
the students
position on
the topic.

The position
statement
provides
a clear
statement of the
position on the
topic.

A position
statement is
present,
but does not
make the
students position
clear.

There is no
position
statement.

Evidence and
Examples

All of the
evidence and
examples are
specific,
relevant and
explanations
are given that
show how
each piece of
evidence
supports the
position.

Use of
A variety of
connectors
thoughtful
and transitions connectors
and
transitions are
used. They
clearly show
how ideas are
connected

Grammar and
Sentence
Structure

All sentences
are wellconstructed

Most of the
evidence and

At least one of
the pieces of
evidence and
examples are
examples is
specific,
relevant and has
relevant and
an explanation
explanations are that shows how
given that
that piece of
show
evidence supports
how each piece the author\'s
of evidence
position.
supports the
position.

Evidence and
examples are
not
relevant and/or
are not
explained.

Transitions
show how ideas
are connected,
but there is little
variety

Some transitions
work well,
but
some connections
between ideas are
fuzzy.

The transitions
between
ideas
are unclear or
nonexistent.

Most sentences
are
wellconstructed and
there is some

Most sentences
are well

Most sentences
are not
wellconstructed or

constructed, but

Vocabulary

with varied
structure.

varied sentence
structure.

there is no
variation is
structure.

varied.

A wide range
of relevant
vocabulary is
used
appropriately

Relevant
vocabulary is
used almost
always
appropriately

Relevant
vocabulary is
used sometimes

Relevant
vocabulary is
not used or is
used
inappropriately

References:
American Council on Teaching Foreign Languages. (2012). ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines.

Retrieved from http://www.actfl.org/publications/guidelines-and-manuals/actfl-proficiencyguidelines-2012/spanish/comunicaci%C3%B3n-oral

The American Forum for Global Education (2014). Global issues, problems, and challenges.
Retrieved from
https://web.archive.org/web/20141227042918/http://www.globaled.org/guidelines/page2.php
European Schoolnet. (2015). Scientix. The community for science education in Europe. Brussels.
Retrieved from http://scientix.eu/web/guest/about
ISTE. (2007). Educational technology standards for students. Retrieved from
http://www.iste.org/docs/pdfs/nets-s-standards.pdf?sfvrsn=2
The National Standards Collaborative Board. (2015). World-Readiness Standards for Learning
Languages. 4th ed. Alexandria, VA. Retrieved from
http://www.actfl.org/sites/default/files/pdfs/World-ReadinessStandardsfor
LearningLanguages.pdf
Multi-Campus Environmental Research and Media Collaboration. (2013). Image of Dubrovnik,
Croatia. Retrieved from https://wiki.rit.edu/download/attachments/71962157/Dubrovnik
%206%20(Medium).JPG?version=1&modificationDate=1354034915427&api=v2