WEBSITE AND CLASSROOM BLOG CREATION TOOLS

Name: Steve Sanchez

Directions: Using the template below, describe how students could use a blog, wiki, or other website-
creation tool to learn required learning standards in your content area: For an A grade provide an idea that
reaches a Level of Technology Implementation of 4 or above. Remember higher levels (4-6) require that
students assume adult/professional roles; engage in higher-order thinking; and use technology
create/publish original content for their classmates and/or others beyond their school/classroom. The
learning activities and products should be engaging and meaningful to the students and to others who will
view/use/benefit from students work. Review your handouts on Engaged Learning, Authenticity, and LoTi.
Grade Level: 10
Content Area: World History
Technology Used (check all that apply):
Blog Wiki Other Website Creation Tool (list):
Content Area/Grade/Standards/Topics Addressed:
Georgia History Standards
SSWH6 The student will describe the diverse characteristics of early African societies before 1800 CE.
b. Describe the development and decline of the Sudanic kingdoms (Ghana, Mali, Songhai); include the roles of
Sundiata, and the pilgrimage of Mansa Musa to Mecca.
e. Analyze the role of geography and the distribution of resources played in the development of trans-Saharan
trading networks.

ISTE STANDARDS:
1. Empowered Learner. Students leverage technology to take an active role in choosing, achieving and
demonstrating competency in their learning goals, informed by the learning sciences.
c. Students use technology to seek feedback that informs and improves their practice and to demonstrate
their learning in a variety of ways.
3. Knowledge Constructor. Students critically curate a variety of resources using digital tools to construct
knowledge, produce creative artifacts and make meaningful learning experiences for themselves and others.
a. Students plan and employ effective research strategies to locate information and other resources for their
intellectual or creative pursuits.
c. Students curate information from digital resources using a variety of tools and methods to create
collections of artifacts that demonstrate meaningful connections or conclusions.

Brief Description of Learning Experience: What learning standards will be addressed? What will
students and teachers do? What products will students create? How will the project be introduced? How
long will it take to complete? What audience will use/care about the product(s) students are creating? How
broad is this audience? (Overview should be a minimum of 2 paragraphs).

Student will visit the classroom blog for this assignment. For security purposes, the blog will be set up at
the beginning of the year so that it can only be accessed by students and parents. The students will be
directed to go to the Flipped Classroom page to access the assignment. The directions will be posted at
the top of the page, explaining that the students will be role playing for this exercise.
The instructions explain that the student is going to assume the role of a person going on Mansa Musas
hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca) in the 13th century. They are too choose a persona based on a job slave,
soldier, or scholar and write a journal entry from that persons perspective based on information obtained
from a document posted on the blog. Beneath that document is the area the students will post their entry.
The students will repeat this exercise for five days, reading a new document and making a new journal
entry each day, simulating the actual experience in compressed time (the actual trip took months). For
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example, the first document lists the number of people, camels, gold, water, food, etc. as well as the chaos
of starting on the trip. A student who chose a slave persona would write a journal entry discussing how
much work they had to do, how thirsty they were, the awe of all the gold, etc.
Students will be required to comment on at least two of their classmates posts.

Blooms Level of Critical Thinking Required (check all that apply):

See http://epltt.coe.uga.edu/index.php?title=Bloom%27s_Taxonomy
Remembering Understanding Applying Analyzing Evaluating Creating

Student Engagement/Level of Technology Implementation (LoTi): What LoTi would this lesson be and
Why?
A LoTi Level 4 is achieved with this lesson because the students are creating original work written
journals that are posted to the blog. These journal entries are based off documents in a lesson plan
designed by the teacher. The students have to analyze and evaluate the information given to them in the
documents to come up with how they will create their written works. This is creative writing, so students
will not be seeking a right answer to questions, rather they will be expressing information from one
source in their own words. The requirement for commenting on each others posts provides engagement
with one another.

Importance of technology: Why is using a website-creation tool critical to the project? Could the project
be completed without this technology? What would be lost without using it? What other types of
technology, if any, are going to be used in the learning experience?

This exercise could be completed without the classroom blog, but it would make it more difficult for the
students to interact with each other. The students could simply write out their journal entries on a blank
sheet of paper. The interaction would be more difficult because the students would have to wait until they
were physically in the room with the journals before being able to read them. This would also take up
valuable class time whereas with the blog, the commenting is done outside the class.
If students wished to do further research, they could use computers or tablets and go to specific sites
provided by the instructor.
Inspiration (optional): If you used existing example as a model for your project (whether in part or
whole), include the URL(s) so we can visit. Explain what concepts you borrowed from others.

This lesson is based off one I did with my students but without using a blog. The students were provided
print outs of all the documents at once and then hand wrote or typed their journal entries. There was no
interaction between the students. I like the blog entry idea because of the interaction aspect, but also
because it requires the students to make several entries over time rather than just writing them out as
quickly as possible, which is what I witnessed them do
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Internet Safety and Student Privacy: Briefly discuss some possible issues surrounding Internet safety and
student privacy that could arise while implementing this learning experience and explain how you would
(1) minimize risks to students/yourself; (2) alleviate any fears by parents/administrators, and (3) follow
common Internet Safety/Acceptable Use Policies.

The school and district policies regarding Internet safety and student privacy will be explicitly followed. I
will definitely preview my blog for my administrator and (assuming it is approved) inform the parents how
the students privacy and safety will be ensured. Parental consent will be obtained before I allow a student
access to the blog and students will be encouraged to use pseudonyms to protect their identity. I will also
carefully monitor the blog to make sure all content is appropriate.
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Describe your personal learning goal for this activity. What are you trying that you have not tried
before? What do you hope to learn from this activity? How do you hope it will help students learn?

As mentioned, I used a low tech version of this activity, and while it was successful I received some
very creative journal entries I believe it could be improved through the use of the blog. The daily posting
makes it seem more authentic because the pilgrims did not see everything at once. It also allows for more
commenting, ensuring the students are actively engaging with each other on a more frequent basis.
Other comments about your proposed activity: