Learning Intensive with Collaborative Technology

1. Learning Intensive with Collaborative Technology A presentation by Abbi Gee & Linda Miles

2. English • Sociology • 3 yrs. @ daVinci • English • History • 3 yrs. @ daVinci Abbi Gee Linda Miles

3. daVinci High School • Charter School • Founded in 1995 for students who did not fit the traditional mold • Academically challenged • Behavior/motivational issues • Socially awkward • Academically gifted • Almost ALL are financially disadvantaged • Small population • About 150 students • Avg. 20 students per class

4. Learning Intensives • A daVinci staple • In the spring--after seniors are gone • 3 weeks • ½ days • 20 students, maximum • Same 20 kids all three weeks

5. Inspiration Strikes at MACUL • 2010 MACUL Conference Sessions • Video in the Classroom—Rushton Hurley • Abbi • Flip cameras, great price, etc. • Wikis in the Classroom – Lawrence Bruce • Linda • Posting assignments and results on a wiki • Online Library—Mark Zeitlow • Linda • Researching resources • Power Point Presentations

6. Challenge: • In 30 seconds, list as many historical sites in your hometown as you can. • Please type your responses into the chat room.

7. Question: • How many of you have actually visited some (or all!) of the historical sites you listed? • Please respond by raising your hand

8. Our Planned Learning Intensive OVERARCHING GOAL: Use local historical sites as the lens to focus on, learn about, and reflect on various historical eras.

9. Our Planned Learning Intensive • In groups, students will use technology to: • research a specific local site • research the historical era to which the site belongs • create a PPT to teach a lesson to the rest of the class about the site and the era • record video of our field trips using flip cameras • create edited videos of each field trip • post their work in a class wiki to share with others • Individually, students will use technology to: create written assignments from each visit

10. Our Planned Learning Intensive

11. Our Learning Intensive: Planning • Researched local historical sites • Matched sites to various historical eras • Visited all the sites • Mapped out bus routes • Built a budget • Planned out days/field trips to get cost • Ordered cameras • Purchased storage devices for technology

12. Best-Laid Plans ≠ Reality

13. In Reality: General • Our Kids • Process very slowly • Have little or no prior knowledge of history and/or technology • Weather • Volatile spring weather • Field trips rained out

14. In Reality: General • Opportunities/Time Constraints • A curator from the local museum offered to come spend a day at school with us, bringing all of her vertical files • After Judy’s visit, and access to more cool info., the kids wanted to revamp their PPTs. • What was planned as a 1.5-day project became a 4-day project • Transportation • Used the city bus to get around town • Some sites required a short walk from bus stop • Zero flexibility in bus schedule

15. In Reality: Internet-Based Research

16. In Reality: Historical PPTs

17. In Reality: Video of Field Trips

18. In Reality: Edited Videos

19. In Reality: Wiki

20. Ideal Wiki: Home Page

21. Ideal Wiki: Sample Site Page

22. Bottom Line(s) • When using technology, use the same good teaching practices you normally would—always have a back-up plan! • We would definitely use all these technology tools again. • There are other technological tools, like Glogster, that could also be used to demonstrate the same learning.

23. Bottom Line(s) • Some of the best learning took place from the real-life interactions we had with our kids. • Students: • taught us about the public bus routes • told us about things their parents had experienced while growing up in Jackson • helped each other through every step of our intensive • were excited to see their streets in a new light

24. Questions? • Abbi Gee • Abbi.Gee@davinciinstitute.org • http://achg.edublogs.org • Linda Miles • Linda.Miles@davinciinstitute.org • Wiki Link: • http://jacksonhistory.wikispaces.com