Lesson Idea: Website-Creation Tools

Name: Rachel Wood

Directions: Using the template below, describe how students could use a blog, wiki, or other websitecreation 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: 3rd Grade
Content Area: Social Studies
Technology Used (check all that apply):

Blog

Wiki

Other Website Creation Tool (list):

Content Area/Grade/Standards/Topics Addressed:

SS3H2 The student will discuss the lives of Americans who expanded peoples rights and freedoms in a
democracy.
a. Paul Revere (Independence), Frederick Douglas (Civil Rights), Susan B. Anthony (Womens Rights),
Mary McLeod Bethune (Education), Franklin D. Roosevelt (New Deal and WWII), Eleanor Roosevelt
(United Nations and Human Rights), Thurgood Marshall (Civil Rights), and Cesar Chavez (Workers
Rights).
b. Explain Social Barriers, restrictions, and obstacles that these historical figures had to overcome and
describe how they overcame them.
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?
Students will be placed into 9 groups, each group covering one of the Americans listed above. Each group
will create and design a page for our classroom blog covering their assigned American as well as the
specific freedoms and rights that the famous person created/brought attention to. Students will create their
page as if they are the person they are researching. There should be a picture of the famous person in the
top left part of the page as well as 3-5 paragraphs covering their topic. Students will have free reign on
color and theme of their page as long as they properly cover and address the materials. The students will
have two class periods to create and design their page. On the third day I will upload all of the pages
created to the Social Studies part of our classroom blog. Each group will present their page to the class and
we will discuss the attributes that these famous Americans made to our country. Students, teachers,
administration, parents, and other classroom blogs will be able to view the students work. This is a great
way to learn about these important Americans as well as give students the opportunity to learn and teach the
material to their peers.
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: Which indicators of Engaged Learning area strong and why? (See Engaged
Learning and Authenticity handouts distributed earlier this semester.)
Content and learning goals are standards based, and addresses state content and technology literacy
standards as required in the local settings. Learning tasks are authentic and student directed. Student roles
include being an explorer, the teacher, and producer. The social interactions in this activity are
collaborative.
Level of Technology Implementation (LoTi): What LoTi would this lesson be and Why?(See Engaged
Learning handout distributed earlier this semester.)
The LoTi level for this lesson would be at the Expansion level (5). Students are engaging in collaborations
with peers, they are producing material that is meaningful to themselves for school as well as important
information about our country. The pages that they are producing are able to be viewed by other teachers,
peers, students, parents, and classrooms across the world, allowing them to share their knowledge with
others who are interested about our Countries freedoms.
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?
The pages could be designed with pen and paper, yes, however without the website they would not be able
to display and share their work with others. Other technology that can be used is ActivInspire, so that
students may use media and other tools to make their pages more appealing and interesting. They are able
to add videos, pictures, and sounds to their pages as well. Without the use of technology this would not be
possible.
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.
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.
To minimize risks to students and myself, they will create and design their pages only at school and in their
groups, this allows us to monitor their internet usage as well as make sure they are on task. The blog where
the pages will be published are able to be viewed by parents and administrators, therefore if any issues or
concerns arise they are able to view their students work and come to me with any issues that they may have.
Since the students will be at school when they create their pages, parents, administrators, and I will not
have to concern ourselves as much with Internet safety since pages that are inappropriate are blocked from
the system.
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?
I hope that students will learn about the freedoms and sacrifices made by fellow Americans that allow us to
live in a free manor. I also hope that students will be more willing to learn because they get to hear from

their peers as well as teach their peers. This allows students to learn material better because not only are
they writing down the material but they have to collaborate with other students who may have different
ideas then they have.
Other comments about your proposed activity:
I think that students will thoroughly enjoy this activity because they are given more freedom then they
usually have as well as the opportunity to show off their creative minds.