Online Projects, Collaboration Sites and Publishing Opportunities

Lesson Idea Name: Different organisms within an ecosystem

Content Area: Science
Grade Level(s): 4th Grade
Content Standard Addressed: S4L1. Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information about the roles
of organisms and the flow of energy within an ecosystem.

Technology Standard Addressed: 1- Empowered Learner

Selected Online Project/Collaboration Site/Publishing Opportunity: Journey North

URL(s) to support the lesson: https://journeynorth.org/

Describe how you would incorporate an Online Project/Collaboration Site/Publishing Opportunity in
your classroom
Before this lesson is implemented students will already have background knowledge about the roles
of organisms and the flow of energy within an ecosystem. We will begin the class with a video on
why animals migrate. As a class, we will pretend that we are an organism that is migrating. The
weather in our classroom has turned cold and we need to migrate to a place that is warm. As a class,
we will migrate to the computer lab. Each student will log on to a computer and search Journey North.
I will explain that each student will be a scientist today. They will track animal migration and
seasonal changes individually. Students will then report data on a central online database. My students
will be required to find another students data from anywhere in the world and compare. If students
have questions or need help they will be required to collaborate with a scientist, other student, and
teachers.
After each child is done they will print their data, this will be a way for me to access. Then we will
migrate back to the classroom. Each student will write a journal entry about their experience on
Journey North and the journey that they took! We will share as a class the journeys that each of us
took and why we took our journey.
What technologies would be required to implement this proposed learning activity in a classroom?
Computers in the classroom for students access the website Journey North, and a printer.
Describe how the following features are addressed in this learning experience (note: all of them may not
be addressed in the project, but most should be if you are reaching a high LoTi Level).
a. Collaboration with peers, near-peers, mentors outside their classroom and often beyond their
school: Students will be able to collaborate with scientists, teachers, and other students from all
over the world, to ask questions they may have.

b. Student-centered learning and knowledge creation (creating original data and or producing
original products as a result of engaging in a project): Students will be creating original data with
the journey and migration their organism.

c. Higher-order thinking: Students will compare their data with other students to better understand
why organism migrate.

d. Students publishing their original work to others who will use/care about their product: Students
will publish their data on a central online database for other students to view from all over the
world.

Spring 2018_SJB
 Online Projects, Collaboration Sites and Publishing Opportunities
Bloom’s Taxonomy Level(s):
☐ Remembering ☐ Understanding ☐ Applying ☒ Analyzing ☐ Evaluating ☐ Creating

Levels of Technology Integration (LoTi Level):

☐ Level 1: Awareness ☐ Level 2: Exploration ☐ Level 3: Infusion ☒ Level 4: Integration
☐ Level 5: Expansion ☐ Level 6: Refinement

Universal Design for Learning (UDL):

This activity is an easy way for all students to be super engaged in the material. For students that are
weaker with technology could be in a group of two to help aide them in this activity. For students that
cannot use the technology I can either give them a paper or PowerPoint version so they are can still
participate.
Lesson idea implementation and Internet Safety Policies:
On this website, students are able to collaborate and view students work from all over the world.
Students are also posting their data for anyone to view. I will need to make sure that everyone on the
computer are allowed to be. I will also need to make sure to inform students not to share any personal
information, I will explain the dangers in doing so. I will walk around and monitor students work.

Reflective Practice:
After designing this lesson idea, I feel like this a fun way for students to feel like they are the
scientists. They are able to emerge themselves in this topic which makes it more interesting. To
further extend this lesson I could have created a discussion board for students to share their
experience.

Spring 2018_SJB