Final project ....

... this is about where I was with my final course project ideas, all over the place, that is until this a.m.! After surfing the many project "brainwaves" I've collected since class started in October (TX Alice!). I've decided to match 21st Century Learning and Teaching tools with ELL students and make that the focus of my final project. I want to create a virtual "piazza", a virtual village center with and for the ELL newcomers that they can call their own and share with others. I have a lot of ideas but will start with creating "ELL-evate".

Creating the ELL Wiki is based on the following visions or objectives:
:: I plan to use tech tools that promote the collaborative and interactive capabilities/features of the Wiki so that I can enrich (elevate) and extend the learning experiences of my students. Their Wiki contributions and interactions with the blog will give them a sense of ownership that promotes self-esteem, confidence, and community.
:: The grade 3-5 ELL teacher is aware of the Wiki plan and chose to name it "ELL-evate". This makes her a partner in the project! She has never blogged and with ELL newcomers arriving every month this year the use of technology in the classroom is limited to online language and math tutors. The Wiki will be a perfect venue to help her expand the use of technology in her lessons - I'm certain that the kids will get her hooked!

I have started outlining project details in the project description - as always expecting for things and circumstances to change as we move along.

Over the next couple of months I will introduce the kids to a variety of fun and creative multi-media technology tools such as the digital camera, our Flip camcorder, VoiceThread, KidPix and other resources in order to add visual, oral and auditory dimensions to their lessons. I am in the process of checking student permissions for media exposure on the Internet and need to follow up with several parents to make sure that nothing is lost in the translation of our Internet Safety & Media Permission form. I hope that lack of permission is merely caused by language barriers.

I will not abandon my idea to stage a digital staff meeting at some point this year. I will continue to work on ideas and continue to take small steps to wet our teachers' innovative tech palettes, i.e. by introducing them to Goolgle Apps ... (I'm listening Alice!). Our district tech team is currently running tests to establish a district-wide Google Apps domain which will hopefully allow the use of school email for GDoc collaboration. I hope to have more news on this early January '10. In the lab, Ms. Graves' 2nd graders are rapidly becoming experts at using special effects and recording features of PhotoBooth and VoiceThread for their geology research project assessment pieces that will be posted on their class Wiki. Thanks to Laura I have stumbled upon some great student presentors and good stuff for the digital meeting agenda! I have also joined a VoiceThread Ning to learn more about this great tool!

FYI, Laura is a USM "Teaching and Learning with 21st Century Technology" 2009 Summer Course alumna :-)