Place-based Learning Initiative Write-Up

Teachers: Katie Yando and Laura Richter

Subject(s): Language Arts & Technology

Community Collaborators:

Essential Question: Why is a historical sense of community important and how do we help teach others about the history of our town?

Abstract: Students become inspired to learn more about their local community through research and direct contact with local historians. Students collaborate and work in small groups as they formulate questions and seek answers. Technology integration is critical as they organize, communicate with community members, conduct indepth research, write scripts and produce podcasts for a historic walking tour.

Overview

1. Describe the NEED existing in your community that the initiative addresses.

Once a vibrant industrial center for central Maine, the town of Skowhegan like many other towns has experienced the demise of manufacturing and currently depends on tourism and service industries. Skowhegan is redefining itself as a destination place and in this transition will need local resources to attract tourists.

2. List your goals and objectives for this place-based endeavor?

To have each of our students become (From Promising Futures/ Maine)

a clear and effective communicator;
a self-directed and life-long learner;
a creative and practical problem solver;
a responsible and involved citizen;
a collaborative and quality worker; and
an integrative and informed thinker.

Every student learns in collaborative groups of students with diverse learning
styles, skills, ages, personal backgrounds and career goals.

The learning environment includes options for every student to
learn in diverse ways: in school, in the community, and through
methods such as didactic instruction, individual study and research,
and group problem solving.

21st century skills will guide every phase of this unit

Important skills to be integrated:
Basic skills of Noteshare including sharing Notebooks
Formulate appropriate, thoughtful questions for research

Scan documents, maps and photographs
Develop interviewing skills
Develop the initiative to complete tasks and obtain needed information
Use graphic organizers to integrate information and resources
Read and comprehend primary and secondary sources (use literacy strategies while reading complex material

Be able to work towards a deadline
Write scripts with voice, making sure that they are communicate clearly and accurately
Draft a script combining information
Coordinate script, pictures and music for podcast
Integrate multi-media programs including Garageband and iMovie

3. Procedure: List the activities/procedures undertaken in the various phases of your learning unit

Phase 1:
This phase focuses on developing essential questions and gathering information. Students communicate through shared Notebooks and they integrate material into individual Noteshare Notebook as well as group Notebooks.
Students brainstorm what they already know about the history of Skowhegan and together develop inquiry questions focusing on that which they would like to learn more about regarding the town.

All responses are charted and the idea of historic sites of interest addressed.
Students conduct Internet research to acquire resources such as graphics and historic information about specific historical sites around downtown Skowhegan.
Noteshare, a program for collecting information, researching online resources, communicating with the teacher and with other students is introduced by the technology integrationist.
Integrationist instructs students on effective online research strategies as well as all the features embedded in Noteshare. She assists the teacher in developing a Noteshare Notebook available for sharing information with students and receiving work from students.

Phase 2:
Students locate information /resources i.e. books, community contacts, etc.
Form partnerships and decide upon historic sites to explore
Established time frame and bench marks

Have students complete the KWLprocess on their chosen topic,scan old photographs and research using a variety of resources

Teacher communicates through the Noteshare Notebook posting literacy strategies when needed.
Lesson on effective ways to conduct personal interviews
Students write interview questions
Students call members of the community to make specific interview appointments
Students practiced interviews while working in pairs
Interviews were conducted at school and in some cases out in the community.
When enough information is gathered and research notes completed, students begin to draft scripts for the podcast.

Drafts checked for accuracy with community volunteers; Wikkis set up so that collaboration with community members is possible. Feedback from community members leads to revision of drafts.

Phase 3: Creating the Podcast
Students record final script in Garageband
They add photographs from their iPhoto to the podcast
They coordinate music contained in Garage band or make their own tracks.
Students edit and fine tune podcasts
Finally the podcast is exported to iTunes
Students work with the technology integrationist to design brochure and make a step by step direction pamphlet for the public to understand how to use an ipod. They also add podcasts to one computer and then begin the process of syncing to the ipods with an Rss feed.

Phase 4:
Plan a big celebration for completing all the historic podcasts!

4. Teachers can empower students by allowing them to "exercise their own powers and responsibilities"(Bloomer). Community Projects seek to encourage and enhance this student empowerment.
Describe how your students were able to direct their own learning throughout the activities in which they were engaged.

Students as engaged learners were empowered from day one as they brainstormed what they knew about the history of their town. They were encouraged to respond to each others ideas and to think about historic topics of interest. They knew from day one that the town needed them to help with its revitalization. Knowing that they were to become engaged in real work that would benefit a larger cause, proved to be a great motivator.
Having 1:1 computing and the powerful programs such as Noteshare, iMovie, Garage Band and others, facilitated this learning process in such a way that decision - and creativity became common place. Students were constantly in the drivers seat as they questioned, communicated with experts, made plans for each phase of the project and ultimately created the incredible podcasts.

5. Who are your community partners or individuals in the community who are assisting students with this initiative?
Chamber of Commerce
Community citizens knowledgeable in Skowhegan history
Skowhegan History House
Margaret Chase Smith Library
Skowhegan Free Library
Skowhegan Town Office

21st Century Skills –describe how the following skills are embedded in your Place-based Initiative:

6. Teaming and Collaboration:
Students participating in the creating of podcasts were given a class period four days a week for ten weeks. Shared Notebooks were used for individual groups to share and also for groups and the teacher to share. At the conclusion of the six week period, sessions were scheduled as checkpoints as student pairs continued their work. Also, a community volunteer worked with students on an as needed basis providing information and pictures.

7. Technology Integration-how specifically did your student use technology throughout the phases:
Noteshare was used to share and store information
Pages was used to draft, revise and edit the scripts
Garageband was used to give music to the podcast
iTunes was used to collect the podcasts to a common location
Internet for research and pictures

8. Interactive Communication (including multi-media presentations)
Noteshare allowed students and the teacher to be in communication all the time.
Students will be able to share information with other groups, as well as, their partner and the teacher. E-mail works well to ask questions and receive information when direct interviews are not possible. Also, working with volunteers required e-mail or Wikkis for the exchange of information resulting in accuracy and richness. Students loved working with primary photographs, handling them with white gloves and scanning so that they would have digital files to embed into Noteshare Notebooks and ultimately the podcast.

9. Literacy strategies used by students (in your content)
Think Pair Share
Graphic organizers
KWL
Knowledge Rating Guides
Double entry journals
Informational Text – Parts and Structure
Coding
Learning logs
Response journals through Notesha

10. Describe the student projects you will be submitting for publishing as a result of this Place-based initiative.

Historic Podcasts
Brochure with graphics and map
Directional pamphlet for using ipods

11. How are student projects evaluated? Please include your Rubrics.
See attached rubrics