UNIT 2: TECHNOLOGY STANDARDS

Grades 6-8:

-The standard is:

6-8.CI. Creativity and Innovation—By the end of grade 8 each student will:

The benchmark is:

6-8.CI.2. Create an original project (e.g., presentation, web page, newsletter, information brochure) using a variety of media (e.g., animations, graphs, charts, audio, graphics, video) to present content information to an audience

Then in the classroom you might:

Have the students create a webpage for a person they have researched. For example, I am currently in a 7^th grade Ancient History class; I think an interesting and fun project would be for students to create a facebook page for a Greek god or goddess during the unit on Ancient Greece.

-The standard is:

6-8.CC. Communication and Collaboration—By the end of grade 8 each student will:

The benchmark is:

6-8.CC.1. Use digital resources (e.g., discussion groups, blogs, podcasts, videoconferences, Moodle, Blackboard) to collaborate with peers, experts, and other audiences

Then in the classroom you might:

Have the students read different novels and create a podcast. For example, in an English class groups of four could each read a different book and then create a podcast of the book. My minor is English and we actually did this in my teaching English class. I was a bit nervous at first because it was something that I had never done before. However, it was a lot of fun and I was proud of the work my group did. After the work was complete we had to present the finished product to the class. You could also do this in a history class, and have the students read different historic novels.

-The standard is:

6-8.RI. Research and Information Literacy—By the end of grade 8 each student will:

The benchmark is:

6-8.RI.3. Understand that using information from a single Internet source might result in the reporting of erroneous facts and that multiple sources should always be researched

Then in the classroom you might:

Print off information on a specific topic from one particular site, I would use Wikipedia. Then in groups go over the information and check it against other sources. This is valuable for a couple reasons. It shows students that Wikipedia is not always entirely correct and not to use it as a source, but it also shows students that not everything you find on the internet is true and that you should always use multiple sources to give your work more credibility.

-The standard is:

6-8.CT. Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Decision Making —By the end of grade 8 each student will:

The benchmark is:

6-8.CT.2. Evaluate available digital resources and select the most appropriate application to accomplish a specific task (e, g., word processor, table, outline, spreadsheet, presentation program)

Then in the classroom you might:

Have students use PowerPoint, or some other presentation program, to teach other students about a specific topic. For example, if you were teaching a unit on Ancient India one group of students could present information on the geography of India. They could create a PowerPoint with photographs displaying the mountains, rivers, etc. Another could present information on the religion of India. And so on.

-The standard is:

6-8.DC. Digital Citizenship—By the end of grade 8 each student will:

The benchmark is:

6-8.DC.1. Provide accurate citations when referencing information sources

Then in the classroom you might:

Go over as a class the various methods of citing references, APA, MLA, Chicago style, etc. Then have students write a paper on a specific topic and require students to use multiple sources one being a book and another an on-line source. Or students could create a PowerPoint and cite their sources on the last page.

-The standard is:

6-8.TC. Technology Operations and Concepts—By the end of grade 8 each student will:

The benchmark is:

6-8.TC.1. Identify file formats for a variety of applications (e.g., doc, xls, pdf, txt, jpg, mp3)

Then in the classroom you might:

Download an mp3, open a word document, save a picture from on-line, etc. Show the students the various media and see first if they notice the difference and then explain if they don’t.