Monday, January 31, 2011

Reflections 1/31/11

Yes, I was able to complete all my goals today. I finished benchmark 5, and posted it to the high school OHpedia page. I was also able to start on a new benchmark. Hopefully I will have the new benchmark completed by tomorrow. I plan on doing two benchmarks tomorrow if time allows. I have not yet completed my project so I did not need to contact the facilitators today. I am still having issues with finishing my project on time. 

Daily Goals 1/31/11

I am feeling okay in the PBL process at this point. I do feel successful in the work that my partner and I have completed so far. I believe that it is quality work that my partner and I are completing.  Collaboration with my partner is going well. We are proud of the work that we have completed so far. We are a little behind pace, though.

Daily Goals:

  • Finish Benchmark 5
  • Post Benchmark five to OHpedia
  • Start a new benchmark

Friday, January 28, 2011

Daily Goals 1/28/11

Daily Goals:


  • Put the first complete benchmarks on the OhPedia wiki page
  • Continue working on unfinished benchmarks
  • Stay focused
  • Review and turn in the first draft of literary analysis paper

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Reflections 1/26/11

I completed almost all of my goals today! I Was able to finish the benchmark that I was working on. I finished the writing portion, retrieved pictures, and retrieved videos from Youtube. My partner and I communicated effectively and I started on a new benchmark. Today I learned that if I try hard to focus, I get a lot of things done! :)

Daily Goals 1/26/11

Daily Goals:
  • Finish Benchmark 3 
  • Get at least two other benchmarks started and finished
  • Communicate effectively with my partner
Our OHpedia will benefit those looking for important information on the Post World War 2 period to present day. Those looking for information on the Civil Rights' Movements, and other movements will also find our OHpedia helpful. Students needing information for a project on this particular time period would find this OHpedia entry helpful. 

Monday, January 24, 2011

Daily Goals Reflection 1/24/11



I unfortunately did not complete all of my goals that I set for today; though I did complete half of them. I was able to complete half my goals because I was focused today. Since I did not meet my daily goals, I was not able to go on and complete any other PBL work. I think that on Wednesday I will come into school more focused and I will be able to complete my goals. I don't have any lingering issues with PBL work. :)

Daily Goals 1/24/11

Goals for today:

  • Get the majority of the benchmarks finished
  • Complete benchmark one
  • Communicate more effectively with my partner
  • Organize the collected information in a more effective way

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

End of the Day Reflection 1/19/11

  • Did I achieve my goals? Why or why not? 
Yes, I did complete all of the goals that I set for my partner and I today. This morning, we finished collecting websites to use as resources for our OHpedia. We also read a majority of our websites. We skimmed through a lot of our sites and started picking out the most important information to use. I have almost completed getting the information for the last benchmark. 
  • What did I notice about myself as a learner today?
I noticed that I work better in the morning. I am able to focus much better, whereas in the afternoon I am more easily distracted. I also noticed that it is easier to work in groups than it is to work alone. I usually get more work done when I work in a group.
  • What went well today?
Cale and I finished our Project Planning form, which is exciting. We are now able to start our research. We had a "check in" with Mr. Randy today and he cleared us to start our project. We also got a good amount of information for our benchmarks. 
  • What do I need to change next time I work on PBL?
Next time I work on PBL I need to focus myself better in the afternoon. I need to realize that I don't really have that much time, and work as hard as I can to get the project done.
  • What do I need help with on Friday (from facilitators)?
I need more clarification on how much information pertaining to the benchmarks should be put in the OHpedia entry. I
  • How would I rate myself as a group member today (HS only)
I would give myself and 8, as a group member. For the most part I was focused, but I can do better on Friday.

Completed Project Planning Form

Project Planning Form
Leah Smartt & Cale Steele

Standard assigned (write out completely):
Understand the rise and continuing international influence of the United States as a world leader and the impact of contemporary social and political movements on American life.

Essential Question:
How do students know what state standards they are expected to learn and are they able to demonstrate knowledge of the standards and reflect on their knowledge?

Things to include in OHpedia entry:
SS.912.A.7.1: Identify causes for Post-World War II prosperity and its effects on American society.X
SS.912.A.7.2: Compare the relative prosperity between different ethnic groups and social classes in the post-World War II period.X
SS.912.A.7.3: Examine the changing status of women in the United States from post-World War II to present.X
SS.912.A.7.4: Evaluate the success of 1960s era presidents' foreign and domestic policies.X
SS.912.A.7.5: Compare nonviolent and violent approaches utilized by groups (African Americans, women, Native Americans, Hispanics) to achieve civil rights.X
SS.912.A.7.6: Assess key figures and organizations in shaping the Civil Rights Movement and Black Power Movement.X
SS.912.A.7.7: Assess the building of coalitions between African Americans, whites, and other groups in achieving integration and equal rights.X
SS.912.A.7.8: Analyze significant Supreme Court decisions relating to integration, busing, affirmative action, the rights of the accused, and reproductive rights.X
SS.912.A.7.9: Examine the similarities of social movements (Native Americans, Hispanics, women, anti-war protesters) of the 1960s and 1970s.
SS.912.A.7.10: Analyze the significance of Vietnam and Watergate on the government and people of the United States.X
SS.912.A.7.11: Analyze the foreign policy of the United States as it relates to Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Latin America, and the Middle East.X
 SS.912.A.7.12: Analyze political, economic, and social concerns that emerged at the end of the 20th century and into the 21st century.X
SS.912.A.7.13: Analyze the attempts to extend New Deal legislation through the Great Society and the successes and failures of these programs to promote social and economic stability.X
SS.912.A.7.14: Review the role of the United States as a participant in the global economy (trade agreements, international competition, impact on American labor, environmental concerns). X
SS.912.A.7.15: Analyze the effects of foreign and domestic terrorism on the American people.X
SS.912.A.7.16: Examine changes in immigration policy and attitudes toward immigration since 1950.X
SS.912.A.7.17: Examine key events and key people in Florida history as they relate to United States history.X

List 3 Experts with Contact information:
William H. Chafe--Alice Mary Baldwin Professor, Duke University
email--william.chafe@duke.edu

Jennifer Klein--Director of Undergraduate Studies, History, Yale University
email--jennifer.klein@yale.edu  

Christopher P. Loss--Assistant Professor of Public Policy and Higher Education, Vanderbilt University
email--christopher.p.loss@vanderbilt.edu

Lizbeth Cohen--  Howard Mumford Jones Professor of American Studies, Harvard University
cohen3@fas.harvard.edu

Evelyn Brooks Higginbothem--Victor S. Thomas Professor of History and of African American Studies, Harvard University
ebhiggin@fas.harvard.edu

James B. LaGrand--Professor Messiah College

Gregory Baics -
http://www.columbia.edu/cu/history/fac-bios/Baics/faculty.html

Anticipated date of completion of first draft of OHpedia entry:
January, 21, 2011

List websites and other sources that you have identified to use for your research:
http://www.suite101.com/content/civil-rights-and-post-war-american-ideals-a102306
Benchmark 8
http://www.wic.org/misc/history.htm
Benchmark 3
http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/john_kennedy_and_civil_rights.htm
Benchmark 4, 6
http://www.cnn.com/EVENTS/1997/mlk/links.html
Benchmark 5,6, 8
http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?id=h-2716
Benchmark 5, 6
http://www.slideshare.net/MrsGuerrero/us-history-other-social-movements-of-the-60s-and-70s
Benchmark 2, 3, 5
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/49460/american_prosperity_and_global_economic.html?cat=37(standard 1)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watergate_scandal
(10)
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/tupperware/peopleevents/e_work.html
1,2, 3
http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/modules/vietnam/index.cfm
10
http://www.vietnampix.com/intro.htm 10
http://history.howstuffworks.com/american-history/kennedy-johnson-era.htm/printable
4,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foreign_relations_of_the_United_States
11
http://www.e-referencedesk.com/resources/state-history-timeline/florida.html
17
http://www.e-referencedesk.com/resources/state-facts/florida.html
17
http://www.city-data.com/states/Florida-Famous-floridians.html
17
http://www.mapsofworld.com/usa/immigration/immi
gration-policy-usa.html
16
http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/immigration/
16
http://library.thinkquest.org/20619/Timeline.html
16
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2004-11-14-domestic-terrorism_x.htm
15
http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0001454.html
15
http://www.terrorism-and-terrorists.com/articles/about-terrorism/what-is-terrorism.php
15
http://www.uschambermagazine.com/article/fitting-into-the-global-economy
14
http://economics.about.com/cs/moffattentries/a/global_econ.htm
14
http://www.worldnewsheardnow.com/america-and-the-global-economy/3329/
14
http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1851.html
13
http://www.hyperhistory.com/online_n2/connections_n2/newdeal2.html
13
http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/history/A0835397.html
13
http://www.america.gov/st/educ-english/2008/June/20080610232112eaifas0.4111618.html
12
http://history1900s.about.com/od/timelines/tp/timeline.htm
12
http://www.voyagesphotosmanu.com/united_states_toward_global_economy.html
12
http://www.state.gov/secretary/rm/2010/09/146917.htm
11
http://www.fpif.org/
11
http://www.nysun.com/editorials/watergate-and-vietnam/14753/
10
http://www.kyrene.org/schools/brisas/sunda/decade/1960.htm
4
http://nationalhumanitiescenter.org/tserve/freedom/1917beyond/essays/crm2008.htm
7
http://www.buzzle.com/articles/civil-rights-movement-timeline.html
7
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/119368/civil-rights-movement
7
http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0101289.html
8
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_movement
9

Brainstorm ideas for designing your "standard module":
Wilki
Powerpoint
Prezi
Jing
Website
Glogster
Classmarker.com

Your name (s):
Leah Smartt, Cale Steele

Goals for Today 1/19/11

Cale and I have gotten a lot done for our PBL project. We have finished our project planning form; we have gotten all of our websites, experts, and benchmarks.


Goals for today:

  • Collect more information
  • Read all of our websites
  • Pick out the most important information
  • Start compiling information to put into the OHpedia.

Monday, January 17, 2011

Daily Goals Check Out 1/17/11

Did you achieve your daily goals?


I achieved almost all of my daily goals today. The one that I did not achieve was finishing the second draft of my project planning form. My partner and I still have to find websites. We're about half way done with finishing that portion of the project planning form. I have started research by finding websites to use for the OHpedia entry; I have also been reading the information that I find on the websites. I have collaborated with my partner today. I caught him up on what I did last week. We have also been looking for websites together. We've started our OHpedia entry by conducting research. Our ideas for the online lesson is an online quiz. 


Why or why not?

I achieved my goals because for the majority of the day I was highly focused. I spent my time researching, and collecting information. I tried not to get distracted by others today. I think that I could have been a little more focused though. If I was more focused I could probably have completed my project planning form.

What did you notice about yourself as a learner today? Work habits etc.

I noticed that I got a lot of work done today. I used my time wisely. It also helps me to focus by taking small five minute brain breaks every so often. I used self motivation today, and I hope to continue using that tomorrow too. 

Daily Goals 1/17/11

Here are my daily goals:


  • Complete Project Planning Form
  • Start research 
  • Collaborate with my partner 
  • Catch my partner up on what I did last week
  • Start OHpedia entry/research
  • Brainstorm ideas for online lesson

Work Habits

Last week my work habits were very effective. I was very focused on my PBL, and I was self-motivated. I think that I was more focused was because I have been coming in about an hour late. (I'm in physical therapy for my knee injury). Since I have less time than I would normally have, I have to devote all my time to working on my project with my partner. I don't have extra time to get distracted by others. I can try to do the same thing this week while working with my partner on PBL. I can try my hardest to focus on the tasks that I need to get done and I can use my time wisely and not get distracted.  I can also continue to self-motivate myself.

Friday, January 14, 2011

Standard #7

Standard 7: Understand the rise and continuing international influence of the United States as a world leader and the impact of contemporary social and political movements on American life.



The United States, as it rose to power after the end of World War 2, in many ways shaped the world.  The US set the bar for other countries around the world.  There were many rights' movements for the american people. Industries boomed during this times and Americans moved west.  

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Reflection 1/12

Today was very productive! We broke up into our separate groups of partners and started to code the information for the OHpedia. Coding took awhile, but we eventually all finished. Then the whole middle and high school got together with Mrs. Amy and we worked on putting the coded information into a rubric to follow for our OHpedia pages. We conversed as a group, threw around ideas, and came up with the first draft for the rubric. We posted a blog with the coded information, (Check out my blog called, "OHpedia Rubric Creation") Mrs. Amy asked us to define metacognition, which is basically the ability to know how one learns( Check out my blog called "Metagocnition") . We had lunch, kickball, music, and then the final thing we did this afternoon was work  on our project planning forms. The project planning forms are for our OHpedia pages. We have to define our experts, state our essential questions, state our benchmarks, etc.

I am feeling accomplished, after all the work that we did today.  I really like having PBL three days a week. It gives we more time to focus on it, and it gives me time to really delve into the subject. I am excited for the OHpedia that we are going to be building. It will take some hard work and extensive research, but I know that the finished project is going to be amazing!

Cale, my partner, wasn't here this afternoon, so I had to start on the project planning form by myself. My next step is going to meet with him and go over what I accomplished. I also need to identify my experts that I will ask to review our project. My partner and I need to meet with the facilitator, too. 

I am excited about this project and I don't really have any concerns. I am only a little concerned about completing my virtual school, because we are now doing PBL three days a week. But I know that if I work hard and I focus I will be able to complete my FLVS. :)

Metacognition

Metacognition is the act of thinking about thinking and thinking about learning. Learner.org defines metacognition as,

 "...the awareness individuals have of their own mental processes and the subsequent ability to monitor, regulate, and direct themselves to a desired end. Students demonstrate metacognition if they can articulate what strategies they used to read and understand a text. ..."

Being a metacognitive learner will be very beneficial to a student and they will be able to learn better and understand how they learn.

OHpedia Rubric Creation

Today, for PBL, my partner and I worked on coding the OHpedia Rubric ideas. We compiled thoughts from different people and put those ideas into this blog. The ideas we coded came from a shared Google Doc that the whole middle and high schools had access to. We also worked with the whole school in coming up with the final rubric. The final rubric is also located on a shared Google Doc. Below is the information that we coded.

Videos:


  •      I think what makes a great online lesson is when they are entertaining with videos
  •      Videos on how to actually do the problems right. (Geometry)
  •     lesson page should include videos
  •   A good online lesson also has videos
  •      Interactive videos
  •      Videos
  •     Videos



Pictures:


  •      Pictures to help you understand 
  •      interesting when there are pictures
  •     Having things like pictures make it interesting 
  •     I would like to see more pictures
  •      pictures
  •      Pictures
  •      lesson page should include pictures
  •      A good online lesson also has many pictures 



What You are Going to Learn:


  •     tells about what is going to happen in the lesson 
  •      what the lesson is going to be about
  •      "what you will learn"



Practice Page:


  •      Things to practice on before you do the test/assignment
  •      There is a practice tab to help review
  •      A practice page
  •      a practice section
  •      I would like to see that every few lessons there is an online presentation for a review



Music:


  •      I would like to see music
  •       Music "Bar"
  •      It would be cool if there was music involved in our lessons. That would definitely keep me interested



Introductory Page:


  •      There is normally an introduction page, and that tells about what is going to happen in the lesson
  •      Introduction page telling you what the lesson is going to be about
  •      introductory page
  •      I think what makes a good online lesson is an introduction that captures our attention



Games:


  •     Interactive games
  •      Interesting lesson activities (like a game after the lesson or something.)
  •       Games



Bright Colors:


  •      A lot of colors not just one singular color
  •      Bright Colors
  •     I would like to see more graphics and colors



Links to Modern World:


  •      stuff to link it to the modern day world
  •     I think that it would be really cool if they didn't just teach it...like teach it through something that puts it into our everyday world
  •     external links



Short Lesson Page:


  •      Not to long of a lesson 
  •      Lessons that are the right length not to long because they get boring
  •     I lose interest in pages of text very quickly

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Civil War Memories

When I found out that the next project we were going to do was going to be on the American Civil War, I was excited but a little apprehensive at first. The Civil War was so extensive, I was worried that I wasn't going to take in much information or retain anything that I learned. But through this project I learned that PBL work is truly amazing and that I actually learned more than I would have learning about the Civil War in a traditional setting. I learned that "learning" is continually morphing, we have to change and morph our ideas to form better ones. Collaboration with others and technology tools are also essential to learning and with PBL.  


When my partners, Alex and Mira and I formed our essential question, we decided that just focusing on that one question would be enough to cover the extensiveness of the Civil War. Our essential question was, "What were Abraham Lincoln's views on slavery and how did they change over the course of the Civil War." Soon though, as we were doing our research, we decided that just covering that one essential question was not going to be enough to get our standard. We then decided that we needed to cover all the points on the American History Standard; the causes, course, consequences, and the effects of the Civil War on the American people. As we did this we found that we were better able to answer our essential question on Abraham Lincoln. The way we presented our project also morphed and changed. First we started out with a Prezi which we decided was good, but not as in depth as we would have liked. Then we formed that into a video which eventually morphed into a commercial. By changing our ideas, we formed better ones. These better ideas created a final project that we learned a lot from and we were proud of.


Collaboration is essential in the world we live in today. And here at OH Institute we are able to collaborate with others through our PBL. My partners and I did face some challenges while working together, but overall we worked wonderfully together. At first Mira was the only one who was actually working on the Prezi; she was the only one who was putting the information into the project. Alex and I collected, cited, and wrote the information that we were putting into the Prezi. It was hard for Mira to do the bulk of the work. Eventually Alex and I made Prezi accounts and we were all able to work on it together. We split up the information and we were all responsible for our own parts. Collaboration is nice, but sometimes the finished project is better if the work is split up into equal loads--there is less stress on one individual. Jinging our Prezi was a challenge, because it took so much time. We worked through it and created an awesome 20 minute video. I think that collaboration should be used in all aspects of learning.


Technology is a truly wonderful tool. For our Civil War project we used many different technology tools. First of all we used the internet to gather all of our information we needed to form our project. We shared this information of a Google Doc. Prezi was the first tool we decided to use. We wanted to use it because it is very innovative and it worked well for presenting all of the information we had. Jing is a program where you can create an audio/video clip that synchronizes with a website. Our Jinged Prezi is 20 minutes long. We decided that Jinged Prezi was a little too boring. We then used a program called Camtasia Studios--which is a video editing system. We then created a commercial to present for our video. To record this we used an IPhone. To me it is really interesting that simple tools like a phone can be used when we are doing projects. We used Windows Movie Maker and Gmail to form our commercial. The final tool we used was YouTube. I am glad that OH Institute provides me the opportunity to use technology in an innovative and exciting way.


My overall reaction to this project is positive. I gained a wealth of information while working with my partners, doing research, and putting the project together. Even if this project was extensive, and we did cover a lot of information, I realized I learned more through doing PBL. I have realized the importance of collaboration, technology, and how new ideas can from into better ones.