Rosario Miano
mr.miano@gmail.com
CSI High School for International Studies
100 Essex Drive
Staten Island, NY 10314
Grade/Subject: 10th
Grade Digital Literacy & World Literature
About the Grant: |
Materials:
- Laptops or Workstations
(PC or Macs)
- Internet
- Google Docs
- Digital Story Software
(depending on OS)
- Mac
- iPhoto, iMovie, iTunes, & Garageband
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Windows - Windows MovieMaker, Audacity
- Digital Storytelling
Technologies: PhotoStory, WORDLE, Google Maps,
VoiceThread, MixBook
Description:
The
purpose of this project is to have students establish a "positive
presence" online. It begins with the students gaining knowledge
about themselves and then turning that knowledge into a digital
story. This includes setting up a personal blog page and creating an
introductory video on "who we are". Using software tools, and
digital literacy skills, the students illustrate their lives and
profile into a visual story and/or audio podcast. Over the course of
their work,
they learn how their online identity has become very
important in today's world. They discusses how colleges and
employment are searching each applicant's online identity to assess
their value as a candidate, and how, more importantly, their online
presence never goes away.
How It
Works:
- Students will learn the
concepts, importance, and safety tips of online blogging.
- Students will create an
academic blog site to post and upload their "history of
learning".
- Students will construct
a "name story" or "who am I" poem to help illustrate who they are,
and they brainstorm what they feel are the important aspects of
their lives.
- Students will learn the
important elements of a story.
- Students will learn how
to scan, edit, and upload their photos.
- Students will search
websites for copy-free images that illustrate these examples of
literary devices.
- Students will create
audio podcasts based on their understanding of the literary
devices.
Final
Project/Product:
As a
culminating activity, the students will have the option to
illustrate who they are in the form of a digital movie, photo book,
podcast, or MapQuest.
Overall
Value:
This
project has many features that are helpful to student learning. They
learn the value of having a positive online presence, and how the
work, images, and posts they put online are NEVER deleted. While
students discover that who they are reflects on culture, family, and
values, this projects serves as an introspective device for student
expression.
The
students also learn valuable technologies that can be used across
the curriculum for academic projects. They are taught about copy
protection and plagiarism, and are given a variety of resources that
allow the free use of images. In addition to new technologies, the
students also explore the elements of a story. This helps in
sequencing and comprehension of storytelling, which will be a
benefit to them when taking the ELA Regent Exam.
The
foundation of this project rests on the idea that students gain a
deeper understanding of topics when they are allowed to express
themselves creatively. This means taking information and
illustrating it through music, photos, art, and
storytelling.
Tips for the
Teacher:
· Provide
useful ideas to help in implementation. Explain why teachers would
want to adapt
your unit for their classes.
· Students could already
have an account with Google, in order to allow them to utilize
Google Docs and other valuable apps accessible for project
enrichment, such as Picasa, Google Maps, etc.
· As an introduction to the
digital story unit, show examples of student digital stories and
have an informal discussion about why some stories would be graded
higher than others. You can show a rubric for a writing /project
piece and have the class generate a digital story rubric for use
later in this unit.
· Many of the lessons/days
outlined below can and should be divided into multiple classes
because of the amount of work. If it is not possible to divide a
lesson into two class sessions, have students do the groundwork -
uploading images, changing the file name, completing handouts,
etc. - on their
own before the unit begins, so that most the grunt work is already
done.
·In the Step 8/Day 3
lesson, you will notice that there are key shortcuts for Mac and
Windows. these shortcuts are in parenthesis and the keys are to be
pressed together.
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Project URL |
CLASS Website - http://mrmiano.info/
Look
under the "Weekly Agenda" page for a complete list of lessons and
agendas. You may also click the STUDENT
BLOG page to see more examples of student work.
CLASS Blog Site - http://csiglobaltechnology.blogspot.com/
For
the blog reflections and instruction on blogging, review the
archived posts in September-November of 2009.
Student Work
Photos and Documents pertaining to your project - You will
have the opportunity to attach images and documents with login
information that you will be provided with.
Student 1 - "My Family History" - the student used Google Maps
to present this project.
Student 2 - "Swiss Exchange Experience" - this student used
iMovie for a digital story on her student exchange to
Switzerland.
Student 3 - "Family Origins" - a student traces the
generations of her family and explores their history, culture, and
values.
Student
4 - "The Good Life" - the student examines the family,
experiences, and people that have influenced her and enriched her
life.
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Objectives |
1. Students will
discover, discuss, and illustrate information about themselves and
their family, culture, and memorable experiences.
2. Students will
utilize organization skills in creating project folders to store
work.
3. Students will
learn and utilize digital photo storage and editing
skills.
4. Students will work
with the elements of a story.
5. Students will
enhance narrative writing skills.
6. Students will use
peer editing skills and a rubric to grade student work.
7. Students will use
presentation skills.
8. Students will use
digital communication skills by posting blog responses.
9. Students will learn and
use reflection skills.
10. Students will use
pre-writing skills by completing a storyboard organizer.
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Websites Used |
"Who I Am"
This a link to our class
site with the outline, instructions, and example of the
poem
Name Story
This a link to our class
site with the outline, instructions, and example of the name
story.
Digital Story Rubric
A link to
our class page that has a student generated digital story
rubric.
Download & Use
Wordle
Download PhotoStory
A step-by-step guide to
using this free visual storytelling tool.
Google Maps
Students can utilize
Google Maps to "pin mark" an online scavenger hunt, a virtual map of
family history, settings of a book, history lessons, and
more.
Audacity
Students can create their
own audio stories with this easy-to-use free audio editor and
recorder.
Mixbook
Mixbook is a good option
for the not-so-tech-savvy student. It allows anyone to tell a story
by creating and publishing it as a book.
Plagiarism & Copyright Sites
A variety of
websites for students to gather copy free images and learn about
plagiarism.
Digitales
An excellent source for
information on how to create digital stories, examples of possible
ways to tell your story, sites for copy free resources,
etc.
Youth
Voices
This site gives "sentence
starters" and guidelines on proper responses to writing, image, or
video posts. I use this site to ensure students appropriately
comment on peer blog sites, and make proper self reflections on
their own site. |
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Standards Addressed: |
Standard 1:
Students will access,
generate, process, and transfer information using appropriate
technologies.
Grade: 9-12
Subject: Technology
Standard 2:
Students will apply
technological knowledge and skills to design, construct, use, and
evaluate products and systems to satisfy human and environmental
needs.
Grade: 9-12
Subject: Technology
Standard 3:
Students will listen,
speak, read, and write for information and understanding. As
listeners and readers, students will collect data, facts, and ideas;
discover relationships, concepts, and generalizations; and use
knowledge generated from oral, written, and electronically produced
texts. As speakers and writers, they will use oral and written
language that follows the accepted conventions of the English
language to acquire, interpret, apply, and transmit
information.
Grade: 6-12
Subject: ELA
Standard
4:
Students will read and
listen to oral, written, and electronically produced texts and
performances from American and world literature; relate texts and
performances to their own lives; and develop an understanding of the
diverse social, historical, and cultural dimensions the texts and
performances represent. As speakers and writers, students will use
oral and written language that follows the accepted conventions of
the English language for self-expression and artistic
creation.
Grade: 6-12
Subject: ELA
Standard
5:
Students will listen,
speak, read, and write for critical analysis and evaluation. As
listeners and readers, students will analyze experiences, ideas,
information, and issues presented by others using a variety of
established criteria. As speakers and writers, they will use oral
and written language that follows the accepted conventions of the
English language to present, from a variety of perspectives, their
opinions and judgments on experiences, ideas, information, and
issues.
Grade: 6-12
Subject: ELA
Standard
6:
Students will listen,
speak, read, and write for social interaction. Students will use
oral and written language that follows the accepted conventions of
the English language for effective social communication with a wide
variety of people. As readers and listeners, they will use the
social communications of others to enrich their understanding of
people and their views.
Grade: 6-12
Subject: ELA |
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Lesson 1: |
Title:
Recognizing a "Good" Story
Project
Objectives:
1. Students
will learn/review the elements of good
story.
2. Students
will recognize these elements in student-created digital story
examples.
3. Students
will identify the different types of narrative stories.
4. Students
will use the standards of acceptable use of image/audio.
Materials:
· Teacher
laptop with Internet access
· Projector
· Computer
workstations for students
· Printed
handouts of worksheets and information (if computer lab not
accessible)
Procedures:
1. Students
review the Elements of Story expected.
2. Students will
view Digital Story Example 1 and Example
2 (choose from sites or have students explore and choose on
their own).
3. Students
identify elements in the examples viewed and complete Elements of a Story Worksheet.
4. Students
review the Types of Stories page and identify the types of
story they reviewed.
5. Students
will cite examples (text to text) of stories they know and discuss
which type they are.
6. Students
review handout on acceptable images & audio - Handout #1 (Images & Audio) .
Homework:
Complete Story Plan Worksheet as an outline of
story.
Assessment:
Teacher will be able to
recognize student learning and comprehension by how well they
identify the elements and types of stories examined in the examples
shown in class. This assessment is carried over into the homework.
Students identify the type of story they will create, and outline
information presented. This information is centered around the
elements of a story. |
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Lesson 2: |
Title:
Scripting Your Narrative
Project
Objectives:
1. Students
will understand the basic steps of story planning.
2. Students
will discover the importance of organizing digital files.
3. Students
will use organization skills as a way of pre-writing
brainstorming.
4. Students
are introduced to online photo storage.
Materials:
· Teacher
computer station with projector
· Students
computer workstations
· Handouts of
worksheets if working outside a computer lab
Procedures:
1. Students
will use Digitales website to learn more about digital
storytelling and the
seven steps of creating a story.
2. Students
complete project folders on their workstation (you can have
students do this on Google Docs or you can also use flash
drives).
3. Students
will peer-review the story plan worksheet completed for
homework.
4. Students
discuss story plan with partners (no more than three to a group) and
listen for advice and suggestions for resources.
5. Students will
complete the Storyboard Organizer for planning their digital
story.
6. Students
are instructed to not search for images or
videos yet. Rather, they are to write in their ideas in the "image
column".
7. Review
homework: Point students to the link USING PICASA on our class website if they choose
to save photos this way.
Homework:
1. Students
can collect photos or important documents from home that they wish
to use in their digital story (e.g., birth certificates, etc).
Digital images are to be saved onto a flash drive, burned on a CD,
or uploaded to Picasa.
2 - Students
use resources to collect copy-free material for story: IMAGE and SOUND.
Assessment:
Walk around the room when
students are creating their worksheet to make sure the project
folders are done. Students get to discuss their worksheet with a
partner(s) to allow peer review before completion. Assessment
carries over to homework. Students will match
photos/documents/digital images from home to the shot numbers in
their storyboard. |
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Lesson 3: |
Title:
Editing Digital Images
Project
Objectives:
1. Students
discover how images can tell a story before words.
2. Students
learn techniques of uploading/saving digital pictures.
3. Students
use organization skills to save images as appropriate project
names.
4. Students
adhere to copy protection laws.
5. Students
discover and use various resources to collect copy-free online media
files.
Materials:
· Teacher
computer station with projector
· Students
computer workstations
· Handouts of
worksheets if working outside a computer lab
· Students
collected images, documents
Procedures:
1. Students
create/open Project Folder titled "Pictures".
2. Students will open
Google Doc - Storyboard Organizer - or take handout if not
done online.
3. Students will match
collected images to "Shot #" in the Storyboard Organizer .
4. Teacher
explains the process for uploading digital images from student
resources (flashdrive, CD, etc). (Windows - right
click/save as & Mac - CMD/Click.)
5. Students
are instructed to save images and "shot #" and as ".JPG" files (to change file name on
MAC
- CMD + I
... Windows - right click/rename).
TIP: Example, if the
opening shot is a family picture, the student saves that in his/her
folder as shot1.jpg
6. Students
move pictures into their project folders. During this time, students
with hard copy pics/documents may scan in class.
7. Students
use this workshop time to collect copy-free online images from the
provided links to complete their storyboard.
8. FOR
MAC
USERS: Students
upload images into the program iMovie by clicking and dragging or by
using the photo browser (CMD + 2).
9. FOR
WINDOWS USERS: Students upload images into the program
MovieMaker.
Homework:
Student are to write a
story script based on the Storyboard
Organizer. Their script is to be what they will record.
The script will be their voiceover.
Assessment:
During workshop time, walk
through the room and informally assess student work, ensuring that
images are saved as proper names and in appropriate project folders,
and that students are using copy-free resources to collect their
files.
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Lesson 4 |
Title:
Recording Voiceovers
Project
Objectives:
1. Students
learn/review steps to follow for writing a narrative
story.
2. Students
are introduced to the concept of "economy" in
writing.
3. Students
are introduced to audio recording software.
Materials:
· Teacher
computer station with projector
· Students
computer workstations
· Handouts of
worksheets if working outside a computer lab
· External
computer microphones (if needed, Macbooks have built in
microphones)
Procedures:
1. Students
have project folders open and Storyboard
Organizer ready.
2. Teacher
checks that the story script homework is completed.
3. Teacher
reviews Step 1: Writing the Narrative on the Digitales website.
4. Teacher
discusses the importance of economy in student
writing. "Less is more. Let the image tell the story. Narrative
voice is secondary."
5. Students
"think-pair-share"; after reviewing economy, students edit
their own work and trade scripts with partner(s) for peer edit.
Partners share responses.
6. Students
record voiceovers into digital stories.
TIP: Students should
read their script as the story plays before recording to
ensure timing. You can use multiple iTalks (device that turns iPod
into microphone) but you can also use a basic external or
built-in mic. Arrange recording groups (4-5 students) and spread
them out. This allows a smaller number of recordings at once.
7. FOR
MAC
USERS - iMovie
has built in recording. Click on the microphone (or click CMD + O
keys) to open. Click on the image and record right into the
program.
8. FOR
WINDOWS USERS: Students can use the free program Audacity to record voiceovers.
Homework:
Students can finish
recording voiceovers at home. Audacity files and iTalk memos can be
imported into the digital story program in school.
Assessment:
Students do a
self-assessment and peer review before work is checked by the
teacher. This informal assessment allows students to form small
groups or partners and have peer review comments on their story.
Students also read over the story as their pictures play, ensuring
that the concept of time and writing economy has been
followed. |
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Lesson 5: |
Title:
Reflection, Review, and Publishing
Project
Objectives:
1. Students
convert and post videos on a blog site.
2. Students
use self/peer assessment based on a class-generated
rubric.
3. Students
use proper blog responses in reflection/comment posts.
4. Students
reflect on their own work, including the process of how they got to
completion.
Materials:
· Teacher
computer station with projector
· Students
computer workstations
· Handouts of
worksheets if working outside a computer lab
Procedures:
1. Students
post final versions of digital narrative on their blog site (done
prior to the unit and created free on Blogger with a Google
Account).
2. Students
grade their project using Digital Story Rubric (this rubric was created
by the class prior to the project).
3. Students write a
reflection of their own story on their blog site. This should
include the process as well as the outcome.
4. Students
are assigned to grade two or three peer stories using the Digital Story Rubric.
TIP: If students have
created blog sites and uploaded stories, they can be given the web
address. Or you can arrange them in groups of three and have them
present their stories and group members can grade them.
5. Students
post a peer review reflection on grading the digital stories on a
class blog site (example) or complete a journal entry or
handout.
Homework:
If time is limited, you
can assign the blog reflections for homework.
Assessment:
Assessment is both
informal and formal. Students assess their own work using the
class-generated rubric as well as grading others' work using the
same rubric. Students write reflections for their own projects based
on their discoveries. Teachers take these self/group grading and
perform an assessment using the rubric to assign a final
grade. |
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Before
becoming a New York City teacher, Rosario Miano started in technical
recruiting, but moved into software training, project management, and
eventually became a
CTO
for
an IT consulting firm. As a teacher, he feels his most important job is to
keep students engaged and interested. To accomplish this he relies on
practical issues, technology, a sense-of-humor, and real-life knowledge.
He believes that making the classroom a place where students connect to
the real world and global community is vital to their educational
enrichment. His goal is to give students the confidence and knowledge they
need to achieve success in their personal, educational, and professional
journeys. He also coach Varsity Wrestling & Softball at
CSI
High School
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