Other Project Ideas
The following projects are being developed by the TeachNet
Technology Teams to demonstrate how to integrate technology into
the curriculum. Three of these projects will be disseminated
nationally in September of this year.
A Cultural
Celebration
Norland Elementary
Personal pride and a sense of mystery collide as students
research the history of their cultural holidays. Students are
keeping a daily electronic journal on the way their families
celebrate each holiday and the events that take place. Students
are also using the Internet to explore how others celebrate the
same holidays.
In celebrating the history of family tradition, students learn
to celebrate themselves. At the end of the project, students
create t-shirts promoting themselves using a digital camera and
scanner.
Technology used: Word processing program, Internet access,
digital camera, scanner
Adventure Tales
Miami Gardens Elementary
Students in this classroom are given the opportunity to let
their imaginations soar as they write their own thematic adventure.
Working with their peers, they write and publish, via HyperStudio,
a book to present to their parents, teachers and members of the
business community.
This course includes a field trip to a local publisher and
printer to give students first-hand exposure to the real workplace,
career opportunities and the steps taken to produce a final publication.
Technology used: Word processing program, presentation software,
graphic illustration, spreadsheets
Black Beans
and Rice for the Spirit
Kinloch Park Elementary
Remember the days when families sat around the living room
telling stories and sharing their lives? Well, in today's hectic
society parents have little time to get involved in their children's
education, much less share stories of days gone by. These students
and their parents are making the time to work together to preserve
their family stories. However, this is the '90s and the family
computer is what they are gathering around!
At the end of this project, the students' work will be published
in a literary anthology entitled Black Beans and Rice for the
Spirit. The books will be sold and the proceeds will be used
to fund the project for the following school year.
Technology used: Word processing program, graphic illustration,
scanner Greetings Galore
Lorah Park Elementary
"You've Got Mail." Who doesn't like to see these
words when they log onto the Internet to get their e-mail? These
students are learning the art of caring as they create letters,
cards, and various other greetings to pass on to others via the
Internet.
Greetings Galore not only enhances students' computer literacy
skills, proofreading and editing skills and creative abilities,
it also provides a venue for an intergenerational exchange between
students and community members.
Technology used: Word processing program, graphic illustration,
Internet access
South Florida's Hot Spots for
Kids
Bel Aire Elementary
Where would you like to go next? Underprivileged elementary
students are having their eyes opened to various "hot spots"
in South Florida - thanks to the Internet! Students and their
parents are taken on virtual vacations to tourist sites through
literature and World Wide Web virtual tours.
Once their vacations are complete, the students enter into
the world of publishing as they research, write, design and print
a pamphlet describing the children's tourist spots they have
visited. All aboard!!
Technology used: Word processing program, scanner, presentation
software, Internet access
The Adventures of
Frisco and Gordie
Southside Elementary
Frisco and Gordie are endangered animals who came to the school
looking for a new home. The students' mission is to find a suitable
new home for their new school mascots.
Students "scout out" various locations on the Internet
and learn about the country's food, music, currency, economics,
habitat, and weather. As they search, students find out more
about other endangered animals and work on offering solutions
to their plight. At the end of the semester, each group of students
compiles a HyperStudio presentation to showcase their findings.
Technology used: Word processing program, Internet access,
presentation software To Free or Not to Free
Fienberg Fisher Elementary
To Free or Not to Free Lolita (the killer whale at the Miami
Seaquarium) is the question that will turn 3rd, 4th, 5th, and
6th graders and their families into informed community activists!
Students will hone their critical thinking skills as they acquire,
process and present data about Lolita and her future.
Students will apply their technology skills to search the
Internet, prepare databases and design a computer generated presentation
to convince the community to free or not to free Lolita. In the
process, these predominantly minority students and their immigrant
families will experience the democratic process and learn the
rights and responsibilities of community involvement.
Technology used: Word processing program, database, Internet
access
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