Blog-integrated Space Exploration Unit

I've been trying to select a Web 2.0 tool to use in my classroom for quite sometime. There are so many new products available for educational endeavors it's a bit overwhelming. I think I have hit on a near-perfect all-in-one web tool that is easy to manage (once set up), allows for creative expression and critical thinking, and supports social interaction...educational blogging!

In an attempt to integrate educational blogging into my classroom instruction, I have created a science unit which combines blogs and other Internet technologies with curricular science content related to space studies. I designed this unit to provide students with opportunities to create a product to show their understanding of the unit goals and to dramatically influence their excitement and retention of material. In this unit, students collect facts and information through a series of lessons relating to space exploration, specifically relating to Mars. Students demonstrate what they have learned by working in teams to construct a future colony on Mars using Legos™. Since students have diverse needs, students who do not always do well on paper/pencil assessments have an opportunity to use their hands to construct a model of the colony. Each team writes a description of its colony and defends its construction strategies in front of an audience of its peers. Students use a computer to create a model, write a description of their colony, and collect facts and information about space exploration. This unit meets NETS-T standard 2, Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments. This unit utilizes a backward design model and also addresses Technology Leadership Substandards A-F. Throughout the design of this unit, I have grown in my ability to construct units of instruction using the backwards design model and identify essential questions and learning objectives. I have also discovered new technology resources for this unit that effectively meet unit goals.

I identified two Alaska Science GLEs and two Technology GLEs standards that I intended to cover in my unit. I developed a set of essential questions to investigate throughout our study. I know that my students have diverse needs, therefore I created both performance assessments and paper/pencil assessments addressing multiple learning styles. These assessments were also designed to meet Alaska GLEs across multiple content areas. A rubric was also created to assess overall student performance in the unit.

Next, I researched websites for background information and teaching resources. This was the most time consuming component of the planning stage. There are many excellent resources on space exploration available on the Internet. It's often challenging to find age appropriate sites with good readability for the lower elementary level. In my search, I located student research sites, creative arts sites, an online Lego construction site, and educational sites that included videos about space exploration.

Digital natives are drawn to websites rich in color and contrast. In the words of Marc Prensky, “Digital Natives are used to receiving information really fast. They like to parallel process and multi-task. They prefer their graphics before their text rather than the opposite. They prefer random access (like hypertext). They function best when networked. They thrive on instant gratification and frequent rewards. They prefer games to 'serious' work” (2001). For this reason, I chose sites composed mostly of images, links, and video, and fewer sites with text and little or no graphics.

Finally, I divided the content into teachable lessons that scaffolded the learning to build on previously taught knowledge and skills. For instance, students learn that Mars is farther away from the Sun than Earth. In the next learning sequence, they learn that Mars has a longer year than Earth because of its distance from the Sun. Much of the learning during this unit takes place in heterogeneous groups. Students were given jobs within each group to increase on task behavior and understanding of the content. Science lends itself to collaborative and constructive investigations. Since space exploration is a vast and complex topic it was necessary to reduce teacher lecture time and focus more time on self guided hands-on activities. Each activity focused on answering an essential question and included assessments to check for understanding.

In order to give students multiple experiences using technology, I needed to be efficient using the four computers in my room. While teams were working on their final projects (model of a Mars Colony), I assigned one computer per team to use as a work station. Teams would share the tasks of researching websites, writing journal entries, and creating designs for their Mars Colonies. In this manner, all students received maximum utilization of the technology in my classroom.

In addition to using school resources, I allowed students to bring in their own Lego™ kits with special pieces that would add a unique touch to their colony. As students used their own pieces to help construct their model, the pride and craftsmanship in their work was very evident.

The final projects went on display in the school commons. When children know their work will be on display in front of an audience, no matter who the audience may be, there is an intrinsic motivation to work a little harder. The purpose of this was not only to motivate and challenge students to give their personal best, but to provide relevance to their work. As I reflect on the creation of this unit, I think Berger would approve, as he states:

"…the first step in encouraging high-quality student work is to have assignments that inspire and challenge students. There’s only so much care and creativity that a student can put into filling in the blanks on a commercially produced worksheet (Berger, 2003, p. 65)."

Feel free to look at the Google Docs page, containing the Space Exploration Unit that I designed, which utilizes the educational blog as a reflection and critical thinking tool.


Also feel free to look at the educational blog space I designed with student blogs linked to the main page. Mr. Daniels Class Blog


References:

Berger, R. (2003). An ethic of excellence: Building a culture of craftsmanship with students. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Prensky, M. (2001). Digital natives digital immigrants. Retrieved February 1, 2009, from http://www.marcprensky.com/