Rationale for Project The purpose of this integrated English Unit is for students to use ‘Blogging’ to write texts. These written texts will explain, describe and exchange ideas and information about safe environmental practices. Outlined in this integrated English unit, renamed ‘Blogging Unit’ are the achievement objectives taken from the New Zealand Curriculum Document. The integrated curriculum areas are the:

• English Curriculum

• Information Communications Technology Curriculum

• Environmental Studies Curriculum

In the classroom Writing Programme students will use the website kidblog.org and computers as the tools for exchanging their written ideas and information. The intention of blogging with an American class of students of similar age is motivation for this written exchange. Students will also learn through discussion about netiquette and safe internet practices. The theme for the written texts is around caring for the school environment as students at Hillcrest Normal School are working toward an environmental award for caring for their school environment. Blogging will provide an opportunity for the Hillcrest Normal School students to pose questions and answers to students from another culture and school environment growing and consolidating their own understandings of sustainable practices. Over a two to three week period Hillcrest Normal School students will be required to;

1. Complete a pre-blogging survey. 2. Blog with Underwood Elementary School for approximately two

weeks and during this time there will be in class discussions of which a record will be keep pre and post blogging to reflect on questions such as;

a) How well is the blogging going? b) Are you using blogging netiquette? c) What could we do better? d) What should we do differently?

See teaching sequence: session one for the implementation of this unit of work into the classroom, as the unit progresses a summary of each class session will be recorded with direction indicated of where to next. The unit will end with a post-blogging reflection by the students and a reflection on this unit of work by the teacher. To conclude this final assignment an overall reflection will be written on the class session summaries, students’ pre and post blogging comments and a reflection on the success of the learning intentions outlined in the unit plan.

Final Project Overview Key Focus: Bringing technology into the classroom to enhance the teaching and the engagement and learning of the students. In an attempt to simplify and align achievement objectives for this project I have included the project’s assignment goals with the renamed for ease of implementation into the New Zealand classroom.

• instructional and/or engagement goals for students; Learning Intentions / Success Criteria found in the Blogging Unit Plan.

• statement of how the lesson(s) relate to goals of your department, or school, and/or the NC Standard Course of Study Blogging Unit Plan – written using the New Zealand Curriculum Document.

• explicit instructions for helping students achieve the assignment—have an outline/sequence for the assignment written out, and/or write out what you will say when you introduce it. This may include any handouts or training you will have to do so that they can manage the technology; Blogging Teaching Sequence / Flipchart: Blogging Teaching and Learning Seauence.

• timeline for completion of the lesson(s) or unit. Is this going to take two class periods? A week? Propose a Fall 2011 date as closely as you can, because one of the demonstration coaches will want to observe your lesson, either virtually or physically. Blogging Unit Plan: Term 4, Week 1/2/3 – October 25 to November 12 (approximately).

• your plan for evaluating your lesson(s). If you create a rubric for student products, please include that. If you intend for students to respond to a prompt or a survey, include that. Student prompt and survey: ICT Blogging / Assessment Rubric for Blogging

• your personal assessment/reflection of how well you succeeded in reaching your goals. Rationale for final assignment / Personal Assessment and Reflection.

Curriculum – Level 3 - English Unit Title: Blogging Dates: Term 4 2011 – Weeks 2,3,4

Curriculum Links: ICT Environmental Studies

Values: • Excellence • Innovation, enquiry and curiosity • Diversity • Respect • Equity • Community and participation • Ecological Sustainability • Integrity

Key Competencies: • Managing Self • Relating to others • Participating and Contributing • Thinking • Using Language, Symbols and Texts

Achievement Objectives: English: Speaking, Writing, and Presenting: Students will: INDICATORS:

• Integrate sources of information, processes and strategies with developing confidence to identify, form and express ideas. - Use a developing understanding of the connections between oral, written and visual language

when creating texts; - Create a range of texts by integrating sources of information and processing strategies

with developing confidence; - Seek feedback and make changes to texts to improve clarity, meaning, and effect; - Is reflective about the production of own texts: monitors and self-evaluates progress,

articulating learning with growing confidence. By using these processes and strategies when speaking, writing and presenting, students will: Purposes and audiences:

• Show a developing understanding of how to shape texts for different purposes and audiences. INDICATORS:

- Constructs texts that show a growing awareness of purpose and audience through careful choice of content, language and text form;

- Conveys and sustains personal voice where appropriate. Ideas

• Students will select, form and communicate ideas on a sustainable school topic. INDICATORS:

- Forms and expresses ideas and information with increased clarity, drawing on a range of sources;

- Adds or changes details and comments to support ideas, showing some selectivity in the process;

- Ideas suggest awareness of a range of dimensions or viewpoints.

Language features • Use language features appropriately, showing a developing understanding of their effects.

INDICATORS: - Uses oral, written, and visual language features to create meaning and effect and engage

interest; - Uses a range of vocabulary to communicate meaning; - Demonstrates good understanding of all basic spelling patterns and sounds in written

English; - Uses an increasing range of strategies to self-monitor and self-correct spelling; - Writes legibly, fluently, and with ease when creating texts; - Uses a range of text conventions, including most grammatical conventions, appropriately and

with increasing accuracy. Structure

• Organise texts, using a range of appropriate structures. INDICATORS:

- Organises written ideas into paragraphs with increasing confidence; - Organises and sequences ideas and information with increasing confidence; - Uses a variety of sentence structures, beginnings, and lengths. -

Information Communications Technology: Computers are a tool for communication: speaking, writing and presenting. INDICATORS:

- Students will identify factors that create safe internet practices. - Students will through technology and written communication express their own feelings,

beliefs and actions in creating a sustainable school environment. Environmental Studies: Enviroschools have a sense of purpose: INDICATORS:

- Students are inspired to be creative and become competent to make decisions and take action in their school community.

- Students learn how they can nurture both the school environment and people around them. Learning is lived and reinforced in the school classroom.

- Teachers [and students] reshape and refocus everyday activities so that the potential for environmentally friendly practices are maximised.

- Adults [and children] act responsibly on behalf of the school environment and serve as role models for others.

Learning Intentions / Success Criteria English: Learning Intention: I will use blogging to write texts that explain, describe and exchange ideas and information about what it is to be an environmentally friendly school. Success Criteria: I have written texts and blogged explaining, describing and exchanging ideas and Information about what it is to be an environmentally friendly school. Information Communications Technology: Learning Intention: I will communicate using technology as a tool and blogging netiquette. Success Criteria: I have communicated using technology as a tool and blogging netiquette.

Environmental Studies: Learning Intention: I will explain and describe how I sustainably care for my school environment. Success Criteria: I have explained and described how I sustainably care for my school environment

Lesson Outline: Teaching and Learning Week One

1. In class brainstorm with students: What is blogging? - Look at class blog set up. - Discuss keeping ourselves safe on the net.

- Discuss netiquette / appropriate blogging. - Students to ‘blog’ and respond to questions posed prior to blogging American students;

I. Do you know what blogging is? II. Have you ever blogged before?

III. Will you use the blog at home?

2. Blog with Ashley Ward’s class Underwood GT Magnet Elementary in America. Pose questions about What it is to be an Eco-School.

I. Hillcrest Normal School is an eco-friendly school we reuse, recycle and reduce waste do you?

3. Students to ‘blog’ and respond to questions posed post blogging American students.

I. How often did you blog? II. Would you blog again?

III. What did you learn from blogging with the American students about being an eco-school? IV. How would you rate our school out of ten (ten being very environmentally friendly) now that

you have blogged with Underwood GT Magnet Elementary School?

Week Two Week Three Summative Assessment:

• Collate data of individual student activity pre, during and post blogging.

• Student Assessment Rubric (Teacher Assessment).

Student Assessment Task:

• Learning Journal Sample: Student Prompt and Survey (Student Self Assessment).

Reflection on Unit:

ICT - Blogging Pre-Blogging:

1. Have you ever blogged before?

2. Have you ever used the internet before to discuss topics of interest with other people?

3. Do you know about the sustainable environmental practices of any primary schools outside of New Zealand?

A little A lot

Post-Blogging: How did you feel about discussing the sustainable environmental practices we do at school with a school in America? Relating to Others: Not very good Great

Participating and Contributing: Not very good Great

Think about how the students at Hillcrest Normal School sustainably care for their environment and how the students at Underwood Elementary School sustainably care for their environment. Write a paragraph about the main differences and the main similarities between the two schools.

Would you blog again? A little A lot

Did you find blogging a useful technological learning tool? A little A lot

Name:

Date:

Teaching Sequence: Blogging Activboard:

• Where in the world is Raleigh, North Carloina? Sessions One: Class Discussion / Brainstorm:

1. What is a blog? A blog is an on line web log. An on line journal.

2. How should we respond to questions asked on the blog? 3. What would you consider good ‘blogging’ to be?

Blogging netiquette. 4. Complete pre-blogging learning sample with students and discuss expectations of the post-blogging

section of it.

Learning Sample: complete ‘pre’ session before discussion. Pre Blogging Survey:

1. Do you know what blogging is? Yes / No 2. Have you ever used the internet before to discuss topics of interest with other people?

Yes / No If yes what? 3. How do you feel about discussing the sustainable environmental practices we do at school with a

school in America?

Post blogging Survey: 1. Do you think blogging is a good internet tool? 2. Would you blog again? 3. Describe to positives things about blogging with Underwood Elementary and one thing that you would

do differently next time. Key competencies: Discuss with students these KCs and set expectations.

• Participating and Contributing: use creative, critical and reflective thinking to make sense and question information and ideas. Build knowledge and understanding.

• Relating to others: listen actively, recognise different points of view, share ideas.

Write on board directions to site / examples of introductions:

1. http://kidblog.org/EcoSchools/ 2. Student login:

I. Go to “log-in” at top right II. Choose your name

III. Type in your password................... IV. Introduce yourself, for example;

Hello my name is Samantha I am 10 years old and I am an Enviro-Agent at Hillcrest Normal School. The job of an Enviro-Agent is to......... I always (recycle, reduce, reuse)......................... to look after our school environment............. Kia ora my name is Jordan and I am 11 years old. At our school we are all eco-warriors. This means we (recycle, reduce, reuse)................................. to look after our school environment....................................

Session ‘wind up’:

III............ 2/3 student rooms Before group names see tab View (#) blogs # 25 Students change 25 to 50.

1. Discuss what worked well / what you might do differently next time.

Assessment Rubric for ICT Project: Blogging Timeline: Two weeks (Tuesday 26 October – Wednesday 9 November)

Learning Outcomes Achieving and Extending Achieving Above Achieving Working Toward Writing English Curriculum: Questions, explains, describes and exchanges ideas and information on the topic.

A consistent effort is made to engage with others’ ideas and experiences. Values the contributions made by group members. Correct grammar and spelling.

An effort is most often made to engage with others’ ideas and experiences. Values the contributions made by group members. Correct grammar and spelling.

Some effort is made to engage with others’ ideas and experiences. Values the contributions made by group members. Correct grammar and spelling.

No effort is made to engage with others’ ideas and experiences. Does not value the contributions made by group members. Incorrect grammar and spelling.

Participation Technology: ICT Students can use, explain and demonstrate safe internet practice.

Participates in most or all opportunities to write on the blog.

Participates in some of the opportunities to write on the blog.

Participates in one of the opportunities to write on the blog.

Did not participate in any opportunities to write on the blog.

Topic Environmental Studies: Students can identify and explain differences and similarities between schools about what it is to sustainably care for their school environment.

Identifies and shares about most or all of the environmental practices the school engages in.

Identifies and shares about some of the environmental practices the school engages in.

Identifies and shares about one of the environmental practices the school engages in.

Did not identify and share about the environmental practices the school engages in.

Student Name: Date:

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2011 ICT – Blogging Prompt and Survey Data Curriculum Level 3 standard: Year 6: 3B working toward 3P achieving 3A achieving above 4B achieving and extending Year 5: 2A working toward 3B achieving 3P achieving above 3A achieving and extending

Pre-Blogging Yes or No

Post-Blogging

Hav

e yo

u ev

er b

logg

ed b

efor

e?

Hav

e yo

u ev

er u

sed

the

inte

rnet

bef

ore

to d

iscu

ss

topi

cs o

f in

tere

st w

ith

othe

r pe

ople

?

Do

you

know

abo

ut s

usta

inab

le e

nvir

onm

enta

l pr

acti

ces

of a

ny p

rim

ary

scho

ols

outs

ide

of N

ew

Zeal

and?

How did you feel about the sustainable environmental practices we do at school with a school in America?

Compare and Contrast

Out of 10

Wou

ld y

ou b

log

agai

n?

Did

you

fin

d bl

oggi

ng a

use

ful t

echn

olog

ical

le

arni

ng t

ool?

Rela

ting

to

Oth

ers

Part

icip

atin

g an

d Co

ntri

buti

ng

Davis-Havill Tuscany n y 2 9 9 We have nude food and our school is clean. Elliott Samantha n y 3 9 9 Both compost bins. We enviro agents they

have green house. 10 8 Haman Emma y y n 8 9 We have vege village / they have green

house. We have enviro agents. Now they have nude food.

10 8

Hix Olivia n n n 9 7 Nude food in common but they started because of us, both have compost bins. We have enviro agents they do not.

9 7

Ilyas Thanha n y 1 9 9 All care for environment and have compost bins. We have vege village / they have green house.

9 9

Li Cynthia overseas McKee Zoe n y n 10 10 Both have nude food. Both eco schools

both care about environment. We have worm farm they have greenhouse.

10 10

Mohamed Samira n n n 8 7 Both have worm farms, both for environment. Vege Village / Greenhouse. We have green gold.

10 9

Neilsen Ashley n y n 9 9 Both care about environment, they now have nude food. We have lots of gardens they have one. They have greenhouse we have worm farm.

8 8

Stow Sammie y y n 9 9 We have lots of compost bins and they have one. They have red ribbon and we don’t. They don’t have enviro agents we do

9 8

Wesson Alix y y 1 9 9 Both nude food. Care for environment / compost bins. They do drug free day we don’t. We have enviro agents. They don’t.

9 9

Westbrook Rose y y n 10 10 Both worm farms, recycle paper. They have green house we have vege village. 10 10

Withanange Amandi n n n 7 8 All care for environment. Both compost bins we have more. We have worm farm. 4 6

Fletcher Brandon n y n 0 0 They are starting nude food.We have enviro agents. They enviro inspectors. 0 0

Henderson-Pyne Cameron n y 6 8 9 We have garden / they green house. We have enviro leaders/ they do not. 8 8

Hills Aidan n y n 6 7 Both schools have a worm farm. They have started nude food have green house. 5 0

Lee Anton n y n 10 8 They just started nude food. We have more compost and we have enviro agents they do not.

4 10

McIntyre Joel y n 6 9 9 Both recycle paper and have vege villages look after earth. 9 9

Nachowitz Adam n y 1 9 9 Starting nude food because of us. They do drug free week – Red Ribbon Week. 5 4

Neilson Finley n y n 8 9 Both have a worm farm. They are starting nude food. We have vege village they have green house. We have more compost bins.

9 9

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2011 ICT - Blogging Curriculum Level 3 standard: Year 6: 3B working toward 3P achieving 3A achieving above 4B achieving and extending Year 5: 2A working toward 3B achieving 3P achieving above 3A achieving and extending

Pre-Blogging Yes or No

Post-Blogging

Hav

e yo

u ev

er b

logg

ed b

efor

e?

Hav

e yo

u ev

er u

sed

the

inte

rnet

bef

ore

to

disc

uss

topi

cs o

f in

tere

st w

ith

othe

r pe

ople

?

Do

you

know

abo

ut s

usta

inab

le e

nvir

onm

enta

l pr

acti

ces

of a

ny p

rim

ary

scho

ols

outs

ide

of N

ew

Zeal

and?

How did you feel about the sustainable environmental practices we do at school with a school in America?

Compare and Contrast

Out of 10

Wou

ld y

ou b

log

agai

n?

Did

you

fin

d bl

oggi

ng a

use

ful

tech

nolo

gica

l lea

rnin

g to

ol?

Rela

ting

to

Oth

ers

Part

icip

atin

g an

d Co

ntri

buti

ng

Nik Ahmad Mazani Ibrahim Overseas Nishio Jun n y 9 9 9 Both nude food, recycle paper they do

not have POP box. We have enviro agents they do not.

9 9

Price Isaac y y 5 6 5 We have nude food now they do. We have a vege village and they have a green house.

9 5

Smart Damian Tomlinson Jack y n n 8 6 Now they do nude food. We have more

compost bin and loads more recycling bins. They only have one.

9 8

Wilson Ben n n n 7 6 Both schools do nude food, recycle paper. We have a green gold they don’t. 9 10

Wood-Gibson Jordan n n n 8 9 Worm farm / greenhouse. They now have nude food. They talk about drugs we don’t.

5 8

Zhang Michael n y 2 8 8 Both care for environment, gardens, compost bins. We have enviro agents / they have council we are more environ friendly.

5 7

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Personal Assessment and Reflection

This final project implements the key focus of bringing technology into the classroom to enhance the teaching, and the engagement and learning of the students the processes to achieve this have been defined in the Blogging Unit. The achievement objectives relate to national goals and expectations outlined in the New Zealand Curriculum Document and the instructional and engagement goals for the students are summarised in the learning intentions and success criteria.

Introducing the Unit of Work To introduce and engage the students I first asked them to complete the pre-blogging section of prompt/survey form. Then using ActivInspire software I made a flipchart and uploaded a world map. We looked at the world map to find out, where in the world was Underwood Elementary School? On the world map a student identified where Raleigh, North Carolina was and Hamilton New Zealand and linked them with an arrow line. We then discussed and recorded on the flipchart what a blog was and blogging netiquette. The students identified blogging as a chat place or like face booking. They believed good netiquette practice was to; stay on the subject, keep comments brief and use no rude words. Next the students were provided with an example of how they might introduce themselves and the topic of discussion, see the write on board direction to site / examples of introductions: of the teaching sequence.

Class Session Summaries Class session summaries became whole class discussions around the meaning of the language used and a discussion resulted in how that related to cultural practices and differences. This can be seen in the comments by the students where they were asked to write a paragraph about the main differences and the main similarities between the two schools on the post-blogging section of the prompt/survey form. Some of their responses were:

• We have a Vege Village and Underwood Elementary has a green house. • Underwood Elementary talks about drugs we do not. • We introduced Underwood Elementary to nude food.

(Nude food is bringing food to school without wrappers to reduce rubbish waste).

• We have a larger amount of recycling bins. • We have more gardens.

Students’ Pre and Post Blogging Prompt and Survey Sheet

Twenty-six of the twenty-nine students participated fully in this unit of work. Two students were overseas, one student is still to complete and hand in their response sheet.

Discussion

Using the web based site kidsblog.org and creating writing rooms using the name EcoSchools created an opportunity for the New Zealand (NZ) and American students to write and respond to questions posed in relation to their school’s environmental practices. Over the following two weeks all the NZ students engaged in blogging. Most all of the students actively engaged in this unit of work by asking to check their blog daily and they would voice disappointment if there had been no response.

The blog provided an opportunity for the students to ask questions and respond to questions asked of them. At times the NZ students needed to respond by clarifying the questions they had asked, what they meant and what it was they wanted to know.

All twenty-seven students who participated in this activity achieved the English Curriculum learning intention of writing texts and blogging explaining, describing and exchanging ideas and information about what it is to be an environmentally friendly school. All twenty-seven students achieved the Information Communications Technology learning intention of having communicated using technology as a tool – blogging. All twenty-seven students achieved the Environmental Studies learning intention of having explained and described how I sustainably care for my school environment.

Using the assessment rubric learning intentions of writing, participation and environmental studies overall nine students achieved, thirteen achieved above and four achieved and extended when assessed against the learning outcomes. One student is still to hand in their response sheet.

As the classroom teacher I found using blogging as an engagement tool for writing extremely successful most all of the NZ students regularly participated and

contributed to the blog without being asked. They always replied to a blog and sometimes added to a past blog they had written to encourage a response. The NZ students used peer editing to help with posing questions and would check their answers with each other for spelling, grammar and punctuation. Many students appeared more conscientious about presentation and commented that it was because their recipients were not personally known to them. The blogging also generated a lot of oral discussion amongst the students; they were often sharing their responses from the American students with each other and making comment.

The NZ students became extremely excited when the American students said they were going to use the concept of Nude Food and introduce it into their school’s environmentally friendly practices to reduce waste and they were going to write a letter to their president Barrack Obama about it. This created a lot of excitement and discussion in the classroom. Most all of the students indicated they would blog again and felt that blogging was a useful technological learning tool for sharing information.

This unit of work has exceeded the goals that were set out in the unit plan because all children engaged in the activity, and most all of the children regularly made an effort to; share in the ideas of others, valuing their contributions and responding to their comments about the environmental practices within their school.

Conclusion

I believe this unit of work enhanced both my classroom writing and oral language programmes. It gave the New Zealand students an opportunity to look at sustainable practices in schools from an international perspective. It provided an opportunity for the students to develop an understanding that the meanings and the way language is used in another culture can have some variances. This meant the blogging caused the students to be more reflective about asking and answering questions, to check for understanding and to enjoy the differences.