Intermediate Engagement

Previously I shared some primary literacy and technology integration projects and promised that the intermediate ideas would be shared in the near future.  Well, here they come...

The first project that pops into my mind pertains to a fourth grade project using Google Docs as a collaboration tool.  The idea for the project was generated by the students themselves.  While they were reading about Yosemite National Park in class, their teacher was struck by the enthusiasm and engagement the students showed about the topic.  Students were questioning the locations and attractions of other national parks and sharing their personal connections to parks they had visited.  It proved to be a perfect time for some research.  When planning with the teacher, she shared that she would like her students to research 10 different national parks in partners and share their research with others.  I brought up using Google Docs...and we decided to try it!  I was lucky to find a teacher that was willing to jump in and try something new with me...we were heading into new territory for both of us. 

The classroom teacher chose the parks and assigned the partners.  I contacted our district GoogleApps administrator to set up accounts for the students.  Then we planned the research portion of the project by brainstorming a list of things (location, topography, attractions, etc.) that we wanted the students to research about the parks.  After we decided what the students would need to research, I set up a template for each park in Google Docs and shared it with each student and the classroom teacher.  HINT:  USE TABLES when setting up documents that students will use for collaborating.  I learned that when two kids are typing in a table at the same time there isn't as much cursor confusion...or frustration!

Through this experience, we saw first hand the excitement and engagement that occurs students are creating and collaborating in real time.  It was great to hear all the "oohs" and "ahhs" from the students as they worked on the same document at the same time from different computers!  Once the research was done and templates were filled in, we needed a way for the students to share and present the information about their parks.  Hmmm...I wonder how we utilized technology to accomplish this?