These technology integration projects and activities engender student creativity & empowerment.
"Day in Life of Hobo" podcast
Tom's interdisciplinary creative writing/historical simulation activity calls on students to research the plight of homeless teenagers during the Great Depression and then create their own fictionalized blog post of a day in the life of a Hobo. Students are later interviewed in character as part of a "1930s Radio Show" classroom podcast.
"Great Debate of 2008" Tom created a wiki and a private online social network for the "Great Debate of 2008" project, a student exploration and discussion of issues and candidates surrounding the 2008 presidential election. The project connected students around the country in a wiki and a private online social network to share information and ideas related to the 2008 presidential election. Students post information on campaign issues to the wiki and partake in online discussions and survey with other students in the private online social network.
Math Mov!es Trailers This is a creative and lively student-produced website that employs humorous student-created videos to motivate and engage students in the study of mathematics. Kids gain a deeper understanding of how mathematics is part of our daily life through topical and enjoyable stories.
Student News Action Network
This student-produced current events journal features contributions from around the world and is led by five student-bureaus: The American School of Doha, Bishops Diocesan College, International School Bangkok, International School of Luxembourg, and Washington International School. The students have cleverly adopted the free Ning platform and far-flung students work collaboratively to create an interactive, multimedia-rich, and student-driven online newspaper.
"Social Mobility" audio blogging
Tom's group audio blogging activity calls on students to compare social mobility and social inequality in America today with the "Gilded Age" of the late 19th century. Tom used
Who am I? Middle school students create brief but lively presentations about themselves that touch upon genealogy and family history. In this creative self-expression project students mesh art, writing, and storytelling, to communicate their stories.
Henry IV This high school wiki features creative student-produced content, including a "Henry IV rap," a Henry IV poem, a radio show, movies, charts, a slideshow, and more. Students provide a much information about the Shakespearean world and do so in an engaging way that addresses varied learning styles.
Extreme Biology This middle school science blog provides students with an opportunity to showcase their scientific knowledge and interests. The blog stories are student produced and it appears that the entire class is having lots of fun while learning a lot!
The Flat Classroom Project The award-winning Flat Classroom project brings together high school and middle school students from around the world to explore the ideas presented in Thomas Friedman’s book The World is Flat. These collaborative projects harness the most powerful Web 2.0 tools available including wikis, online social networks, digital storytelling, podcasts, social bookmarking, and more.
Lead Portal -- Bringing out the Leader in You! This award winning and student created website allows youths to explore various leadership theories and features interviews, activities and assessment tools.
"Cold War" student website
Tom's students created web sites on subjects such as the Cold War and the Civil Rights Movement. Students have individual assignments and responsibilities during these projects, but ultimately they are contributing to a collective presentation, one that may be shared with a larger community.
Mrs. Yollis’s Classroom blog Mrs. Yollis is a third grade teacher who incorporates images, interactive multimedia, and student-produced content to create a lively, informative, and engaging classroom blog.
The Middle East High School students in the United States and Afghanistan communicate via a blog and Skype to discuss the war in Afghanistan and the role of the United States in the region. The students use the blog to share thoughts on a possible resolution to the conflict. Click "comments" to read student posts.
"Interview a Boomer" with ipods Tom directed his students to find and interview a "likely but unsuspecting" Boomer -- a parent, teacher or family friend born between 1946 and 1964. Equipped with a mic-enabled iPod, each student asked their interviewee ten questions -- five required and five of their own design -- about their perceptions
iSearch literature reflection project Peter Raymond, an English teacher at the Noble and Greenough School, says that the I-Search project he undertakes with high school juniors “encourages a deep personal exploration” with literature within a public context. Student posts “become increasingly sophisticated, personal, and refined” as students develop a comfort with the blogging process and better understand the work in question.
"unit wrapup" cell podcasting
Tom used his cell phone in class to record a unit-ending conversation that was immediately posted to the Web. Students were preparing to write an analytical essay and Tom wanted his students to listen to the classroom conversation later on and revisit the different points made in class before writing their essay.
