Schaffer a info_literacy_pathfinder

PATHFINDER AND INFORMATION LITERACY

Information Literacy Lesson and Pathfinder

Autumn Schaffer

Georgia Southern University

FRIT 7136

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Table of Contents:

I. Action Plan Template with Information Literacy Lesson Plan

-URL for Pathfinder created by Autumn Schaffer can be found at:

http://nativeamericanpathfinder.weebly.com/

II. Appendix A: Teacher Rubric used to Assess PowerPoint (for Information Literacy)

III. Appendix B: Student Rubric used to Self-Assess PowerPoint (for Information Literacy)

IV. Appendix C: Sample “Exit Slip” and “Double Sided” Journal Entry Submitted by Students

V. Appendix D: Complied Grading Chart of Student’s Assessments (both Information Literacy and Content Rubric Combined)

VI. Appendix E: Reflection of the Lesson & Collaboration

VII. Note: The PowerPoint template used to teach the basic features of building a PowerPoint (which was the core focus of the lesson) is attached in another file. It is labeled as: SchafferA_Pathfinder 2

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Action Plan Template

GRADE: Fourth

TEACHER(S): Mary Crawford (Fourth Grade Social Studies Teacher) Autumn Schaffer (Media Specialist Graduate Student)

CONTENT TOPIC: Social Studies: Native American Cultural DiscoveryInformation Literacy: Effective Usage of Microsoft PowerPoint

STANDARDS FOR THE 21ST-CENTURY LEARNER GOALS

Standard: (3) Share knowledge and participate ethically and productively as members of our democratic society.

Skills Indicator(s): 3.1.3 Use writing and speaking skills to communicate new understandings effectively.

3.1.4 Use technology and other information tools to organize and display knowledge and understanding in ways

that others can view, use, and assess.

3.1.6 Use information and technology ethically and responsibly.

Benchmark(s): Grade 53.1.3 - Use significant details and relevant information to

develop meaning. - Present information coherently in oral, written, and

visual sequence. - Use clear and appropriate vocabulary to convey the

intended message.

3.1.4 - Uses various technology tools to retrieve and organize information.

- Uses a variety of media and formats to create and edit products that communicate syntheses of

information and ideas.

3.1.6 - Credit all sources properly with title, author, and page number.

Dispositions Indicator(s): 3.2.3 Demonstrate teamwork by working productively with others.

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- Take on different roles and tasks willingly within the group to accomplish shared

ends.

Responsibilities Indicator(s): 3.3.1 Solicit and respect diverse perspectives while searching for information, collaborating

with others, and participating as a member of the community.

-Build on the ideas of others in group conversations and discussions.

-Actively seek common ground in discussions where different

viewpoints are expressed.

Self-Assessment Strategies Indicator(s): 3.4.2 Assess the quality and effectiveness of the learning product.

CONNECTION TO LOCAL OR STATE STANDARDS (List here relevant content, information literacy, and technology standards):

The following Georgia Performance Standard is based upon fourth grade social studies. This is the focus content standard of the Native American Cultural Discovery unit, which of course is accompanied by the Standards for the 21st Century Learner.

SS4H1: The student will describe how early Native American cultures developed in North America. a. Locate where Native Americans settled with emphasis on the Arctic (Inuit), Northwest (Kwakiutl), Plateau (Nez Perce), Southwest (Hopi), Plains (Pawnee), and Southeast (Seminole).b. Describe how Native Americans used their environment to obtain food, clothing, and shelter.

OVERVIEW: As an element of a fourth grade social studies unit based upon investigating

Native American culture, students will work in collaborative groups to create a Microsoft PowerPoint Presentation based upon the culture and characteristics of a specific Native American group/tribe. Working in groups of four or five, each group will be designated to research one of the following group/tribes of Native Americans: Inuit, Kwakiutl, Nez Perce, Hopi, Pawnee, or Seminole. The students will use a pathfinder website created by the graduate student to locate information about their designated Native American group/tribe. The students will use their gained knowledge to create and present a Microsoft PowerPoint Presentation. Each student will be responsible for creating and presenting three slides of the PowerPoint Presentation.

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Essential Questions: 1. What are the cultural similarities and differences among Native American

tribes/groups?2. How can one use technology to effectively communicate information to others?

FINAL PRODUCT: Working in groups of four and five, the students will create an effective Microsoft

PowerPoint Presentation based upon the culture and characteristics of the designated Native American tribe/group. Each student will be responsible for creating three slides of accurate information with cited images and resources. Each student will also be responsible for presenting their three slides to the rest of the class as a portion of the group’s complete presentation. (Note: Three students in this class have been diagnosed as having learning disabilities in the subject of reading. These students will be responsible for developing three slides, but may be more image-based or contain less text.)

LIBRARY LESSON(S): The graduate student is responsible for teaching the fourth grade class, consisting

of twenty students, how to use a pathfinder website to locate information on the internet. The graduate student will also review how to use encyclopedias as well as locate books in the school media center about specific Native American tribes/groups.

The graduate student will also be responsible for teaching the fourth grade class how to create a basic Microsoft PowerPoint Presentation. Basic features covered within this lesson include creating a new slide, adding background color, adding text to a slide, adding images to a slide, as well as adding slide transitions to a PowerPoint Presentation.

The graduate student will explain the importance of citing the location where one retrieved his/her information or images. Students will be taught how to locate the author, title, and page number of a reference source as well as how to cite it within a presentation. (Note: APA format will not be taught as a part of this lesson. The concept of citing and giving credit to the author is the point of this skill.)

ASSESSMENT

• Product:The assessment product for this activity will be the Microsoft PowerPoint created

by each group. Each student will be graded based upon the three slides that they create as well as how they explain the information during the group’s presentation. The Microsoft Presentation will be graded using two rubrics. One rubric will be based upon the social studies content skills and will be graded by the social studies teacher. The other rubric will be based upon the presentation itself, how well the students used the Microsoft PowerPoint technology, as well as how well the students cited the information and images. This portion of the assignment will be graded by the graduate student. (Please see Appendix A for a copy of the PowerPoint rubric.)

• Process:

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The social studies teacher as well as the graduate student will be checking the student’s double sided notes as well as their “exit slips” that will display the information that they are collecting as well as the citation information about the resource they are using. This will help the teachers monitor the student’s process in both the content as well as information skill areas. Each student will be responsible for creating at least three “exit slips” or double-sided journal entries. (The students will have the choice of either using the “exit slips” or double-sided journal entries.) (Please see Appendix C for a sample of the “exit slips” and double-sided journal entries.)

• Student self-questioning-What information is the most important for my audience to know? -How have I shown responsibility in finding and using information in an ethical way?-How can I make my product/presentation as effective as possible?-How have I contributed to the learning of others?

INSTRUCTIONAL PLAN

• Resources students will use:

□ Online subscription database(s)■ Web sites ■ Books ■ Reference ■ Nonprint □ Periodicals/newspapers ■ Other (list): Microsoft PowerPoint Software, Activboard Projector

• Instruction/activities

*Direct instruction: Day 1: Within the school’s computer lab, the media specialist graduate student willnavigate the students to the pathfinder website that she has created for them. She will explain to the students how to use the pathfinder to locate information about Native American tribes/groups. She will also remind the students how to use an encyclopedia or book to locate information. The graduate student will also show the students how to cite the author, title of resource, as well as page number of their resources using a double-sided journal or “exit slip.”

Day 2: Two weeks after Day 1 of instruction:Within the school’s computer lab, the media specialist graduate student will demonstrateto the twenty fourth grade students how to use Microsoft PowerPoint. She will showthem the locations of the specific tools within Microsoft PowerPoint as well as how tocreate a basic slide show. Some of the tools that will be demonstrated and explained to

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the students include:1. How to create a new slide show.2. How to create a new slide.3. How to add a background to the slide.4. How to place text on a slide.5. How to place an image on a slide.6. How to make slide transitions.

*Modeling and guided practice:

Day 1: After the direct instruction, the graduate student will practice thinking aloud strategies as she uses the pathfinder website to find resources. She will model how to find the author, title, and page number of the resource. She will also model how to document such information on a double-sided journal entry or “exit slip.” Students will also use the pathfinder to locate a specific resource. They will practice citing the required information. The teacher will monitor and check each student’s citation before they are allowed to begin their group’s independent research.

Day 2: Two weeks after Day 1 of instruction:As the teacher models, the students will use their own computer to create a blank side show, create a new slide, add background, add text and images, as well as add slide transitions. During this whole group guided practice any misunderstandings of the software will be addressed.

*Independent practice:

Day 1: After the direct and guided instruction the students will work together in their groups using the pathfinder website and media center resources. Each group will be allowed to visit the media center one at a time to use the print resources. The other groups will use the pathfinder website and internet sources in the computer lab. The students will be allowed to visit the computer lab and media center two more times during an hour-long session solely for this research. Each student is responsible for composing at least three “exit slips” or double-sided journal entries.

Day 2 : Two weeks after Day 1 of instruction: After students have been given two weeks to conduct their research and make notes, they are then introduced to Microsoft PowerPoint software. After the teacher-lead instruction and guidance, the students will be able to work in their groups to create their PowerPoint Presentation. The students will be given three hour-long sessions within the computer lab to work on their PowerPoint Presentations. Students will also be allowed to use the classroom computers during other instructional time for research and the PowerPoint creation. The classroom teacher has saved all of the PowerPoint Presentation to one flash drive so that students can work on them in several different locations. The students will meet in the computer lab for the fourth time to present their PowerPoint presentations.

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*Sharing and reflecting:

On the fourth meeting within the computer lab the groups of students will share their PowerPoint Presentations with the rest of the class. Each member will share the three slides that they created during the whole group’s presentation. During the presentation the students will explain what they have found about the Native American culture as well as where they located the information. The classroom teacher and media specialist graduate student will use their rubrics to grade each group. After the presentations are complete, the students will write a one to three paragraph summary of the experience answering the following questions:

1. What did you like best about this assignment? 2. What part of the assignment did you find most difficult?3. Describe your group experience- how well did you work together?4. What is the most significant thing you learned through this assignment?5. What would you change or add to this assignment?

Finally, the students will grade themselves using a similar rubric that the classroom teacher and media specialist graduate student used. (The student rubric used during self-assessment is located in Appendix B).

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The Pathfinder used by the students for this activity and created by the graduate student, Autumn Schaffer, can be found at:




Appendix A

This rubric was used by the graduate student to assess each group on their PowerPoint presentation. This rubric correlates to the 21st Century Standards described at the beginning of the lesson plan. It does not, however, account for the Georgia Performance Standards related to the lesson. (That portion was graded by the classroom teacher on a separate rubric.) The two rubric were averaged together to provide the students final grade. The actual compilation of the grades and notes about their work is located in Appendix D.

PowerPoint Grading Rubric for Native American (Information Literacy Skills)Beginner(1 pts)

Intermediate(2 pts.)

Successful(3 pts)

Mastery (4 pts)

Total Points

Headings □No headings are present within the presentation.

□Some headings are present but are not in the appropriate places. Headings are missing in appropriate places.

□Headings are used within the presentation, but the color or wording does not hint at the text related to it.

□Heads are used within the presentation and the color and wording of the heading hints at the accompanying text.

Text □Text has not been used correctly. There is little to no coherent text on the slides.

□Text has been created using the “textbox” tool. The text is too small or too large for the slide. The slide may contain too much information (more than a paragraph) on one slide.

□Text has been created using the “textbox” tool. Text is the right side and the right amount (not more than a paragraph) is placed on the slide.

□Text has been created using the “textbox” tool. Text is the right size and right amount to fit on the slide. Colors and formatting is unique so that it catches the reader’s eye.

Backgrounds □No backgrounds are present on the slide.

□Some backgrounds are present but may be too dark or too “busy” so

□The presentation contains backgrounds that are well suited (not

□The presentation contains backgrounds that are not too dark or

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that it distracts the readers.

too dark or too busy) so that the reader is not distracted.

too busy to distract the reader. A theme is used or some type of coloring that hints at a theme to the related topic.

Images □No relevant images are available within the presentation.

□Images are present that do not related to the topic or are not appropriate for the topic or contain incorrect information.

□Images are related to the topic and are correct size.

□Images are related to the topic, are the correct size, and are chosen and placed creatively on the presentation to enhance the reader’s interest.

Slide Transitions

□Slide transitions are too busy and distract from the reader or there are not any slide transitions.

□Slide transitions are used tastefully but are timed.

□Slide transitions are used tastefully and are not timed (as requested by the teacher).

Image/ Text Transitions

□Image/Text transitions are too busy and distract from the reader or there are not any slide transitions.

□Image/Text transitions are used tastefully but are timed.

□Image/Text transitions are used tastefully and are not timed (as requested by the teacher).

Citations □There is no attempt to cite the information within the presentation.

□Less than half of the citations are correct and provide the author and location of where the

□Over half of the citations are correct and provide the author and location of where the

□All of the citations are correct and provide the author and location of where the student found

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student found the information.

student found the information.

the information.

Presentation □The students did not present the information.

□The students presented the information but obviously did not work together. Students spoke too quickly or read the slide.

□The students presented the information and spoke clearly, at a correct pace, and did not read the slide.

□The students presented the information clearly, at a correct pace, did not read the slide, and added a sense of their own personality to the presentation. (It did not seem rote or memorized).

Group Dynamics (based upon reflections of other students)

□The students did not work well together.

□Some of the students worked together but there was a clear sense of who “pulled most of the weight.”

□Students worked together and did their own individual parts.

□Students worked together to do their own individual parts as well as help their fellow partners with their part of the production.

Total Points:28-36 pts = Mastery (A)19-27 pts. = Successful (B)10-18 pts. = Intermediate (C)Under 10 pts. = Beginner (F)

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Appendix B

This rubric was used by the students to self assess their own group’s PowerPoint presentation. Each student completed a rubric after the group presented their project. The graduate student used this self-assessment, as well as the student’s self-assessment reflective journal entry, to make a summative decision about each student’s grade.

Beginner(1 pts)

Intermediate(2 pts.)

Successful(3 pts)

Mastery (4 pts)

Total Points

Headings □My group did not have headings in our PowerPoint.

□My group made some headings, but they were not of the main ideas of the PowerPoint.

□My group made headings but it does not describe the text that is below it.

□My group made headings that describe the information below it.

Text □My group did not use any text or the text that we used was very limited and inappropriate.

□My group used text that was too small, too large, or in a color that could not be easily seen. We tried to put too many words (more than a paragraph) on one slide.

□My group used text that was the right size (not to small, large, light, or dark). We also did not put too many words on a slide (more than one paragraph).

□My group used text that was the right size (not to small, large, light, or dark). We also did not put too many words on a slide (more than one paragraph).

The text is also creative and colorful so that it is appealing to our audience.

Backgrounds □My group did not include any backgrounds. All of our slides have white

□My group included some backgrounds but they are too dark, too light, or too busy and

□My group used backgrounds that were not busy, were not too dark, or were not

□My group used backgrounds that were not too dark, light, or busy.

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backgrounds. distract the reader.

too light.

The readers could easily read what was on the slide.

Readers can easily read what is on the slide. Also, the backgrounds create a theme or hint at our topic. (Indians)

Images □My group did not place any images on our slides. OR My group used images that were inappropriate.

□My group used some images, but some of them were not related to the topic or presented incorrect information.

□My group used images that were related to our topic and were chosen so that they enhanced our presentation.

□My group used images that were related to our topic and chosen so that they enhanced our presentation. They were also placed in such a creative way so that readers were appealed (and not bored) by our presentation.

Slide Transitions

□We used more than 3 different slide transitions. (This made our presentation too busy and distracting.)

□We used more than 2 different slide transitions. (This made our presentation too busy and distracting.)

□We used only 1 slide transition that fit well with our presentation.

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Image/ Text Transitions

□We used more than 3 image/text transitions on a slide. (This made our presentation too busy and distracting.)

□We used more than 2 image/text transitions on a slide. (This made our presentation too busy and distracting.)

□We used only 1 image/text transition and picked the most important thing to enhance.

Citations □We did not cite any of our resources.

□We only cited some of our resources with the name and location where we found it.

□We cited most of our resources with the name and location where we found it.

□We cited all of our resources with the name and location where we found it.

Presentation □We did not do a presentation.

□We presented our information but some of our group members spoke too quickly or quietly.

□We presented our information and everyone spoke clearly, at a correct pace, and did not read the slide.

□We presented our information and everyone spoke clearly, at a correct pace, and did not read the slide. We talked naturally and added our own unique personality into our presentation.

Group Dynamics (based upon reflections of other students)

□We did not work well together at all.

□Some of us worked together, but the work load was not balanced. (Some did more than others)

□We worked together and did our own individual parts.

□We worked together to do our own individual parts as well as helped our fellow partners with their part of the

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production.

Total Points:28-36 pts = Mastery (A)19-27 pts. = Successful (B)10-18 pts. = Intermediate (C)Under 10 pts. = Beginner (F)

Appendix C

Sample “Double Sided” Entry and “Exit Slips”

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This “double sided” entry was created by a member of Group 1, whose topic was the Seminole Indians. The student first devised a list of questions that he/she would like to find within the research. These served as targeted goals to focus the research in one direction. The student then recorded the facts that he/she located through the webquest on one side of the page. On the other side of the page the student wrote his personal response or questions about that fact. The student also provided the sources for the information. This strategy aids students in developing a systematic way of taking notes so that he/she does not have to refer back to the original source when writing, or in this case creating a PowerPoint presentation.

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This “exit slip” was created by Group 2, whose topic was the Inuit Indians. Similar to the “double sided” entry logs, the student formulated a question to research. The student then used the pathfinder or reference books to locate the answer. Finally the student listed the citation information so that he/she would not have to reference back to the original source during the formation of the presentation.

Appendix D

This chart was created by the graduate student to keep track of each group’s progress. The groups’ exit and double sided notes were accounted for. The students did not receive a specific grade on these notes. They were checked for accuracy as the teacher and graduate student provided feedback about the recorded information. Students were given credit for displaying their notes at the specific checkpoints within the project. The classroom teacher graded the students using a content-based rubric correlating to the Georgia Performance Standards of fourth grade social studies. The graduate student graded the classroom students using a rubric based upon the information literacy skills of using the pathfinder, citing the resources, and creating a PowerPoint presentation. These two rubric grades were averaged together to provide the overall grade. This chart provides an explanation of how the students’ attempts and understandings translated into their assignment and assessment.

Group Exit Slips/ Double Sided

Notes

Rubric for Content Area

(Based on GPS)

Rubric for Information Literacy & PowerPoint (Based on

Standards for 21st

Century Learners)

Overall Grade (Average of

Rubrics)

1 28 pts. (maximum)

√ √ √This group

provided more than the

requirement of double sided entry notes or “exit slips.”

The notes were detailed with

specific questions, answers to

36 pts.The group provided

correct and up-to-date

information. They selected information

that appealed to the audience

and was relevant to the culture of the specific tribe.


resources of all of their

information as well as

conducted a personable, yet

educational, PowerPoint

presentation. The presentation was

colorful but straightforward

100 %

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those questions, and the source in which the information was found.

with the facts/information.

2 28 pts. (maximum)


provided the required

amount of double sided entry notes or “exit slips.”

The notes were well-thought out. Students

generated “pre-questions” so

that the research would

be more targeted.

34 pts.The group

provided up-to-date

information. Some of the

content was not related to the culture and

focused more on the

environment where the

people live (the artic).


resources for most of their

information. The PowerPoint

presentation was straightforward and provided

insight comparisons of the Indians and

Eskimos.

95 %

3 28 pts.(maximum)


provided the required

amount of double sided entry notes or “exit slips.”

The group had to be reminded,

however, to include the

source of the information within their

notes.


mostly up-to-date

information about the

specific tribe. Some of the information

was not related to the specific tribe and was about Indians

in general.


resources for most of their

information. The PowerPoint was designed with a theme and the

headings prepared the

reader for what type of

information to expect.

96 %

4 28 pts. (maximum)

√ √ √The group

36 pts.The group

provided up-to-date

30 pts.The students

documented most of their sources

94 %

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required among of double sided entry notes or “exit slips.”

The group did an excellent job of questioning

their knowledge,

seeking answers to their questions, and documenting

their resources.

information about the tribe. All information was correct and

logically explained.

for the presentation. The presentation as organized and through. The students only used internet

resources, however.

5 28 pts. (maximum)

√ √ √The group

provided three double sided entry notes or

“exit slips” each. These notes did not

initially contain questions but instead just facts. The

students were prompted to

think of targeted

questions to determine the

specific information

that they would like to research.


information that was up-to-date and from a

variety of sources. The

group tended to focus on the battles and

history of the tribe, however, rather than its

culture.

28 pts.The group’s

presentation sited most of the

resources, but it did not contain a theme of colors

as well as provided only a

few pictures. The headings were

minimal and the presentation

lacked “flow.”

90 %

6 28 pts. (maximum)




information that was up-to-

date and

36 pts.The group

provided a well document

presentation with a theme and

100%

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required amount of

double sided entry notes or “exit slips.” The students

asked appropriate questions to guide their

research. They also

documented the resources carefully.

intriguing. They chose

specific facts to perk the

audience’s interest

(because it appealed to the

audience’s personal lives.)

appropriately used technology.

The students added sound to

their PowerPoint for effect. The

transitions were appropriate and

helped to provide a sense of “flow”

to the presentation.

Appendix EReflection of the Lesson and Collaboration

Reflection of the Lesson

Overall, the social studies and informational literacy activity was successful by

not only expanding the depth of the knowledge of Native American Indians, but also

teaching students how to appropriately communicate new information using innovative

methods. The students had been learning about the specific Native American tribes for

approximately three weeks before the activity was introduced. For this reason many of

the students already had prior knowledge of all of the different types of tribes before the

assignment began. The groups for the assignment were a product of the classroom teacher

and graduate student’s collaborative efforts. Some of the students have been diagnosed

with reading disabilities and were therefore partnered in groups with students who may

able to tutor or assist them with their specific issues.

Pathfinder and Reference Instruction.

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While the development of the pathfinder website was tedious and time consuming

on behalf of the graduate student, this seemed to be a signature piece of the entire lesson.

Before being divided up into their individual groups, students were shown, through whole

group instruction, how to navigate and use the pathfinder. They were taught how to find

the citation information on websites. The graduate student also reviewed how to use and

cite reference materials from the library, including books and encyclopedias. All students

were given the opportunity to look at the pathfinder. Some students used the titles and

key terms located on the pathfinder to research within the library.

During the reference and pathfinder instructional session, the graduate student

also taught the students how to formulate “double sided” journal entry notes as well as

“exit slips.” This was actually a tool used by the classroom teacher in years past. The

graduate student provided examples of how to do each. These journal entries are used to

take effective notes as well as cite resources so that one has all of the information he/she

needs to build the PowerPoint at a later date. Students were given the option of using

“double sided” journal entries or “exit slips.” Each student, however, had to produce

three entries by the end of the project timeline.

Students expressed that the varying colors and fonts aided them in locating their

section of the pathfinder that their group was to use. The graduate student purposely did

this so that students would not confuse the resources. Some students tended to conduct

their research independently, while others used several computers to pool their thoughts

and research together. While the students were given credit for their journal entries, the

focus of this assessment was so that the teachers could formatively assess and address

any research or citation issues the students might have during the research process. This

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assessment was effective in that the classroom teacher and the graduate student, on

several occasions, redirected or corrected the citation and reference efforts of students

using their specific journal entries.

PowerPoint Presentation Instruction.

Students spent the majority of the time dedicated to this project in the computer

lab. This is where the direct instruction from the graduate teacher took place. The

graduate student was able to use a student computer that was also connected to an

overhead and activeboard. For this reason, the graduate student could manipulate the

actual software that the students used, just so that everyone could see it reflected. This

type of instruction was extremely beneficial, especially during the guided practice. After

the graduate student had completed the “How to Make a Simple PowerPoint” tutorial, she

helped the students use some of the features by having them mimic on their computers

what she was doing on the projected computer screen. This type of scaffolding aided

many students in locating the correct features on the correct toolbars.

Some of the students expressed hesitation in manipulating the PowerPoint

software immediately after the directly instructed tutorial and guided practice. Many of

them expressed that they “could not find the buttons” for some of the elements. The

graduate student agrees that effective usage of this software does take practice. As the

students divided into their groups, however, it seems that at least one student in each

group assumed the role of the technology leader and could remember, or find, all the

placements of the items on the software toolbar.

The students were given both rubrics, one for the Native American content of the

presentation and one for the actual formation of the PowerPoint presentation as well as

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the effective use of the pathfinder and other resources. The teacher and graduate student

reviewed each element of the rubric with the students. At that point the students did not

have any questions but were eager to proceed. Students were pretty much given the rest

of the time to build their PowerPoints with their group. Some students worked

individually and the graduate student aided in flowing the separate slides all together.

Other students worked from the strategy of building the PowerPoint as a whole group,

since the research had already been completed beforehand. The classroom teacher as well

as the graduate student were available during this time for questions in developing the

PowerPoint slides.

The presentation of the PowerPoints was a huge success! The students were given

a few minutes before the presentations began to re-familiarize themselves their work. The

other students listened attentively as each group presented. Some students chose to make

note cards for their specific element of the presentation. Some used their slides as

references, but none of the students read directly from their presentation. One student, in

each group, was designated to stand with the computer and flip the slides when

appropriate. The other students walked or stood in areas that prompted the overall

presentation to the audience. The graduate student and the classroom teacher graded the

group based upon their individual rubrics at this time. They also met after school to

review some of the slides to check for accuracy.

After the presentations were complete, each student took a few moments to

complete a self-evaluation of their own group’s presentation using the similar rubrics that

the classroom teacher and graduate student used. When comparing the student’s

evaluations to the teachers’ remarks, the results were actually rather similar. The students

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graded themselves honestly and made comments to the rubric about how they feel their

presentation represented a specific element. This allowed the teachers to assume that the

students did indeed understand the rubric as well as their explanation of what they were

specifically looking for within each section of the rubric. These self-evaluative rubrics

were analyzed by the graduate student and classroom teacher during the after school

grading process. Major discrepancies among the students’ responses and the teachers’

grades were addressed on an individual basis with the student and the teacher.

The students also completed a reflection of the entire project process. They were

asked to answer questions relating to the process, product, as well as their own personal

learning results. The graduate student as well as the classroom teacher also analyzed

these reflections during an after school meeting in order to draw conclusions about the

overall lesson. As a class, the students commented that they enjoyed working in groups to

complete the assignment. They also enjoyed utilizing the pathfinder website to conduct

research. Many stated that building the PowerPoint presentation was difficult at times,

but it was an overall enjoyable experience. Perhaps the most difficult element of the

assignment, as told by the students, was locating the citation information on the websites.

The graduate student can understand this because even though she provided insight on

how and where to look for the citation information on websites, some of the information

was rather difficult to find. If the patherfinder were to be revised, perhaps the graduate

student could locate websites with more straightforward citations. The graduate student

also did not teach the students the complete APA style in citing information. The purpose

of this part of the lesson was to simply locate and know when to cite information. In

retrospect this was a good decision made on behalf of the graduate student. She is afraid

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that students would have become too occupied with attempting to cite the information

correctly rather than focusing on the other parts of the assignment.

Most of the groups positively described their group experience. Some students

commented that they decided to break apart specific elements of the culture for each

student to cover in their portion of the slideshow. For example, one student described in

their reflection that they divided the culture into food, clothing, location, customs, and

lifestyle so that each student had a specific target to look for within their research. The

most significant element of the assignment, as described by the students, was their

practice in building PowerPoint presentations. Many of the students had not used

PowerPoint beforehand. The graduate student felt like this was an essential step to aid

students in understanding how technology can be used to create other resources. The

students will begin to build their own websites, along with other possible web 2.0 tools,

in middle school. While PowerPoint is not as advanced as those technologies, the

graduate student felt that it was a strong foundation for students to begin to utilize their

creative technological skills in producing worthwhile products.

One of the major changes, suggested by the students, was to provide more internet

resources on the pathfinder. For security purposes, the students were only allowed to use

the websites located on the graduate student’s pathfinder. As a whole, students did not

seem to enjoy using the reference materials in the library as much as the internet sources,

even though both were equally available to them. Again, the major change that the

graduate student would make is to find more easily cited webpages to minimize the

difficulty that some students expressed.

Reflection of the Collaboration

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Prior to this lesson, the graduate student and classroom teacher had worked

together on many occasions. The graduate student actually spent her student teaching

experience with this classroom teacher. The graduate student, however, was not familiar

with the students or their individual needs. An initial email detailing the assignment was

the beginning of the collaboration process. The graduate student then met with the

classroom teacher to decide upon a topic for the lesson. The unit based upon Native

Americans was already well underway, so it was the classroom teacher’s idea that the

graduate student formulated some type of capstone project to finish the unit. This allowed

the graduate student to have about two weeks to plan and build the resources that the

students would need to complete the assignment. It was also at this time that the special

needs of some of the students were addressed. Since some of the students have specific

reading disabilities, the classroom teacher suggested that they be grouped with

individuals who could peer tutor them. These discussions lead to the formation of the

groups for the project.

A week prior to the initial lesson, the graduate student met with the classroom

teacher after school to propose and show her all of the elements of the assignment. The

assessments, at this point, had not been developed. The classroom teacher expressed that

she enjoys using rubrics for end-of-the-unit projects like this one. It was discussed

whether or not one rubric should be used for the entire assignment, but the teachers

untimely agreed that since two different sets of standards were being addressed, perhaps

it would be more effective to grade the students based upon two separate rubrics. The

classroom teacher devised her own content specific rubric and the graduate student

composed her rubric based upon the reference and presentation portion of the lesson.

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The graduate student also worked with the media specialist to establish a time for

the students to use the media center for reference. This time was correlated with the time

in which the students used the computer lab for online research. It worked out perfectly

that the students were able to work in the computer lab as a group was sent to the library

for research one at a time. This research within the computer lab, as well as the

instruction of how to use PowerPoint software, was conducted over the course of several

weeks. The graduate student and the classroom teacher communicated through email to

update the times and dates in which this research would occur.

During the actual presentations each teacher used their own rubric to grade the

students. The teachers then met after school to average the rubrics as well as read the

students’ self assessment rubrics and reflections. During this time the teachers analyzed

the student’s grading to see if there was any discrepancies. Some of the students did not

seem to truly reflect on their presentations. To make sure that the students understood the

use of the rubric, the teachers established a time to meet and discuss the rubric with a few

of the students. The teachers and the students discussed the discrepancy so that the

student understood what the teachers were looking for in each section.

The teachers also took this after school reflection time to analyze the rubrics of

the students to make note of specific areas of difficulty. Some of the students tended to

rely only on the pathfinder internet sources instead of the reference materials. Perhaps the

importance of a variety of sources was not stressed enough within the instructions of the

assignment. Also, based upon the results of the rubric, some of the students had difficulty

organizing their thoughts into a PowerPoint layout. The information seemed thrown

together and did not follow a specific flow. The outlining of a PowerPoint, such as

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planning how to fully represent each topic before moving on to the next, may be another

option for future lessons. Developing theme and color scenes was an extra element of the

PowerPoint presentation, but the teachers did not fully expect the students to engage in an

extremely elaborate presentation. Many of the students, did however, design their

PowerPoint so that each topic was unified but enhanced in its own right. The usage of

advanced color scheming and backgrounds may be an option to be discussed during

another project.

Overall, the collaborative efforts between the graduate student and the classroom

teacher were extremely effective. Since neither was able to meet on a daily basis, the

teachers felt it was better to develop more of a co-teaching situation so that the

instructional time could be maximized. While the teacher focused on the content of the

lesson, the graduate student focused on the research and technological aspect of the

assignment. Since PowerPoint was readily available within the computer lab, this form of

presentation was easy to utilize. On the other hand, however, as web 2.0 tools become

more prevalently used within elementary classrooms, the graduate teacher would like to

expand the lesson into using some of those resources. The graduate student was invited

back to engage in another technology-based assessment later in the school year.

Conclusion

As Cunningham and Gonzalez (2009) explain within their article focused upon

introducing web 2.0 tools into the school system, one should “start small” (pg. 35). The

use of technology to enhance the curriculum can begin with one collaborative effort.

With the success of such an effort, more teachers and students want to become involved

in the production. While PowerPoint does not nearly provide the options or possible

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audience that a web 2.0 tool does, this software does serve as a foundation to the process

of building information sources, rather than just seeking them. Cunningham and

Gonzalez (2009) also comment that the more teachers use technology to fulfill individual

instructional needs, the more likely a variety of technologies will begin to become

incorporated into the school system to aid students in the process, not just the product, of

learning (pg. 34).

References

Cunningham, J., & Gonzalez, L. (2009). Collaboration: The library media center and

educational technology. Teacher Librarian, 36(5), 33-35. Retrieved from ERIC

database.

Standards for the 21st century learner in action. (2009). Chicago: American Association

of School Librarians.

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Documents

Schaffer a info_literacy_pathfinder