Applied to College, Now What?

Teacher tools used:

World Wide Web, WordPress Classroom Blog, Email, Smartboard Notebook software, Personal Computer.

Student tools used: Smartboard, Smartphone, WordPress Classroom Blog Software

Subject Area: AVID College Preparatory Class Junior Senior Seminar

Unit:  College Entry Senior Steps After College Application

Sequence: This activity is follow up activity in the middle of a unit on-college going culture.

• Lesson Summary: Students are paired with a teacher selected classmate.
• Teacher explains resources needed to navigate the college acceptance process, (presentation).
• Teams participate reading annotation protocol in order to reinforce content material.
• Students discuss annotation protocol and clarify any misunderstandings.
• Students reflect upon the process and report their findings in a classroom blog post.

Materials needed: Classroom equipped with Smartboard and 45 personal computers with broadband connection, Smartboard notebook software, writing implements, knowledge of how to operate in the WordPress Blog environment.

Time Period: One 55 minute class period

Analysis of learners:

Number	There are 23 learners in the class.
Grades 11/12	The class is comprised of 21 Seniors and two Juniors in High School.
Gender	The class is comprised of 15 girls and 8 boys.
Socio-economics	100 percent of class members qualify for free or reduced lunch.
Exceptionalities	There are 3 students classified as gifted in the class and no students with intellectual challenges or learning disabilities.
Cultural	Students are 98% Latino. Up to 40 percent are born outside the U.S.
Other	21 students have Spanish as a primary language classification and all have been reclassified as fluent English proficient learners

Prerequisite skills for instructor, including technology skills: Instructor must be able to design a lesson that utilizes a classroom blog to support student interaction in a classroom setting and determine if software works with district parameters and useful to support the learning objectives. Teachers must understand responsible use of the internet, use WordPress and Smartboard effectively as well as build background for and lead students in a class discussion to reinforce content knowledge.

Prerequisite skills learner Including  technology skills Students must know how to work independently and in pairs, and in whole class discussion. Students have to possess knowledge of how to access the internet on hand held or desktop devices.

Grouping Strategies for heterogeneous groups: In this lesson students are paired. Pairs are predetermined by the instructor and will include learners of varying levels of accomplishment, skill and language acquisition.

Describe activities using multiple learner-centered technology strategies: All components are available and all materials are tested before students walk in the door. Rules are reviewed at the outset.

Objectives – Students will be able to:

• Collaborate to compare perspectives on information
• Review steps needed to complete in order to transition to college
• Collaborate to answer questions supported by evidence
• Articulate what steps are next after clarifying with a neighbor
• Articulate what they have learned in a classroom blog post

Role of Instructor: The instructor’s roles are: presenter, facilitator, discussion leader, evaluator

Learners  State-Common Core Anchor Standards

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.11-12.1.C
Propel conversations by posing and responding to questions that probe reasoning and evidence; ensure a hearing for a full range of positions on a topic or issue; clarify, verify, or challenge ideas and conclusions; and promote divergent and creative perspectives.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.11-12.6
Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, demonstrating a command of formal English when indicated or appropriate.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.W.6
Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and to interact and collaborate with others.

W.CCR.9: Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.

Technology standards for learners (National)

2. Communication and Collaboration b. Communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences using a variety of media and formats

6. Technology operations and concepts

Students demonstrate a sound understanding of technology concepts,

systems, and operations.

1. Understand and use technology systems
2. Select and use applications effectively and productively

Technology standards for teachers National

ISTE Teacher 2. Design and develop digital age learning experiences and assessments

a . Design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity

Select  -Methods: The methods that I will use include presentation on smartboard, discussion in pairs for review of content. Students will work collaboratively and they will post to a classroom blog in order to expand on concepts learned.

Materials – See materials on page one

Utilize- Methods, Media, & Materials – see procedure below

Procedure:

Step 1        Teacher will ask students to create a T chart listing steps that they know they must complete before entering      college. On the left side (build background)

Step 2        Teacher will present information steps regarding: how and when to submit EOP recommendation letters, discuss early start program, discuss when to submit Sat scores, discuss, how to register for placement tests, the importance of the FAFSA and cal grant application and what to do when one misses a deadline. The importance of academic advising, early registration and how to buy books will also be covered.   

Step 3      Students fill out other side of t chart with information to fill in the gaps in their initial knowledge

Students write down any new information that they have learned.

(There are 6-8 articles total for the next section – students will become expert on two articles per team.)

Step 4       Students read 2 short articles individually and annotate them. (one each) 5-7 minutes

Step 5        Students switch articles read and comment on them.   5-7 minutes

Step 6        Students come to a consensus about what both articles are about. 2 minutes

Step 7         Students teach the class about what the articles are about. 10 minutes

Step 8        Students log in to classroom blog with teacher guidance.

Step 9         Students post a comment to the page about what they have learned about the process.

Modifications for students with disabilities

Assistive technology student.

On rare occasions students with disabilities appear in an AVID college preparatory classroom. Although there are no students with disabilities in the classroom at this time, students with specific learning disabilities could access the curriculum better by using text to speech and speech to text software. This would enable them to read, take notes and write papers with ease.

Require Learner Participation – I will get each learner involved the lesson by having them discuss and review information in preparation for posting their reflections on a classroom blog.

Evaluate- Student – Evaluation of students -see rubric at end of lesson plan:

Evaluate- Teacher- I will be able to tell if I have performed effectively if students are able to perform the tasks I have asked them to perform. I will reflect on the progress both formatively and summatively.

Evaluate – Media  -I will evaluate the media at the end of the experience by noting usefulness and ease of use and how students reacted to technology integration.

Evaluate – Lesson -I will evaluate the lesson by looking at the rubrics and seeing if the learning objectives were attained and noting which parts could be improved in terms of time management and ease of use.

How technology supports instructional activities:

Technology supports the teacher when planning the lesson (web search), using desktop software Microsoft Word to type up the lesson, typing the handouts and presentation

Students are supported by use of Smartboard to review concepts and by personal computers to post to the blog discussion.

Rubric:	Excellent	Very Good	Good/ Average	Below Average	Unsatisfactory/Poor
Discussion	Contributes to discussion uses clear evidence to supporrt ideas, has good volume and speaks clearly. (5 pts)	Contributes to discussion uses evidence to supporrt ideas, has good volume and speaks clearly. (4 pts)	Contributes to discussion uses unclear evidence to supporrt ideas Has good volume and speaks clearly. (3  pts)	Contributes to discussion uses no evidence to support ideas and speaks in a whisper (2 pt)	No discussion participation. (0  pts)
Use of Classroom Blog to reflect upon learning	Team is able to log  in to blog correctly, and articulate clearly what was learned in the presentation and readings clearly using standard English. (5 pts)	Team is able to log  in to blog correctly provides limited information about what was learned. Uses standard English. (4 points)	Team is able to log  in to blog tcorrectly, is limited in providing information or unclear about answers. May or may not use standard English. (3 pts)	Teamt has difficulty following directions with help. They may be unclear in response, or response requires little thought. (2pt)	Team  does not participate ,or posts inppropriately. (0  pts)

10 pts possible = 5 pts discussion, 5 points Blog Response

Conclusion:

I have been gathering information and articles to share with the students particularly about the California State University system process since most of these students are attending this type of college.

These students are motivated and will likely participate in this process easily.

I believe that having them teach the class even for a very short while will enhance cooperation and retention of content.

I am hoping that the use of the classroom blog will be an enhancement to their metacognitive process.