INTERNMENT PROJECT

Rationale For Selection And Use Of Technology

          Our project has been designed based on the SECTIONS model for selecting and applying technology as defined by Bates and Poole (2003).   Each activity was carefully designed to maximize the use of technology and to build skills that meet the intended learning outcomes for the project. The Internment Project has been designed as a mixed mode course that provides tangible links between the face-to-face and the computer technology components of the course. The format of the activities exploits the unique features of the medium or technology (Bates & Poole, 2003), and provides students with a variety of approaches to facilitate deep learning and to further develop skills for life long learning.   Bates and Poole (2003) state that "Indeed for deep understanding, we often need to learn in different ways about the same concept. ....The more ways we can learn about a subject or topic, the more deeply we are likely to understand. Hence one immediate advantage of using different media and technologies is that they allow us to represent the work in different ways" ( p. 51).

Students: The students in this Grade 7 class have strong basic computing skills and the level and type of technology used in this project will further enable them to build on their current knowledge and skills. Although the use of technology in the students' everyday learning is not new, the method course delivery is new. Therefore, "...presenting teaching in new ways will require that students also approach the learning task differently...There is a risk, because it means doing something for which the outcome is uncertain" (Bates & Poole, (2003), p. 52). The use of the SECTIONS model has aided the designers in reducing this risk.

Ease of use and reliability: The school has chosen to use Apple iBooks technology and its software (Inspiration, iMovie, iPhoto, Dreamweaver...) which are familiar to both the students and teacher, and are known for stability.   These programs have been designed for classroom use, therefore they are very straightforward for students to use. Students will be able to explore each application, potentially accessing functionality they had not experienced before. The school’s intranet is a reliable and stable place to host our web pages and the design will be simple and easy to navigate.

Costs: The cost factors for developing the Internment Project are largely considered to be "free or zero teaching cost" (Bates & Poole, 2002). The equipment, software, technical staff and to some extent, the development of such projects (e.g. Human Resource time and copyright costs), have been investments already made and costs calculated into the school overall Technology Plan. Teachers used prep time (both in and outside school), and some project development time, as allocated in the school's Technology Plan, to create the instructional design of the course; so this cost is already built into the Human Resources budget. The development of the project utilizes the current technology resources within the school. This project has been designed to meet the needs of the current Grade 7 class. The Internment Project can be easily updated to incorporate current events related resources and adjustments to activities (however, in the future, this may incur minimal costs).

Teaching and Learning: Each type of media and technology selected for this project promotes a different style of learning (visual, auditory, etc). Allowing exposure to various learning styles provides students with styles they prefer to learn with, as well as encouraging the development of the mental dexterity that can help them achieve their potential (Felder, 1996). The education media in the Internment Project have been designed to be transmitted through a mix of broadcast (text & digital multimedia) and communication technologies (face-to-face) (Bates & Poole, 2002). The technology-supported learning context is designed so "that the technologies be used in combination to support each other [as cognitive tools] while supporting the learner" (Jonassen, 2002, p. 63). (The section on Description of Activities further describes how media and technologies are used to support meaningful learning in the Internment Project.)

Interaction and Interactivity: This project requires a high degree of interaction.   Students will not only view and read the course delivered through web-pages using the computer, they will also participate in face-to-face classroom activities, use technology tools to reflect (e.g. through the use of Weblogs), to research (Internet), to share and organize thinking (Inspiration Software), to represent their knowledge (e.g. iMovie, iPhoto, Dreamweaver) and to evaluate their own learning (RubiStar) as they work though and complete activities (Bates & Poole, 2003). The teacher will also use the technologies to provide timely feedback for assignments and monitor students to ensure activities are being properly executed and students are on task.

Internet - (project pages) - The project web-pages are designed to disseminate and provide links to information so all students can have equal access to the course content. Using the Internet, the students can immerse themselves (working like a Journalist or Researcher) in an investigation of the concept of Internment - promoting what Icaza (2004) describes as a more organic and authentic learning experience and environment. Linkings to primary source information using the Web encourages student motivation, and allows them to acquire more advanced skills by becoming immersed in problems that anthropologists, historians and journalists face (U.S.A., 1993).

Inspiration Software - Inspiration Software effectively combines visual learning and technology. The software allows students to use technology to link related ideas, to organize their thinking and to build visual concept diagrams at the click of a mouse.

iMovie, iPhoto, Dreamweaver Software - These applications are very intuitive and provided opportunities for students to create their own representations and understanding about the concept of internment in a unique manner. These applications support constructivist theory by providing opportunities for students to create their own representations and understandings of the material learned.   Students can explore each application, potentially accessing functionality they had not experienced before.

Weblogs (or Blog) - www.blogger.com will provide students with an online platform to develop and maintain an online reflection journal on which they can post their thoughts about the project activities and construct their knowledge throughout the Internment Project. The weblog will also provide a place for the teacher to provide feedback, challenge student thinking and provide direction.

RubiStar - www.RubiStar.com further promotes constructivist theory by providing students with a user-friendly template for creating an assignment-specific rubric. The Rubistar web site will scaffold students through the unfamiliar assessment lingo associated with rubrics and will guide them through the mature task of creating categories and assessment levels on their rubric. This technology-supported rubric demonstrates Lev Vygotsky's social constructivist theory in action as the Rubistar web site serves as a conduit or "zone of proximal development" to support students in accomplishing this mature pre-assessment task. The teacher will provide guidance to the students as they take responsibility for their learning and create a rubric to grade their own knowledge construction.

Organizational Issues: The teacher is familiar with all of the technologies selected for use in the Interment Project. The teacher will also be able to   access assistance from the Learning Technologies Teacher as well as technical support from the IT Department in the school. The school's Technology Plan and administration encourage and support technology integration into classrooms learning context.

Novelty: Although the technology isn’t new to many of the students, having the course delivered over the Internet is.   At Collingwood technology is viewed as an intellectual partner that empowers students to learn. Icaza (1997) emphasizes that this new way of learning motivates students to learn because students are given the power to co-author their own learning.   "When applied to learning, the internet becomes a fabulous medium to enhance education...." (Icaza, ¶1). And since the administrators wish to incite a passion for technology, many other teachers may be encouraged to use technology as they observe the process and progress of this project.

Speed: Although the historical component of the project will remain unchanged, the areas of the project that are connected to current events will soon be considered history. The project itself is easy to update using Front Page; however, the teacher must remain on top of the current events related to internment and update them regularly. Once the pages are prepared, anyone given access will be able to update the data quickly. Alternative and newer technology components (e.g. Wiki) may also be integrated and used in the internment project so as to continually enhance and update the project site.

Description of Activities & Technology Use

Affinity Diagram Activity #1

        This activity uses a thinking tool called an Affinity Diagram. The Affinity Diagram helps students understand and make sense of problems that are complex, hard to understand or overwhelming (Pekin Public Schools District 108). The Affinity Diagram is a graphic organizer or mind map that helps students brainstorm, organize and categorize ideas into natural groupings. For the Internment Project, students will develop an Affinity Diagram to generate, organize and analyze ideas and information about the topic and issues related to internment.

          To develop the Affinity Diagram, students will use Inspiration Software. This software is a tool which helps visual learners tap into their knowledge and share it through concept diagrams.   Inspiration was selected for this activity because it enhances the aspects of constructivism we wish to focus upon. Using Inspiration to complete the Affinity Diagram enables students to assimilate new information into pre-existing ideas, and adjust and transform their understanding in response to new facts. It also allows students to work together to easily manipulate and modify the information until they are satisfied with the final product. Since students are introduced to this software in Grade 6, they can use prior experience to explore Inspiration and create a unique affinity diagram for this activity. Students will work in groups to create their affinity diagram and will be required to share ideas, discuss options and work as a team to create the final project. The students will email their final products to the teacher and also complete a peer evaluation at the end of this activity.   Students will assess themselves, and teachers will assess the students according to the teacher designed assessment rubric found on the affinity diagram activity page. Teachers will compare the two assessments and provide feedback. This exercise will prepare students for activity #4 in which they are required to create their own assessment Rubric.

Weblog (Blog) Activity #2

          Blogging ( www.blogger.com ) will be an on-going reflective activity throughout the project. Students will be required to complete one blogging activity per week. Students will use blogging as a "mindtool" for responding to issues on the topic of internment. Teachers will assess student blogs by using the Blogging assessment rubric found in the Course Content page.

Jigsaw Activity #3

          This activity uses a cooperative learning technique called a Jigsaw to help students gather and learn new information about internment. The Jigsaw technique contains three components: information research, written summary of research findings, and an oral presentation back to their Jigsaw Group. The objective of the Jigsaw activity is for students to learn more about internment and to generate further questions to be researched after their investigation in this module.

         For the Jigsaw activity, the teacher places each student into a Jigsaw group and assigns each individual a number. Students are responsible for learning the information related to their assigned number and all students with the same number assemble in same 'expert group' to learn the information. After exploring the required information, students hold discussions in their 'expert groups to solidify their understanding and to formulate the information they will transmit to their peers in a summary format. After doing so, they report this information back to their Jigsaw Group.

The Jigsaw activity is an efficient way to spread the information students learn from accessing web-based resources. The Jigsaw activity promotes teamwork, listening skills, engagement and knowledge development.

          The Jigsaw activity web-page outlines instructions for the Jigsaw, presents links to the primary sources for each Jigsaw Group, and provides procedures for writing a summary. Students will be assessed according to the teacher designed assessment rubric found on the Jigsaw activity page.

Visual Activity #4

          The Visual activity allows students to use applications such as iMovie, iPhoto, and Dreamweaver, which provide opportunities and tools for students to present their understanding about internment in a unique and creative format. In constructivist learning, students are encouraged to create their own representations and understandings of the material. Allowing students to immerse themselves into their preferred role (e.g. Web Designer, Producer...) and preferred mode of presentation supports this belief; students choose the role and multimedia-authoring tool they feel can best represent their personal learning experience. Each of the software programs requires students to become active learners and encourages them to work collaboratively and cooperatively in order to complete the task and develop skills for life long learning.

          Using iMovie, students can become producers and create a script and storyboard from their research, enabling them to produce a movie. iPhoto enables students to simulate the work of a journalist or writer by creating a fictional or non-fictional story with images that represent their learning. Dreamweaver allows students to become Web designers or researchers by creating their own hyperlinked environment and by enabling them to present the information in their own personal presentation style.

           RubiStar: For this activity students are also required to develop their own assessment rubric using the site http://rubistar.4teachers.org/index.php. Students will self-assess their visual representation project using this rubric.

Debating Activity #5
          The Internment Project will conclude with a debate centering on whether internment should be used in the event of a future threat to Canadian national security. In keeping with a major objective of a constructivist-based project, this activity is designed to promote authentic learning for students. Joseph Renzulli (1992), noted expert on gifted/talented education states that the key principles of authentic learning are "applying relevant knowledge, thinking skills and interpersonal skills to the solution of real problems" (p. 1).
          In preparation for the debate students will refer to the information they already have, research further links from the project links page and view the online debate, "Torture is Justified During National Security Crises" . As many students have not participated in a debate prior to this activity they will also need to become familiar with correct debating procedure and skills. To do this, students will preview resource links and participate in several short, impromptu debates to hone their debating skills. The debate will provide an alternative method for assessing the overall learning and depth of understanding exhibited by the students. Students will be assessed according to the teacher designed assessment rubric found on the Debate activity page.

Development Task	Description/Rationale	Completed By	Completion Date
Production Plan	"Stage One: Preparation of the Phase Network: Planning consists of analyzing the materials development project, breaking it into work elements, and arranging them into their logical and sequential order. This becomes the working model for the development. As the work elements are defined, three questions are asked about each of them: What immediately follows this work? What can be developed in parallel with the work element" (Ross, 1991, The Four Sates of a Phase Network section).	J. Dousett B. Dyck L. Legebokoff	16/02/04 (subject to updating)
Definition of Learning Outcomes	Following a decision of theme and content, learning outcomes are outlined early so course activities can be designed to met these objectives (Bates & Poole, 2003; Kemp, 2000; Clark, 2000). This will provide the direction for the design and development of the course modules.	J. Dousett B. Dyck L. Legebokoff	24/02/04 (subject to updating)
Selection & Design of Instructional Methods and Learning Activities	The Internment Project is based on constructivist theory, therefore project activities should be designed to enable learners to link new information to old, meaningfully construct new knowledge, monitor their own knowledge construction and represent their knowledge (Bond & Cummings as cited in Abbott, n.d.).	J. Dousett B. Dyck L. Legebokoff	24/02/04 (subject to updating)
Selection of Appropriate Media & Technology	Once the content, activities, learning outcome and instructional methods have been established, the team will decide on the appropriate media and technology to deliver the activities and achieve the objectives of the course, in the course, and best facilitate and extend the capabilities of the learning in completing the course activities. Bates & Poole's (2003) SECTION model will used to aid in this decision-making process. The team will develop their own web-pages. Most graphics will be free clipart. The source(s) of any historical graphics (photos) integrated into the web-pages will properly referenced and copyright cleared prior to use.	J. Dousett B. Dyck L. Legebokoff
Design	The Internment Project web-site will be designed using Front Page. The Internment Project web-site will includes three major sections; the course overview, course content and learning outcomes and student activities. The course overview section has been designed as an overview for instructors wishing to use this site. The course content and learning outcomes sections provides a course outline for the Interment Project. And the student activities section contains all of the self-directed student activity pages for the course.	J. Dousett B. Dyck L. Legebokoff	05/05/04 (subject to updating)
Production & Development	"Stage Two: Estimation of Expected Time to Perform Each Work Element: ...The scheduling operation begins when the development team places time estimate against each work element..." (Ross, 1991). The three team members (instructors) will write content, and create the activities and assessment rubrics for the project. Each member is responsible clearing any copyright material prior to including it into into the web-site. Guideline time-lines for each module will be established before the test runs, however, these timelines are subject to change. All three team member will also contribute to the production of the teacher related materials (e.g. Course Overview - re: ETEC 510, assignment #3).	J. Dousett B. Dyck L. Legebokoff	Ongoing from 05/03/04 to completion of project.
Delivery & Implementation	'Stage Three: Development of the Phase Network: When these times have been allocated to each work element, it is possible to determine the total time required to carry out the project" (Ross, 1991). The Course Schedule and Course Content sections will provide guidance and outlines for teachers and students using the Internment course. Test runs of module components will help determine further changes to course timelines. Such test runs can also provide information on how well learning outcomes are being met, students impressions, etc. which can lead to further revisions (Kemp, 2000).	J. Dousett B. Dyck L. Legebokoff	Completion Date April 15, 2004. Delivery Date: September 2004.
Evaluation	"Stage Four: Monitoring & Control: ....the basic information state dates, durations, delays, and completion dates must be updated regularly" (Ross, 1991). Since there are no allocated funds or resources present within the institution to enable evaluation, it is not possible to complete a formal assessment. However, each member of the production team will evaluate the course. Furthermore, test runs will provide formative evaluation of the course and future students will be encouraged to provide summative evaluations in upcoming sessions.	J. Dousett B. Dyck L. Legebokoff (Students)
Maintenance	Minor, cost-free course maintenance will be undertaken by the three production members working in conjunction with each other and adhering to the collegial development model (Bates & Poole, 2003).	J. Dousett B. Dyck L. Legebokoff

Conclusion & Continuing Work

Preliminary test runs of several activities in the Internment Unit show that students are very concerned and interested in learning about internment. The activities encouraged them to exercise life skills in an authentic learning environment. Initially, students may need more teacher direction as they progress through the activities in the Internment Unit since they have little experience with web-based courses and web-based learning. This will be the students' first exposure to constructivist learning and, depending on the maturity level of students, they may require more guidance than the course designers anticipate. In order to avoid potential problems, the teacher should maintain face-to-face contact and discussion and not rely on the Internment website as the only mode of communication. Teachers can be flexible and modify the duration of each activity where necessary. The length of the Internment activities may also be influenced by the every day goings on within a school; interruptions may occur if students miss classes for sports, assemblies or other special events.

Plagiarism is a potential problem with web-based learning, especially with students of such a young age. Since students will have their work accessible on the Web, teachers will need to address issues associated with Web publishing, topics such as aesthetic design and the proper acknowledgement of copyright material. The activities are designed to minimize opportunities to plagiarize; however, it is the teacher’s responsibility to discuss any web-based topics that arise such as design issues, proper citation methods, as well as the implication of plagiarizing work.

To-date the design and development of the Internment Unit have proven to be extremely cost effective. All costs, so far, have been built into existing Technology Plan budgets and the administration is supportive of the use of IT. However, in the future, there may be lack of support for integrating newer technologies, and upkeep or modifications to the Internment Unit by other teachers and the administration. A lack of support from administration will make it difficult to deploy a technology-based unit such as this one. To encourage on-going support, we recommend that examples of students work be accessible for teachers, the administration and parents to view, therefore as the unit progresses students’ work will be made available through the link called “Student Work.”

Since technical difficulties can interfere with the smooth delivery of this unit, it is very important that a technically competent person be available to trouble shoot technical problems, update the unit and to integrate new technologies. This may be the teacher facilitating the unit, an IT support person or a colleague. Although the Apple computers tend to be more stable, it is well known that no technology is 100% reliable.

Therefore, the mixed mode approach to the Internment Unit does not only help learners adapt to new ways of teaching and learning, it also helps to accommodate possible instabilities that occur with technology. The designers of the Internment Unit also welcome feedback on the Internment Project website. We realize and acknowledge that with today’s ever-advancing technology, the way we do things is constantly evolving and this website should reflect the inevitable changes.

The designers of the Internment Unit view modern technology as a powerful tool for introducing students to the multi-faceted balance of the timeless human values of tolerance, compassion and national security during times of global crisis. Imparting these values to the next generation via modern technology is incumbent on today’s educators in order to humanely negotiate the labyrinth of human conflict.

RETURN TO TOP

Bates, A.W. and Poole, G. (2003). Effective teaching with technology in higher education: Foundations for success. San Francisco: Jossey Bass.

Driscoll, M. (2000). Psychology of learning for instruction. Needham Heights, MA: Allyn & Bacon.

Greeno, J. G., Collins, A. M., & Resnick, L. B. (1996). Cognition and learning. In D.C. Berliner & R.C. Calfree (Eds). Handbook of Educational Pscychology, New York: Mc Millan.

Gregoire, Reginald & Laferriere, Therese (1998). Canada's schoolnet project-based collaborative learning with networked computers teachers guide. Retrieved January 15, 2004 from http://www.tact.fse.ulaval.ca/ang/html/l

Icaza, Jose I., (2004). Internet-enhanced education: the web as a mirror of student learning. Proceedings, International Conference on Distance Education (ICDE97), U. of Pennsylvania. Retrieved March 24, 2004 from http://copernico.mty.itesm.mx/~jicaza/papers/icde97.htm

Jonassen, D., (1995). Supporting communities of learners with technology: A vision for integrating technology with learning in schools. Educational Technology, 35(4), p. 60-63.

Jonassen,D., Carr, C., & Yueh, H., (1998). Computers as mindtool for engaging learners in critical thinking. First Published in: TechTrends, 43(2), p.24-32 {Electronic version}. Retrieved January 23, 2004 from http://students.ou.edu/H/Karen.G.Hemmerling-1/jonassen.html

Kauffman, R & Herman, J.(1997). Strategic planning, schooling, and the curriculum of tomorrow. In S. Dijkstra, N.M. Seel, F. Schott, R.D. Tennyson (Eds.), Instructional Design: International Perspectives (pp. 45-58), Mahwah, New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum.

Peters, O., (2002). Distance education in transition. Oldenburge, Germany: Bibliotheks-und Informationssystem der Universitat Oldenburg.

Ross, David (1991). Project management in the development of instructional material for distance education: an Australian overview. American Journal of Distance Education 5(2): 24-30. Retrieved Feb 11, 2004, from World Bank Global Distance Educationet: http://www1.worldbank.org/disted/Management/Operations/sch-02.html

Course Project Proposal Summary	Production Schedule Overview	Conclusion & Continuing Work
Rationale For Technology Use & Description Of Activities	Course Objectives & Course Delivery	References
Student Work	C0urse Content	Student Home

Production Team Players and Roles