GoogleSite for International Baccalaureate
I am going to develop out a Googlesite wiki to use in conjunction with my International Baccalaureate(IB) class. This is one period a day where some of the best and brightest students come into my classroom to work on a technology project every day for six to nine weeks. Specifically, students will work in groups to create a five minute video newscast with multiple segments.
Users
The users are eighth graders who are enrolled in the IB program. In order to qualify for the program, students had to demonstrate a high level of academic achievement and testing ability. IB students are often involved in GATE programs and other academic achievements such as science fair, fine arts shows, and advanced band.
In regard to technology, IB students are often avid users of computers, cell phones, iPods, and other personal devices. Computers are often required in their other IB classes for traditional uses such as typing and research. They usually are quick to learn new technology. They are very familiar with Microsoft office and Internet Explorer. Most understand wikis, but have not had to do any serious work involving the use of one.
Teacher Goals for Users
Students will be using the Googlesite as a source of collaboration and documentation for their collaborative project on Newscasting. It will be the “creative hub” for the project and allow them to freely cooperate and share on group work.
IB students will use the website to:
- Create a group page that is the primary source of information and collaboration for the group.
- Create collaborative pages for planning and brainstorming.
- Create a “calendar page” for important due dates.
- Create an individual page that is a launching point for personal assignments such as research, script writing, and storyboarding.
- Create an online “Process Journal” to document daily progress and problems encountered during the project.
- Create a “File Share” page for important files.
- Post final project video or link.
Similar Websites
This is sort of similar to the handbook700 idea, but it is meant to be a bit more collaborative in nature. The IB Googlesite will provide students with more control and ownership.
A School or teacher (http://collabowiki.wikispaces.com/SCIENCE+FAIR!!!!) has used wikispaces as a hub for science fair projects. This is similar to the way the Googlesite should be used.
Performance Drivers/Barriers
Skills/Knoweldge - Students are familiar with the internet and Wikipedia, so they should have some idea as to how a wiki would work. It is highly doubtful that they have used a wiki in an academic setting due to the traditional technology experiences offered by the IB team of teachers. Furthermore, students will not likely be familiar with the way Googlesites works, as opposed to more familiar user interfaces such as Mediawiki.
Motivation – IB students are just like other students in that they are not likely to do more work than they are required to do. They are often loaded up with work and projects through the IB program, and thus are not interested in doing busywork beyond what is required of them. This may present itself as a problem if creating work on the wiki is not required. It will be easier to just us a word processor to journal and make assignments.
Environment – Students will do the vast majority of their Googlesite work and collaboration while in the computer lab during their 55 minute technology period. The lab is equipped with 36 HP computers, each running Windows XP. The school, Corona Fundamental Intermediate School, is equipped with two T1 lines, and will soon be upgraded to a fiber optic connection. Students will be at liberty to use Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox. In the event that the Googlesite is blocked by district filtering, the teacher will be able to get it unblocked through contacting the IT department.
Incentives–A concern in this type of project is that overachieving students may do the majority of the work. The motivation for these students is to get the best possible grade without other students harming the group grade. Another concern is that underachieving students will allow overachieving students to overwork. Their motivation is usually ignorance, laziness, or a lack of initiative.
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August 3rd, 2008 at 11:44 am
Hi Matt,
Sounds like a great class to be able to work with, and a great project idea. You’ve asked what you need to do to set it up, and I’d say that rather than have a lot of blank pages that the students will eventually take over, I’d get the pages seeded with some early content.
ie. you do the calendar for the first week or two, to model how they should make it work the rest of the school year.
What I’d say you should do is to build a samples of the pages you describe so that students have a clear example of how each of your pages will work.
Overall I think it’s a very strong design and will serve you well in the upcoming year.