Grade_7_Assurred_Experience

This Assured Experience (AE) **will use 21st century technology techniques** to **enhance an existing unit** in which student teams will work in an interdisciplinary manner to solve authentic problems that mimic the way scientists work and collaborate in their real world actual work. Teams will be assigned a task to create a robotic probe and will work together to design, build, and program the probe. Students will keep an online engineering journal that will be accessible to all teams to provide a cooperative and supportive environment for all students. The format of this AE would **be suitable to be used with any grade project (unit) that requires investigation and collaboration**. All seventh grade **students of all ability levels** currently participate in this six-week curriculum unit that explores our solar system. **Modifications will be made for students** requiring additional assistance, extra instruction time. Projects of varying degrees of challenge or support will be provided per IEP and recommendations of teachers and Support Services staff members. ELL students typically do well with computer-based and hands-on activities. **Appropriate modifications will be provided as necessary for English Language Learners** to successfully participate in this unit. Necessary skills in mathematics will be taught and supported by teachers and peers as needed. Programming of the robotic probes will require students to analyze data, work with formulas, measurement, problem solving strategies, and computation. **The Library Media Specialist will be instrumental** in providing fundamental research skills by including the Big 6 Information research skills in the unit curriculum. Hardware and software resources listed in the **Hardware and Software Utilization Plan below** will enhance the teaching and learning experience in this unit. Building and programming challenges can be worked out with the support of teachers, other team members, and other teams to ensure success for all. Once probes have been successfully built, teachers will provide information on the class web site providing information about the simulated location of each probe in the solar system. Using bits of simulated data, student teams will discover the exact locations of the probes. During the simulation, students will have the ability to request information (or data) from the probes which will be supplied by the teachers via the web site. Concurrently, students will respond to the teacher’s blog question pertaining to the issue of funding American Space Exploration and, human versus robotic exploration. Information submitted for inclusion in the blog will be approved by teachers prior to posting to assure accuracy. Students will then review the postings, take a stand on the issue, and write a persuasive letter to the appropriate real world audience (i.e. debates) whether online, via webcam, or in class are a possibility. This AE provides an opportunity to form a cohesive bond between many disciplines and aggregates and enhances many existing activities into one cohesive whole. Research has shown that students learn and retain information better when it is presented in context and is relevant to the task at hand. This AE provides students with the context within which many skills can be learned, applied, and mastered. Student Assessment for this Assured Experience will be performance-based and include a skills assessment that will address CMT essential skills. Participating teachers will be afforded training opportunities tailored to meet the needs that will assure the greatest success for the overall AE. This training will include opportunities to collaborate with teachers outside of the school district who are already providing assured, technologically rich, learning experiences. **Commitments have been made by this staff and teachers in the Groton School District** who have been successfully providing resonant assured experiences to their students. A “**Summer** **Academy**” will provide customized technology training for individual grade level teachers that will address the skills necessary to assure successful outcomes for their unit. Further professional training strands that are offered during the school year will be tailored to meet identified additional training needs as they arise. Furthermore, teachers creating this Assured Experience will be provided adequate time during school normal working hours to prepare curriculum materials. **Teachers and the IT staff in this school work closely with EASTCONN** Technology Training Staff. **They will be a partner and advisor in all training endeavors**. Their input will be sought on teacher training, development of curricular materials and activities. They will also suggest the best means to maximize collaboration opportunities through Wikis, //VoiceThreads//, podcasts, and blogs. **CT Frameworks in science, mathematics, and language arts are met in the Mansfield Middle Schools grade level curriculum documents**. The **technology skills infused in this unit are compliant with the technology curriculum incorporated into the District Technology plan and deemed to be in unison with the objectives of the CT Student Technology Competencies** The proposed budget for this grant will make certain that teachers have appropriate time to attend training and meetings, observe other schools, etc., including the provision of substitute teachers, where necessary. The use of computers, the Internet, data probes, digital cameras will be integrated throughout the unit. Portable, wireless, laptop computers are available for use in the classrooms along with multiple fixed PCs. **A full-time IT Coordinator and Technology Aide** are available to the entire school and will ensure that hardware and software support is provided. It is envisioned that this unit will be piloted in spring of 2009. **The Science, Mathematics, Language Arts Curriculum Councils and Technology Councils will monitor** the success of this AE. The results of the pilot course will be reviewed by the respective groups and modifications, deemed necessary for improvement, will be made in a summer workshop during the summer of 2009. This AE is designed to provide the context within which students will build upon basic skills commonly found in elementary and middle school curricula. It is helpful for students to have prior experience using computers, and the Internet both for research and communication. Appropriate use of blogs or wikis may be a new skill that could be introduced earlier in the year as a smaller project to prepare for this AE. Some prior knowledge of the Solar System would also be helpful, but not essential. Mathematical understanding of basic formulas is helpful although not required as these skills can be developed in the context of programming. Familiarity with note-taking, journal notation, persuasive writing, and debate are helpful, but not necessary. The practical and intelligent use of educational technology hardware and software described herein will enhance the assured learning experience for each student. A full-time technology coordinator and technology aide are always available to provide technology support as required whether it is hardware or software related or assistance is needed for integrating educational technology into curricular activities. Category  || Item  || Description  || Use  || Support  || Hardware || Vex Robotics Hardware Kit  || Programmable probe and accessories  || Student-built, programmable probe that will simulate lunar rover || Enrichment staff IT Staff  || Hardware || EasyC programming kit  || Beginner-type software to program for use on computer for downloading to microcontroller || Program probe (simulated rover) || Enrichment staff IT Staff  || Hardware || ** Vex Robotics Classroom Lab Foundation Kit **. ||  Beginner Vex Robotics Design Engineering Lab  || Used to increase the level of complexity, challenge and design concepts for students || Enrichment staff IT Staff  || Hardware || VEXplorer ||  Lower difficulty robotics kit  || Used for students requiring lower ability appropriate activities || Enrichment staff IT Staff  || Hardware || Video cameras || Create WMV videos || Windows movie maker || IT Support Staff  || Hardware || Digital cameras || Collect photographs || Post on wiki, blog, web site, etc. || IT Support Staff  || Hardware || Laptop Computers || Interface with probes || Used to program probes and communicate with wiki, etc. || IT Support Staff  ||
 * Targeted Grade Level: ** Grade 7
 * Abstract : **
 * Description of AE :  **
 * Students will:  **
 * conduct research and collect information using Big 6 Information Skills
 * collaborate as members of a team to design, build, and program a robotic probe suitable for extra-terrestrial exploration and share information in a class Wiki.
 * collaborate in online problem-solving and communication using a teacher-guided wiki and /r blog to facilitate the programming and building of a robotic probe.
 * participate in a simulation of remote sensing where the location of the probe will be determined by the information provided by the probe(s).
 * work as members of a team in a simulation of space exploration by remote sensing using a website designed for this purpose.
 * use a Wiki to maintain an online engineering journal recording the process of construction of a robotic probe.
 * interact with a website simulating “Mission Control” where data recorded by the probes will be posted in order to determine where the probes are located.
 * discuss, on a class wiki, information about current issues in space exploration.
 * participate in a blog and/or wiki experience addressing the merits of funding space exploration, as well as the debate of human versus robotic exploration.
 * participate in a real-time webcam debate with students from other participating schools.
 * compose a real-world/authentic persuasive letter to appropriate authorities on space exploration.
 * Resources needed: **
 * Internet connection (preferably high speed – already in place)
 * Accounts on wikispaces.com
 * Access to blogs
 * Robotics kits (enough for all teams)
 * Access to laptops with wireless Internet capabilities (enough for each team in a class)
 * Access to robotics experienced staff (Enrichment teacher possesses adequate knowledge and experience)
 * Access to technology support staff for support and training with hardware, software, wikis, blogs and websites
 * Access to the Library Media Center
 * Access to Library Media Center staff for assistance with instruction of Big 6 Information research skills
 * Access to professional development with robotics, programming, wikis, blogs, and website design and maintenance.
 * Prior Learning Required: **
 * Adaptations for Special Needs Students/ELLs: **
 * Classroom teachers and support services staff will provide students needing support with the appropriate scaffolding to ensure success.
 * Teacher/staff support provided:
 * reading materials/websites of varied reading levels.
 * teacher-guided reading activities to facilitate construction of meaning.
 * technology add-ons to ensure sight/and or hearing impaired access to materials.
 * graphic organizers designed to organize and facilitate understanding of written materials.
 * visual and auditory aids to enhance learning of concepts.
 * opportunity to learn/perform tasks individually, as well as in heterogeneously grouped
 * robotic probe assignment to teams can be varied in difficulty level
 * creation of an online learning community to support problem solving and programming challenges
 * one-on-one assistance during simulation of probe exploration with guiding questioning and analysis of data.
 * Hardware / Software **
 * Teacher Notes and Reflections: Teachers involved in this AE project: **
 * will require professional development and support (**//various technology i.e. wikis, blogs, websites etc.)//**
 * may find it helpful to introduce some of the online skills to students prior to the AE.
 * may find it helpful to coordinate special schedules to accommodate longer time periods to work on certain aspects of this AE.
 * will need the support of our support services staff in modifying and scaffolding tasks for certain students.
 * will need the support of our Library Media Staff to help with online research skills and instruction.
 * will need the support of our Math Science Enrichment Teacher to provide training and support with the robotic programming piece of this AE.