WEBSITE AND CLASSROOM BLOG CREATION TOOLS

Name: Alyssa Coons

Directions: Using the template below, describe how students could use a blog, wiki, or other website-
creation tool to learn required learning standards in your content area: For an A grade provide an idea that
reaches a Level of Technology Implementation of 4 or above. Remember higher levels (4-6) require that
students assume adult/professional roles; engage in higher-order thinking; and use technology
create/publish original content for their classmates and/or others beyond their school/classroom. The
learning activities and products should be engaging and meaningful to the students and to others who will
view/use/benefit from students work. Review your handouts on Engaged Learning, Authenticity, and LoTi.
Grade Level: Fifth
Content Area: Life Science
Technology Used (check all that apply):
Blog Wiki Other Website Creation Tool (list):
Content Area/Grade/Standards/Topics Addressed:
S5L2. Students will recognize that offspring can resemble parents in inherited traits and learned
behaviors.
a. Compare and contrast the characteristics of learned behaviors and of inherited traits.
b. Discuss what a gene is and the role genes play in the transfer of traits.
Brief Description of Learning Experience:
By the end of this assignment, students will be knowledgeable of the standard, S5L2, stating that Students
will recognize that offspring can resemble parents in inherited traits and learned behaviors. On the
teachers blog, there will be links to videos about inherited traits and learned behaviors, which the teacher
will assign the students to watch for homework. The teacher will then have the students tune in to a
podcast, made by the teacher and located on the teachers classroom blog, which introduces the Inherited
Traits lesson.

In the podcast, the students will listen as the teacher instructs them to think about themselves, their friends,
family members, or even their pets that have inherited traits from their parents. The students will also
observe any learned behaviors that these people/pets have learned from their parents. They will keep notes
of these inherited traits and learned behaviors and bring them to class. Upon their return to class, the
students will be split into small groups and will be assigned to create a blog with information about what
inherited traits and learned behaviors are, as well as their real-world examples. The students will be given a
week to complete all their research and to finish their blogs. Anyone will be able to have access to these
blogs, because the students will not put any personal information on them. The blogs will be most helpful to
other students doing research on this standard.
Blooms Level of Critical Thinking Required (check all that apply):
See http://epltt.coe.uga.edu/index.php?title=Bloom%27s_Taxonomy
Remembering Understanding Applying Analyzing Evaluating Creating

Student Engagement/Level of Technology Implementation (LoTi):

This lesson would be considered LoTi level 6. This is because it will be a longer lesson, spanning over
multiple days to complete. The students will be creating something original (their blogs) and will share
their scientific information through their blogs.

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 WEBSITE AND CLASSROOM BLOG CREATION TOOLS
Importance of technology:
This Website-Creation tool is important for this project because the blog is the reason that the LoTi level is
as high as it is. Without the website-creation portion, the students would not have the ability to share their
scientific information with the world around them, preventing the students from completing the project.
Without creating the website, the lesson could still be useful in furthering the students understanding of the
concepts, but taking away the creativity lowers the LoTi level.
Internet Safety and Student Privacy:
To create a blog, students will have to create a login. Depending on the type of blog they are making
determines what kind of information needs to be entered when they are signing up. Some blogs require the
student to be at least 13-years-old. Sometimes the websites require students to enter an email as well.
However, some school systems supply their students with school emails which are constantly monitored
and protected, allowing students a safe way to sign up for blog accounts. Finally, students have the ability
to use pseudonyms instead of their real names and avoiding posting pictures of themselves or others. All
these factors keep the students as safe as possible when it comes to internet safety and creating blogs.
Describe your personal learning goal for this activity.
This lesson requires limits to really be pushed past the students comfort zones. Teaching a lesson like this
would push students past their basic knowledge of research by having them create something through their
research and share the information with the world. They would have to take control of their learning,
considering the guidelines of their research will be vague and they will have total freedom with their
creativity of the blog. I believe that the students will gain so much through a lesson like this because they
will have to prioritize their research facts and examples and figure out the best way to present the
information.