May 3rd, 2017

Brittany Patrick
 Position Paper
Technology is rapidly expanding, and with it, our education system. It seems natural that these
two should go hand in hand, but not everybody sees it. Here at ABC Community School, we
believe that technology has an undeniably big spot in our education system. We are lucky to be
gifted with as much technology as we are, and we are determined to defend our right to keep it.
So why, may you ask, should our school keep using technology? Well, the answer is in the
research.
A scholarly article by the name of Bridging the Gap: Technology Trends and Use of
Technology in Schools states that “Students have [also] taken on a more active role in their own
learning process by using technology to search for and collate information, and publish and share
their findings. They are now more engaged and are able to make better connections between their
previous learning experiences and the new concepts or principles being taught (see e.g., Kozma,
2003).” If you look at our students work and compare it to the work of a non-technology
integrated school, you will see a vast difference in creativity and quality. Our students embody
the idea of forward thinking learning. Our projects go far beyond posters and cardboard displays
to show work; our students animate, draw, and create new and innovative ways to display and
interpret information.
Not only is technology helpful to our students, but it can also provide reasonable budget
savings within the county. Bridging the Gap: Technology Trends and Use of Technology in
Schools states that “Studies have shown the ability of technology in improving productivity
saving costs in sectors outside education. For example, a study conducted in 2002 found that the
Internet “has already yielded current, cumulative cost savings of US$155.2 billion to U.S.
organizations that have adopted Internet business solutions.”
In my mind, education is about adaptation. What good will trifold displays do our
students if they are going into present something in front of a board of executives in ten years?
What good will a piece of scratch paper do in a job where excel is the norm? These situations
require knowledge of technology, and as educators we are supposed to provide knowledge. This
isn’t about stuffing our rooms with the latest and greatest gear in order to brag to other schools in
our county that we’re the leader in technologic teaching. This is about ensuring that these
children get the best possible education that we can provide them.
The same article states that “The scope of the digital world is comparable to that of the
physical world; from online gaming and online dating to e-learning and e-business. At the same
time, the size of the involvement in the digital world is phenomenal and its growth dramatic.
There were about 800 million Internet users around the world in 2004. This number had
increased to about 1.97 billion as of June 2010 (“Internet,” 2011), which is about 28.7% of the
total world population.”
These studies only go to show that the grasp technology has on society is going to
continue to grow. So, with all this information, I sincerely hope that you decide to continue
allowing our school to grow with it. I hope that, in years to come, we can show you exactly why
technology has a place in school. As our children and our students graduate, I would invite you
to watch them utilize what we taught them here at ABC Community School. The world and the
education system is on the brink of a transformation, but we don’t have to be scared. We can be
supportive and we can aid the growth of our future generations.
 Identification of Standards
The rather significant difference between the CCSD and the state standards for
technology in education was a bit surprising. Disregarding how different the documents were
written, the CCSD standards appear to have a lot more expectations than the state standards
have. For example, 2nd grade students on a CCSD level are given a full rubric that spans from
exceeds standards to below standards, whereas the Nevada Computer Technology document only
lists a single standard. For example, on the CCSD document content standard “Productivity
Tools: Students use appropriate productivity tools including but not limited to word processing,
spreadsheet, database, multimedia and telecommunications” has a full layout of how these
standards should be met, and what the standard looks like when it is not met. On the Nevada
document, 3.C.2.1 states that “students must recognize that different information sources and
digital tools are appropriate for different tasks.”
Aside from the in-depth analysis CCSD provides that the Nevada document does not,
both share very similar goals. All three documents share a likeness in that they give solid
examples of what is expected of a student. However, the ISTE standards are not separated by
grade levels and explain things on a broader spectrum.
The standards seem to get more and more complex the further down the level goes. This
is a good thing, considering that each school district will be able to morph and apply these
standards to their specific curriculum. This isn’t to say that this doesn’t come with danger,
though. Some states and districts may create sloppy standards in order to cut corners. I would
like to see the student standards on the ISTE document become more defined in the near future.
The CCSD and state standards for Nevada seem to fall in line with the national standards, which
is good for our educational system. This is a push in the right direction for our technologic
advancement.
The standards I will be meeting in my lesson plan are taken from the Nevada standards
document. The lesson plan will hit four of the standards, two taking place in the 1st standard, one
in the 2nd standard, and one in the 3rd standard. These standards are separated between grade
levels 2nd, 5th, 8th, and 12th grade. It is assumed that students will have prior knowledge of
standards coming before the ones I hit. The standards in my lesson plan include:

❖ Nevada Computer and Technology Standard #1 Creativity and Innovation 1.B.12.1:

Students will create an original work using digital tools, including planning, research,
editing, and production.
❖ Nevada Computer and Technology Standard #1 Creativity and Innovation 1.A.8.1:
Apply existing knowledge to independently generate new ideas, products, or processes with
digital tools.
❖ Nevada Computer and Technology Standard #2 Communication and Collaboration
2.A.2.1: Students will work in classroom groups to create and publish digital products.
❖ Nevada Computer and Technology Standard #3 Research and Information Fluency
3.B.8.2: Use digital tools to organize information with main ideas and supporting
documentation.

These standards are defined in an easily understood manner and mostly focus around the
use of technology to create a new means of portraying information.
 Lesson Plan
• Name of lesson: Animating Events in the Civil War.
• Grade Level Appropriateness: 7th Grade U.S. History Class.

• Technology Content Standard Addressed:

❖ Nevada Computer and Technology Standard #1 Creativity and Innovation 1.B.12.1:

Students will create an original work using digital tools, including planning, research,
editing, and production.
❖ Nevada Computer and Technology Standard #1 Creativity and Innovation 1.A.8.1:
Apply existing knowledge to independently generate new ideas, products, or processes with
digital tools.
❖ Nevada Computer and Technology Standard #2 Communication and Collaboration
2.A.2.1: Students will work in classroom groups to create and publish digital products.
❖ Nevada Computer and Technology Standard #3 Research and Information Fluency
3.B.8.2: Use digital tools to organize information with main ideas and supporting
documentation.

• Other Content Standard Addressed:

❖ K-12 NV in Social Studies People’s and Ideas SS.6-8.C.15: Evaluate the causes and effects
of regional differences in early U.S. history
❖ K-12 NV in Social Studies Justify Causation and Argumentation SS.6-8.C.25.: Organize
applicable evidence into a coherent argument regarding the causes and consequences of
events throughout U.S. History

• Objective: In this project, students will learn to combine technology and history. Using their
understanding of the GoAnimate program, they will create a comprehensive and planned out
presentation on one of five topics supplied by the teacher. While gathering the skills to make a
storyboard, write a script, and animate a 1:30 to 2:00 minute video, they will also learn about a
monumental moment in history on an in-depth basis.
• Materials needed to facilitate the lesson: GoAnimate for Schools, Google Chrome or other
web browser, Adobe Flash Player, and a Word Processing Program.
• Suggested group size: Groups of 4; team roles include writer, story board creator, animator,
and audio specialist.
• Procedures:
❖ First, split the students into groups of four. The tables are already set up in groups of four, so
these will be the groups the students will work in.
❖ Explain the positions of the group (Writer, Story Board Creator, Animator, and Audio
Specialist)
❖ Assign each team two computers in the computer lab. Make sure to give the children easy
access to the GoAnimate program.
❖ Have each group choose an important part of the Civil War. Topics include: Inauguration of
Abraham Lincoln, Sherman’s March to the Sea, Battle of Bull Run 1 & 2, Battle of
Gettysburg, and the surrender of the Confederation. These topics will be distributed on a
first come first serve basis.
❖ Once all topics are assigned, show the GoAnimate tutorial on the projector for the children to
see. In tutorial mode, the program should show you everything you need to do, meaning that
even if you have limited knowledge on the program it should teach the children what they
need to know.
❖ Ensure that all children turn in a storyboard BEFORE working on the animation. While one
child may be in charge of the storyboard, all members of the team are expected to work on
this part of the assignment.
❖ After receiving the storyboard, have the children write out exactly what they are going to put
on each slide. These should be short sentences that get the point across and fit in line with the
storyboard. The writer must also work with the group to create a verbal introduction that
should last one to two minutes.
❖ The lead animator, after approval from the teacher, should begin putting together the
animation. They have two options: a classic animation or a whiteboard style animation. Both
are provided with the GoAnimate program. Either option must run for 1:30 to 2:00 minutes.
❖ The sound designer must work with the animator to find the right music, sound effects, or
voice recordings they would like to use. GoAnimate comes with an extensive library of
sound effects and music that the students are open to using. If they want to use their own
music, they have the option of importing audio files. However, this music must be approved
before hand and be royalty-free to ensure that the school does not suffer from any copyright
issues.
❖ Once the video is completed, the students will E-Mail the link to the teacher so they can
access it for presentations. The groups will present on a volunteer basis. The animation will
be displayed on the overhead projector alongside their one to two minute speech.
• Assessment: Students will be evaluated based on their adherence to the provided instructions.
For full credit on this assignment, students must have produced a RELEVANT and unique
introduction, a 1:30 to 2:00 minute animation using the GoAnimate program, have covered the
provided topic, and shown creativity and originality in their animation. Points will be deducted
based on certain factors. If the video goes under 1:30 minutes or over 2:00 minutes, students will
be deducted 2 points for every 10 seconds they are off the mark. This will be communicated to
the students BEFORE they start their assignment. If it is found that any of the content they
produce is stolen or plagiarized, the assignment will become a 0 and disciplinary action will be
take. If the animation is shown to be sloppy or made with little effort put in, points will be
deducted as necessary.