Online Projects, Collaboration Sites and Publishing Opportunities

Lesson Idea Name: Topographical Features

Content Area: Social Studies
Grade Level(s): 1st
Content Standard Addressed:
SS1G3 Locate major topographical features of the earth’s surface.
a. Locate all of the continents: North America, South America, Africa, Europe,
Asia,
Antarctica, and Australia.
b. Locate the major oceans: Arctic, Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Ocean.
c. Identify and describe landforms (mountains, deserts, valleys, and coasts).
Technology Standard Addressed:
1- Empowered learner
2- Digital citizen
3- Knowledge constructor
4- Innovative designer
5- Creative communicator
6- Global collaborator
Selected Online Project/Collaboration Site/Publishing Opportunity:
JAM
URL(s) to support the lesson:
https://jam.com/

Describe how you would incorporate an Online Project/Collaboration Site/Publishing Opportunity

in your classroom:
I would use JAM as a tool for my students to create a video for their project. This project is all
about locating topographical features on the earth’s surface. Students will be in pairs or small
groups, depending on how many students, and will be assigned a topographical feature. The
students must create a short video describing where the feature is located on earth, provide 2
examples, and describe the feature. Student’s will then post their video on JAM and each student
will be required to comment on each video.
What technologies would be required to implement this proposed learning activity in a classroom?
Students need either a computer with a web cam, iPhone, iPad, or a device that can access
download the app.
Describe how the following features are addressed in this learning experience (note: all of them
may not be addressed in the project, but most should be if you are reaching a high LoTi Level).
a. Collaboration with peers, near-peers, mentors outside their classroom and often beyond
their school: students will be in pairs or groups working together to create a video, and then
each student will be required to comment on each groups video.

b. Student-centered learning and knowledge creation (creating original data and or producing
original products as a result of engaging in a project): Students will be creating their own
product.
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 Online Projects, Collaboration Sites and Publishing Opportunities

c. Higher-order thinking: Since the teacher is stepping back and having the students create their
own videos, higher-order thinking is being used to draw on their previous knowledge and
create a video for others in the class.
d. Students publishing their original work to others who will use/care about their product:
Students will publish their final video on JAM for the other groups to see, and then will
present them to the class. Students will then have to comment on each video individual, not
as a group.

Bloom’s Taxonomy Level(s):

☒ Remembering ☒ Understanding ☒ Applying ☐ Analyzing ☐ Evaluating ☐
Creating

Levels of Technology Integration (LoTi Level):

☐ Level 1: Awareness ☐ Level 2: Exploration ☐ Level 3: Infusion ☐ Level 4:
Integration
☒ Level 5: Expansion ☐ Level 6: Refinement

Universal Design for Learning (UDL):

Students are creating videos that can be accessed when every they need to go back and watch it.
This will benefit students who are ESOL learners, hearing or visually impaired, or for lower level
students. The videos help visual learners see, and since the student are creating them, it will impact
the kinesthetic learns too.

Lesson idea implementation and Internet Safety Policies:

I would use JAM as a tool for my students to create a video for their project. This project is all
about locating topographical features on the earth’s surface. Students will be in pairs or small
groups, depending on how many students, and will be assigned a topographical feature. The
students must create a short video describing where the feature is located on earth, provide 2
examples, and describe the feature. Student’s will then post their video on JAM and each student
will be required to comment on each video.
When it comes to the safety side, the moderators of the website are constantly checking and
making sure that all users are safe. The site even has a parent login separate from the child’s, so that
they can see what the child is posting and watching within the site.

Reflective Practice:
After creating this lesson, it has helped me see how having students create a video can help students
in several different ways and could impact their learning. By having the students create a video and
the teacher stepping back, it shows the teacher how the students work together and how they
collaborate to get the information needed. This lesson could be done without JAM and could be
recorded on any device and have the student upload it to a movie editing program or use iMovie;
there are several different ways that this lesson could incorporate technology and communication
through online sources.

Spring 2018_SJB