Amy Wayland

EDIS 7010: Courseware Tools

Final Project Proposal
TWEAKS HAVE BEEN MADE IN RED

Introduction
Importance of/interest in project
I have been in the classroom since 1991, spending the bulk of those
years in fourth and fifth grade with a focus on teaching language arts. Last
summer our librarian/media specialist retired and I thought what a perfect job for
me. I was able to marry my love of books with teaching reading skills into a
position as the new librarian/media specialist for my PreK-7 school. I am learning
new things daily, actually by the hour, and loving it. Having said that, I do not
have slew of lessons at my fingertips as I once did. I would like to create
technology enhanced lessons for my library using technologies that I already know
and some new ones to accommodate all of my patrons.
How this project will align with my future goals
Since I plan on spending my years until retirement in the library, I feel it is
essential that my lessons incorporate technology in them so that I am producing
21st century learners who are able to use information and technology ethically and
responsibly.
Overview of learning objectives/project goals
My project is to create technology enhanced lessons to use with my third
and fourth grade students that would correlate to their language arts SOLs as well
as the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) standards.
The lesson is designed to be used with my fourth grade students. However, I was
able to incorporate my third graders into the mix by having my fourth graders
present the PowerPoint they create to the third graders.

Proposed Methods (what exactly are you going to do

for this project?)

Detailed description of project context, including participants/learners,

content area, etc.
Participants: Obviously I am a participant, but in the lesson(s) I create, I
would also like to include collaboration with classroom teachers.
Learners/Patrons: Third and fourth grade students (fourth grade students
only)
Content Area: 3rd and 4th grade Language Arts SOLs and AASL standards
(fourth grade SOLs only)
Detailed description of project context: First, I will identify the specific
SOLs and AASL standards that I want to cover in my lessons. Next, I will find
technologies that would be best suited for the content I want to teach. I will need
to teach my students any new technologies that are going to be used. After that I
will create the lesson(s) keeping in mind the principles of TPCK and the UDL
guidelines. I do not have specific new technologies in mind as of yet. The
technologies that I know that I will be using are a document camera, a SMART
board and Power Point presentations but these technologies are not new to me.
To demonstrate knowledge of the objectives taught, my learners will have some
kind of assessment, be it formal or informal.
1. After meeting with teachers, we determined the focus of my lesson should be to
broaden students vocabulary.
2. I selected the perfect vocabulary book, Miss Alaineus: A Vocabulary Disaster as
the heart of my lesson.
3. I created five technology enhanced lessons around the book.
Detailed outline of proposed project activities with timeline:
Week One, November 6-13: Select specific SOLs and AASL standards, research
new technologies to best meet the standards
Week Two, November 13-20: Create the lesson(s) based on SOLs and AASL
standards chosen I was running behind and was only complete with week ones
objectives by this point.
Week Three, November 20-27: Finish lesson(s) making sure that technologies are
enhancing lesson and that I can master them and that UDL guidelines and TPCK
principles have been considered I was able to get the lessons completed on the
Wednesday before Thanksgiving.
Week Four, November 27-December 4: Tweak lesson(s) as needed, plan for
presentation, reflect on process I spent this week coming up with finishing touches
such as adding audio which was a feat in itself for me and changing my
PowerPoint around a bit.

How your project will leverage TPCK principles

When creating my lesson(s), I will be consciously keeping the TPCK
principles in the forefront of my mind. I will obviously have included technology
into my lesson to enhance the content. Purposefully adding technology to my
lesson will be a change from the traditional way of teaching lessons and provide
my learners with alternate ways to meet their specific learning needs.
Ways I included TPCK Principles:
~effectively chose multiple technologies to match the content I was teaching
and embedded the technology into my lesson
~students were using the technology in meaningful ways
~lessons created an equitable classroom environment by having students
collaborating and coming together to create a final product
~lessons promoted social interaction while at the same time challenged
students, gave students choices, and encouraged technology skill development
How your project will leverage UDL guidelines
When creating my lesson(s), I will be consciously keeping the UDL
guidelines in the forefront of my mind. I will incorporate ways to differentiate
instruction in a safe environment as well as have the content expressed in several
ways. I will also incorporate a place for self-regulation and/or brain-breaks into
the lesson.
Some of the ways I included UDL guidelines:
~ projection of materials
~picture cues to go along with words
~accessed prior knowledge
~ clarified figurative language used in the book
~allowed time for review of previously taught concepts
~constant support provided
~spellcheckers and grammar checkers provided
~rubric provided
~self-reflection time provided
~peer feedback
~worked collaboratively
~ teacher feedback provided in multiple ways and in a timely manner
~product presented to real audiences

Implications that include:

How your project is important for the intended context and how the
final project will advance your own career goals
This project, I hope, will make me better equipped to meet the needs of my
learners by encompassing technology into my lessons, where in the past, sad to
say, it has not played an important role. As a teacher/library media specialist, I am
a role model and have many pairs of eyes on me at ALL times. It is important that
students see me using technology in an effective and creative way so that they, in
turn, can want to do the same.
Ideally, I want this project to give me the confidence I need and the
validation that including technology into my lessons is something I can do
effectively and without a ton of hassles. It would be a win-win for all involved. I
would be moving along with the times, my students would be receiving a 21st
century lesson, and my peers may want to work collaboratively with me in the
future after seeing the how I am able to incorporate their SOLs into my librarys
lessons.
This project definitely took me out of my comfort zone, but it was just what
the doctor ordered. It has given me the confidence and the courage to try new
technology and to not be afraid of it. Seriously, what is the worst thing that can
happen? I do not know what held be bask so much in the past.
I have a new goal to incorporate some kind of technology into every lesson I
teach, whether it be big or small. That is HUGE for me. In the past, many of my
lessons included ZERO technology. I am the media specialist now, for goodness
sake!!
When teachers and administrators see that a librarian can be a stake holder in
the SOLs just like classroom teachers, they will see me as an invaluable resource to
the school community and my library may actually become the heart of the school,
like it should be.