Classroom Blog and Website Creation Tools

Lesson Idea Name: What’s the weather?

Content Area: Science
Grade Level(s): 1st grade
Content Standard Addressed:
S1E1. Obtain, evaluate, and communicate weather data to identify weather patterns.
c. Plan and carry out investigations on current weather conditions by observing, measuring with simple
weather instruments (thermometer, wind vane, rain gauge), and recording weather data (temperature,
precipitation, sky conditions, and weather events) in a periodic journal, on a calendar, and graphically. d.
Analyze data to identify seasonal patterns of change. (Clarification statement: Examples could include
temperature, rainfall/snowfall, and changes to the environment.)

Technology Standard Addressed:

Selected Technology Tool:

☒ Blog ☐ Wiki ☐ Other: Website Creation Tool (list):

URL(s) to support the lesson (if applicable):

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):

With Edublogs, teachers adhere to the UDL framework, by offering auditory and visual information. Using this
tool, the teacher can activate prior knowledge, highlight key ideas, and summarize main points. Additionally,
the technology tool provides access to students who require assistive technologies. It also provides a media
for parent-teacher communication. Lastly, a teacher can encourage relevance, value, and authentic
connections by providing students with links to educational articles, media, and other published work.

Lesson idea implementation:

During this project, students will write observations of the weather they experience on a given day. The
teacher will create an environment where students are engaged in discussions about their observations.
Student learning will be assessed by the ability to discuss observations and the content discussed. This project
will be introduced with the help of Audacity. This project should take around 10 minutes to complete.

The final product will be differentiated by providing sentence stems to students needing language support
and asking detailed questions to students who need extensions. To conclude the lesson, I will make a movie
about the weather patterns of a week and student will have to identify the weather that is occurring. I will
provide students feedback by conferencing with them about their performance.

Importance of technology:
The website creation tool, Edublogs, is critical to the project because it allows students and parents access to
the content. Additionally, one can provide more detailed instructions on this format. While the project could
be completed without this technology, this activity is meant as a part of a flipped classroom, therefore, a

Summer 2017_SJB
 Classroom Blog and Website Creation Tools
platform for examples, audio, and directions is needed. In the learning experience, there are no other
technology tools that will be utilized besides the teacher using Audacity to record his/her voice.
Internet Safety and Student Privacy:
Some strategies and tips that keep students safe include not posting students' personal information (last
name, age, birthdays, etc), avoid posting videos and pictures with students' faces, obtain permission to
publish their work, and possibly password lock the website. FERPA supports this by stating that
students' directory information cannot be shared without parental consent. I would alleviate fears from
parents by allowing them access to the blog.
Reflective Practice:
The activity I created can impact student learning by allowing them an opportunity to analyze their own
environment and make personal connections. I could extend this lesson by having the students create a
slideshow of pictures of the weather of 5 consecutive days. I would ensure students adhere to all safety
policies. A tool that enhances this project is iMovie and PowerPoint.

Summer 2017_SJB