Wendee Vezzetti

Medial Literacy Action Project Proposal

Summary & Background:

I am part of the instructional leadership team composed of about 10 teachers and instructional coaches at my
junior/senior high school (7th through 12th grades). We are in charge of creating professional development
throughout the year, and especially at the beginning of the year.

Our administration has announced that JJSHS (Jefferson Junior-Senior High School) will start incorporating PBL
pedagogy at the beginning of this school year. There is some confusion as to if it is project-based learning or
problem-based learning. In either case, there are many similarities to the two approaches. As part of our new
restructuring of our articulation area (in 2015-16 we are adding 7th & 8th grades to the school, bringing in #200
more students and #20 more teachers), JJSHS staff are reporting one week early to conduct professional
development.

Additionally, our administration has identified six non-negotiable that they would like to see in every classroom:
learning objectives, depth of knowledge, release of cognitive load, technology integration, use of academic
language, and student engagement.

As an instructional leadership team, our role is to create staff development for the first and second week of August
2015 around these non-negotiables. Specifically, because I am the teacher-librarian and in charge of our 1:1 iPad
program, I have been assigned to lead the portion of tech integration. Additionally, last spring, I applied for and
received a district-level iPD grant to implement and document the process of PBL at our school. The district
representative is planning to come to JJSHS to explain the program and recruit staff participants; I’m in charge of
designing this presentation.

My Media Literacy Action Project is designed around staff professional development that I will soon use. Since
our staff is learning about PBL, the MakerSpace movement aligns well with this teaching strategy. I’d like to
design and plan the two staff development lessons in which I am the lead to incorporate some introduction to our
staff around MakerSpaces, how it blends well with PBL, and the importance of incorporating 21st Century learning
skills into lessons.

Though this is not a direct to student action project, I believe the first step in creating a MakerCulture is to
promote it to the staff. These staff development lessons about 21st Century learning and PBL/Maker Culture will
accomplish those goals. For my action project, I’d like to prepare all the materials for these staff
professional development classes.

Technology Integration Non-Negotiable iPD Grant Presentation (35 minutes -

(45 minutes) trying to get 45 minutes)

Goals • Create awareness and need to include
ISTE standards in lesson design
• Identify how the knowledge and use of
technology (educational & professional)
will benefit our students beyond
graduation
• Small group breakouts
• Promote the connection of MakerSpaces
to PBL pedagogy
• Obtain information from staff on upcoming
units to incorporate MakerSpaces in their
lessons (or complementary MakerSpaces
in the library)
• Recruit staff to sign-up for the iPD grant
project
• Whole staff presentation
 Technology Integration Non-Negotiable
(45 minutes)
Curriclulum • ISTE standards
Connections • Show connections to TL rubric
Media Literacy • Knowledge of ISTE standards
• Use of Schoology
• Use of Notability
• Use of padlet.com
Format Based on the feedback from staff from last • Direct instruction (due to the short timing
year’s PD, they would like
“doing” (creating, discussion) and less
“getting” (lecture/presentations)
Resources • Article "Is Technology Widening
Opportunity Gaps Between Rich and
Poor Kids?"
• Staff iPads
• Peer observation forms
• Create a graphic organizer that
identified technology skills and the 6
college/career ready skills (we studied
this as a staff last year)
Evaluating the • Socratic seminar discussions and notes
learning: • Staff graphic organizer of college ready
assessment tools skills
• Padlet responses
Do no harm This lesson will initiate difficult
discussions. In the past, I have witnessed
teachers who blatantly complain about the
iPads and, on the opposite side, teachers
who have become district leaders with this • I think it important for the staff to be able
technology. So, we have a wide range of
staff opinions. I think it important that the
discussion stay focused on how we
prepare our students for educational and
professional use of technology after they
graduate. In order to do this, I have to
create a safe environment that validates
all opinions, yet connects it with student
learning.
Fair Use
iPD Grant Presentation (35 minutes -
trying to get 45 minutes)
• Embedded in Jeffco’s C-CAP documents
for all subjects
• Show connections of MakerSpaces on TL
and teacher rubrics
• MakerSpaces for 21st Century skills
• Critical thinker: problem solver, creator
plus guest speaker)
• Turn and talk
• Individual survey
• Select one of the many videos I have
saved to present
• Presentation re: iPD grant
• Create a staff survey
• Creation of a MakerSpace and PBL folder
in the JHS Library Schoology with links,
articles and videos
• Create a Pinterest folder in the JHS
Library account with MakerSpace project
ideas
• Create a “Teacher Resources” page on
the JJSHS website with videos embedded
about MakerSpaces and PBL projects
• Create a survey for the staff regarding
their upcoming units, subjects and
MakerSpace project ideas
• Follow-up with staff members
• Schedule collaborative projects and
create custom MakerSpaces that connect
with curriculum units across the school
• After a week of learning about PBL, the
staff will have the background knowledge
and will be ready to connect to
MakerSpaces
to ask questions and offer them validation
for their concerns
 Technology Integration Non-Negotiable
(45 minutes)
The lesson plan Learning Objectives:
I will be able to identify the advantages that
knowledge of educational (professional) uses
of technology will provide to our students.
Warm-Up (5 min):
List as many ways you use technology in a
week’s time (i.e. email, ESS, Campus, word
processing, applying for a job, Facebook,
checking the weather).
Mini-lesson (10 min):
• "Is Technology Widening Opportunity Gaps
Between Rich and Poor Kids?" - Annotate
article to prepare for Socratic Seminar
• Identify on the ISTE standards anything that
connects with how we use technology in a
week’s time
Student Work (20 min):
• Review Socratic Seminar guidelines / create
• Socratic discussion - Develop three
questions to start discussion
• Note taking
Closure (10 min):
Create and share out ideas on technology
knowledge (graphic organizer with tech ideas
applied to the college ready skills)
Ticket out: do a Padlet
• How are we going to scaffold and model our
use of technology in order to prepare
students for purposeful and meaningful use
of technology?
• How are students going to use tech post-
secondary, and what are the ways we are
goings to teach/model tech in order to
prepare them for the real world?
iPD Grant Presentation (35 minutes -
trying to get 45 minutes)
Learning Objectives:
• I will understand the iPD grant and how it will
advance students learning opportunities as
well as place JJSHS as an instructional leader
in the district.
• I will know how MakerSpaces connect with the
PBL process.
Warm-up (8 min):
• (TBD) If time allows, create a popsicle stick or
paper clip timed challenge for tables to do
• Share out findings on skills needed to perform
this task
Watch & Turn and Talk (10 min):
• Watch a video about MakerSpaces
• How do MakerSpaces connect with PBL?
• What 21st Century learning and 6 college/
career skills can be gained from incorporating
a MakerSpace in your curriculum?
• How do MakerSpaces transform student
learning?
Share Out (2 min):
15-second share out of what insight or
excitement your table gained from this video?
Presentation (10 min):
How does this connect with the iPD grant?
• Introduce the iPD Grant
• Who, what, where, when, why and how?
• End product: a video documenting the process
to put on the district’s & school’’s website with
student/teacher interviews, challenges,
successes, student learning. Additionally,
participants may be involved in presenting at
district-level PD
• Identify how it connects with the teacher
effectiveness rubric
To do: explore resources & survey (10
minutes):
Where can I find MakerSpace resources?
• JHS Library Schoology Group
• JHS Library Pinterest Page
• JHS Website
The survey: ask questions re: units, projects,
resources, subjects, recruit
Closure (5 minutes):
Each table popcorns out a project that they
would like support (resources, time) on a Maker/
PBL project.