Final Project EDTEC 655

Travel Indiana! Web Exhibit Documentation

Objective
Students will use a variety of web sites to plan a family vacation within the state of Indiana. They will present their vacation plans in a tri-fold brochure, Power Point and a web site. Students will learn various software applications, including Excel, Power Point and Front Page, in addition to current Indiana geography.

Project Support
Students will use Excel as a mindtool[1] to compare the different trips. They can manipulate the data by inputting different costs for different aspects of the trips and look at how this changes the total trip cost. They will place cost data into a spreadsheet in Excel, where they will graph the different costs and compare the numbers. They will make a trip decision based on the data they have gathered and use their data and graphing of the data and use these numbers to explain/defend their decision.
This project requires students to use higher level thinking skills. Rather than the standard use of technology for writing a report or giving their information in a Power Point, whuch is a the comprehension, or understanding, level of Bloom’s Taxonomy, it requires students to gather the information they need, apply it to a spreadsheet.
By requiring students to analyze the data they graphed and make a decision based on what they learned from these graphs, students are applying the highest level of Bloom’s Taxonomy of Learning, evaluation, to this project. Evaluation, according to Bloom, consists of “appraise, argue, assess, attach, choose compare, defend estimate, judge, predict, rate, core, select, support, value, evaluate.”[2] By applying all of the levels of the taxonomy, this project engages learners completely and requires them to apply a wide variety of skills.
This type of problem-based learning project not only asks more academically of students, but also enables development of skills essential to academic and, ultimately, career success. Included in these skills are “development of thinking and problem solving skills, development of effective communication skills, and sense of personal responsibility.” [3] While this article was not a scientific study of problem-based learning, it once again emphasizes the need for course-work of this type to help develop essential skills in students.
Introducing this type of learning activities makes learning experiences more relevant to students. Many times, students do not apply themselves to academics simply because they see no immediate need to do so. By simulating a family travel experience, this activity gives students the motivation to work hard to complete the project. If one incorporates Aldrich’s six criteria for educational simulation[4], many activities can be adapted, or altered to give students a more “real-world” learning experience. Learning that simulates real-life experience for students, whether it is a civilization building game or a business simulation running a grocery store, will make education not only more enjoyable for students, but give them a sense of purpose and allow them to understand there are real-world applications to their learning.
Current educational practice emphasizes higher order thinking skills. These skills, essential to problem solving, are now a part of daily educational best practice. This type of thinking needs to gravitate into the realm of educational technology. Students are not yet getting the type of technology skills they need to be competitive in today’s global market.[5] By offering projects like Travel Indiana!, teachers will be giving students “higher level technology skills” that will level the playing field for students as they move on to college and enter the business world.

Travel Indiana! Project Standards
Language Arts
4.4.4 Use logical organizational structures for providing information in writing, such as chronological order, cause and effect, similarity and difference, and posing and answering a question.
4.4.7 Use multiple reference materials and online information (the Internet) as aids to writing.
4.4.9 Use a computer to draft, revise, and publish writing, demonstrating basic keyboarding
skills and familiarity with common computer terminology.
4.4.12 Revise writing by combining and moving sentences and paragraphs to improve the
focus and progression of ideas.
4.5.6 Write for different purposes (information, persuasion, description) and to a specific
audience or person.
4.5.3 Write or deliver a research report that has been developed using a systematic research
process (defines the topic, gathers information, determines credibility, reports
findings) and that:
• includes information from a variety of sources (books, technology, multimedia) and documents’ sources (titles and authors).
• demonstrates that information that has been gathered has been summarized.
• organizes information by categorizing it into multiple categories (such as solid,
liquid, and gas or reduce, reuse, and recycle) or includes information gained through observation.


Math

4.2.2 Represent as multiplication any situation involving repeated addition.
4.6.2 Interpret data graphs to answer questions about a situation.
4.7.3 Apply strategies and results from simpler problems to solve more complex problems.
4.7.4 Use a variety of methods, such as words, numbers, symbols, charts, graphs, tables,
diagrams, tools, and models to solve problems, justify arguments,
and make conjectures.
4.7.8 Make precise calculations and check the validity of the results in the context of the
problem.


National Education Technology Standards

3. Research and Information Fluency
Students apply digital tools to gather, evaluate, and use information. Students:
plan strategies to guide inquiry.
locate, organize, analyze, evaluate, synthesize, and ethically use information from a variety of
sources and media.
evaluate and select information sources and digital tools based on the appropriateness to specific
tasks.
process data and report results.

4. Critical Thinking, Problem-Solving & Decision-Making
Students use critical thinking skills to plan and conduct research, manage projects, solve problems and make informed decisions using appropriate digital tools and resources. Students:
identify and define authentic problems and significant questions for investigation.
plan and manage activities to develop a solution or complete a project.
collect and analyze data to identify solutions and/or make informed decisions.
use multiple processes and diverse perspectives to explore alternative solutions.

Travel Indiana! Project Reflection

As students begin to work on the mini-projects involved in this lesson, the biggest obstacle appears to be their lack of initiative to work on there own and problem solve. They want someone to tell them all the answers rather than explore the software to learn how to learn it. I think that by the time they get through all of the mini-lessons, they will be much more willing to “fail to succeed” rather than hold back and wait for someone else to show them the answers. This project will empower these students to understand what they are capable of and give them a feeling of ownership and responsibility when it comes to future technology projects in all areas. Students will receive a digital portfolio of all of their work at the end of the year. This will en]able them to look at all of the things they accomplished in the future as they tackle projects similar to this. I think this project will be a very good experience for my students.

Visual Model

1] Johannsen, David H., Carr, Chad, & Yueh, Hsiu-Ping. (1998, March). Computers as
Mindtools for Engaging Learners in Critical Thinking. Retrived August 21, 2007,
from https://blackboard.bsu.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?%20tab=courses&url=/bin/common/course.pl?course_id=_3259_1

[2] Bloom, Benjamin. (1956). Bloom’s Taxonomy. Retrived December 1, 2007, from http://www.officeport.com/edu/blooms.htm.
[3] Lieux, Elizabeth M. (1996, Spring). A Comparative Study of Learning in Lecture vs. Problem-Based Format. Retrieved December 1, 2007, from http://www.udel.edu/pbl/cte/spr96-nutr.html.
[4] Shelton, Brett E. & Wiley, David A. (2007). The Design and Use of Simulation Computer Games in
Education. 109-110.

[5] Maximizing the Impact: the Pivotal Role of Technology in a 21st Century Education
System Task Force. Maximizing the Impact: "The Pivotal Role of Technology in a 21st Century Education System". (2007). Retrieved November 12, 2007from http://www.setda.org/web/guest/maximizingimpactreport.