Final Collaborative Concept Map

Sorry it was not submitted last night. I had it done and when I went back to the blog I realized my internet was down. Apparently Comcast was down for EVERYONE last night. I had to wait until I got home from class to submit it today. I think it looks wonderful. Thanks for your help.

Team Website

Hey Amber,

I can't believe we are almost done. We have the rest of the semester to complete this team website. There are a lot of requirements to the site, but the majority of the work is done. We have to use google sites to make the website for teachers, and it needs to be logical. I'm excited.

When you have a chance, take a look at the learning module on e-learning. On your free time, start thinking of concept map revisions we can make, as well as some other lesson plans or podcasts we might want to create for our website (it requires we each add 2 additional pieces). Get back with me at the end of the week. Good Luck!

Podcast

Amber,

This week (well, two weeks) we have to make a podcast. Here are the criteria:

You will create an informative Podcast, using Audacity. This podcast will identify and describe several aspects of your project to share with parents and others. Each team member will be required to discuss a different area of your progress. You will also be required to pull out at least two concepts from the textbook.


Obviously I copied this from e-learning. We need to start discussing what we want to do for each of our podcasts. 

Lesson Plan 2 Concept Map continued

Integrated lesson plan and collaborative Inspiration

Amber,

This week we have to make a lesson plan using Taskstream that involves having our student collect data in Excel. We also need to re-submit a revised version of our concept map using Kidspiration. My 30 day trial is expired, so this will be your turn.

We need to begin discussing what each of us is going to do our lesson plan on. Take a look back at our concept map and make suggestions for changes/something we want to add.

What gardening topic can we each use for our lesson plan that will allow students to collect data? Here are a few of my ideas:

In order to get the students thinking about what plants we will want in our garden, we could have them each interview a teacher in the school to determine what kinds of plants teachers have grown in their gardens.
We could set up a questionnaire that teachers just check off for the plants they grow. Some plants might include flowers, tomatoes, green beans, corn, etc. I think this might be too vague though because "flowers" is such a broad category. Perhaps we could have each students interview 10 neighbors at home, and ask which of the following they prefer to grow: Vegetables, flowers, ground cover, other, etc. Then together, we can bring the results to the class and students can make one big spreadsheet and graph.

Another idea might be to have students simply walk around the neighborhood and find 5 gardens, then have them check off on a data sheet what the majority of the plants they find in each garden are. For example, maybe their home garden has just vegetables, while the neighbor has a garden that is mostly flowers.

The problem with this is that maybe a neighbor has several different gardens.

These are just some ideas. Let me know what you are thinking.

Digital Story

This week we have to make a digital story on some aspect of our topic. We each have to do our own. After you read through Learning Module 7, let me know what ideas you have. This sounds like it is going to be fun! :)

Learning Papers

Ok group, it's been a busy semester so far! This week we have papers due, so good luck on writing and I plan on getting started on next's week assignments soon! Keep up the good work! ;)

Lesson Plan

I'm kind of confused with this assignment.

Does the lesson plan have to be within our project area: gardening?

Google Maps for Gardening Exploration

View Gardening Around the World in a larger map

Gardening Around the World

Students can use this map to explore our location, as well as the location of a city in Mexico where we will be collaborating with another group of students during our gardening exploration.

Students will interview students from Mexico who are also learning about gardening. Both groups of students (Kalamazoo and Mexico) practice very different gardening methods. Use the map to explore why these methods may be so different. What features does the city in Mexico have that allow them to garden in such a different way?

You can change the view of the map by clicking "map" or "satellite." The Satellite view will give you a real-life view of the city and you can explore the area.

Gardening Exploration Assignment

EDT 3470 Trista Kelly
Amber Malburg
Gardening Investigation

Students will be learning about gardening. Once students research different aspects of gardening, particularly in our area, they will begin communication with another group of students via ePals. Students will interview other students from Mexico in order to learn about their gardening methods and techniques. The following description will provide some guidance. Please feel free to add more details to the assignment if you would like.

* The students with whom we will communicate: 6th graders from Xochimilco, Mexico.
* At what point in the project will the students contact the students in Mexico?
Once our students have researched adequate information regarding gardening methods used in our region (Michigan), they can begin interviewing students from Mexico. Our students will research the following information, and then ask the other students similar information.

1) What does it mean to garden?
2) What resources/materials must be available to begin and maintain a garden?
3) Where can you grow a garden?
4) How do you maintain a garden?
5) Research different types of gardens. List two types you have seen.
6) What kinds of plants can be grown in a garden?
7) List 5 plants/crops that you would like to grow in your garden.
a. Do you have the resources, environment, and climate available to grow these?

* Your next task will be to connect with a group of students from a different region in the world.

You will be responsible for asking them questions regarding the type of garden and gardening techniques they use where they live. After your first communication, you will use google maps to locate the region in which your new friends live. Why do you think they use different gardening techniques based on their location? Using google maps, what features of this city make their type of gardening possible? Why?

Keep a gardening journal and compare the different gardening methods. You can add any information you want, but be sure to include a description of the kinds of gardens we grow, the type of garden the students in Mexico grow, the resources we each need, and how we maintain the different gardens. You may find many similarities and differences that should be noted in some way in your gardening journal.

Later on in our project, we will begin to make our own garden. We will continue collaborating with our friends from Mexico, and record the different steps and stages of our gardens. This will allow our students to learn the different stages of chinampa gardening in comparison to gardening here in Michigan. Students will send pictures of their gardens as the project progresses.

Gardening Exploration

Module 4: ePals and Google maps

Hello Group,

I reviewed this week's assignment and we need to create a google document through our gmail accounts that we share with each other. The assignment is to some way incorporate global awareness to our PBL project (Gardening). I was thinking since we are going to make some sort of lesson out of the different kinds of gardens and the materials needed, that we can do a little research ourselves and find some unique way of gardening that is specific to a particular region of the world (I don't know if it exists, but I sure hope so.). We can then connect our group of students with another group and have them interview each other via a blog or email asking about the garden, plants, materials, maintenance, etc.

I think that is a really neat idea. Let me know. Also, I'm going to go ahead and start a google doc. and invite you and the instructor into it.

WEBSITES

This week we need to start thinking about websites we can use for our overall project. Do you have any ideas? I was thinking we could try to find some nice informational ones that our students can use as references, as well as us.

Gardening Concept Map (Kidspiration)

Concept Map

Hey Team! I was wondering what age group you intend on working with in the future. I plan on working with younger kids, so I was thinking if we all agree, we should target a younger population. In that case, I think we should use Kidspiration because it is more visually appealing and children friendly. Let me know.

Inspiration

Hi Friends,

Also remember that we need to take turns downloading the inspiration program, so we must first discuss who will begin the concept map.

Welcome to EDT 3470 Gardening Group (Number 2)

Welcome group members. I hope you both are ready to get started. Please remember that we must use this blog for communication weekly. We need to make a concept map regarding our topic (gardening). Let's start by getting some ideas. What do you think we need to include in our concept map? Where should we begin?