Middle School Information Technology

The middle school IT integration initiative is really taking off! We have authentic, engaging, and exciting projects developing at all grade levels. I will be keeping track of all projects on this site on the projects page. To give you an overview, here is what’s going on:

Grade 6:

Social Studies Meets IT: Blogging in Social Studies: We started out the year using blogs to learn about current events. Since then, these student blogs have expanded into a one-stop-shop for all social studies work, as well as a place to post other core subject material.

Code Blue!: Wikis in Science: In order to develop an authentic assessment for a project about the human body systems, we decided to have the students create an online medical clinic in the form of a wiki. This was an exciting project because students were able to collaborate across class sections (even though they never actually sat in the same classroom at the same time, they were able to work on the same wikispace).

Are You Ready?: Wikis in Study Skills: As students learned about different study skills to make the transition from elementary to middle school easier, they collaborated on a wiki to help other sixth grade students at school and around the world.

Where in the World?: Google Earth in Social Studies: Students began their geography unit by researching different countries and marking them on Google Earth (still looking for a way to post this online).

Grade 8:

English Eight: Blogging in English: Students are ready to communicate with a wider audience by posting their writing online and commenting.

Cross Grade Level:

Strings Online: Wikis in Orchestra: A unique way to present personal projects on musicians. Students research their choice of artists and then post individual project pages online. The discussion tool is used to create an online version of classroom discussion.

What is IT Integration?

“Technology Integration is a term used by educators to describe effective uses of technology by teachers and students in K-12 and university classrooms. Teachers use technology to support instruction in language arts, social studies, science, math, or other content areas. When teachers integrate technology into their classroom practice, learners are empowered to be actively engaged in their learning.

Definition from: Wikipedia, Technology Integration Entry. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technology_Integration] Retrieved on 20 November 2006.