I created this podcast for duel purposes. First, to complete class requirement. Second, to post to my final project page to welcome students to the site and give them a review of what their responsibilities are at the site.

Welcome Message

Final Project Podcast

Memory Blog

• How will you know if this site is helping your users reach the objectives you’ve defined for them?

The site will be evaluated on its performance. If students are visiting the site and providing thoughtful comments the site will be a success. I will also provide the students with the opportunity to provide feedback about the site a if they have any ideas to make it better.

• How will you introduce this to the class?

Thank to the new Promethean board recently installed in the schools computer lab, presenting the Blog to the students will be quite simple. I will begin by walking through the step the students need to take when they get to the Blog site. Following instruction I will have the student practice each step as I demonstrate it on the board. As the students begin to master the skill I will go around the lab to make sure every students is following the steps presented and is able to find the site from the school’s homepage.

• What do you have to do to get permission from the powers-that-be at your school?

The conversation with my administrator for approval took about 60 seconds. It went something like this. Me, “ I have a great idea to us a Blog so my students can respond to prompts based on the weekly memory verses.” Administrator, “Sounds like a great idea. Make it safe for students and talk to Mr. Ray (sixth grade teacher), he might want to do something similar.”

• What tools (or combination of tools) will you use to support the site?

The site will begin as a blog at edublog.org. In the future I am considering adding a Wiki in which students will collaborate to create definition of each passage. I will also use photos and intermittent podcasts when information or explanations are needed.

• What customizations will you need to do to your site?

Customization to the Blog will be minimal at the front end. I will photos, headings and a podcast when needed. All other changes to the site will include the content I am adding or formatting of the sites visual appearance.

• Are you happy with how well it turned out?

The intent was for the site to be simple to look at with very little peripherals. This is intentional as to not confuse the learner while in a the new environment.

• What do you want users to be able to do when they visit this site?

Upon a student visit to the site, students will be able to review the each posted memory passage. Following the passage students will find a prompt they are to respond to.

• Is it a recurring effort, or a one-time project?

The assignments posted on the blog will be recurring. New postings and prompts will be posted to the site every week. Students will need to make comments on every passage. As the year progress the prompt will become more in depth.

• Who are your users?

The users for the Blog I am creating will be fifth grade students at Grace Lutheran Church and School. In the future it may include all children attending forth and fifth grade youth group at the church. The students are all skilled with basic computer skills through the school computer education. Many students already navigate the classroom website to access class notes and handouts. The majority come from homes that have a household computer, while other will have sufficient access to computers at school to complete the requirements for the task.

• What do you want them to be able to do as a result of using your web site?

The desired result of the site is three fold. First, student will be taking an active rule in developing an understanding of assigned memory passages each week. Second, students will be learning collaboration skills by assisting in the teaching of other through their own input. Lastly, Student will be learning computer skills that enable them to be creator on website information as they develop as students.

• What have others done that is similar?

Other sites have been created with this format to encourage students to take an active approach in learning. At this time and through some quick searching I am unaware of a site that uses a Blog to discuss this particular field of study.

• What performance drivers might prevent them from learning with this tool? (skills/knowledge, motivation, environment, incentive)

Being fifth graders, some of the students will still be apprehensive about what will be required of them. A handful of students will not have access to Internet at home. These students will need to complete their work at school during computer lab or during free work time. All students will need to be educated on what a Blog is and it purpose. They will also need instruction on how to post comments on the Blog site and how to read other students responses. I expect that motivation for the activity will be high. Students will be extremely excited about posting their own work on the Internet.

Over the past two years I have been teaching 5th grade at a parochial Lutheran school in Escondido. As part of my curriculum students are required to study memory passages from both Scripture and Luther’s Small Catechism. Over this time I have found that though students are able to recite the passages assigned, finding meaning and understanding comes with some difficulty. In an effort to help the students find meaning and understanding I will be creating a Blog were students will read the passages and respond to a prompt following each passage. Students will interacting with the passages and will be able to review what others understand and post about the passage. Following their postings we, as a class, will pull up their comment and review what they have written.

Hello, my name is Joshua. Over the past two years I have been teaching fifth grade at Grace Lutheran in Escondido, California. My two major subject area of teaching are social studies and reading. Integrating technology into my classroom lead me to the Edtech COMET program. On a personal note, my wife and I had our first child, Abigail Grace. Needless to say life is a little different now.

My experience with blogs began last year. I developed a simple blog website for my classroom were parents and students could go to check upcoming events and assignments. Following all the work I found that only a few students took the time to use the site. My other concern was that from my site students could go to other blogs that were not always appropriate. I feel that edublog will help eliminate that problem.

I have always been fearful of Wikis because of their openness to change by anyone. I fear that information found on places such as Wikipedia may not always be reliable.

I am in the process of developing a podcast site for my church in which member can access sermons form the churches website. We have developed it with just audio and corresponding PowerPoint. The next step it to integrate some video to the podcast.

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