http://nycwp.net/nancybrodsky/?p=34

Awhile back, I posted about the web-based research project that I’m doing with one of my senior classes.

This is a hand out I made after quite a few kids were confused/stuck about the assignment but it’ll give you a clear idea of the project content.

This is a hand out that I made, of reminders regarding the web-based aspect of the project.

I’ve been bringing one laptop cart to class, which contains 14 computers. Though the students are working in groups, I allowed the students to use all the laptops, with some students pairing up. That hasn’t been productive or helpful. I found that the kids were chatting and going on MySpace, in addition to checking out non-project related websites. (It’s a surprise to me that MySpace is not blocked, nor is Sconex, so I’ll have to talk to the tech guy about that…) Besides which, because groups were not sharing one laptop, they were also not collaborating very well on the project.

Today, I told them that the next time we use the laptops for research, each group will get ONE laptop. They will have to distribute responsibilities and roles. I need to develop an accountability measure. Since my goal is keep this project paperless, I think I will ask each group to e-mail me a short summary of their work, before shutting down their laptops for the period.

I also need to do some work with them on paraphrasing their research findings before posting them in Youth Voices. I’d like them to build their annotated bibliography as they go, instead of waiting until the end. This means that in addition to posting their research findings, they also need to explain why the source works/is valid.

My goal is to have the research done by Thanksgiving. After Thanksgiving, I’d like to begin guiding them in creating the content for the wiki. Of course, they may need to do more research as they create the wiki content. I need to compile some example wikis for the groups to look at and use as models. I’ll probably then ask them to make a list of characteristics they notice in the model wikis. If you have good examples of student-made wikis, send the links my way!

[composed and posted with ecto]