Planning for Field Trips

Please remember that today is the last day class will meet until Tuesday, April 11. Also remember that my new office location is 622 (right across from our classroom).

TELE Project Information:
1.TELE Project proposals are due today. Make arrangements with me before you leave today's class if you are not turning it in today.
2. Please continue to review the TELE project description and grading rubric to ensure you are doing what is required.
3. According to the TELE project description, you are required to send a TELE Project update via email by Thursday, March 30 and a 2nd update by Tuesday, April 11. One week prior to each due date I will email a series of questions (no more than 5) for you to respond to in order to complete this portion of the project.
4.I will be available on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 12:30-1:45 from March 21 - April 6 should you need individual assistance on your TELE project.

Planning for our field trip:
1. On Thursday, March 23 we will meet in the lobby of the Imagine It! Children's Museum at 9:30 am sharp. I will email directions to you prior to the 23rd - or you can search for directions using the museum address: 275 Centennial Olympic Park Drive NW Atlanta, GA 30313.
2. You must sign and complete the field trip permission form in order to attend the field trip.
3. Please make sure to bring sufficient funds to cover lunch, parking, etc. Most parking lots accept cash only.
4. Our official field trip will end at 4:00 pm at the Georgia Aquarium.
5. My cell # is: 770-714-5295 should you get lost on your way to or from the field trip.

Enhancing the field trip experience:
Denise Domizi helped us to recall positive and negative field trip experiences, as well as the teaching and learning benefits to both types of experiences. We'll extend that discussion during today's class by using what we learned on Tuesday to plan our trip for March 23.

Before:
1. Spend 10 minutes looking over the Imagine It! Children's Museum website and the Georgia Aquarium website. Make sure to look at them from several perspectives: 1)a teacher planning a field trip, 2)a parent planning a family visit, 3)and a child wanting to visit the location

• What portions of the website help you to plan a visit?
• What would be necessary to know before going on the visit?
• What information is missing?

2. Using the maps of the Children's Museum and the Aquarium - circle specific exhibits you would like to visit.

• Why did you choose those exhibits?
• What do you expect to learn in those exhibits?
• What exhibit did you expect to find but did not?

3. In small groups: find common exhibits your group would like to visit. Share your reasons for your choices (see question #2)

During:
1. During our field trip you will select an observation role: teacher, parent, child. Your task during the field trip is to explore the exhibits you selected during today's class in whatever way you choose: by stepping back and watching other visitors, by fully participating in activities, etc. As you tour the museum/aquarium -- consider how a teacher/parent/child would view the exhibit. Also - notice the technology that is used/not used.
2. You may choose to experience the museum/aquarium as a group or individually.
3. We'll set up times during the field trip to meet for lunch (approx. noon), leave for the aquarium (approx 1:30), etc. - but you will choose on your own how your time is spent.

After: (Due Tuesday, April 11)
1.Once the field trip is complete - you will want to reflect on your experience - from the perspective of the observation role you chose: teacher, parent, or child.
2. Using your observations as well as information from the location websites and the articles on field trips distributed in class - create a pamphlet or brochure for teachers, parents, or children to give them ideas and suggestions for preparing/attending/reflecting on a field trip experience at either the Children's Museum or the Georgia Aquarium (or a combination of the two).
3. It is important that your brochure contain specific suggestions, websites, and other technology resources that will help to "enhance the field trip".
4. You will bring a printed copy of your completed brochure to class on Tuesday, April 11.

Alternative Assignment:
1. If you are unable to attend the class field trip - as an alternative assignment you will need to choose a field trip location on your own: the Georgia Botanical Gardens, the Georgia Museum of Art, etc.
2. Complete the "During" and "After" sections described above by Tuesday, April 11.

Informal Learning Environments

Contact cards:
Please complete a contact card related to your TELE project at the beginning of class today.

Denise Domizi will be speaking with our class today about informal learning environments, in order to prepare us for our field trip on Thursdsay, March 23.

Please read the following articles/web postings before Thursday's class:

1. Pre and Post Field Trip Planning Guide
2. 4 articles distributed in class today
   

A few reminders:

1. Please remember that today is the midpoint withdrawal deadline.
2. At this point I should have everyone's ASSURE Model Practice Activity -- all graded items turned in this semester will be returned to you by Thursday, March 11.
3. Your group's Digital Media Resource Packet is due Tuesday, March 7 unless you have discussed other arrangements with me.
4. A printed copy of your TELE project proposal is due Thursday, March 9 at the beginning of class. It should be typed using the format in the TELE Project handout distributed in class last Thursday.
5. You will be working on your TELE projects independently on the following dates: 3/21, 3/28, 3/30, 3/4, and 3/6. I will be available for individual appointments should you have any questions about your project during this time.
6. If you are attending the field trip and do not have an Annual Pass to the Georgia Aquarium, you should have already purchased a ticket online for 2:00-3:00 on Thursday, March 23. You will recieve detailed directions and an itinerary on Thursday, March 9. If you are not attending the field trip, you will be given information about the alternative assignment on Thursday, March 9.
   

Your TELE project

A few reminders:

1. Please remember that Tuesday, March 7 is the midpoint withdrawal deadline.
2. At this point I should have everyone's ASSURE Model Practice Activity -- all graded items turned in this semester will be returned to you by Thursday, March 11.
3. Your group's Digital Media Resource Packet is due Tuesday, March 7 unless you have discussed other arrangements with me.
4. A printed copy of your TELE project proposal is due Thursday, March 9 at the beginning of class. It should be typed using the format in the TELE Project handout distributed in class last Thursday.
5. You will be working on your TELE projects independently on the following dates: 3/21, 3/28, 3/30, 3/4, and 3/6. I will be available for individual appointments should you have any questions about your project during this time.

Field Trip Update
We are scheduled to go on our field trip on Thursday, March 23. You will be given a detailed agenda with driving and parking directions on Thursday, March 9. This is the tentative agenda as of this morning:

• 9:30: Arrive at Imagine It! Children's Museum of Atlanta
• 9:45: Meet with Beth Thomson - Museum Education Coordinator
• 10:30: Watch performance by Museum Imaginators
• 11:00: Tour museum
• 12:00: Lunch at CNN Center
• 2:00: Tour Georgia Aquarium
• 5:00: On your own

If you do not have an annual pass, you will need to reserve a space/purchase a ticket for the Georgia Aquarium as an individual. (We do not have enough people to purchase group tickets). Please visit the Georgia Aquarium website and purchase tickets for March 23 with an entrance reservation of 2:00-3:00. You must do this by the end of this week in order to make sure you will have a spot. If you do not have a credit card to purchase your tickets online - please let me know today and I can assist you. After purchasing your ticket online you will receive an email attachment with a barcoded ticket - you must bring this with you on March 23 in order to enter. You will also need a picture ID.

If you already have an annual pass and you are unable to make a reservation online (i.e. if you purchased your pass at the aquarium rather than online) you will be able to walk up to the ticket booth upon arrival at the aquarium to get your barcode. Please make sure to bring your annual pass with you. (This is what I was told by Guest Services - I'm going to test this out next week to make sure!)

TELE Project Proposal
Where will you be conducting your TELE project? What is the instructional problem you have identified? What technology tool(s) will you be using to solve the instructional problem?

For example: I am working with a group of 5 third graders who are having trouble remembering the components of the life cycle of a butterfly. I am going to create a set of 3 center activities related to life cycles.

1. I will be creating an introductory activity using Kidspiration where students will drag the different components into the template I've created. They will then use the Writing view to write a sentence about what is happening in each component. They will print a copy of the completed diagram to turn in.
2. I will create an online scavenger hunt using websites I found from the Marco Polo site. I'll make sure to include several sites that include interactive Flash activities. Students will complete an investigation sheet as they view websites with more information about the life cycle of a butterfly. A portion of investigation sheet will require them to draw the life cycle (they can draw it by hand or use KidPix).
3. I will create a very short PPT game (10 questions or less) that allows them to play the role of a butterfly, answering different questions related to butterflies (taken from the Kidspiration and scavenger hunt activities) in order to "win" the game.

I'll create all of the online and offline components of the learning center so that it will be visually pleasing to the 5 3rd grade students. (i.e. print out copies of the investigation sheet, decorate the area with butterfly cutouts, print out all of the game components, etc.).

I'll provide the materials to the classroom teacher and she will make them available to the 5 targeted students, as well as any other students who will be interested in working with the materials. I will leave the materials in the classroom for 7 school days and I will pick up samples of student work on the 8th day. I'll also take a few pictures of the setup of the center so I can include this in my final TELE project report.

We'll view some examples from EDIT 7500 (the graduate version of our course) during today's class.

Coming up:
Tuesday, March 7: Denise Domizi will be here to talk about informal learning environments to prepare us for our field trip
Thursday, March 9: TELE Project proposal due today. Field Trip preparation today.