What We Learned
Project Reflection - this is what we together with
our teacher learned in creating our website.
Problems We Had To Overcome
Our greatest challenge in
working on this project was learning how to work as a team and running into lots
of technical problems. Imagine our frustration when some of our peers deleted
and overwrote files so we had to do it over...or when we couldn't agree on
colours for text and background for our pages...or when we couldn't get the
computer to do what we wanted it to. The major technical problem happened when
the server after having major hiccups for a number of weeks finally
died.....that was not a joke. we were upset but with the help of many people we
managed to get the stuff fixed, well almost everything.
What information tools and
technologies did you use to create your web site?
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Telecommunications: we
used e-mail to contact websites and people for permissions to use their
resources.
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Internet Search Tools: we used the
World Wide Web to find links, do research and evaluate resources
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HTML: At the beginning
we were newbies in using HTML. By the end of the project we were using
Claris Homepage with no problems whatsoever.
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Graphics Utilities: we
used Corel Photo Paint, Ulead Photo Impact, Ulead Animator
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Scanners and Digital camera: most of
the photos on the website were taken by the students using a digital camera or
by scanning the covers of the books reviewed
What has been the impact of the project on the
students?
Our Project Sound Bite
TEAMWORK
rules!
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Creating the web pages was very demanding not
only because we had to learn HTML and new graphic programs, but also because of
the decisions we had to make as a group as to the design, structure and layout
of the site. We hope that the resulting web pages created, written and
illustrated by students for students will prove to be a resource for other kids.
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We were also challenged by having
contributions from over twenty schools. We had to make sure that everyone was
included and that the stuff was reviewed and corrected. We will able to do this
because we worked as a team not just among ourselves and also with the other
students who were contributing to our site.
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Throughout the project we learned many
skills. Since our research was being published for a "real audience", revisions
and constructive criticism were accepted more willingly. We learned what
teamwork was all about. Since this was a group project, we all had to rely on
each other and everyone was expected to pull their own weight. We learned to
work collaboratively and effectively with others on a common task
What recommendations would you give other
students and teachers wanting to to run a project like this?
When you start a project
of this magnitude, you have to be brave and be prepared for things
to go wrong. Here's our advice:
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make a plan of the project and
stick to it
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make a storyboard of jobs, teams,
activities, responsibilities
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involve all students in discussions
and decision making for the website design, content and look
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use a big wall calendar to map
out timeline
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use the "techie" knowledge of
your students
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use the talents of all students
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and LAST but not LEAST remember
to have fun !!!
Comments of students:
"At the beginning we knew
nothing about HTML, but now it's pretty cool!"
"This was an easy project for me
to get interested in because I just LOVE reading."
"It was difficult to agree on how the
reviews should be done. Most of us just said we liked the book...and that
doesn't say anything about how the book is good."
"Working in a team was not
very easy at first, but then we got better."
"It was easier to read the books
than to talk about them and why they were good."
"Making a web site takes a
lot of patience, and PLANNING and being able to listen to others."
"Editing stuff was no fun, but we
knew the world would see this and we wanted to do a really good job."
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How did the project goals relate
to your curriculum?
The specific curriculum outcomes that
were achieved in this project focused on the Ontario Curriculum language
writing expectations for the grades. The indicators of these expectations
are: the high quality of the writing, use of vocabulary, formatting of
pages and the consistent reporting throughout the website. The scope and
range of books read and analyzed provide evidence of attaining many
Ontario Curriculum reading expectations. The integration of ICT is evident
both in the web design elements and graphics throughout the site. We had
planned to incorporate more audio components into the project, but a total
server failure created much anxiety and loss of files that unfortunately
were irretrievable and could not be replicated because of time
constraints.
These are the SPECIFIC expectations that are evident
READING expectations evident in the student book reviews
posted on this site:
* read a variety of fiction and non-fiction materials (e.g., novels, short
stories, poetry, myths, articles) for different purposes;
* read independently, selecting appropriate reading strategies;
* understand the vocabulary and language structures appropriate for this
grade level;
* use conventions of written materials to help them understand and use the
materials.
BOOK
REVIEWS demonstrate these expectations in WRITING
* communicate
ideas and information for a variety of purposes (to inform, to persuade,
to explain) and to specific audiences (e.g., write the instructions for
building an electrical circuit for an audience unfamiliar with the
technical terminology);
* use writing for various purposes and in a range of contexts, (e.g., to
develop and clarify ideas, to express thoughts and opinions);
* use a variety of sentence types (e.g., questions, statements) and
sentence structures (e.g., complex sentences) appropriate for their
purposes;
* produce pieces of writing using a variety of forms (e.g., newspaper
articles, lyrics, summaries of information), techniques and resources
(e.g., library resources) appropriate to the form and purpose, and
materials from other media (e.g., film clips);
* produce media texts using writing and materials from other media (e.g.,
create a web page publicizing a cycling club);
* revise and edit their work in collaboration with others, seeking and
evaluating feedback, and focusing on content, organization, and
appropriateness of vocabulary for audience;
ICT INTEGRATION- Web design
*demonstrate understanding of how to evaluate project work in relation to
identified specifications, using quality control procedures;
* fabricate products or deliver services using a design process and a
variety of tools and equipment;
* share information locally and globally using communication tools such as
e-mail;
* use a variety of computer
software applications for research, to solve problems, and to document the
design process;
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