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Project Exploration :  Facebook/MySpace

Lesson Title: Mythological Character Social Networking Page Assignment

                      (Facebook or MySpace)

Grade Level: Seventh Grade

Subject Areas:  Literature, Language Arts

Lesson Summary: For this assignment, students will be selecting a character from Greek mythology and researching their chosen character.

Objectives: 
* Maintain a list of the vocabulary introduced
* To improve the language comprehension skills 
* Students will gain an understanding of the nature of heroes - both modern and in the heroic age of myth.  
* Strengthen written and oral communication, as well as research competency.
* Be able to work collaboratively with others by participating in classroom and group discussions.
*  Develop confidence and critical self-awareness in working with technology to further educational objectives. 

Approximate Time Needed: Five Weeks

Detailed Lesson Plan:

Mythological Character Social Networking Page Assignment

(Facebook, My Space)

For this assignment, you will be selecting a character from Greek mythology and researching your chosen character. Be sure to use RELIABLE sources in your research. After you collect your information, you will apply your knowledge of your character and construct a social networking page (either Facebook or My space).

Here are some things to look for in your research:

*   Name of character

*   Powers and responsibilities

*   Familial relationships

*   Symbols associated with the character (tools, animals, cities, etc.)

On your social networking page, you must include:

*   A profile picture

*   At least FIVE status updates

*   At least one wall photo (and/or link to album) with a minimum of two photo comments by other mythological beings

*   At least THREE interactions with other mythological beings

               (Writing on each others wall inviting to join a group,                         commenting on another character’ status, etc.)

*   At least THREE “likes” (thumbs up) for different causes, etc.

*   Info, “about me” includes familial relationship, interests, relationship status, looking for, work history, etc.

You will be graded on the content and creativity of your social networking page.

Characters to Consider:

Olympian Gods:           Monsters and Creatures:        Other Minor

Aphrodite                          Centaurs                                           Adonis

Apollo                                Cerberus                                           Asclepius

Ares                                    Cyclopes                                           Eilithyia                       

Artemis                             Giants                                                Hebe                            

Athena                              Hecatonchires                                  Helios

Demeter                           Medusa                                              Hemera

Dionysus                          Satyrs                                                 Hyacinth

Hades                               Sphinx                                                Nyx

Hephaestus                     Typhoon                                             Persephone

Hera                                                                                              Styx

Hermes                                                                                         Tyche

Hestia

Poseidon

Zeus          

Greek Heroes:                       Famous Greek Mortals:

Achilles                                           Actaeon

Agamemnon                                  Bellerophon

Heracles                                         Danae

Jason and the Argonauts            Europe

Odysseus                                        Ganymede

Perseus                                           Narcissus

Sisyphus                                         Pandora

Theseus                                 

“Why do I want to use Web 2.0 Technologies?”

Every time I read on Web 2.0 technologies it never seizes to amaze me what these tools can offer and the affect it can have on education.  The article on TPACK and Web 2.0: Transformation of Teaching and Learning was another inspiring reading on the efficiency of Web 2.0 technologies. These tools can be used for both the educational process as well as for self development. There are numerous technologies that educators can choose from and at times I feel a little overwhelmed.  From the few tools that I do use such as bookmarking, blogs, wikis, RSS and social networking, I think once engaged in using Web 2.0 technologies I’ve discovered that it is worth the effort and I’ve come to enjoy the benefits of what these tools have to offer.

The reasons I use or the reasons why I want to use web 2.0 technologies is because it allows me:

1. quick and easy access to information.
2. flexibility to access information from virtually anywhere at any time. 
3. it has a positive influence on my communication skills.
4. allows me to work independently as well as collaboratively with my students and peers.
5. its been reliable
6. Cost effective
7. allows me to foster collaborative work with not only my students, but with colleagues, community and family members. 
8. Keeps both my students and I engaged.
9. Gets us to be more creative and to think outside the box.
10.  Provides prompts feedback. I’ve been reading about VoiceThread where you can create as the name suggests voice thread that enables comments and feedback from students and teachers around pieces of media such as images and presentations.  

~Nikki

TPACK and Web 2.0:

Transformation of  Teaching and Learning

TPACK stands for Technological, Pedagogical, and Content Knowledge. Mishra & Koehler developed this conceptual framework in 2006.  Basically, TPACK is "a way of thinking about the knowledge teachers need to understand to integrate web 2.0 technologies effectively into their classrooms. Teachers who exhibit best practices with technology are "creative, flexible, and adapt to ways in which they navigate the constraints, affordances, and interactions within TPACK framework. (Mishra & Koehler, 2008)."

TPACK combined with peer edited knowledge are such that the sum is greater than the individual parts.  Web 2.0 technologies is able to afford teachers and students with creative and collaborative choices such as social networking, blogs, Wordpress, social bookmarking, wikis, RSS feeds, voiceThread, Bubbleshare and many more.

In 2005 – 100% of public school had internet access (NCES, 2006).  In 2007 – Internet use increased and 97% of 9-17 year olds use the internet for social networking. Students are eager to embrace technology.  If skilled teachers get the training and support to integrate web 2.0 tools into their classroom this could have a tremendous impact on the ways students learn and teachers teach.   

~Nikki 

Web 2.0 Technology - Delicious & Skype in the Classroom

Delicious

Del.icio.us is a social bookmarking website, which means it is designed to allow you to store and share bookmarks on the web, instead of inside your browser. On Del.icio.us, you can use tags to organize and remember your bookmarks, which is a much more flexible system than folders. You can assign as many tags to a bookmark as you like and easily rename or delete them later.

Del.icio.us has several advantages.  The reasons why I use this technological tool are, firstly, I can access bookmarks from different computers.  Working in a school system often requires teachers to move about and this sometimes results in the loss of saved bookmarks.  This feature helps me to alleviate this problem. Secondly, you can share your bookmarks publicly, so your students or coworkers can view them for references, or collaboration.  Another great feature is that you can also mark bookmarks on Del.icio.us as private which is only viewable by you. Thirdly, Marilyn and I both agree that the reason why Del.icio.us has been success to integrate into many educational settings across the country is because it is a simple and free service that is available to students and teachers.

The organized and user friendly characteristics of the site make it a useful and valuable Web 2.0 technological tool.  You  can view the YouTube video below which describes the uses and functions of Del.icio.us. 

Del.icio.us Class Project

A project that we could consider using Del.icio.us for, is, for example History papers. This web 2.0 tool could be used for grades 3-12.  We could ask students to write a paper on the American Revolution or Martin Luther King. Each student must bookmark five credible sources using Del.icio.us.  Students can keep track of what sites their classmates have been on. And if they find a new credible site they can share it with the class.   This way students will be able to increase their knowledge and website base with the combined bookmarks using subject tags and improve their research repository.

Skype

P.C. Magazine Encyclopedia states an average of 10 million people Skype to Skype simultaneously; Nikki and I are two within this millions of people who enjoy skyping. We both agree talk is cheap. In 2004, Skype was introduced to us as a voice calling service and as of today, it is one of the most popular free VoIP tools. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is another form of connecting to the world via the Internet. Nikki and I also believe that Skype is another Web 2.0 tool schools can use to help students be connected with the world.  Skype features several form of communication: Skype to Skype, phones and mobiles, conference calls, and video calling. Talking face to face with live video free is the feature that I use the most. However, another great option Skype offers, a user can call and make unlimited calls to any phone in the United States and International for only a small fee.

At only a click of a button, you can download Skype free. Skype website, www.skype.com is very user friendly.  The installation process is very easy and it only takes a few moments to complete.  So how can educator use this free tool within the classroom? Integrating this feature is very easy and many educators are using it on a daily basis. One example I read about, a language art teacher who had her students connect with other students in other countries. The students each got to share something about their city, state and country. As a writing activity, students had to summarize his or her conversation and their experience.

In several of my class at Cambridge College, I have used the conference-calling feature that Skype provide.  We use this feature as a means to strategies and plan assignments. Teacher can also use this feature to assist with class work out side of the classroom. Students can also step up a study hall via this service because as many as 10 simultaneous users can use this service. The possibilities for using Skype in the classroom can be endless because its all about the connection and the creativity of the teachers and students.

Skype Class Project

A class project that Marilyn and I could consider using Skype for, is, teaming up with another school and collaborating with students from the same grade on a joint research project.  This could be a science, language, history, or social studies class. This face to face interaction would be a great way for the students to receive or share information about the content that they are studying. This can also be a great way for the students to practice public speaking or improve their communication skills.   Our class could even team up with schools from different countries for example, we could collaborate with a school in France or South Africa and learn about another culture, language or geography.   

Introduction
	Education  BA in Visual Communications - Framingham State University. Interests and Hobbies Coming from a graphic design background, I love that technology has given us artists new tools to create with, so I spend a lot of my time on my computer learning how to utilize these new tools and creative software. I also love reading and photography.  I am currently teaching myself how to play classic guitar. Favorite Quote  "It was naive of the 19th century optimists to expect paradise from technology - and it is equally naive of the 20th century pessimists to make technology the scapegoat for such old shortcomings as man's blindness, cruelty, immaturity, greed and sinful pride." - Peter F. Drucker, Austrian-born American business management consultant (1909-2005).  I like this quote because I think its fascinating how technology has come to affect everyone of us and we can only imagine what the future holds.