Classroom Use
An example of a lesson plan using Flickr
Plant Growth and Development
Designed by Matthew Stone
Grade Level: 3
Content area: Science
Duration: 6 weeks
Lesson retrieved on March 30th from:
http://jhumcps.wikispaces.com/file/view/Lesson+Plan+Using+Flickr+for+Plant+Growth.docx
Lesson Analysis of the Plant Growth and Development lesson plan
The lesson works toward appropriate goals
The lesson indentified 4 measurement indicators based on OARS Grading and Reporting (Reflecting on Scientific Knowledge, Generating Scientific Evidence, Understanding Scientific Explanation, and Participating Productively in Science). The lesson appears to be in line with these indicators and seems to be appropriate for 3rd grade level. The plan is for an active lesson that works in conjunction with classroom content. The students will apply what they learn in the classroom to this project. Also, the students will be able to use the work produced through Flickr to better understand the content delivered in class. Through out the lesson plan objectives were defined. The objectives are appropriate for the lesson and the overall goal of the lesson.
Comments:
The lesson could easily add NETS for student technological standards.
1. Creativity and Innovation
Students demonstrate creative thinking, construct knowledge, and develop innovative products and processes using technology.
Students:
a. apply existing knowledge to generate new ideas, products, or processes.
b. create original works as a means of personal or group expression.
2. Communication and Collaboration
Students use digital media and environments to communicate and work collaboratively, including at a distance, to support individual learning and contribute to the learning of others.
Students:
a. interact, collaborate, and publish with peers, experts, or others employing a variety of digital environments and media.
b. communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences using a variety of media and formats. c. develop cultural understanding and global awareness by engaging with learners of other cultures.
d. contribute to project teams to produce original works or solve problems.
The objectives were defined through out the lesson. I understood the objectives through the Assessment section and throughout the lesson. I would have created a section defining them all at once with more clarity.
The lesson requires the use of higher-order thinking and “new” literacies.
The lesson asks the students to take photographs of a plant’s growth. The students will document the growth from seed to flowering. The students will also be learning about the plant life cycle and plant parts in class lecture and reading. In this lesson, the students are asked to utilize Flickr to gather, summarize and apply the information from class to write captions for each photograph. The students demonstrate higher-order thinking because they have to look at the image, analyze it, and connect the proper information to the photograph.
I feel the students will learn about and apply principles of media literacy by writing captions for the photographs. The will learn to use both forms of communication (written and visual) to express one idea.
Comments:
I am really new to looking at other people’s lessons plans. So, I do not know if this one is standard or not. It seems vague and incomplete in details. I am gleaning and imagining the lesson from bits and pieces of the lesson plan. I may have added detail and explain how higher-order learning could be achieved.
The lesson integrates learning goals.
I feel that a teacher could use this lesson plan (or idea) to integrate a variety of learning goals. The students learn to communicate their results by uploading, commenting on and sharing their photos in Flickr with their group and eventually the class. The students can learn to combine multiple mediums to communicate a cohesive idea.
The students will be directly involved in producing scientific evidence as well as producing a presentation to share the scientific results. I feel the student will have to demonstrate critical thinking by analyzing the photographs of the plant growth and assessing which plant stage and plant parts are present to comment on.
The students are given the opportunity to creatively utilize and present content learned in class. I feel that the students will actually be able to draw stronger associations with the content by creatively connecting it to their photographs through Flickr. This process can help the students draw associations some abstract reading to concrete imagery.
Comments:
The lesson plan presents a few Essential Questions? Even though the lesson plan does not really address it, the lesson aids the students to answer the questions. Research and inquiry seems to be part of the class time reading, and lecture that will be accompanying this lesson.
The lesson includes a variety of resources.
The lesson directly refers to the use of plant seeds, a digital camera, a computer with internet connection, and Flickr. I would say that the lesson has included a variety of resources.
Comments:
Even though the lesson does not directly refer to other resources, it does indicate the use of reading material, classroom visuals, and presentational material as class content.
The lesson actively engages all students in authentic tasks.
I feel that this lesson does a great job of involving and engaging students in an authentic task that will enhance their learning and understanding of plant parts and life cycles. They are using Flickr to gather, share, and comment on scientific evidence. The students will be taking pictures of a plant they planted and watched grow. They will upload and share those photographs through Flickr with other members of the group. They will be actively learning.
Comment:
It is not clear to me whether the students will be working in any small group or completely independent. The assessment section and the absence of directions to place them in groups, leads me to believe that each student will plant their own plant and document it. If this is the case, then all students were engaged. If the students are working independently, then roles and specific tasks need not be assigned to members of the group. If this lesson was meant to be a group project, then the lesson does not give any instructions on how to divide the tasks and roles.
The lesson uses technology effectively, efficiently and as a learning tool.
I strongly feel that the lesson utilized Flickr effectively and efficiently. This is what Flickr does well. Flickr allows the students to upload the photographs to a common storage place and share the photographs with others. Flickr also provides built in commenting, and annotating features that makes this process so much easier for the students. The lesson did not try to overuse technology. It used technology enough to enhance the learning process with out using technology for technology sake. The photographs shared through Flickr will become a key part of the content for the lesson. In fact, a test will be given where the students will have to identify which stage of development a plant is in based on a photograph.
The lesson addresses the needs of a variety of students.
The lesson has indicated that a few services can be provided for those who need assistance. The lesson mentions using ESOL teachers to help anyone with specific aid and assistance.
Other than that the lesson states that all the equipment will be provided to the students and class time will be allotted. The teacher will give instruction and model the process for a period of time before the students need to start. The teacher will provide hands on assistance to the students for a period of 2 weeks. Then the students need to work independently. There are no mentions of printed or diagrammed instructions.
It appears that the students are not given options or alternatives to the main course of the lesson. All students need to shoot the photographs and utilize Flickr to accomplish the tasks.
The author of the lesson offered some advice for differentiation. The more advanced students can use photo editing software to add graphics to the photos. Some students could be given the option of making presentations to the class.
The lesson includes appropriate assessments.
The lesson did include a series of assessments. The assessments appear to be tied nicely to the indicators and lesson goals. Some of the assessments evaluate how well the students are able to synthesize and develop the content of the class material with the photographs shot by the students. The students will also be evaluated on how well they were able to perform the tasks using the digital camera and Flickr. The author references a grading rubric for OARS Grading and Reporting, and a rubric for Checking for Understanding. But the actual rubrics were not included in the lesson plan.
Designed by Matthew Stone
Grade Level: 3
Content area: Science
Duration: 6 weeks
Lesson retrieved on March 30th from:
http://jhumcps.wikispaces.com/file/view/Lesson+Plan+Using+Flickr+for+Plant+Growth.docx
Lesson Analysis of the Plant Growth and Development lesson plan
The lesson works toward appropriate goals
The lesson indentified 4 measurement indicators based on OARS Grading and Reporting (Reflecting on Scientific Knowledge, Generating Scientific Evidence, Understanding Scientific Explanation, and Participating Productively in Science). The lesson appears to be in line with these indicators and seems to be appropriate for 3rd grade level. The plan is for an active lesson that works in conjunction with classroom content. The students will apply what they learn in the classroom to this project. Also, the students will be able to use the work produced through Flickr to better understand the content delivered in class. Through out the lesson plan objectives were defined. The objectives are appropriate for the lesson and the overall goal of the lesson.
Comments:
The lesson could easily add NETS for student technological standards.
1. Creativity and Innovation
Students demonstrate creative thinking, construct knowledge, and develop innovative products and processes using technology.
Students:
a. apply existing knowledge to generate new ideas, products, or processes.
b. create original works as a means of personal or group expression.
2. Communication and Collaboration
Students use digital media and environments to communicate and work collaboratively, including at a distance, to support individual learning and contribute to the learning of others.
Students:
a. interact, collaborate, and publish with peers, experts, or others employing a variety of digital environments and media.
b. communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences using a variety of media and formats. c. develop cultural understanding and global awareness by engaging with learners of other cultures.
d. contribute to project teams to produce original works or solve problems.
The objectives were defined through out the lesson. I understood the objectives through the Assessment section and throughout the lesson. I would have created a section defining them all at once with more clarity.
The lesson requires the use of higher-order thinking and “new” literacies.
The lesson asks the students to take photographs of a plant’s growth. The students will document the growth from seed to flowering. The students will also be learning about the plant life cycle and plant parts in class lecture and reading. In this lesson, the students are asked to utilize Flickr to gather, summarize and apply the information from class to write captions for each photograph. The students demonstrate higher-order thinking because they have to look at the image, analyze it, and connect the proper information to the photograph.
I feel the students will learn about and apply principles of media literacy by writing captions for the photographs. The will learn to use both forms of communication (written and visual) to express one idea.
Comments:
I am really new to looking at other people’s lessons plans. So, I do not know if this one is standard or not. It seems vague and incomplete in details. I am gleaning and imagining the lesson from bits and pieces of the lesson plan. I may have added detail and explain how higher-order learning could be achieved.
The lesson integrates learning goals.
I feel that a teacher could use this lesson plan (or idea) to integrate a variety of learning goals. The students learn to communicate their results by uploading, commenting on and sharing their photos in Flickr with their group and eventually the class. The students can learn to combine multiple mediums to communicate a cohesive idea.
The students will be directly involved in producing scientific evidence as well as producing a presentation to share the scientific results. I feel the student will have to demonstrate critical thinking by analyzing the photographs of the plant growth and assessing which plant stage and plant parts are present to comment on.
The students are given the opportunity to creatively utilize and present content learned in class. I feel that the students will actually be able to draw stronger associations with the content by creatively connecting it to their photographs through Flickr. This process can help the students draw associations some abstract reading to concrete imagery.
Comments:
The lesson plan presents a few Essential Questions? Even though the lesson plan does not really address it, the lesson aids the students to answer the questions. Research and inquiry seems to be part of the class time reading, and lecture that will be accompanying this lesson.
The lesson includes a variety of resources.
The lesson directly refers to the use of plant seeds, a digital camera, a computer with internet connection, and Flickr. I would say that the lesson has included a variety of resources.
Comments:
Even though the lesson does not directly refer to other resources, it does indicate the use of reading material, classroom visuals, and presentational material as class content.
The lesson actively engages all students in authentic tasks.
I feel that this lesson does a great job of involving and engaging students in an authentic task that will enhance their learning and understanding of plant parts and life cycles. They are using Flickr to gather, share, and comment on scientific evidence. The students will be taking pictures of a plant they planted and watched grow. They will upload and share those photographs through Flickr with other members of the group. They will be actively learning.
Comment:
It is not clear to me whether the students will be working in any small group or completely independent. The assessment section and the absence of directions to place them in groups, leads me to believe that each student will plant their own plant and document it. If this is the case, then all students were engaged. If the students are working independently, then roles and specific tasks need not be assigned to members of the group. If this lesson was meant to be a group project, then the lesson does not give any instructions on how to divide the tasks and roles.
The lesson uses technology effectively, efficiently and as a learning tool.
I strongly feel that the lesson utilized Flickr effectively and efficiently. This is what Flickr does well. Flickr allows the students to upload the photographs to a common storage place and share the photographs with others. Flickr also provides built in commenting, and annotating features that makes this process so much easier for the students. The lesson did not try to overuse technology. It used technology enough to enhance the learning process with out using technology for technology sake. The photographs shared through Flickr will become a key part of the content for the lesson. In fact, a test will be given where the students will have to identify which stage of development a plant is in based on a photograph.
The lesson addresses the needs of a variety of students.
The lesson has indicated that a few services can be provided for those who need assistance. The lesson mentions using ESOL teachers to help anyone with specific aid and assistance.
Other than that the lesson states that all the equipment will be provided to the students and class time will be allotted. The teacher will give instruction and model the process for a period of time before the students need to start. The teacher will provide hands on assistance to the students for a period of 2 weeks. Then the students need to work independently. There are no mentions of printed or diagrammed instructions.
It appears that the students are not given options or alternatives to the main course of the lesson. All students need to shoot the photographs and utilize Flickr to accomplish the tasks.
The author of the lesson offered some advice for differentiation. The more advanced students can use photo editing software to add graphics to the photos. Some students could be given the option of making presentations to the class.
The lesson includes appropriate assessments.
The lesson did include a series of assessments. The assessments appear to be tied nicely to the indicators and lesson goals. Some of the assessments evaluate how well the students are able to synthesize and develop the content of the class material with the photographs shot by the students. The students will also be evaluated on how well they were able to perform the tasks using the digital camera and Flickr. The author references a grading rubric for OARS Grading and Reporting, and a rubric for Checking for Understanding. But the actual rubrics were not included in the lesson plan.