Teacher's+Page

=Teacher's Page=

Joint Statement
The project aims to guide students towards building a comprehensive understanding of Shakespeare, Sonnets and the Elizabethan Era. It will guide students through a four lesson sequence, integrating a minimum of three major ICTs to encourage students to develop a detailed and multi-modal approach to learning. Through this approach we hope to cater for a diverse range of student learning abilities, to foster a broad knowledge of ICT uses, and to support this with constructivist learning theory. Our lesson sequence is based on English curriculum outcomes and the focus for assessment is on the production of an interactive, comprehensive timeline project. Students will combine learned outcomes with multiple ICT functions to achieve a holistic understanding of English, ICT and other integrated learning areas including History and the Arts.

Statement of ICT
Students will be allocated different tasks on each of the four lessons. The objective is to allow broad scope for self directed learning, within the parameters of the project. In lesson one the students will be asked, in pairs, to use a timeline creation website, either //prezi.com// or //dipity.com//, to compile their internet research. Students should aim to include a carefully selected and edited combination of images, text, audio and video to present their findings on the Elizabethan Era and Shakespeare's lifetime. In lesson two, the students will engage in teacher guided internet research to gather details about sonnet forms, features and poetic techniques used in Shakespeare's Sonnet 18. The students will also create a wordle- using //wordle.net//- to identify and reflect upon the key themes and phrases of the sonnet in a visual format. They will then add their findings to the interactive project timeline created in lesson one. Lesson three will see the students create a //blogger.com// account and students are to use this format to textually express their understandings of Sonnet 18, its context and contemporary validity. They will also be asked to include posts about any concerns or further interests they have developed throughout the project to this point. Students will be encouraged to also use the blog as an ongoing project discussion board. Students should link their blog account to the interactive project and timeline page from lesson one. In lesson four students will use //podbean.com// or //Garageband// software to create an edited audio recording or podcast of Shakepeare's Sonnet 18. They will be required to pay attention to the rhyme and rhythm schemes, iambic pentameter, and orally present Sonnet 18 in such a way that reveals and emphasises the intended meaning.

The use of ICT in this project requires students to elicit meaning from different media, to understand a variety of ICT styles and to utilize these for presentational means, comprehensive learning, and creative interaction. They will engage on different levels with ICTs that support varied learning styles. Teachers should note that the ICT tools used in this project can be substituted and changed for different tools to create different learning schemas.

ICT Resource Links
prezi.com www.dipity.com www.wordle.net blogger.com www.podbean.com Garageband- Apple Mac software

Project Learning Theory Basis
Rather than relying on a teacher directed model of learning for this project, we decided to embrace Constructivism as our learning theory model. Constructivism incorporates the active building of knowledge that is based on students' prior experiences and understandings. It is through the active engagement with ICT that students are able to construct their knowledge as opposed to absorbing knowledge from a teacher. Well known theorists such as Piaget (1896-1980), Vygotsky (1896-1934) and Montessori (1870-1952) contributed to Constructivist Learning Theory. Constructivism can be viewed as the difference between knowing and understanding. In this project, the students are able to learn and understand through their constructive use of ICT. In our four lesson program, students are able to build their knowledge via a scaffolding structure through the integration of ICT in the classroom. We believe that a Constructivist approach in this program caters for diverse learning abilities in the class. We also utilise co-operative learning as an appropriate model for developing and maintaining students' skills and knowledge.

The following points highlight some elements of Constructivism that we have incorporated into our ICT project: > from lesson four is shared with peers, and the blog expresses students' personal beliefs, teaching the students to own their thoughts, consider others' and validate their reasoning.
 * **'real-life' activities**: In lesson three, students are asked to create blogs on the contemporary relevance of Shakespeare for today's audience. Lesson four requires students to produce a podcast or oral recording of a Shakespearean sonnet to display their comprehension of structure and meaning. This also serves to validate the sonnet form and meaning in contemporary society.
 * **modelling of processes**: Students work in pairs to create an interactive timeline in lesson one, and continue to build onto the timeline as an ongoing interactive project throughout the unit.
 * **reflection**: The blog activity in lesson three enables students to comment on and reflect upon Shakespeare's relevance to contemporary society. This exercise also allows students to reflect upon meaning through interactive discussions with other class members' blogs. They may develop further questions and interests through reflection on their blog contributions.
 * **collaborative construction of knowledge:** Lesson one requires students to develop knowledge on their timeline in pairs. This interactive method continues during lesson two, and is scaffolded throughout the rest of the unit. The blogging activity in lesson three enables collaborative learning where students can comment on each others' work.
 * **co-operative learning**: Social skills are able to develop whilst students learn to work in a partnership in which mutual goals are achieved through active participation. In pairs students continue to construct their interactive project and timeline over the span of the four lesson sequence. The podcast
 * **articulation of personal values and beliefs:** Blogging actively encourages students to express their personal beliefs about Shakespeare's relevance today, and teaches students to confidently share their beliefs for critical analysis.

It is these elements of Constructivism that enable ICT to be integrated into a student-centred mode of learning.Used in this way, ICT enables the learners to undertake a student based inquiry into Shakespeare, Sonnets and The Elizabethan Era.