Artifact #1
The Story Picture Activity is linked to the Computer Skills Curriculum for third grade. It is an activity web page that provides instructions for the “Story Pictures” assignment and the pictures to be used. This activity will allow students to develop computer and writing skills found in the Computer Skills Curriculum and the Language Arts Curriculum.
Context
I created this Story Picture Activity in my Media and Technology class
of my Elementary Education Block at Appalachian State University.
I used Netscape Composer to create the web pages. The activity allows
students the opportunity to access an assignment on the Internet.
The instructions found there will guide them in creating a word processing
document in which they will organize a sequence to the pictures provided
on the web page and develop a corresponding story. This activity
allows students the opportunity to practice their computer skills, by using
the Internet and creating a word processing document. Students develop
their Language Arts skills as well, by sequencing pictures, in order to
fabricate a corresponding story using the elements of a story.
Impact
This activity can be used in the classroom in a variety of ways.
It addresses both the Computer Skills and Language Arts Curriculum for
third grade. The Story Pictures activity is one that can be used
to teach students a form of technological communication. They will
learn to access a web page, sequence pictures, and write a story.
This is an entertaining activity that students will find educational and
meaningful, as they will be able to create a tangible product. It
is an activity that can be easily adapted to any grade level and used individually
or in groups.
Alignment
The Story Pictures web page features an activity for students, in which
they arrange a randomly ordered set of pictures and create a story to narrate
it. This activity will help them meet the goals of the Computer Skills
Curriculum as they access information and create a word processing document
using the activity instructions from the web page. The web page has a link
to the Computer Skills Curriculum of the North Carolina Standard Course
of Study for Third Grade (Tech Competency
10.1). The students will be meeting some of the goals of the
North Carolina Computer Skills Curriculum as they demonstrate their ability
and understanding in the use of computer technology. They will use
a variety of technologies in the form of a web page and word processing
document (Tech. Competency 10.4).
The Story Picture Activity uses a variety of instructional strategies.
The activity uses the World Wide Web, as a visual aid, to present the assignment
to the students. The students will work in small groups using technology
to complete the activity. Students will develop problem solving through
the use of a variety of stories for the pictures demonstrating an understanding
for different imaginative ideas. Students will develop critical thinking
skills as they create a story to correspond to the pictures. Performance
skills will be developed in the actual sequencing of the pictures and the
creation of the corresponding story (INTASC
# 4). The explicit instructions for the activity are easily accessible
as they are included on the page that the students must access to complete
the assignment. I chose this medium to present the subject because
it was necessary for the students to access the information about the activity
on the web in order to complete it. Using the web to present the
activity made it easier for the students as everything they needed for
the activity was in the same format and right at their fingertips (Tech.
Competency 11.2). This activity will also help to prepare
students for the Computer Skills Assessment. I will ask students
to practice performing skills involving the creation of a word processing
document and how to manipulate and use the tools, such as spell check,
use of thesaurus, and formatting, for desired effects. They will
also practice accessing a web page and interacting with the Internet through
a search to locate the Story Pictures web page (Tech.
Competency 10.5). The Story Pictures Activity will use technology
based tools, such as the Internet, web pages, and word processing documents,
that are specifically suited to the Language Arts discipline. The
use of such tools fit this discipline in a variety of ways. The story
pictures activity involves sequencing the pictures, developing a story
to correspond to the pictures, and using the elements of a story (main
characters, character’s goals, setting, plot, theme, and problem and solution)
to create the corresponding story (Tech. Competency
11.3). This activity incorporates the use of media and technology
in teaching and in student expression. The Story Pictures Activity
integrates technology into teaching, as it requires various computer skills.
These skills must be taught to students prior to the activity to ensure
understanding and the ability to complete the task. The activity
can be introduced to the students on an overhead projector screen, so that
all students can view the model and follow the set example, thus using
technology to meet curriculum goals. The activity integrates technology
into student expression as they create a word processing document of their
personal design. They are free to use all of the available tools
offered in the Word program to develop their document (Tech.
Competency 12.7).