Teaching with Technology: Haiku Learning and a Lesson Plan

Many students freak out when I tell them to google search something. “This is school! We can’t look things up, we must have everything memorized.” This always amazes me. This is the 21st century and the age of technology. Almost every individual in the United States has access to online sources and content and will be asked to use that content in future jobs. Shouldn’t we as educators be helping students to develop these skills?

This week in CEP810 we were tasked with creating a lesson plan that uses technology in a meaningful way. In my exploration of available technologies I stumbled upon Haiku Learning. A tool that will greatly help me this upcoming school year.

I teach math and science at an Alternative High School. Students work through online programs at their own pace. Teachers work with students individually or in small groups. I feel like this individualized setting can hinder a sense of community. One of my goals is to find a way to bring students together via discussions and projects while leaving them with that “work-at-your-own-pace” feel. I want to create a space for students to complete work that is more interactive than the textbook-based online courses they use now. Therefore I am creating a supplementary space for my students where students can interact with each other and work through math problems and concepts in a collaborative style.

This first lesson plan is Algebra I, Variables. Click here for the link. Students will be asked to research using two sources from me and one of their own to find the definition and uses of variables. Then they will collaborate together to create a Wiki-project about their findings.   Great things about this lesson:

1. I do not have to gather or create extensive new materials. Students will be compiling the data they  use.

2. Students can  work on the page or comment without being in the same room. They can work at their own pace or from home.

3. Students will have continued access to the completed space to reference the definition and uses of variables.

4. This can be done as a whole class or small group project.

A quote from this week’s lesson is from Douglas Thomas and John Seely Brown (2011), “In the new culture, the classroom as a model is replaced by learning environments in which digital media provides access to a rich source of information and play, and the processes that occur within those environments are integral to the results” (p. 37-38).” My lesson plan allows students to see that it is not only okay to research something, but that Google is a good source to start looking for information. They will find ways to use the internet to learn and collaborate in a friendly and productive way.

Below is a sample video, a how-to of Wiki-projects

And here is the link again to my lesson plan if you missed it the first time.

---

Reference: Thomas, D., & Brown, J. S. (2011). A new culture of learning: Cultivating the imagination for a world of constant change. Lexington, Ky