TechQuest Project Description

The Global Student

According to the Michigan Department of Education, “The challenges of the 21^st century will require students to be globally literate regarding major global issues and the processes necessary to inquire about issues, gather information and make decisions that arise during their lifetimes.  They will need to be ready and willing to assume citizenship responsibility and to make informed and reasoned decisions for the public good as citizens of a pluralistic, democratic society in an interdependent world.” (K-8 Social Studies Grade Level Content Expectations, Michigan)  There is no doubt that globalization is becoming a large part of our society.  American students often do not understand globalization or the importance of understanding people and cultures from around the world.  At a small school such as the one where I teach, students become comfortable with their close-knit community and may not consider those in their greater world community.  However, it is becoming apparent that being a part of a global world is something that students will need to understand and yet this can be difficult to teach children.  This is a need in educational settings across the country.  A solution that helps to bridge the gap between a world that is not globally connected and one that is will be more critical as we move further into the 21^st century. 

 This problem is apparent with middle school students because many young adolescents are self absorbed.  Additionally, Ann Arbor Learning Community has goals written into its charter that support the growing need for students who are moving toward becoming globally responsible citizens.  Web 2.0 technologies are opening the door for collaboration and methods that will aid schools in using technology to solve this problem.  Indeed, the use of technology can be a solution, and one that will have a deep and lasting impact on the students of today and tomorrow.     

Addressing the Issue

The Project

            The goal of this project is that students will utilize a survey, Web 2.0 technologies, and website design to engage in a thoughtful exploration of global issues.  It is designed to give students the opportunity to take responsibility for their learning by allowing them to incorporate issues that are important to them. 

 The study will begin by marking on a map in the classroom where the students and teacher know people around the world.  A list of these places will be included on a class wiki that will be used to collect ideas and survey questions.  Students will collaborate with one another to determine survey questions and to create a survey using Survey Monkey.  Once the survey is written, students will send the survey to the list of people they created at the beginning of the project.  Upon completion of the survey, students will be given copies of the results to analyze.   Students will now look at themes or patterns that can be seen in the survey results and create a website to display these themes and patterns.  The website will then be published and sent to those who completed the survey so that my students can communicate with them what they learned through this portion of the project.

 One group we hope to target with this survey is middle school students in the north of France.  The class has a connection to these schools through the instructor’s sister.  The ultimate goal is to create a relationship with these schools where the students collaborate with one another.  Together, the students will create a brochure to be placed on the website created in the first part of this project.          

  A third part of this project will allow students to move toward action.  In this part of the project, small student groups will address a particular issue that they discovered throughout the first two parts of the study.  Each group will use a Web 2.0 technology to collaborate online before creating a page on the class designed website.  Their page will address the issue their group chose to address.  

             The multi-layered approach to this project will aid the impact on student learning.  This project has scaffolding throughout, which will allow students to continue to move beyond their previous knowledge and to put this knowledge into practice. 

Current Research and Resources

Facing the Future

The Michigan Grade Level Content Expectations for Social Studies

Globalization 101  

The Miniature Earth

United Nations Millennium Goals

Implementation Plan

This TechQuest Project will be implemented in three parts over the course of several months.  Part one will begin immediately. 

1. Survey, Survey Results, and Web Design (Nov.-Jan.) – During this part of the project, students will create the survey, analyze the survey, and design a website to display information they gained through this “experiment”.
2. A Case Study (Feb. – March) – This part of the project will give students the opportunity to focus on one area of the world, in this case, France.  Students will continue to use Web 2.0 technologies to communicate with students in France and will work with them to create a bilingual brochure to add to the website. 
3. Action Plan (April-May) – The final part of this project will require students to address a particular “issue” that they discovered throughout Parts I and II. 

The Four Common Places of Education:

1. Teacher –

• The instructor for this project will be a middle school (grades 6-8) social studies and math teacher.
• Throughout the project, the teacher will serve as a facilitator and coach while students have the opportunity to help lead and guide parts of the project.
• Ultimately and ideally, the learner will also become a teacher for others.

 2. Learner –

• This project will be done in a multi-age classroom with students ranging from sixth to eighth grade.
• Most of these students have average access to technology at home.
• As the project progresses, the learner should move from students in Ann Arbor, MI to include people from around the world.

 3. Subject matter

• Learning to become global students – expanding our horizons by exploring people around the world
• A Case Study – narrowing our focus to gain in depth understanding of students in France
• Action Plan – using our knowledge to move us toward action

 4. The Setting

• The project will mostly take place in a middle school classroom at a public charter school in Ann Arbor, MI.
• The classroom has limited computers, so some students will also work at home to help keep things moving at a steady pace.
• It is hopeful that the setting will expand and move beyond the walls of our small school as students collaborate with people around the world.