Melinda Smith-Woods
Learner Factors

Learner Factors Analyzing the student learners is a means to identify the learner characteristics that will likely impact the process and outcomes of the learning experience.
Factors	Description		Advantage or Constraint	Initial Ideas for Maximizing Positive Factors or Minimizing Negative Factors
Age / Academic Range	13-14		Constraint	Students can be immature but the ability to select the people they will work with may help.
Sex Distribution	~50/50		Constraint	Students will select their group members
Racial, Ethnic Diversity	~1% minority		Advantage	Should not be an issue.
Educational Level	8th Graders		Advantage	Students can be immature, but most have extensive knowledge about the technology being used.
Disability or Impairment	ADD, ADHD, Autism and Bi-polar disorder		Advantage	Project is more freeform than most.  Students will enjoy having the choices and freedom to explore their learning.
Developmentally Appropriate	Yes		Advantage	Student love using new technologies in their classes.  We are allowing them to chose form a variety of final products
Prerequisite Knowledge	Causes of the Civil War, Basic computer skills, Researching, Source citing and validation techniques		Advantage	All the research skills are taught each year.  The validation techniques will have been taught prior to the lesson.  Causes of the Civil War will be taught right before this lesson is implemented.
Related Experience	Research, Source validation		Advantage	Stress the importance of locating valid information
Perception of Role as Student	Excited and Motivated		Advantage	Taking charge of the lesson.  High standards for both research and projects.
Motivation for Learning	Group activity and Technology choices		Advantage	This project allows the student more freedom then normal in both what they are making and what they are studying, They will become the content masters for the cause they select, and will teach it to the class.
Attitude Toward Subject	Group Activity, Technology		Advantage	Students will be excited abut selecting their own groups, topics and visual presentation style.
Expectations from Session	8th grade History TEKS Audio and Visual presentations		Advantage	Students will be able to use new and exciting technology techniques.  They will be developing a teach piece to share with their class.
Competitiveness	very competitive		Advantage	web site will be published, grade, peer group accountability
Environment Factors Analyzing the environment is a means to identify the issues that will impact the (a) process of the design and production, (b) implementation, and (c) outcomes of the learning experience.
Factors	Description	Advantage or Constraint		Initial Ideas for Maximizing Positive Factors or Minimizing Negative Factors
Design and Production Factors:
Budget Available	Not Applicable		Advantage	We have all the programs and equipment on site.
Materials Required	Examples, Rubric		Advantage	Instructional Technologist will assist teacher in the development of the examples and the rubrics.
Production Equipment Available	XP lab with audacity, movie maker, activslate, and photostory.  Camcorders, headsets and microphones		Advantage	equipment sufficient for project, digital video camera & capture device will only be needed on a limited basis
Time for Design and Production	5-45 minute classes 9 days to work outside of class		Advantage	Class time will be spent doing initial research for 2 days and 3 days in the lab.  Teacher and Instructional Technologist will be present to assist students as needed
Department Technology Requirements	Not Applicable		Advantage
Implementation Factors:
Class Size	21		Advantage	relatively small class size affords instructors more time with groups and individuals
Class Period Length	45 minutes		Constraint	Length of class makes it hard to accomplish much in class that is why so much out side of class time is given.
Location	Classroom, Lab and Library		Advantage	One open computer labs is available for scheduling, and the library lab is available for scheduling as well. 4 computers in the classroom, and 14 more in the team area.
Seating Arrangement	tables, 5 comp along 1 wall		Advantage	tables may be moved easily to facilitate group work, computer area is cramped but access is not always available in other rooms
Lighting	Not Applicable
Temperature	Not Applicable
Noise	Not Applicable
Equipment	4 computers in class, 30 computers in lab 28 computers in library		Advantage	All rooms will be made available to student before and after school.
Technology Support	Instructional Technologist		Advantage	Instructional Technologist s able to be in the classroom and the lab when needed.
Outcome Factors:
State Requirements	8th Grade History TEKS & 6-8 Technology Application TEKS		Advantage	Project will cover TEKS in both the History and TA.
Employer Needs	Technology is a big push		Advantage	Project will showcase many types of student projects.
Co-worker Needs	Instructional Technologist and Librarian.		Advantage	Teacher will work with both of these people in the implementation of the lesson. She will need to make arrangements with each of them to schedule their labs.
Student Needs	Student will be taught audio editing skills as needed.  Visual projects will be also need to be taught as need, but students will have a choice of three different programs to work with.		Constraint	If the project gets overwhelming, we can always pare it down.  This is a learning process for both the students and teachers.

Content Factors Analyzing the content is a means to identify in general terms the topics to be addressed in your course and to analyze these topics in terms of the perquisite sub-topics, and degree of learning difficulty.
Main Topics	Sub-Topics (What Is Involved In Learning Each Main Topic?)	Readiness To Learn (Prerequisites Mastered)	Degree of Learning Difficulty (Real / Imagined)	Possible Instructional Strategies to Reduce or Manage Learning Difficulty
General Knowledge  Understand the five main causes of the Civil War	Understand the five main causes of the Civil War. Understand how the environment and resources impacted settlers and lead to different lifestyles in the different regions of the U.S. before the Civil War Analyze differences (economically and socially) between different sections of the country Students will learn how both the northern and southern people interpreted the causes of the war.	The causes are taught all along from the beginning of the year, practically.  It's a building thing - they start with the environment and how it influenced the economics of both North and South. As we build up towards the Civil War I keep reminding them of the differences between the 2 societies that are going to cause the war itself.  I incorporate cause/effect, making inferences, predictions, and also fact and opinion - these are skills and objectives that are included in the TEKS as well.	Real-Student may feel overwhelmed with all the information they have to know about history up to the Civil War.   Imagined- Information is taught, evaluated and re-evaluated through the course of the class.  The knowledge they need has been built up all they need to do is apply it.	Cause/effect   Making inferences   Predictions   Fact and opinion
Research  Research a single cause of the Civil War.  Site your sources and determine the validity of the sources used.	Research information on a single cause. Validate that information and make a decision on what knowledge to share with classmates. Students are able to read and analyze primary sources	Use Advanced and Boolean search techniques.   Select the correct search engine for the type of information you are looking for.   Use the 10 C s to validate information gathered from the internet   Determine what information is the most pertinent to the project and include that.	Real- techniques tale a little practice and you have to get out of the Google mode.  Validating your information is a tedious task the first few times,   Imagined- once the skills are learned and practiced, the students will become better at searching and validating their sources.	Whole class introduction to searching on-line and validating web sites.   Practice these techniques are research is in progress   Peer-coaching   Teacher(s) nearby for help
Project  Create a teach piece that includes both an audio presentation and a visual presentation.  Present those projects to class as a group.	Students are able to transfer information from one medium to another Develop a teach piece that affectively shares your knowledge of a single cause to a class.  Include an evaluation piece that checks for understanding.	Learn how to transfer sound files to a type used in Audacity using a file converter.   Depending on visual project selected learn& · Photostory to put together still images and include audio. · Activslate to create a flipbook illustrating your topic,  This can include video clips, audio clips and hyperlinks · Movie Maker to create a video project incorporating still images video and audio.   Put together a presentation with both the audio and visual aspects to teach to teach your topic to the class   Develop an evaluation tool to check for understanding.	Real  This project will make some student very uncomfortable.  Speaking in front of a class is nerve racking for 8th graders.  But the opportunity to do our speaking to the class through an audio or visual aid will limit that fear.  Each of the techniques has a certain amount of learning inherent with it, but the student will pick it up quickly.   Imagined  Once they get going on the assignment, they will have no problems.  They will love working in groups and developing their teaching aides.	Audio lesson will be whole class   Visual will be pull-out sessions as groups need assistance.   Peer-coaching   Teacher(s) nearby for help