Technology Integration Plan

           The lesson plan that I decided to adapt for this assignment is one that I used in my Methods for Teaching English class, which is based on Kate Chopin’s “Story of an Hour.” It was designed for an eleventh grade English class. With group collaboration and presentations included, it is estimated to take approximated five forty-five minute class sessions.
            As a “Do Now,” I originally had my students write in their journals about their thoughts to the ending to the short story. I had them write what they liked and what they would change. This would prepare them to write an alternative ending to the short story. I would then have the students briefly share their ideas with the class and then introduce them to their writing assignment. In this adapted lesson, I decided to maintain the same “Do Now” writing assignment; however, instead of having the students share their ideas aloud, I saved that for later. The students will discuss their ideas in groups, as discussed in the second row of the matrix. As mentioned in the first row of the matrix, I have added the use of a SmartBoard to demonstrate examples of what their final product should look like. The students will listen and ask questions.
            Originally, I wanted my students to independently write an alternate ending to the short story in an essay format. The students would be instructed to eliminate the final two paragraphs of the short story and continue with their ideas from there. In this new lesson, instead of having the students independently write their alternative ending, I decided to allow my students to work in groups of three to four to create a video of their alternative ending. Pedagogically, I think that this would be a great way to incorporate technology because I am providing students two different options; they can either record themselves acting, or they can use a website, such as GoAnimate, to create a virtual video. This way, students who do not feel comfortable with filming themselves have an alternative method of completing the assignment. As mentioned in the second row, the students will communicate and collaborate in groups. Those filming themselves can use any of the following technologies: cameras, cell phones, iPads, and/or laptops with webcams. The students who are virtually creating a video will use a computer to access GoAnimate. Unlike the original lesson, this one is engaging for students because they get to use technologies that they use in their everyday lives in a school setting. Also, these technologies are easy to carry from home to school.
            In the third row, I mention that students will present their videos to the class using the SmartBoard. In the original plan, I had the students share their alternate endings in groups, not with the entire class. The students presenting will then engage the audience in a discussion about their thinking process and what led them to believe that this was a reasonable ending based on textual evidence. Pedagogically, I find this to be both an engaging and educational assignment, because in order for the students to create an alternative ending, the goal is that they will understand the conflict, characters, setting, and writing style.
           As mentioned in the fourth row, the students in the audience will evaluate the group presenting using a rubric, which was created on Rubistar in a previous class session. The students will have this rubric printed out for when each group presents. The rubric will have a section to evaluate both the video and the explanation of the video.
            I particularly like the idea of students sharing their work with one another; that is why I decided to make it mandatory that all students post their video up on DropBox, as seen in row five. As the teacher, I will create a DropBox folder and allow all my students to have access to it. This way students can access each others’ videos whenever they please; this will particularly benefit those students who are absent. To do this, the best option is to use a computer to download the video file; however, the students can access each others’ work through their iPads and Smartphones.
            Overall, I feel as if this adapted lesson will pedagogically benefit all the students in my class, because they will bring their technologies into a classroom setting, students will collaborate with peers, they will develop stronger public speaking skills through presentation, and students will take on the role of a teacher by evaluating groups with a rubric. 

My Matrix!