2.  LTAs provides instructors an insight to whether their learning group is willing and able to accept Web-based learning environments.  My hypothetical LTA is focused on the Explore Africa webquest and on the demographics of my previous students from 2008-09 school year.  LTA split into two parts and a conclusion.

3.  Goal: › To accurately begin this assessment, I need to establish a goal to see if Web-based learning is the correct choice.  My goal is to have the students work in small groups to research an African tribe, create a mask of that tribe, and deliver an oral presentation in the Griot style.

4.  YES! › The Web is a necessary component for research. › Most thorough and up-to-date information › Can find pictures, video, audio, etc. › Some research could be done via libraries

5.  YES! › Much required information will be available via the Web. › Faster › More extensive › Example of Griot presentations?

6.  YES! › Currently taught as an individual research project › Can be modified to incorporate independent and collaborative aspects › More Web-based with guided research through the webquest and other sites like Classzone.com, SchoolWires.net, and Web2.0 servers › Includes multiple intelligences and learning styles even while being Web-based

7.  YES! › New skills can be practiced  Art of researching  Proper web searching  Filtering and Reading Comprehension  Recognizing credible vs. non-credible sources  Preparing research notes and Works Cited  Interactive Africa Map Quiz for knowledge of political geography of Africa

8.  YES! › Rubric to assess student participation and demonstration of gained knowledge › Multiple Intelligences and Learning Styles › Individual and Collaborative aspects › Interactive online and off › Teamwork and Organization › Research is foundational to completing and understanding the project

9. For this next section, I will continue to use my previous 7 th grade class as my group of learners, sometimes referred to as “employees” by Beer.

10.  Diverse teaching and learning  Sundry of strategies and activities, often simultaneously: Smart BoardComputers on Wheels Website creationPower Point presentations Multiple IntelligencesThink Like A… Tools/Themes of HistoryInterest Inventories Tiered assignmentsFlexible/Cooperative groups Depth and ComplexityContent Imperatives

11.  EVERYONE! Administrators, parents, students, faculty  Affluent district  competitive  Technology is motivating and engaging › Helps provide Authentic Learning Experiences (OPUSD Moral Imperative and Teaching and Learning Goal) › Lessons become customizable and more enjoyable

12.  Detailed in Part 1  Use for school-home-school communication  Helps students be more responsible for assignments and schedules  Less physical storage space needed in classroom for projects

13.  YES! › Students use technology and the Web every day a hundred times over!  Communication, Entertainment, Work/Learning, Research, File storing/sharing, etc. › Their knowledge is helpful in the classroom  Trouble shooting  Peer tutoring  Collaborative Cooperative Groups  Opportunity to help others and come out of their shells

14.  YES! › Technology is most students’ way of life! › Some lack of enthusiasm with “old” technologies › Students still used to seeing, interacting with, and learning with technology

15.  OPUSD Mission Statement: “The mission of the Oak Park Unified School District is to provide students with a strong foundation for learning which meets the challenge of the present and of the FUTURE through a balanced education which includes academic achievement, personal growth, and social responsibility” (http://www.oakparkusd.org/).

16.  OPUSD Moral Imperatives and Goals for Teaching and Learning: › Authentic Learning  “Technology is a tool that will be used to optimize authentic learning experiences.”  Goal: develop a “practical art program” in technology  Technology is CORNERSTONE to authentic learning and meeting present and future challenges.

17.  Lots of funding and SUPPORT for technology in OPUSD › Lots of exciting hardware and software for classroom use  However, MCMS is NOT a technology school! Still have the same subject matter content standards to cover like every other public school in California.  Need to continually strive to be innovative to effectively integrate tech into an already full program

18.  YES! › By updating the project requirements and altering it to fit a web-based learning experience, the students can work cooperatively and still produce an authentic product.

19.  List is too long to enumerate! › Website creation in class period › Research-based power points › Computer/online review game creation › Classzone.com and SchoolWires.net to study for tests, complete assignments, access schedules, emails › Web 2.0 server to access files  Internet is part of their daily lives!

20.  Schools have to run to keep up with ever-changing technology and student familiarity with it.  For my seasoned 7 th graders, technology and Web learning is second nature.

21.  IMPACT: › Comfort level of virtual world and reality › Educators have supreme responsibility to utilize technology and the Web effectively and creatively. Show it’s more valuable than Facebook and gaming. › Effective integration of of the Web and technology is critical to the 21 st Century student and teacher.

22.  The LTA fuels me with enough confidence to continue to stretch out into the realm of Web-based learning. › My learners can handle it. › My learners can contribute.  It continues to be my responsibility to provide my students with these types of authentic learning opportunities.