With this post I will attempt to explain how my solution answers the three different forms of knowledge that make up the TPACK model in a simple manner so my colleagues and other educators who may not be aware of TPACK and it's importance in the integration of technology can understand it.
For my problem, I wanted to find a way to motivate my second and third grade students to learn and interact more with their lessons so they could demonstrate to me, their knowledge of the material being covered in the curriculum. To help solve this problem, I have chosen to teach my students how to use Glogster EDU so they could create online posters which I will use as an assessment tool to evaluate their understanding of subject matter. In the article, Digital Posters: Composing With An Online Canvas, Kevin Hodgson tells us, "When we talk about visual literacy - that element of purposeful construction of learning through a mixture of words and media - posters of all kinds have traditionally been a valuable assessment of learning (as long as it is the student making the poster, and not the parent). The choices that a student makes in designing a poster inform the learning of new materials, and allow a teacher a glimpse into the thinking of a student. The use of media to complement your ideas is the center of most poster projects, online or not."
At this point, you may be saying to yourself, "There's nothing new to making posters. Why do the students need to use technology to do that?" You're right. Posters have been used by teachers for displaying student learning for many years. Let's just start with some of the basics on how the use of technology in making online posters can add to the students' learning experience and go from there.
First of all, making a typical poster requires supplies like posterboard, magazines, scissors, glue, and markers. Then the creator flips through lots of magazines that contain cut up pages from their previous uses to find images and text to cut out. This is time consuming and for young students, cutting with scissors can be difficult and usually results in jagged edges with parts of the picture cut off. Once glued down on the posterboard, it's there for life! And don't think that students never make mistakes in their writing or don't leave enough room to write something with their large printed letters. Frustration abounds for young children when putting together a poster!
With an online poster tool such as Glogster EDU, however, students only need a computer and an internet connection. Glogster provides all the rest: a safe and secure site for children to work, a blank canvas that can become a background of any color, and the ability for the student to choose and select from a mirage of images and font styles. If the child decides to move things around or select another image, they have that ability by simply selecting new items and dragging and dropping them where ever they want. They can play with the design, correct mistakes without leaving a mess on the board, use small font to convey what they want to say, and they'll have lots of fun being creative while they're at it. Each student's work will be as unique as the individual who created it. No two posters will ever be the same and each one will display the knowledge of its particular creator.
This is an excellent example of student-led, individualized, activity-based learning filled with lots of opportunity to explore, problem-solve, and collaborate with one another. As students have the opportunity to explore the technology and find new ways to express their thinking, they become totally engaged in their work. What's more, once a student discovers their ability to do something new with the program, they anxiously begin teaching their classmates. This adds to the sense of community that our school values so much.
All these elements support my teaching methods and enhance the variety of strategies I implement within my classroom. But these are actions that are difficult to get my students to display on a regular basis. Any type of technology that students can interact with becomes a motivational tool for learning. The website of Glogster EDU points out that this particular tool "drives new interest levels around subjects that may have been seen as 'boring' before." The motivation to be able to get onto the computers helps students to stay focused on their learning. My students will know that only after they have shown me the rough draft of their poster will they be allowed on the Glogster site.
And finally, as I've explained before, cutting and pasting doesn't always work for all children and their diverse needs and abilities. With Glogster EDU I can provide for differentiation in my students' learning. It's simple enough that even the youngest of students can use it if taught properly. It allows students to demonstrate their knowledge in a manner that works for them - whether that be a simple poster with all the requirements or a complex poster which includes detailed attention to the design elements and the inclusion of media, audio, video, and text. This is particularly important in my multiage classroom. Finding a new and exciting activity that is compatible to a variety of different interest and skill levels can often be a difficult task.
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Friday, July 22, 2011
Web-Conferencing
Today our group held our first web conference and I have to honestly say that I was very disappointed and became frustrated with the technology. After extensive research for a site that was free, would provide for a group of 4, allowed for a lengthy session if necessary, and would record, we ended up using anymeeting.com (formerly freebinar.com). It was supposed to work just like the Adobe Connect sessions we've participated in during our other courses. Once we were all able to get into the session, three of the four of us could use our microphones but there was some problems with getting the screen sharing tool to work for each of us. Something happened to disconnect the session and once we all got back on, the presenting abilities were no longer available to most of us. We tried typing our way through it but that was frustrating and not an efficient way to communicate with four people with different viewpoints. Our total conferencing time was around 2 hours and we did the best we could to finish the brainstorming requirements and decided to finish discussing things using the Group Discussion Forum.
If I were to do it over again, I would have done a trial meeting to make sure everyone had the correct equipment and could get everything to work correctly. Also, if we could have shared our two ideas with each other by email and left time for each person to research the tools a little, we probably wouldn't have needed the screen sharing tool and could have gone to more of a conferencing tool where we could all talk back and forth without having to hand over the controls to each person to finalize the brainstorming ideas. Is there such a thing?
After this experience, I don't know that I would use web-conferencing with my classroom. It's frustrating enough when technology doesn't work for you but it's horrible when it doesn't work and 20 students are getting bored with the delay. The only reason I would ever need a web-conference is if we wanted to talk with an author or perhaps another classroom somewhere else in the world. I will continue to work with this tool we used today to see if I can get it to work for me as it is always good to have a source you can use if you need to use it. There are probably other sources I could use if I didn't need to fulfill so many requirements (like record or screen sharing).
If I were to do it over again, I would have done a trial meeting to make sure everyone had the correct equipment and could get everything to work correctly. Also, if we could have shared our two ideas with each other by email and left time for each person to research the tools a little, we probably wouldn't have needed the screen sharing tool and could have gone to more of a conferencing tool where we could all talk back and forth without having to hand over the controls to each person to finalize the brainstorming ideas. Is there such a thing?
After this experience, I don't know that I would use web-conferencing with my classroom. It's frustrating enough when technology doesn't work for you but it's horrible when it doesn't work and 20 students are getting bored with the delay. The only reason I would ever need a web-conference is if we wanted to talk with an author or perhaps another classroom somewhere else in the world. I will continue to work with this tool we used today to see if I can get it to work for me as it is always good to have a source you can use if you need to use it. There are probably other sources I could use if I didn't need to fulfill so many requirements (like record or screen sharing).
Saturday, July 16, 2011
Wicked Problem Project-PART A: Description of Need or Opportunity
Introduction:
I teach at Ann Arbor Learning Community which is located in Ann Arbor, Michigan. We are a K-8 public charter school with multiage classrooms that support a variety of learning styles and believe that students require multiple opportunities to demonstrate their mastery of concepts. We promote participatory learning that is experiential, student-centered, developmentally based, and individualized to our student’s particular learning styles and strengths. Instead of relying on a textbook-based curriculum, teachers develop their own lesson plans, based on the Michigan Content Standards, to guide students through real life situations, thus providing them with powerful and meaningful learning experiences. Knowing that not every student demonstrates their knowledge of material best through paper and pencil tests and quizzes, we rely more on the use of qualitative reporting tools as a means of assessing a student’s progress and understanding of content. With more emphasis being placed on teacher accountability, finding enough variety in the types of tangible assessment tools that display true measurements of my students’ knowledge can often be a challenge for me.
The Educational Issue or Need:
Because I have some students who are shy and others who may not be motivated to join in on whole class discussions, it can often be difficult to check for students' understanding of the material covered in a lesson. Cut and paste activities can become redundant while also difficult for some of my second and third grade students who are still developing fine motor skills. And while we're working to improve our writing skills, written explanations to questions are often completed with the fewest words possible and are not very motivating to my students. I would like to find another tool to put into my teacher toolbox that would provide me with another means in which my students can demonstrate their knowledge of the content material and meets with the following criteria:
- A tangible representation of student learning for portfolios
- Fun and motivating so students don't realize they're developing their problem-solving skills
- Activity-based and provides for differentiation
- Will tap into their creativity
- Has a written element included into it
- Easy set-up with readily available supplies/equipment
Technology Plan to Address This Issue:
Our school is just getting started with the basics in technology. This fall we will have a cart of 20 wireless laptops which will be shared between 14 classrooms. We also have a couple of digital projectors within the school for shared use. Working within these technology parameters, taking into consideration that some of my students have no knowledge about using a computer, and thinking about the criteria I wanted to meet for this solution, my research has led me to the idea of using online posters to solve the educational issue I am addressing. While there are several online poster tools available, I have decided on using the free version of Glogster EDU for its ease of use and the safe learning environment it provides for students to demonstrate their knowledge of material. The overall response to this web 2.0 tool from teachers, students, and individuals in the field of educational technology has been very high. Teachers report that their students have a higher level of engagement when working with Glogster EDU and become so focused in the process of creating their online posters that there rarely are any incidents of a student being off task to report of. In fact, students begin teaching each other! As one student discovers something intriguing about using Glogster EDU, the other students would inquire and quickly know how to do the same thing as the information filtered through the classroom. This type of experiential learning and community building fits perfectly with the philosophy of our school. Glogster EDU is very versatile in its use and teachers can have students creating projects on any subject matter across the curriculum. Several of my resources discuss a few minor difficulties they've run across when students are creating Glogs but by being aware of these difficulties ahead of time along with careful planning and scaffolding the students' learning of this tool, the difficulties can be minimized.
Scope:
There are many things to take into consideration when implementing this intriguing web 2.0 tool with my second and third grade students. Because Glogster EDU is new to me, I will first need to teach myself how to use it using several tutorial videos available on YouTube. Because my students are so young and new to technology use, I would like to gradually expose them to Glogs and their many uses several times before they actually make anything of their own. I will do this, first, by using Glogster EDU to create an "All About Me" poster which I will use on the first day of school to introduce myself to my new students. Then I will use a Glog to create a Stand Alone Instructional Resource (StAIR) for a social studies lesson which we will access and do as an interactive whole-class activity using our Mimio Interactive System and the digital projector. The third exposure students will have to Glogster EDU will be another whole-class activity where we create a Glog together to review the things we've learned during a science lesson on plants. This will give me an opportunity to show them how to navigate through the tool with them and talk about design layout and other tips to keep in mind.
At this point students should be extremely motivated to begin learning how to use this tool to make something on their own. With each student equipped with their own laptop, I will take them through the process of signing in, selecting backgrounds and text, how to select and add images, and how to save their work. Because I want students to have the opportunity to explore and experiment with the many selections of text, backgrounds, images, and layout possibilities, I plan on conducting several technology workshops in order to get all the basics in place. Several parent volunteers will be available during these workshops to assist students if necessary to avoid frustrations and meltdowns. Only after students are feeling comfortable working within the Glogster EDU platform will they be given their first project which they will work on as partners. Information from one of my resources suggests that younger students pre-plan on paper what information they intend to provide on their posters so they stay focused on the ideas they wish to convey and not get sidetracked by all the options they have to choose from on the site. A checklist of items that must be included in their posters will be provided to them. They will also be instructed that their pre-planning page must be checked by the teacher before they can get on the computer to begin their Glog.
Before any teaching about Glogster EDU can even occur, however, my students will first need to learn the basics of using the new laptops and being assessed on their basic use of the computer.
Relevant Research and Resources:
This article was written by Kevin Hedgson, a technology liaison with the Western Massachusetts Writing Project, teacher, and co-editor of the book collection Teaching the New Writing: Technology, Change and Assessment in the 21st Century Classroom. He discusses best practices for assigning digital poster-making projects to students and provides great insight into the ups and downs of Glogster EDU and strategies for using it with students.
Jamie Renton cites how using Glogster in the classroom meets Common Core Standards and how it incorporates the three Universal Design Principles of engagement, representation, and expression.
Second grade teacher, Jamie Griffith, tells about how her class became Glogster EDU Ambassadors and gives helpful advice on how she found success in using Glogster EDU in her classroom through the scaffolding process.
Brenda Dyck is a columnist for EducationWorld and a sessional instructor at the University of Alberta and provides a brief overview of Glogster EDU. She also states that this web 2.0 tool "introduces students to 3-D communication skills, requiring them to merge the left and right sides of the brain as they seek to communicate and evaluate both information and meaning" and "...has the potential to support the visual literacy skills that are becoming essential skill sets for 21st century learners."
This is the home page to Glogster EDU which provides links to lots of useful information about the tool, examples of actual projects, directions on how to sign up for the free version or the premium version, and tutorials to get started.
A white paper written by Monica R. Wells, a graduate student at Winthrop University, that provides the benefits and drawbacks of using Glogster EDU, how it meets National Educational Technology Standards (NETS), a visual walk-through of how to make a Glog, and a list of helpful online tutorials.
In a module found on the Connexions website, Rachel Warrick provides more information about using Glogster EDU in the classroom and how to get started.
Implementation Plan:
During the remaining weeks of this course, I plan to get signed up and become acquainted with how to create online posters using Glogster EDU. While doing this, I will complete the "All About Me" poster that I plan to use on the first day of school to introduce myself. I will also select a social studies lesson and do the pre-planning stage of my second Glogster EDU poster by completing the lesson outline and doing a pencil and paper layout of the Stand Alone Instructional Resource (StAIR) poster which will be used during an interactive whole-class lesson. I envision this poster as consisting of several different posters with links to other resources and inclusive of a short video or two.
The rest of the implementation of this project will take place once school begins and the laptop cart schedule has been developed. At that point my students will begin learning how to use the laptops and Internet safety. My hope is that students will be ready to be taught how to make online posters using Glogster EDU by Thanksgiving and will have their first project completed before winter break in December. The topic and specifics of that project will depend on when students are comfortable working with Glogster independently and in pairs and seeing where we are in the curriculum. My hope with this time schedule is that it will allow us to use the second half of the school year for refining our Glogging skills and begin creating posters independently for the purpose of demonstrating student knowledge on material and concepts covered in their learning.
Indicators of a Successful Project:
Indications for me that the project has been successfully implemented would be:
- Students have learned to independently create online posters and we have several examples of work to put into each student's portfolio by the end of the 2011-2012 school year.
- The level of engagement during lessons increases as a result of the students' understanding that they are going to be required to demonstrate their knowledge with the use of technology. By them knowing that they will not be able to use this technology tool unless they can first show me evidence of learning with the use of the paper and pencil pre-planning page.
- Students are excited about using this tool and ask to use it again and again.
I am excited for students to be able to use this web 2.0 tool and hope that its use can motivate and inspire my students to put more effort into their educational learning. However, we will proceed with each new step of the implementation plan based solely on the readiness of the children.
Friday, July 8, 2011
CEP 812 Personal Introduction Video
Welcome to my Personal Introduction Video Scrapbook. Our assignment was to create a video bio of ourselves and explain what our current educational technology passions were. I used Slideshare and Audacity to create my video (although, technically it's a slidecast). Knowing absolutely nothing about how to use either one, I was a bit nervous. But I set out to conquer this task on my own. Thank goodness for the "How-to" videos on YouTube!!!!! It really wasn't too bad and I think that I could help my students to make a slidecast for a class project. I hope you enjoy it.
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
CEP 811 Reflections
This has been another WOW class! Not only am I amazed at all the things we covered, but how valuable each project was for my own growth as a teacher. I am very pleased with the outcome of my projects. Knowing that I could use them in my classroom, really made me want to get it perfect for my audience. That is something I am pleased about in this program at MSU. Projects completed during a course don't go untouched in your computer forever and ever. Because there is so much choice in how you do each project, each one is ready to implement into the classroom upon its completion.
Although it has always been important for teachers to have the desire to learn teaching strategies that result in significant gains in student achievement and then find ways to implement those strategies into each lesson, it is important now, more than ever for teachers to take a look at how effective their teaching practices are. The nation is moving towards holding teachers, schools, and districts more accountable for student achievement and they are pushing to eliminate ineffective teachers, no matter how much seniority they have. We are seeing this at my school right now. Because we don't have a union, our teachers never have tenure and they can find themselves without a job if they are not being an effective educator. The biggest lesson I gained from this class about effective teaching strategies when integrating technology, was to remember to mix in as many strategies as possible throughout the lesson to ensure that the needs of as many different types of learners are addressed. It is also important to design a lesson with a purpose and goal in mind. Backwards lesson designing was not new to me but I did realize that it was something I had fallen away from as I scurried to find material to teach with. My lessons were focused more on covering material that was required by the Michigan GLCE's without a whole lot of other direction. This topic was a great eye opener!
There are so many different types of Web 2.0 applications now, it was overwhelming to me to try to figure out which ones were worth my energy to learn. I also had no idea how I would implement them into my classroom, even if I did have the technology available to me, which I don't. The Michigan Guide to Online Learning was helpful in helping me to focus on a smaller portion of applications and how I could use them in the classroom. The other readings went over things to look for with various applications.
As far as finding ways to integrate the numerous technologies on the market, I think I've come to the conclusion that I should experiment with only a few at a time that I am most comfortable in and see how effective they are. If they work well, share them with the rest of my staff members. I am actually more comfortable in finding new ways in which we can utilize the things we've had the longest, like PowerPoint. I like how our StAIR projects could be used individually by students or in a large group setting if a digital projector and one computer was the only technology you had. Many times I think it is more difficult to think of ways to utilize technology effectively when you don't have much over those who have so much available they're always trying something new. It has been helpful to have a number of class members, along with the instructor, who are in schools like mine having very little technology. In CEP 810 it seemed like everyone had technology fully implemented in their schools and were always sharing how to do lots of new things. I could not relate as I didn't have any of their favorite tools available to me.
Nothing in this class required the teacher to have anything more than a computer, Internet hook-up, and a few common programs. With those few things, I am finding many different ways to use basic technology tools within my classroom. Great job MSU for putting together such a great program!
As far as new goals, I will continue on with CEP 812 and learn more information on technology and it's use in the classroom. With each new class, I am getting more and more confident in my abilities and how to find solutions to technical problems if they develop. This is of course my primary goal. It really doesn't help to learn new applications if you aren't confident enough to use what you learned or to try some new idea someone shared with you. I am excited with what I've learned through CEP 810 and 811 and am hoping to share some of the easier things I've learned with my colleagues by perhaps leading a professional development workshop.
Although it has always been important for teachers to have the desire to learn teaching strategies that result in significant gains in student achievement and then find ways to implement those strategies into each lesson, it is important now, more than ever for teachers to take a look at how effective their teaching practices are. The nation is moving towards holding teachers, schools, and districts more accountable for student achievement and they are pushing to eliminate ineffective teachers, no matter how much seniority they have. We are seeing this at my school right now. Because we don't have a union, our teachers never have tenure and they can find themselves without a job if they are not being an effective educator. The biggest lesson I gained from this class about effective teaching strategies when integrating technology, was to remember to mix in as many strategies as possible throughout the lesson to ensure that the needs of as many different types of learners are addressed. It is also important to design a lesson with a purpose and goal in mind. Backwards lesson designing was not new to me but I did realize that it was something I had fallen away from as I scurried to find material to teach with. My lessons were focused more on covering material that was required by the Michigan GLCE's without a whole lot of other direction. This topic was a great eye opener!
There are so many different types of Web 2.0 applications now, it was overwhelming to me to try to figure out which ones were worth my energy to learn. I also had no idea how I would implement them into my classroom, even if I did have the technology available to me, which I don't. The Michigan Guide to Online Learning was helpful in helping me to focus on a smaller portion of applications and how I could use them in the classroom. The other readings went over things to look for with various applications.
As far as finding ways to integrate the numerous technologies on the market, I think I've come to the conclusion that I should experiment with only a few at a time that I am most comfortable in and see how effective they are. If they work well, share them with the rest of my staff members. I am actually more comfortable in finding new ways in which we can utilize the things we've had the longest, like PowerPoint. I like how our StAIR projects could be used individually by students or in a large group setting if a digital projector and one computer was the only technology you had. Many times I think it is more difficult to think of ways to utilize technology effectively when you don't have much over those who have so much available they're always trying something new. It has been helpful to have a number of class members, along with the instructor, who are in schools like mine having very little technology. In CEP 810 it seemed like everyone had technology fully implemented in their schools and were always sharing how to do lots of new things. I could not relate as I didn't have any of their favorite tools available to me.
Nothing in this class required the teacher to have anything more than a computer, Internet hook-up, and a few common programs. With those few things, I am finding many different ways to use basic technology tools within my classroom. Great job MSU for putting together such a great program!
As far as new goals, I will continue on with CEP 812 and learn more information on technology and it's use in the classroom. With each new class, I am getting more and more confident in my abilities and how to find solutions to technical problems if they develop. This is of course my primary goal. It really doesn't help to learn new applications if you aren't confident enough to use what you learned or to try some new idea someone shared with you. I am excited with what I've learned through CEP 810 and 811 and am hoping to share some of the easier things I've learned with my colleagues by perhaps leading a professional development workshop.
Monday, June 20, 2011
Online Teaching Experiences
As I read through the Online Experience Guideline-Companion Document I was really amazed at the number of options that would qualify toward a student's 20 hours of experience. Because the document was focused on providing online experience to middle school and high school grade levels, the sites provided in the document were geared toward older students and too advanced for my second and third grade students. However, I did browse through the sites provided to see if there were other age appropriate material and became very engrossed in the material and what I could use with my students. No wonder it takes me so long to finish an assignment!
I selected the virtual and online field trips as something I could implement with my grade level of students. Because there is a wide variety of field trips available, I felt they could be used in any content area I wanted to use them with. I like the idea of online/virtual field trips because they can expose the children to places and experiences we wouldn't normally be able to take them on. For instance, what second grader wouldn't want to see the inside of a volcano or journey to the bottom of the ocean? The use of these types of field trips is a great way to spark student interest in many different things and help motivate them to learn in specific content areas. I also like how virtual field trips expose students to new types of technology and challenge them to work independently or in a small group setting, depending on the format the teacher provides. The down side for my low level readers, is that there is a lot of reading involved. However, I think there are various ways to overcome this challenge in the classroom with a little forethought from the teacher. On the positive side, because there is so much reading involved, virtual field trips could even boost reading comprehension skills in students. I did find a variety of different level field trips available on the Internet thus giving me even more opportunity to find something just right for each student.
Often times, when I have a gifted student in my classroom, I am looking for something that would spark their interest and challenge them as well. I think virtual field trips could help in my search for differentiated material I could use with my students. Another point in my choice to utilize online field trips is that they provide experiential learning experiences to the classroom. This allows children the freedom to experiment with ideas and develop their problem-solving skills without the risks of embarrassment or failure.
Most of the technology options the before mentioned document contained would, at least at this point, be difficult for my students to use. Mostly because we don't have that much technology to offer them yet. Next school year we are getting a few new things that will help expose our students to more technology but they will be available on a limited basis because of the need to share them throughout the school as opposed to having one in every classroom or a computer lab you could take students to. I think the age level of my students would also make some of the resources more difficult to implement as well.
I found the Michigan Merit Curriculum Guidelines - Online Experience and it's companion document to be very interesting to read and develop a better understanding of what's coming in the way of technology that we must provide for our students in order to prepare them for a future in which they will need to develop the skills for.
I selected the virtual and online field trips as something I could implement with my grade level of students. Because there is a wide variety of field trips available, I felt they could be used in any content area I wanted to use them with. I like the idea of online/virtual field trips because they can expose the children to places and experiences we wouldn't normally be able to take them on. For instance, what second grader wouldn't want to see the inside of a volcano or journey to the bottom of the ocean? The use of these types of field trips is a great way to spark student interest in many different things and help motivate them to learn in specific content areas. I also like how virtual field trips expose students to new types of technology and challenge them to work independently or in a small group setting, depending on the format the teacher provides. The down side for my low level readers, is that there is a lot of reading involved. However, I think there are various ways to overcome this challenge in the classroom with a little forethought from the teacher. On the positive side, because there is so much reading involved, virtual field trips could even boost reading comprehension skills in students. I did find a variety of different level field trips available on the Internet thus giving me even more opportunity to find something just right for each student.
Often times, when I have a gifted student in my classroom, I am looking for something that would spark their interest and challenge them as well. I think virtual field trips could help in my search for differentiated material I could use with my students. Another point in my choice to utilize online field trips is that they provide experiential learning experiences to the classroom. This allows children the freedom to experiment with ideas and develop their problem-solving skills without the risks of embarrassment or failure.
Most of the technology options the before mentioned document contained would, at least at this point, be difficult for my students to use. Mostly because we don't have that much technology to offer them yet. Next school year we are getting a few new things that will help expose our students to more technology but they will be available on a limited basis because of the need to share them throughout the school as opposed to having one in every classroom or a computer lab you could take students to. I think the age level of my students would also make some of the resources more difficult to implement as well.
I found the Michigan Merit Curriculum Guidelines - Online Experience and it's companion document to be very interesting to read and develop a better understanding of what's coming in the way of technology that we must provide for our students in order to prepare them for a future in which they will need to develop the skills for.
Sunday, June 19, 2011
WIKIS
For the second part of the assignment, I created a wiki to keep people informed about our gardens at AALC. As part of our charter, we have a garden curriculum and are in the process of developing a variety of gardens which will be used as outdoor classrooms. Communicating our needs for donations and summer maintenance has been a problem in the past and I thought this would be a way to help solve the problem. Since we run on donations and fund raisers, money for doing our garden projects is often tight. My hope is that people and businesses from the community may view our wiki and take an interest in what we are doing at the school. I have included several different pages (About Us, Photo Gallery, Projects, Discussion, etc.) which are currently under construction. I wanted a discussion page so we could get ideas from our families and allow them to post their comments or concerns about the gardens. I am excited to develop this wiki further over the summer with the intention of utilizing it next school year.
Here is the link to my wiki:
https://aalcgardens.wikispaces.com/
Here is the link to our school page on Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ann_Arbor_Learning_Community
I hope you'll find the information about our school interesting!
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