Capstone II: Water Quality Project

Exhibit Description:
Chimacum Middle School has 227 students in grades 6 through 8. Chimacum Middle School’s Ethnicity is American Indian/Alaskan Native 3.7%, Asian 1.6%, Black 1.2%, Hispanic 4.1%, White 89.3%. Students on Free or Reduced-Price Meals are at 33.9% and our Special Education population is at 11.4%. I taught two 6th grade Science classes of about 24 students each.

Students learned freshwater ecology including the biological, chemical and physical characteristics of water. The ecology and earth science components of this unit addressed WA state Grade Level Expectations (GLE’s) 1.1.5 (describe the properties of Earth’s waters) and 1.2.1 (explain how parts of a system influence and interconnect). Washington State Essential Academic Learning Requirement (EALR) 2, using scientific inquiry and conducting a scientific investigation, is also addressed as well as GLE 3.1.1 where scientific design is used to solve problems. This project also addressed all the NETS S Standards.

Chimacum Middle School has an important creek running through its campus and a local organization, North Olympic Salmon Coalition (NOSC), worked with our 6th graders in restoration efforts on our creek to conserve the summer chum salmon run. Sixth graders collected water quality data on Chimacum Creek to monitor its chemical and physical health. With NOSC’s help 6th graders also monitored the biological health of our creek by collecting benthic macroinvertebrate samples. The data collected from the benthic macros was used by NOSC. Student teams used either chemical kits or probes to conduct several water quality tests. Each team researched their assigned parameter then presented a PowerPoint to the class showing what they learned. As a final assessment students created websites to showcase their results and conclusions. Students also used blogs to share their websites with students in other schools and started discussions about freshwater ecology.

Rationale for Technology:
Working with digital natives and needing them to do real Science meant using real world tools. Probes allowed quick and easy measurements of flow rate, temperature, turbidity and conductivity. For dissolved oxygen and pH the probes allowed the teams using kits a way to determine if they were conducting their tests accurately. The use of computers for research allowed us to learn about water quality as we did not have any such resources in our school library or textbooks. The web was essential for students to learn what their results meant. Having students share what they learned through PowerPoint presentations was an excellent way for everyone to learn about all the parameters and results. As a culminating activity students created websites to showcase what they learned and they shared their websites in blogs. In a book by Diane Penrod, "Using Blogs to Enhance Literacy: The Next Powerful Step in 21st Century Learning," Penrod showed how blogging is a new writing genre and motivates this generation of students to write. Having an authentic audience of students from other classrooms was highly motivating to students and it was mentioned in a Journal of Online Education article, “Instructional Blogging: Promoting Interactivity, Student-Centered Learning, and Peer Input,” by Stuart Glogoff. In another article by Marla Dinchak, "Using the World Wide Web to Create a Learner-Centered Classroom", Dinchak points out how students creating their own websites makes for an interactive learning tool for students to publish their work, practice learning skills and collaborate with their peers. The Oracle ThinkQuest Education Foundation has known about the power of having students create websites. They have been holding competitions since 1996 where students have created hundreds of websites used all over the world. They see students creating websites as using the skills they need for the 21st century and they even highlight the 21st century skills students will be using.

Student Learning:
Students learned to tell how our neighborhood creek, Chimacum Creek, was doing with regards to its chemical, physical and biological health. Students learned to tell if there were any possible point sources of pollution and/or non-point sources of pollution endangering our creek and the valuable chum salmon run. From the National Science Education Standards students learned that, “Human activities also can induce hazards through urban growth and waste disposal.” From the Benchmarks for Scientific Literacy with regards to ecosystems students learned that, “In all environments, organisms with similar needs may compete with one another for limited resources, including food, space, water, air, and shelter.” With regards to water as a resource students learn that, “Fresh water, limited in supply, is essential for some organisms and industrial processes.”

Students used water quality probes as well as chemical kits to test the water quality of Chimacum Creek. Different student teams conducted various water quality tests. Teams conducted research using the WWW to learn what their results meant and they used Microsoft Excel to create graphs that included their data and data from previous years. Teams shared their data and conclusions with their peers by creating PowerPoint presentations. Then teams created websites to showcase what they did, their results and conclusions. Finally, students blogged with other students around the world to discuss their work. The PowerPoint presentations and the student-created websites were scored using rubrics and served as the assessments for this project.

Students learned how Science data can be collected using technology as well as by using chemical titration and comparator kits. Students also did quite well when assessed through authentic technology products such as their PowerPoint slideshows and their websites. Students got to show creativity as they showcased what they learned as opposed to merely taking a pencil and paper test.

National Educational Technology Standards for Teachers
Evidence of Standards

ISTE Standard IA
Teachers demonstrate introductory knowledge, skills, and understanding of concepts related to technology (as described in the ISTE National Education Technology Standards for Students).

I created the portal webpage to our water quality project using Fireworks and Dreamweaver. I have attended trainings where I learned to create my own website and I was able to purchase Dreamweaver and Fireworks so I taught myself how to maintain my website using those programs. I believe my knowledge of basic technology skills is above average and I can troubleshoot most problems in my classroom. I can teach my students how to use many programs to complete their final products.

Water Quality Website
The project portal that I created.

ISTE Standard IIA
Teachers design developmentally appropriate learning opportunities that apply technology-enhanced instructional strategies to support the diverse needs of learners.

The lesson plan for this water quality project shows how this project incorporated technology to have students conduct real Science. This project is accessible to all my students. Students accessed multiple websites on each topic of study in case one particular site worked better. This project included appropriate scaffolds to help 6th graders accomplish all the parts of the project. This included conducting the water quality tests on our creek, taking notes from the textbook, taking notes from the websites, creating their websites or sharing their websites through their blogs.

Enclosed is a link to the student websites for one of my 6th grade Science classes for the year and a link to a student blog with a link to her website and comments from other kids in our school and from other schools.

Water Quality Project Lesson Plan
The lesson plan for my 6th grade water quality project.

Water Quality Student Websites
This link goes to the student-created portal for my 6th period 6th grade Science class. On the page are links to the different websites student teams created.

6th grader's Blog
This is the blog of one of my 6th grade students. This student has a link to her water quality website. By clicking on comments one can see the comments this student has received from kids in our school and from kids in other schools as well.

ISTE Standard IID
Teachers plan for the management of technology resources within the context of learning activities.

Enclosed is a picture of my classroom layout. I place computers in this way so that all my students can work on a project at the same time in teams of two or three. I can stand in the middle of the room and monitor what all my students are doing. For activities such as online quizzes where students need to work on the computer one at a time I can rotate students through the computers as well with this layout. Also enclosed is a copy of my management plan.

Classroom Layout
Here's a classroom layout of my room as of 2008-09.

Classroom Management Plan
Details how I manage my classroom as students use technology.

ISTE Standard IIE
Teachers plan strategies to manage student learning in a technology-enhanced environment.

My classroom management plan shows how I have students use the equipment and software to learn. Also enclosed is a link to my classroom layout and the lesson plan for this project. My room layout allows all my students to be working on a project and using technology at the same time. With 10 student computers I can have a class of 30 students working three to a computer. While a ratio of 3 to 1 is not as ideal as 2 to 1, or even 1 to 1, I find that it works well.

As students worked on the different parts of this project I observed them to see where their skills were lacking. As I found skills that needed to be taught I stopped the class and taught the skills as needed.

Classroom Management Plan
Details how I manage my classroom as students use technology.

Classroom Layout
Here's a classroom layout of my room as of 2008-09.

Water Quality Project Lesson Plan
The lesson plan for my 6th grade water quality project.

ISTE Standard IIIB
Teachers use technology to support learner-centered strategies that address the diverse needs of students.

I had students go through a webquest on the life cycle of salmon to help them learn about the reason why we monitor our creek's water quality. Students worked in small groups to complete this webquest. The webquest sections provided the scaffolding that kids needed to complete the entire salmon life cycle project. This webquest offered different website resources for kids to learn about the different stages of a salmon's life, and this made the content accessible to all my students. Students who struggled with reading and writing benefitted from being able to work on this project in small groups as well.

Salmon WebQuest
A webquest to help students learn about the salmon life cycle. Salmon runs through creeks like ours are important to the fishing industry as well as the freshwater ecosystem that we study.

ISTE Standard IIIC
Teachers apply technology to develop students' higher order skills and creativity.

I have links to water quality websites that my 6th graders have been creating since 2001. Each year I show my new 6th graders what previous groups of 6th graders made to motivate the new 6th graders to create better end products.

Each year students collected and analyzed data. Students also created graphs including their data and the data collected since 2001. Students used their graphs and the information gathered through their research to draw conclusions as to the overall health of our creek and its ability to support a variety of life. Students determined if the farms that our creek runs through are doing their part to keep the creek healthy.

I also have a link to our class blog. Sixth graders use the class blog to share their water quality websites with students around the world.

This project allowed students to use what they learned to decide for themselves what it takes to keep a creek healthy. They problem solved ways to keep our creek healthy and they learn what they can do to help their environment. Students did real Science by collecting data and using their data along with previous data to make conclusions about their neighborhood creek. Students used higher order thinking skills and got to be creative with this project.

Student Water Quality Websites
On the left side of this webpage are links to the water quality websites that 6th graders have been making since 2001.

Class Blog
This is our classroom blog where students write about what they've been learning in class. Students in my classes then leave comments on students blogs around the world and respond to comments left by students in classes around the world.

ISTE Standard IVA
Teachers apply technology in assessing student learning of subject matter using a variety of assessment techniques.

I used Rubistar to create rubrics that students used to score their storyboards and websites. Students used the rubrics while creating their storyboards and their websites to make sure they covered all aspects of the project. Students then scored their storyboards and websites when they were done using their rubrics. I scored their work using the same rubrics and then I sat with the students to see where we agreed or where we didn't agree. Enclosed are two of the rubrics I created for this project.

I've also enclosed a screen shot of the first few questions of a quiz I created using MyGradeBook.com. Having students take online quizzes allowed students instant feedback and gave me fast data so that I could see how many students were getting it. I viewed reports showing which students were missing questions and I saw which questions were being missed the most. That showed me where I needed to reteach.

As a formative assessment I also saw how my students were learning the material through the PowerPoint presentations they did for their classmates. I have enclosed a PowerPoint from a team in my 6th period class along with a rubric we used to give feedback on how well they presented orally. I've also enclosed a link to a webpage I put together to show students what they needed on their final websites. When I viewed their PowerPoint presentations I saw how close they are got to making a complete website.

At the conclusion of the project I gave students a self-assessment rubric for them to fill out. This sheet got the students to think about what they learned and how well they did overall. I took that into consideration when giving a final grade.

Storyboard Rubric
Rubistar rubric for creating and scoring their website storyboards.

Website Scoring Rubric
Rubistar rubric for the creation and scoring of the water quality student websites.

Freshwater Pollution Quiz
My Freshwater Pollution online quiz.

Oral Presentation Rubric
Rubric we use to give feedback to those doing PowerPoint presentations. I give feedback and peers give feedback as well using the rubric.

Nitrates & Phosphates PowerPoint
This is a PowerPoint presentation created and presented by a team of two 6th graders in my 6th period Science class.

Self Assessment Rubric
This is a rubric I give at the conclusion of long term projects. This is where students think back on what they learned including content and how they worked as a teammate.

ISTE Standard IVB
Teachers use technology resources to collect and analyze data, interpret results, and communicate findings to improve instructional practice and maximize student learning.

I used MyGradeBook.com to create online quizzes that I used as formative and summative assessments for my students. Enclosed is a screen shot of the first few questions of the quiz. Students rotated through my ten computers and took turns taking the online quiz. Each student used his or her own login name and password. Students got instant feedback once they submitted the quiz and I got to see how they all did. I had to do some reteaching when I saw the questions that were missed. The quizzes are easy to make and easy to administer. Attached is also a screen shot from one of the reports I generated. This screen shot shows all the questions one class missed on a quiz (I left out student names).

Freshwater Pollution Quiz
My Freshwater Pollution online quiz.

Screen Shot of MyGradeBook Quiz report
I can generate different reports with MyGradeBook quizzes. This is a screen shot of missed questions for one of my classes (I left out the student names).

ISTE Standard VB
Teachers continually evaluate and reflect on professional practice to make informed decisions regarding the use of technology in support of student learning.

My resume shows my professional development experiences and the grants that I have been awarded. My online resume details my career from what got me interested in teaching and how my teaching has evolved every year since my first year teaching. My online resume is my portfolio showing how I've grown as a teacher and showing my mission. Throughout my career I've made use of technology and I have grown as a user and teacher of technology.

Most of the technology I have in my room I have acquired through grants. The technology activities that I have had my students conduct are a direct result of writing proposals for grants and then getting the funding and equipment to actually try new things out and learn how students can use technology to improve their learning.

Gonzalez Resume
My resume to show my professional development experiences and grant history.

Online Resume
This is my online record of what I've done in my career. It traces my teaching career from what got me interested in teaching to my first year teaching to present.

ISTE Standard VIC
Teachers identify and use technology resources that affirm diversity.

In order to make the topics students needed to research accessible to all my students regardless of reading ability or language I found several websites for each topic. Enclosed are the links I provided students. I told my students that I found several sites for each topic in case one website provided the information in a way that made it easier to understand than the others. One site may have been better for one student while not for his or her partners. In my selection of sites I tried to find sites that were varied in readability and how information was presented.

Water Quality Links
Links to websites I have found for my students to research.

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