Project Overview

[to be updated with appropriate links, etc]

Project Overview: Investigating the Issues is a problem based learning project that allows student to focus on issues related to the election and the curricular content they are covering in their classes. This project is designed to be a framework for any teacher to follow, with the classroom teacher filling in the details and making connections to appropriate curriculum. The presidential elections provide educators with a wonderful 'real world' connection that is high profile and relevant to students. If you are interested in full lesson plans related to the election (connected to both TEKS and IISD curriculum), please visit the resources section of the IISD Project Vote website.

Objective: Provide a framework for teachers to connect students to issues related to the 2008 Presidential election. Allow students to develop projects related to issues, post those projects on a class blog and link to/discuss other projects posted by other students.

Framework: Please familiarize yourself with the Problem Based Learning framework for more information on filling in the details of how this project will develop in your own classroom.

Prompts: (use these prompts as a basis for creating your projects in your classroom)

• Take on a P.O.V. (point of view) and describe an issue related to the current elections. For example, become a Midwest farmer that describes the issues related to health care and how they affect him/her.
• Research an issue and present an overall summary of it. Provide further details on how that issue connects with our local community.
• Take a stance! Persuade your audience as to why one side of an issue (related to the current elections) is important.

Process:

1. Choose a prompt and develop a process for developing the PBL in your specific classroom with your specific content/curriculum. Work with your campus ITS on ideas revolving around how to go through this process.
2. Create a class blog on Blogger or Wordpress
3. Post student project files to the IISD Project Vote website
4. Post a blog entry with the student project and a brief description of it or the writing that the student did in conjunction with completing the project
5. Reference other posts by linking to them
6. Respond to other posts by commenting on them
   

Adding Student Projects to Blogs

Are your students creating projects related to the election?
(videos, slide shows, documents, etc.)

You can upload student projects to our district server. Go to http://www.irvingisd.net/vote08/file_upload.html. (Check with your campus ITS to obtain a username and password.) When the file has been uploaded, you will be given a URL to the project. Then you can add that link to a post in your blog so that the project can be seen by visitors to your blog.

Remember that student projects that are uploaded will be publicly viewable and should not include first and last names of students.

Investigating the Issues

As we approach the November elections, we would like to encourage teachers to set up blogs for their classes to discuss the election process and issues that are significant to this election.

Send a link to your blog to mkindsfather@irvingisd.net, and your blog will be added to the list on this site.

Need help getting started with blogs?
Video Tutorials for Blogger:
http://www.youtube.com/BloggerHelp

Blogger Help
http://help.blogger.com/

Remember that blogs are publicly viewable and should not include first and last names of students.