edu-tastic

I looked at the article “Geo-Literacy: Using Technology to Forge New Ground” on Edutopia, and once again, am jealous of third-graders. First they get to make podcasts, now they get to hang out with blacksmiths and make multimedia projects. It’s just getting ridiculous now.

The purpose of the Geo-Literacy Project is to develop in students a sense of geo-literacy: “the use of visual learning and communication tools to build an in-depth understanding — or ‘literacy’ — of geography, geology, and local history.” The third-grade students discussed in this article create a year-long project about a historic site in their area and document their findings in a website, where they collect their photos, video interviews, and virtual tours. Through the project, they answer the question, “Why does this site need to be preserved?”

One of the great things about this type of project is the interdisciplinary connections. The teacher leading the project delegates responsibilities to three groups; each must research a different aspect of the site’s history. The research and documenting it combines language, math, science, and social studies skills and making the students accountable for different parts of the project increases their confidence. It was also connected with the rest of the curriculum through the “mini-lessons” throughout the school year that reinforce state learning standards. That idea also addressed the need for some type of assessment for an unconventional lesson series. I liked that the students were able to create their own rubrics; it probably increased student interest and performance.

I visited the Geo-Literacy Project site and looked at some of the other student projects they had posted. There were visual tours and information about historical sites, as well as information about why they need to be preserved. I think this is a great way to extend the learning experience out from the classroom and into the community. Like with the podcasts, it’s a way of broadcasting learning and putting it into a real-world context, so that the interdisciplinary skills are practiced and students can have a representation of all that they have learned.

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