Series High Tech High Deeper Learning: Student Profile: Collaborating to Make Change

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Student Profile: Collaborating to Make Change

Kathleen Cushman on Student Motivation

Student Profile: Collaborating to Make Change

Lesson Objective: Work together on a student-created project for an authentic audience

Grades 6-12 / All Subjects / Collaboration

5 MIN

Discussion
Supporting Materials

Thought starters

What factors contribute to Maresa and Baylee's engagement in their project?
How do Maresa and Baylee work together?
What is the teacher's role in supporting student projects?

7 Comments

Michele Kreppein Nov 28, 2017 5:41pm

Maresa and Baylee their student project is called The Voice. They learn about different causes affecting San Diego. The girls choose to work with San Diego Coastal Pollution to help bring awareness to this cause. They are hoping to bring awareness to this cause by using their voice to make change. This cause also hits close to home to girls, since they both enjoy the beach and are surfers. They are involved in all aspects of their project from start to finish, while also providing feedback to make it better. I thought this video was wonderful. Their project promotes student engagement, technology, cooperative learning to get their cause known to the public. It is definitely a project I would like to do with my students.

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Jennifer McCarthy Nov 28, 2017 5:39pm

1) Write a reflection of what you learned from the video and what you liked and/or would implement in your own practice. I try to relate what they are doing to my own 4th grade class. How could I do something like this with my class? In this particular video, making posters, creating awareness with technology, selling string bracelets are all things that encourage and promote deeper learning. I like the idea of trying to give kids choice to learn about topics that are important to them and giving them a platform to use their voice.

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kristina jubinville Nov 28, 2017 5:28pm

I enjoyed this video. I think it's great that the students were able to pick a project they are personally passionate about. The girls in the video chose to make bracelets to raise money to support the cause of coastal pollution. The girls go surfing frequently in the summer and notice the pollution on the beach and in the water. This cause personally affects them, which is why they chose it. The girls created posters and discussed how to make it visually appealing to raise awareness to their cause. They also had to research facts to incorporate to their campaign. This project was engaging for the students because it incorporated science, reading, writing, and art to be successful. I learned that when students are given a choice of what they are learning, they maintain their attention and focus to their learning. The girls in this video were very dedicated to their cause and learned a lot in the process. I would enjoy implementing this kind of activity into my lessons. In my groups we read about a lot of different topics. I would love to have the students choose something that peaked their interest and research more about it.

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pam Calandra Nov 28, 2017 5:17pm

In an overall comment write a reflection of what you learned from the video and what you liked and/or would implement in your own practice... I liked that the students were giving feedback to each other on how to make their project better. The fact that they chose a project based on something close to them really makes them care more and put more effort into it. I liked that project not only made them think critically but also about the big picture in helping the earth, because of this project they are going to raise money for a cause and spread awareness.

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Stacy Schnitter Nov 15, 2016 10:39pm

I liked that we got to see a continuation of one of the first videos we saw in class. The students will always put in their best effort when they are working on something that they are interested in. Some people may watch that video and think, well they only raised $40, but in reality they have done so much more. They created art work, worked as a team, gave out information and brought light to one of many important worldwide topics, pollution. I thought this was awesome and would love to do something like this with my younger students - unfortunately that's very tough with first graders. A project like this might be able to be brought down to a lower level by having students team up about their favorite book or video game.

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Materials

Transcript: Student Profile: Collaborating to Make Change

External Resource Materials

Collaboration Rubrics (Resource from Buck Institute for Education)

Transcripts

Student Profile: Collaborating to Make Change Transcript

+++ 00:00:04 +++
Card:
Maresa & Baylee
deeper learners from: High Tech High
Maresa:

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Student Profile: Collaborating to Make Change Transcript

+++ 00:00:04 +++
Card:
Maresa & Baylee
deeper learners from: High Tech High
Maresa: We already made six dollars.
Chris Baughman: You already made six dollars? What did you sell something?
Baylee: Yeah, three for donations, and three dollars for one bracelet.
Chris Baughman: Oh, really?
Lower Thirds:
Maresa Baylee
6th Grade Students
High Tech Middle Media Arts, San Diego, CA
Baylee: So our project is called "The Voice," and what we do is we learn about different causes affecting San Diego.

+++ 00:00:28 +++
Maresa: And we chose San Diego coastal pollution, because it's a big problem. We both go surfing a lot, and we're in the ocean a lot. Like during the summer, I'm there almost every single day. We-- like there's always a whole bunch of trash on the ground.
Maresa: Most of the times when people look at a poster, they always read here first, because when you're reading a book, you start on this side, not on that side. So you should put it over here.
Baylee: Okay!
Lower Third:
Chris Baughman
6th Grade Humanities Teacher
High Tech Middle Media Arts, San Diego, CA

+++ 00:00:50 +++
Chris Baughman: The goal of this project is that they use their voice to make change. And they use their voice to make a difference for one person, for an organization, for themselves. It changes them. And you see that in their faces when they come and they work on this project. You see how engaged and excited they are. Because they really feel that they're making a difference.
Chris Baughman: When you're persuading, you want to shock people. You want them to say, "Oh, my gosh!" Right?
Maresa: Yeah.
Chris Baughman: So just-- I would change this into some easy to read scary statistics, really? Like, "Oh, my gosh!"

+++ 00:01:24 +++
Maresa: 1.4 billion gallons of trash is like discarded into the ocean yearly.
Chris Baughman: 1.4 billion!? That will really convince them to do something.
Baylee: So what we want to do is donate to our cause, and we're going to give our money that we raise by selling bracelets to an organization called San Diego Surf Rider. They host beach clean-ups and different things that can help.

+++ 00:01:57 +++
Baylee: From all the feedback that I got, I know that need to put the website link. I need to put the logo here instead of here. And I needed to make the background a little less crazy so you can read everything.
Lower Third:
Zoë Randall
6th Grade Multimedia Teacher
High Tech Middle Media Arts, San Diego, CA
Zoë Randall: So the coastal pollution project that Baylee and Maresa are working on is really wonderful. They're making these take-aways to raise awareness about coastal pollution, so they've made a poster, and they've made a brochure.
Card:
Finished Poster/Brochure

+++ 00:02:36 +++
Zoë Randall: Kind of an info-graphic piece. And so not only are they making artwork to help raise awareness for the cause, but they're also creating some informative pieces to go along with that artwork, and help raise awareness.
Zoë Randall: I really like the changes you made, Baylee.
Baylee: We're doing a lot of reading, we're doing a lot of researching, we're doing a lot of writing. We're doing a lot of different things in multi-media. And we're also like learning about how to get our voice out there.
Lower Third:
Baylee
6th Grade Student
High Tech Middle Media Arts, San Diego, CA
Chris Baughman: Just for them to understand the issue that they're looking at, and then think creatively. To think, "How can I make a difference?" Looking at very deep questions, and then the materials and the things that they're creating to actually make a difference. This project, alone, they're thinking so critically. And they're really wrestling with some very difficult issues.

+++ 00:03:14 +++
Maresa: I made an info-graphic for my media action.
Chris Baughman: Yeah, your poster was really fantastic.
Maresa: I just need to publish it, ’cause I forgot to publish it. But--
Chris Baughman: Okay.
Maresa: It has a lot of information on there, so yeah.
Chris Baughman: I think it's awesome!
Maresa: Yeah.
Baylee: Yeah, we wanted-- I love it.
Chris Baughman: It's got graphs, it has really clear information.
Maresa: Yeah.
Chris Baughman: I'd love to have that as something you guys could take with you to your event.
Maresa: Okay, yeah.
Baylee: Like we both do something called an outrigger paddling. And we have a race coming up on this Saturday. We're going to be walking around with this box selling bracelets.
Lower Third:
Maresa
6th Grade Student
High Tech Middle Media Arts, San Diego, CA

+++ 00:09:49 +++
Maresa: We have infographics, and we have like posters, and a lot of things like to help teach.
Baylee: I really want to make sure that for future generations, and for my kids and grandkids that there's going to be like a bunch of beaches that are available for all of us to use. And I think it's like really important that we need to reverse our actions, because we're the ones causing this.
Card:
Baylee & Maresa's Project raised $40 for the
Surfrider Foundation
#### End of maresa_and_baylee_hth

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