Week 1: Assignment 2 Fundraising Blog

Technology Fundraising Blog

SCENARIO: Your school's Faculty Technology Committee wants to recruit the Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) to help with fundraising efforts for more computers and technology in the classrooms. However, not all the parents believe that technology enhances learning; many parents see their children "goofing" around with technology and feel that school should focus on more traditional methods of teaching.

The Committee has decided to use blogs to get the parents involved in an on-going dialogue about technology integration in the classrooms. Since parents can read and respond to the teachers' blogs, it is hoped that a discussion about this topic will encourage parents to get involved in the fundraising activities as well as understand how technology can enhance learning.

Each teacher in the school must create a blog-a digital fundraising letter—for the parents of his/her students. This is not a blog from the Faculty Technology Committee; it is a blog from you to your students' parents, so it is from your classroom.

View this quick video about blogs: Blogs in Plain English

Assignment Instructions

1. Write a "digital fundraising letter to the parents" blog from you to your students' parents. See "Instructions for the Blog Contents" below.

2. Cite any information you use from your textbook or other sources in quotations, paraphrases or summaries with APA in-text citations and list the source(s) in an APA Reference list at the end of your blog.

3. Set up your blog on Blogger and post the above "digital letter" there.

4. Once your post your blog, copy/paste it into a Word document, and submit it in the drop box for this assignment. (Note: We must have a copy of all assignments in the drop box, especially for assignments that are completed on websites outside of the e-College classroom.)

5. Post the URL for your blog on the "Post Blog URL" discussion board. (See How to Copy/Paste URL into Discussion Board Message Tutorial.)

6. Note: Viewers tend not to read large chunks of text, so use small paragraphs, subtitles and bullet points to create a more visually appealing read.

7. All URL (web links) should be the name of the website or article, not the URL itself. See the Hyperlinking Tutorial.


Blogger Instructions

Instructions for the Blog Contents

1. Introductory paragraph welcomes parents to the blog and informs them about the PTA's fundraising efforts and encourages parents to get involved.

2. Acknowledge the parents' concerns about technology use in the classroom (they don't think technology has validity because they only see their kids playing games on the computer, etc.). Briefly explain why students need technology in school to enhance learning and to be prepared for their future careers.

3. Educate parents about two learning theories--one Directed learning theory and one Constructivist learning theory (from pages 34-49 in the textbook). Briefly summarize the key points of the two theories. Include at least one web link to information about the theories for the parents to read. You will use these two theories to justify the use of technology later in the letter, but introduce them here. (Note: Use the names of the websites as the actual links in your blog, not the URLs. See the Hyperlinking Tutorial.) (Note: Cite the information you use about the theories with in-text citations.)

4. Choose two types of technology you want in your classroom (wish list). Briefly explain one lesson activity for each technology that your students would do in your classroom if they had these technologies.

5. Connect your technology-based lessons to the two theories you explained above. One tech lesson activity should be based on the Directed lesson theory you described above, and the other lesson activity should be based on the Constructivist learning theory you described above. Prove that technology lessons can be based on recognized, credible educational theories.

6. Sum up the blog's message and encourage parents to get involved. Let them know they can post comments and questions on the blog to encourage discussion about this topic.

7. Reference list.

8. Post this disclaimer at the bottom of your blog: DISCLAIMER: This blog is an assignment for an educational technology course at National University. It is not a real fundraising blog.

To see the rubric please click here

Please go to the following for blogger setup instructions:
Click here for instruction in a document.
Click here for a video tutorial.

Please go here for an explanation of the assignment for printing.