Blogging and Skyping Through the Middle Ages: Learning Takes on New Meaning Using 1TWO1 Computing

Guest bloggers: Mr. Atkins, Muller Road Middle and Mr. Abernathy, Blythewood Middle

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Students in Mr. Atkins’s third period Honors Language Arts class at Muller Road Middle School (MRMS) and Mr. Abernathy’s Honors Social Studies classes from Blythewood Middle School (BMS) collaborated together as students researched and wrote about the Middle Ages.  Titled Blogging Through the Middle Ages, students in both classes researched topics and concepts about the Middle Ages based on Common Core Standards.  Students from both schools researched and wrote blogs constructing topics, event, and concepts about the Middle Ages. Students from each school read and responded to students’ blogs from the other school.

The culminating activity was a Skype Meeting between the sixth grade classes.  Mrs. Brandon, the Media Specialist from Muller Road and Mrs. Swetnam, the Media Specialist from BMS set up the Skype event.  Students collaborated using Socratic Seminar methods--students from each school were given ten minutes to discuss assigned topics they wrote about and the other school had five minutes to summarize what students from the other school discussed.  

Student examples: Blog 1; Blog 2; Blog 3

During the last five minutes, students reflected on the experience.  All of them responded to the experience.  Comments included the following:  

"It was nice to learn from students rather than teachers."  

"I enjoyed working with students from another school."  

"I enjoyed getting criticism from other students.  It made me a better writer."  

"Learned a lot from reading the other blogs."

Three or four years ago, students would have read about the Middle Ages and completed a project.  One-to-one computing has enabled them to become researchers, writers, reporters, and collaborators with students at other schools.   

Acrocity: Building the City of the Future with the Knowledge of the Past

*Welcome guest blogger, Danielle Elliott- Smith from Muller Road Middle School. 

Our 6^th grade team has worked on an interdisciplinary unit in which students had to integrate their knowledge of science, social studies, math, and language arts in order to create a futuristic city using the building techniques of the ancient world. Students had to design a building using elements of Greek and Roman architecture and integrating one of the six simple machines that they learned about in science class.  After students created their building using all recycled materials, they had to photograph their projects using their iPads and use an app of their choice to highlight the geometric elements present in their structure.  Students also had to submit a Keynote presentation demonstrating not only their knowledge of the six simple machines but also how those simple machines were used in the ancient world to accomplish great feats of engineering.  In language arts, students are working to create brochure guides to Acrocity, the city built from all of the buildings designed and built by our 6^th grade students at Muller Road Middle School. The sixth grade team --Danielle Elliott-Smith, Terry Atkins, Tina Lewis, and Kristy McIntyre

Student Project Pieces