We just wrapped-up the project exhibitions piece of the Partners in Learning 2011 U.S. Innovative Education Forum! 100 educators, representing 25 different states and nearly every K-12 grade level and subject  (checkout the Photosynth of the exhibition here). And now they are off on Learning Excursions to historical and cultural landmarks around Seattle and then to a fun reception at the Space Needle. Whew!

We had a great live stream of Dr. John Medina’s “Brain Rules” keynote which was a lively and active discussion in the room and via #msftpil and we are looking forward to the same with Jane McGonigal tomorrow (see my previous post on how to tune in).

A few people have asked for a post of all of the projects – in one place – ask and TeachTec delivers   Here it is, brief summaries of the amazing educators from the 2011 U.S. IEF!

ALASKA
Jason Arthur, Highland Tech High School
Project 1: Combat Fishin’!
Students are exposed to multiple areas of technology and mathematics,
including Excel, graphing calculators, and PowerPoint to learn how to
analyze data and make predictions about the future based on available
information. The students gather data from the Alaska Department of
Fish and Game and use technology and reasoning to help determine
optimal fishing times.

ALABAMA
Donna Mackin, St. Paul’s Episcopal School
Project 2: Microsoft Office vs. Google Docs
To encourage exploration, critical thinking and analytic skill development
students were asked to evaluate, discuss and defend opinions on various
software programs used in their school. Specifically, students compared and
contrasted Google documents with Microsoft Word, documenting their
analysis in Microsoft Excel and then sharing their findings with the class.

Kelli Etheredge, St. Paul’s Episcopal School
Project 3: What’s the Verdict? The Count of Monte Cristo Murder Trial
10th grade World Literature students used a shared Microsoft OneNote
notebook, Office Web Apps and Windows Live SkyDrive to share
information and prepare for a criminal trial of the character Edmond
Dantès after reading the novel The Count of Monte Cristo. Students develop
many 21st century skills including critical thinking, creative problem solving
and collaboration to either prove or disprove the liability of Dantès.

Carrie Stuart, St. Paul’s Episcopal School
Project 4: Viva La Cocina!
Students are required to host their own cooking shows to demonstrate
how to prepare a Spanish or Latin-American-inspired dish, which they
prepared and shared with the class. The students demonstrated their
knowledge using Microsoft Photo Story.

ARIZONA
Shannon Nuckolls & Niki Hart, Sierra Verde STEM Academy
Project 5: Kaleidoscope of Innovative Perspectives
After taking on the role and point of view of different immigrants
entering the United States during the Industrial Revolution Era,
these 7th graders were tasked with compiling a multimedia scrapbook
documenting their own life from their homeland to America. This
cross curricular project immersed 7th grade social studies and
language arts students with 21st century technology, such as Movie
Make, Bing, and Publisher.

CALIFORNIA
Kevin Crosby, Independence High School
Project 6: Falcon Autistic Solar Team (FAST)
The FAST team, works with higher-functioning students with autism to
help peer-tutor other schools about how a solar panel takes radiant energy
from the sun and converts it into electricity. The focus of the FAST team
is to travel to other schools and teach their students about how solar
energy works combining LEGO solar kits and presentation skills.

Suzanne Scotten & Olivia Conn, EV Cain STEM Charter School
Project 7: The Heroes Project
In the Heroes Project, students created a short documentary that
highlights a “hero,” someone who has overcome adversity, or who has
done something to “repair the world.” Depending on their technical
skill level, students choose between using Photo Story, PowerPoint
and/or Movie Maker to prepare a digital story to share with their
peers and school community.

Angela Sveda, Ralston Middle School
Project 8: Ecopoetry
How can poetry protect the environment? “Ecopoetry” is a technologybased
project that can be reproduced in a variety of classrooms to improve
poetry curricula. In the project, students use technology to enhance their
poetic skills in advocating for endangered species. First, student groups
write poems (ballads, epics, sonnets, odes, lamentations, and dirges) about
endangered species. Then, they work with Windows Movie Maker to
translate their poems into movies with images, music, and voice recordings.

Nathan Manderfeld, Monroe Elementary School
Project 9: iAM
In this 4th and 5th grade project, students were exposed to careers and
technology. They collaborated as they recognized the talents of their
classmates, and became active participants in their own learning. They
did everything from becoming engineers to creating and running their
own small business. They stored their work in digital portfolios with an
end goal to graduate 5th grade and proudly state, “iAM an architect, iAM
an engineer, iAM a graphic artist, iAM an author, iAM an entrepreneur, iAM
a 21st century learner, and iAM more than a test score!”

Corey Bess, Valley Middle School
Project 10: Teacher Tweets Improve Student Performance
The Teacher Tweets project aimed to determine whether the use of
Twitter in an 8th grade science class would improve student performance.
The data suggests the sample population who used Twitter performed
significantly better on standardized tests and overall grades, compared to
the sample that did not use Twitter. This research provides evidence of the
power of social media and its effects on student performance.

Daphne Bradford, Crenshaw High School
Project 11: Developing Digital Media Geniuses
In Developing Digital Media Geniuses, Crenshaw High School Digital
Media Team students use the skills they‘ve learned in digital photography
and video production, to teach California State Dominguez Hills Osher
Lifelong Learning Institute students (age 55+) how to make digital photo
albums and movies. The primary goal of the Developing Digital Media
Geniuses program is to allow students to use 21st Century skills such as
communication, collaboration and creativity beyond the classroom.

Meg Omainsky, Henry M. Gunn High School
Project 12: STEM Slam
STEM Slam is an online video competition where students made zany
and unexpected video demonstrations documenting how they use
STEM skills in their lives. This project encourages students to drive their
learning in a manner that is personally engaging and creative. People
across the globe can vote online for their favorite videos. This project is a
global celebration of STEM learning.

Margaret Noble & David Stahnke, High Tech High
Project 13: Illuminated Mathematics
Mathematics is mixed with multimedia to create video, sound,
photography, and mixed media installations that explore mathrelated
topics. Students selected topics and then brainstormed
possible creative ways of expressing their research through digital
art. Each student also completed a research paper on their topic
and gave a PowerPoint pre-production presentation. Student
choice and in-class critiques played a critical role.

Corinne Takara, Horace Cureton Elementary
Project 14: You are Here: Street Banner Project
Fifth grade students at Cureton Elementary and one 4th grade class at
Hawaii Preparatory Academy in Waimea engaged in a workshop series
exploring community identity and geometry through photography and
digital pattern design. The synergy of art and technology which drives
Silicon Valley was explored, and students actively experience the civic
workings of their city as they create and submit public banner concepts.

COLORADO
Gwynn Moore & Shannon Wentworth, Aurora Public Schools
Project 15: Digital Draftbooks
Students create a paperless writing environment using Digital
Draftbooks, Online Graphic Organizers, Blogs, Wikis, and Digital
Storytelling to give students authentic purposes and audiences
with no pencil sharpener needed. The ease of use helped reluctant
writers, struggling readers, Special Education students, and second
language learners find ways to be successful with writing.

Misty Jones, Sunset Elementary School
Project 16: 3 Scoops
The 3 Scoops project engages 5th grade students in the creation of
an ice cream shop within the classroom to practice and learn about
investments, profits and losses, and the management of money. Students
used technology to research, survey, create advertising and price sheets,
summarize profits and losses, and teach the basics of spending money to
their kindergarten buddies.

Cheryl Arnett, Sunset Elementary School
Project 17: Making Learning Real-Giving Kids a Voice
The objective of this 2nd grade project was to engage children in
meaningful learning by providing opportunities to explore real world
topics gathered from a variety of people and resources. Students were
encouraged to participate in service projects and create ways to share
their learning with the world by using Photo Story, Movie Maker, Bing
Maps and more. The children learned that even at a young age they could
make a difference and have a voice in the world and their own future.

Amy Jones & Melany Neton, Sunset Elementary School
Project 18: The Kindergarten Restaurant
In trying to engage children and creatively prepare them for their future,
these teachers implemented a Storypath into their curriculum. As full day
kindergarten teachers, they have the gift of time to integrate purposeful
play. Storypaths are an approach that originated in Scotland in an effort
to create integrated curriculum. With the belief that stories help us all
remember and make sense of our lives, the Storypath Approach believes
that children learn best when they are active participants in their own learning.

Laura Voorhees, Hayden Valley Elementary
Project 19: Diving into the Ocean
In a small community in a rural Colorado mountain town, kindergartners
develop a fascination for the underwater world. Sparking their curiosity
and interest in sea animals provides them with a sparkle and a love for
learning. Students are provided multiple opportunities to learn about
sea creatures, and become experts, while they learn about an unfamiliar
ecosystem. Reading, writing, and technology skills are enhanced, including
grade-level appropriate use of Microsoft Word and an introduction to Skype.

Shelley Stetler, Adams 12 Five Star Schools
Project 20: Inquiry Quest: An Inquiry–Based Technology Assessment
The Inquiry Quest project is a six step, inquiry-based assessment which
harnesses the power of the district’s 8th grade students’ ability to
problem-solve, create, and communicate a persuasive message of their
choosing through the production of a digital product. Using tools such as
Microsoft’s Office suite, Photo Story and Movie Maker, students go from
being passive consumers of knowledge to active and excited producers
of knowledge.

CONNECTICUT
Lisa Fenn & Laura McDonnell, Roaring Brook Elementary
Project 21: Leap into Learning
The Leap into Learning project allows students to experience the life
cycle first hand as live tadpoles are raised and observed as they
metamorphose into frogs. First graders were introduced to a Life
Cycle web quest designed through PowerPoint, while tracking the
tadpoles‘ life cycle in Excel, completing Life Cycle Centers, and a
Multiple Intelligence Day focusing on learning the life cycle through
a variety of intellectual modes.

FLORIDA
Denise Spence, Dunbar High School
Project 23: Student for Tomorrow’s Global IT Force
Dunbar High School‘s Academy for Technology Excellence program is
engaging 9th-12th grade students in developing the essential IT skills
needed for today‘s 21st century workforce. Students in this program are
being inspired to think beyond high school and to investigate creative
ways to utilize technology. Students are able to learn the necessary IT
skills and get industry certification that will make them highly marketable
to both colleges and to the business world.

Suzanne Banas, South Miami Middle Community School
Project 24: Exploring Climate Change Using the Eyes In the Sky
Using NEO (NASA Earth Observations) satellite images and NIH Image to
animate them, students explored various aspects of climate change and
began to understand global issues in order to take environmental action. The
overall outcome of the project is student-generated research culminating in
multimedia presentations, in which students communicate in a professional
and creative manner while being challenged to solve real-life environmental
issues. This middle school project offered authentic learning opportunities
and enabled the students to acquire skills in computer technology, instrument
interfacing, as well as general problem solving and decision-making experience.

Louis Zulli Jr., Lakewood High School
Project 25: Center for Advanced Technologies News and Information
Portal (CATNIP)
CATNIP is an ongoing project to create a school intranet that integrates
campus communication, curriculum planning and facilities management
into one site with students working in collaborative teams to develop this
school-wide resource. This project uses a wide variety of technologies
such as SharePoint Server 2010, SharePoint Designer 2010,
Visual Studio 2010, InfoPath 2010 Expression Blend, and Silverlight.

GEORGIA
Kristen Drake, Hightower Elementary School
Project 26: Worksheetless Classroom
Students utilize technology for instruction, practice, and assessment
instead of relying on worksheets. The worksheetless classroom is one
that effectively uses technology, providing interactive practice of
skills. Assessments are online, and students receive specific, immediate
feedback on performance. These elementary school children set and
reach goals for reading fluency, comprehension, math fact fluency and
monitor their own progress.

IDAHO
Sean O’Brady, Sunrise Elementary School
Project 27: Drama in the Classroom.
Drama in the Classroom has children create teaching material. Students
are outstanding teachers. They also learn material better if they are teaching
or creating content specific teaching material. Drama in the Classroom is
an attempt to actively engage learners in the learning process. Students
work higher level thinking skills as they create PowerPoint presentations,
animations, or movies to teach concepts. Curriculum can be tied to the
local environment so learning happens in and out of the classroom.

ILLINOIS
Aaron Fay, Highland Park High School
Project 28: The Flipped Classroom
The “flipped” classroom is a flip on the traditional classroom. “Homework”
will be completed in class with peers and teacher present to assist, but
lectures that require focus are to be done as homework. Lectures are
videotaped and edited to be less than 15 minutes and posted to a school
video website. Students can access lectures through a homework portal as
often as needed. Students unable to attend class can still be held accountable
for course material but lose the benefit of completing work with peers.

Emily Richardson, Naperville North High School & Aubrey Ludwig, Langley High School
Project 29: Condense, Synthesize, and Apply: Using 21st Century
Technologies to Engage the 21st Century Learner
Condense, Synthesize and Apply addresses the challenge of
engaging students to develop and apply their knowledge critically
and innovatively. This two-part project asks students to synthesize
images, video, text, and music into a video presentation that
showcases their unique interpretation of the play Death of a
Salesman. Then, the project concludes with students applying
these skills by creating a video that reveals their understanding of
the American Experience as a whole. Students develop a working
knowledge of Movie Maker.

INDIANA
Don Wettrick, Franklin Community High School
Project 30: Franklin Film Festival
As part of the broadcast journalism class at Franklin High School, the
seniors are responsible for the Franklin Film Festival. To more fully
engage the students, they were asked to produce documentaries
involving local stories and used a classic movie theater in town called the
“Artcraft Theatre” to showcase the students‘ talent. The kids were inspired
by talking with real movie producers and other documentary film makers
and learned the basics of documentary writing structure.

LOUISIANA
Karel Sloane-Boekbinder, Jefferson Performing Arts Society
Project 31: Abstract Expression and the Science of Plant Cells
Thirty students at C.F. Rowley Alternative in Louisiana‘s St. Bernard Parish
recently participated in JPAS Cultural Crossroads‘ residency “Abstract
Expression and the Science of Plant Cells.” Using abstract expressionism,
SMART boards, the work of Joan Mitchell and Microsoft PowerPoint,
students explored the Gulf oil disaster and its impact on their region‘s
environment.

Margaret Simon, Jefferson Island Rd. and Center St. Elementary
Project 32: Voices on the Gulf: Using Multimedia to Respond to the
Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill
Encouraging students to engage in work that has an authentic audience
can increase engagement levels and commitment. Children used
PowerPoint to create original pictures depicting the results of their
research and to format a storyboard that ultimately became a Movie
Maker project uploaded to the “Voices on the Gulf” site that aims to
amplify the voices of residents impacted by the spill.

MASSACHUSETTS
Saba Ghole, NuVu Studio
Project 33: NuVu Studio: Winter 2010–2011 “Storytelling” Term
Through the theme of “Storytelling,” high school students work in teams
to investigate topics such as documentary filmmaking, dancing robotics,
song production, interactive art, narrative photography, and mobile learning
applications. Combining various technologies such as Movie Maker, Xbox,
Bing, Skype, microcontrollers, sensors, 3D modeling software, and social
media, students create stories to explore issues affecting people and communities
globally, incorporating social, political, technological, and artistic perspectives.

Colleen Werner, Ipswich High School
Project 34: Modeling with Microsoft Mathematics
Students produce an image of a structure or scenario that can be
modeled using a quadratic function. Using Microsoft Mathematics 4.0
and free geometry software, they find the equation of the quadratic
function that fits the image and superimpose the graph of this function
onto the original image.

Roni Gold, Rebecca M. Johnson School
Project 35: The Rise-Up Project — A 21st Century Study Buddy at
Your Finger Tips
Our urban 5th grade classroom uses Windows mobile devices (aka “Study
Buddies”) to transform teaching and learning for today‘s students and
tomorrow‘s teachers. Students use Microsoft Office Mobile tools throughout
the day in all content areas and participate in a web-based teaching residency
where undergraduates in a teacher preparation program receive guidance as
they mentor a 5th grader in reading over email and classroom visits.

MARYLAND
Donna Thomas, Sherwood High School
Project 36: Solving a Real World Problem with
Game Design & Development
Throughout the past few years, students have learned more about how
to make a positive difference in others’ lives by designing and creating
games. In this project, students are learning about and applying leading
and bleeding edge technologies such as XNA/C#, Movie Maker and
various Office programs to design and create games inside and outside the
classroom. For this project, students created a game to assist in curriculum
delivery to rising 9th graders that were not exposed to actual school
property, because the school is closed for roofing repairs over the summer.

MICHIGAN
John Prepolec, Bloomfield Hills Middle School
Project 37: Quality for Kids
Quality for Kids is designed to teach teachers and students the science,
methods, and culture of quality for the enhancement of STEM education
and college preparation. This project focuses on honing the skills to
effectively apply the scientific method including detailed data analysis in
Microsoft Excel. The students learn how cause and effect is the primary study
in science and engineering and they experience the Scientific Method live.

Pauline Roberts, Birmingham Covington School
Project 38: Engage – BCS!
Engage is a school-wide 3rd to 8th grade program unique to
Birmingham Covington School (BCS). Engage was conceived as BCS
sought to reinvent itself to keep pace with the real-world skills that will
be demanded of its students when they leave the school system. The
overarching goal of Engage was to engage students in problem-based
and project-based activities that integrated the four main elements of
the enGauge 21st Century Skills: Digital Age Literacy, Inventive Thinking,
Effective Communication, and High Productivity. It naturally embraces
elements of science, educational technology, technology education,
mathematics, and language arts.

Tasha Candela, Lake Shore High School
Project 39: Electronic Portfolios: The Weebly Wonders of the Web
This e-portfolio project transforms the traditional paper portfolios into
electronic portfolios by using digital cameras, flash drives, a video camera,
headsets, scanners and Microsoft Office. Students learn about career
opportunities and career interests, gaining greater knowledge of technology,
while creating a portfolio they can use for seeking employment. This project
gives students a real-world use of technology which they can put to
immediate use.

MISSOURI
Mike Fitzgerald, Mary Institute and St. Louis Country Day School
(MICDS)
Project 40: MICDS Green Campus Project
The objective of this Geography project was to have students explore,
“How do our lives impact our geography.” Students were asked to form
and present an original, creative, practical, and measurable solution to
an environmental problem that they identified on the school campus,
in the form of a 2-minute video. A call also went out to many partner
schools around the world to send in “Green” contributions of all sorts, as
well as teaming up with the MICDS 2nd grade, numerous international
schools, and the McDonnell Academy for Global Energy and Environment
Partnerships (MAGEEP) at Washington University in St. Louis.

NORTH CAROLINA
Matthew Kelly, Independence High School
Project 41: Espero [I hope}: presentational communication in Spanish
through digital storytelling
Advanced and intermediate students of Spanish explore digital storytelling
as a medium for self- expression using the Spanish version of Microsoft
Photo Story 3 and Microsoft Movie Maker. The assignment required
students to speak, listen, read and write in the target language and
introduced concepts of media literacy based on autobiographical narrative.

Shea Grisham, A.B. Combs Leadership Magnet Elementary
Project 42: Earth’s Changing Surface: Human Impact
In this project, 5th grade students research how dams and levees help
humans in land development, but also impact the natural processes of
erosion and deposition, as well as the surrounding ecosystems. Students
create their own dams and levees to solve the following fictional scenario:
You have found an amazing house to buy for a great price. The house
sits in a low field in a great neighborhood. However, the house does have
known water problems. Since you have moved in, you have noticed some
flooding in the front yard. The house sits next to a large stream. How can
you control the flooding before your house has any major damage?

NEW JERSEY
Kim Leegan, Union Catholic High School
Project 43: Adopt a Country
The Adopt a Country project is a year-long World Studies project. Students
select a country which they independently research throughout the year.
In connection with the project, students keep a weekly journal about the
country, as well as responses to guided questions. Students are encouraged
to take global service action for certain country projects. A diverse set
of technologies and skills are applied throughout the project including
desktop publishing with Microsoft Publisher, PowerPoint, Word and Bing.

NEW YORK
Vince Interrante, Mineola Middle School
Project 45: Weather Investigation: A 21st Century Learning Approach.
As part of a 1:1 computer pilot project, this class is able to use a
combination of Microsoft Office 2010 with OneNote to collaborate and
communicate with peers and adults in this project-based learning activity.
The objective of this project is to have the students become adept at
using 21st century learning technologies that will produce engaged
students who take ownership of their own learning. Consequently, the
role of the teacher naturally shifts to the facilitator of learning from the
more traditional stand and deliver model.

Barbara Bonnani & Marcia Sterenbuch,Old Bethpage Elementary School
Project 46: Celebrate the U.S.A. — RAPPING TO THE CENSUS
This is a highly collaborative effort to get 2nd grade kids
learning about the Census by pulling in music, technology and
social studies. Students learn about the U.S. Census by studying
questionnaires, gathering, graphing and interpreting data (from
community and individual family responses), and creating written
responses that will be used to address listening and speaking
standards. Culminating activities will include a rap song containing
all of the new information students acquire throughout the unit.

OHIO
Robert Baker & Greg Martin, Cincinnati Country Day School
Project 47: Shared Microsoft OneNote Applications: A Teaching
and Learning Utopia
Using Microsoft OneNote in a shared environment allows teachers
to do more and better formative assessment by having a window
into student work, anytime and anywhere. Students in courses as
far ranging as 5th grade French and Upper School Physics are able
to continue to work within the paper paradigm, placing everything
from handwritten notes to audio/video clips they create in a notebook.
This in turn can be shared with the classroom teacher and/or other
students in the class, thus leading to more effective collaboration.
The major goal was to create a school-wide environment in which
the sharing of information was simple, effective, and flexible and
enabled both creativity and productivity.

Milton Alan Turner, Saint Ignatius High School
Project 48: French IV Video Projects: Les Téléjournaux (TV News Shows)
et les Causeries (TV Talk Shows)
Students research topics using authentic resources to produce television
news videos, talk shows, and newspapers in French. This offers students
an opportunity to direct their learning and the technology tools they
wish to employ throughout the project.

Kacy Carter, Jackson Memorial Middle School
Project 49: STOP – REVIEW
Lock kids in a room and have them create a dynamic project that reviews
critical content they have learned about our nation‘s history. Students are
charged with the task of creating a stop-motion video that both informs
and entertains the viewer, while demonstrating the class‘s understanding
of the content learned. Students create storyboards, organize themselves
into groups, decide on music and sound effects, and then film the video.

PENNSYLVANIA
Laurence Goldberg & Shalon Doctor, Abington School District
Project 50: What Would You Do with $100?!?
Students decided what they would do if given $100. They engaged
in discussions about money, resources and values, and selected the
options of saving, spending, or giving their money away. Students
worked collaboratively and engaged in debate and discussion in
various heterogeneous and homogeneous small groups as well as
other classes. Through discussions and personal reflections, students
were able to come up with the ideas necessary to complete the task.

Melanie Wiscount, Palmyra Area High School
Project 51: History Video Podcasts & QR Codes
Students create a video podcast about an attraction, business, or organization
of their choice within a 15-mile radius of the school. They research the
history of their choice, plan the podcast (including media, prose and
narration) develop a storyboard in Microsoft Word and then create their
podcast using Movie Maker. The students then put on their marketing hats
and generate a QR code for the “customers” of their chosen establishment, so
people are able to access their video podcast on-demand for their PC or
mobile device, while also including the podcasts in their class wiki.

Blair Mill, Hallowell Elementary Schools
Project 52: Rock out on Rocks
In Rock out on Rocks, students recognize that natural resources,
in some shape, form, and limited amount, can be found in their
state or country. Using an online mapping program, students
research and find information related to the earth science content
area, rocks. Students learn the basics of how to research necessary
information, using a digital organizer. From this, they publish their
research into a Microsoft Word document and create a letter to
their parents/guardians discussing what they learned about their
favorite rock, chosen from a selection of six Pennsylvania rocks.

Valerie Fasy & Diane Heitzenrater, Keith Valley Middle School
Project 53: Find Your Future
As part of the Financial Literacy/Career Exploration classes, 8th
grade students are inspired to “find their future” by engaging in a
series of activities related to career pathways of interest. Students
use a variety of technologies including Microsoft Tag Reader,
Microsoft Office and video conferencing to research and collaborate
with others. The 21st Century skills incorporated in this project
include problem solving, teamwork and communication.

Frank Machos, School of the Future
Project 54: Music and Marketing as a Cultural and Consumer Influence
Students explore the impact that music, surrounding them both
consciously and subconsciously throughout their daily activities, has
on their life. Students discuss the vast roles of music in marketing
including jingles, commercial scores, retail environments, and celebrity
endorsements. The students demonstrate their knowledge of these
concepts and media literacy by creating marketing campaigns for print,
radio, or television to promote products and by constructing a retail
environment to sell their product. Students utilize digital tools such as
Movie Maker, Songsmith, Paint, Audacity and PowerPoint to create a
professional quality advertisement and business proposal presenting
their ad campaign to potential funders.

Elizabeth Harvey & Thomas Gaffey, School of the Future
Project 55: Slope and Stairs
Project 100 is a problem-based, supplemental math class for 9th
graders. In one of the units, learners investigate slope by building
stairs for an actual basement in a house near the School of the Future.
Learners were given nine activities which mandated that they submit
an artifact as evidence of learning the skills in that activity. The purpose
of each activity was to build the skills needed to create a scale model
of stairs out of foam core poster board. Learners were then given the
opportunity to apply what they learned in a real situation— to rebuild
the basement stairs for a neighbor of their school.

SOUTH CAROLINA
Doug Bergman, Porter-Gaud School
Project 56: Computer Science through Entrepreneurism and
XNA Game Studio for the Xbox
Students in this hybrid computer science and entrepreneurship class learn
how to manage and work on a single large computer programming project,
as well as develop their own software coding and problem-solving skills.
They apply equally important skills around entrepreneurism using the
NFTE (Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship) curriculum, building and
eventually presenting an actual business plan for the game idea they
choose. Additionally students identify something they are personally
passionate about and create a game or simulation for the Xbox that teaches,
demonstrates, and generates interest in the area they have chosen.

TENNESSEE
Kelly Huddleston, Franklin Road Academy
Project 57: Create a Business
Working with a partner, students create a business, beginning with
a business plan, writing a mission statement and tag line, and then
creating business cards and letterhead. Students also complete a series
of spreadsheets to track their income and expenses, as well as produce a
commercial and design a web site. Finally, students showcase everything
to the rest of the class in a PowerPoint presentation.

TEXAS
Elsa Holm & Erika Timmons, Ginnings Elementary
Project 58: Broadcasting Our Future
This project meets the requirements of Achieve Texas through the
integrated use of technology. Achieve Texas‘ standards require
that all elementary students in Texas be made aware of career
opportunities. Students explore career clusters identified by
Achieve Texas through interviews and classroom discussions. Skype
is used to interview Manuel Teodoro, a former editorial assistant
for CBS News and a correspondent for the Cable News Network
(CNN). The students filmed and produced additional interviews
within the school using Flip Video cameras.

Lynne Zalesak, Jackson Middle School
Project 59: Bringing US History into the Present: The Young Nation
Middle schools social studies students create digital stories describing the
major achievements and effects of a main theme in the development of
the United States as a nation. They present their project across a range
of tools including Microsoft Photo Story, Movie Maker, and PowerPoint,
incorporating other forms of digital media to enrich these digital stories.

Robyn Hrivnatz & Sarah Bauguss, Katy ISD
Project 60: Growing Knowledge in Math and Science
Middle school students integrate math and science in a realworld
setting to plan, design and plant a garden bed using
Excel and OneNote for measurement calculations and design,
while tracking the status of their seedlings in a OneNote Notebook
on their laptop or mobile device. Students then document their
observations in the tool of their choice including Movie Maker,
Photo Story or Animoto, ultimately sharing their artifacts on the
class Edmodo sites, enabling classmates to comment, collaborate
and learn from each other.

Joli Brock, Slaughter Elementary
Project 61: A Global Ecological Journey with the Smithsonian and
SHOUTlearning.org
This unit aims to teach 2nd graders about the importance of educating
themselves about global environmental awareness and responsibility.
Students extend their learning online through ideas provided by
the Smithsonian and SHOUTlearning.org, using technology to reach
classrooms around the world and create a dialogue about conservation
and preservation of our natural world.

Johnny Kissko, Frenship High School
Project 62: Xbox 360 Kinect in Education: Same Classroom, New Identity
Mr. Kissko explores the integration of Kinect with Xbox 360 and gesturebased
learning in a variety of educational settings. Kinect integration fits
within the parameters required to operate public schools, making active
learning within enclosed walls now a tangible possibility. Teachers and
students learn how to effectively integrate gesture-based learning and
use a bank of resources to consult for future exploration as the Kinect
education community develops and evolves.

UTAH
Donna Pence, Beacon Heights Elementary
Project 63: Art, Bullying, and Videotapes
504 elementary students, led by their art specialist, worked collaboratively
across the student body to create 87 videos that teach and entertain
their peers about responsible and appropriate behavior. Student projects
ranged from live actors, puppet shows and Claymation combining
Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Movie Maker to produce their films.
Emphasizing collaboration, teamwork, critical thinking and problem solving,
the project ultimately culminated in a new school-wide Film Festival.

VIRGINIA
Cynthia Feist & Tara Jeffs, Loudoun County Public Schools
Project 64: Mathem(AT)ics: Integrating AT in Mathematics
Using Microsoft Office tools, educators responsible for teaching
mathematical concepts awaken their students‘ natural curiosity
and problem solving skills by providing a variety of strategies
and techniques that promote motivation and support active
engagement in mathematical thinking.

Nancy Morris, George H. Moody Middle School
Project 65: Finding the Balance
Students used 21st century skills to collaborate, research, analyze and
create a multimedia presentation to educate their classmates on the
structure of the United States government. When the research was
complete, students collaborated in groups to create a unique digital
presentation to convey their research and conclusions to the class using
any type of digital platform that was available to them in school.

Ashley Hickcox & Amanda Arman, Fairhill Elementary School
Project 66: When I Grow Up: Parallel Model Career Search
When I Grow Up is intended to motivate and guide students as they
leave elementary school and prepare for middle school through a metacognitive
process. Students learn about different careers and match
their strengths and interests to choose a future career to investigate and
share about. Students take one or more surveys, interview professionals
in the field, research online and in the library, and create a project in
the field of their choice. The big idea of this project is meta-cognition —
students need to understand their strengths, interests, weaknesses
and motivations. Students focus on their identity — both in the
present and what they would like to see for the future.

Toni Rader & Nick Grzeda, Loudoun County High School
Project 67: InterroBANG: To Inspire Creativity and
Prepare Students for the Future
Invite students to participate in real world learning that begins
with a challenge (a question) that leads to discovery and ends with
insight and surprise. Using InterroBang, a socially-networked gamebased
site, students are empowered to showcase their passions
and expand their personal growth, while applying a diverse set of
technologies along the way, including Bing Translator, Flip Cameras,
Movie Maker, Publisher and Microsoft Office.

Patricia King & Laura Rahn, Mountain View Elementary School
Project 68: Graphic Novels to the Rescue!
How to make history come alive is a common question for most
educators. In this world of video games and social media it was obvious
where the answer would lie. Finding a way to integrate Social Science
instruction and technology became the goal, with an underlying
focus of promoting the importance of reading. The idea of creating
graphic novels, based on historical facts was born. Upon completion of
instruction of Virginia: 1607–1776, students were given an opportunity
to create their own historical-fiction short story.

WASHINGTON
Cheryl McClure, Meridian Middle School
Project 69: Warm up to OneNote
Students use Microsoft OneNote to respond to daily warm-up (entry task)
questions in an 8th grade science class. Too often middle school students are
masters at writing only brief responses, not always demonstrating their true
understanding of core concepts. The use of 1:1 synced OneNote notebooks
allows teacher visibility and understanding of individual student learning,
enables an easy method for providing feedback and ability to check student
assignments. Using OneNote warm-up questions has enabled students to be
engaged and encouraged to write complete details of their understanding
and pose any questions or concerns they have regarding the given science topic.

Robin Hoover, Finn Hill Junior High
Project 70: Voices of Injustice
In this high school English project, students research and create three unique
voices from one global situation of social injustice—historical or contemporary.Students are expected to showcase all perspectives of the social injustice, including
the human rights‘ violations, by creating a fictional story for a victim, a persecutor
and a neutral bystander. Students are expected to showcase one voice in a
written narrative (linguistic), another in an oral presentation (auditory/kinesthetic),
and the last in a digital presentation (visual/auditory). Each voice needs to
address the universal human experiences associated with the social injustice.

Matt Palmer & Kim West, Lake Washington School District
Project 71: Changing Technology PD: It’s About Students
Not Seat Time
This is a three year technology integration project to prepare district
educators to infuse technology into the classroom, with the purpose of
ensuring a common level of proficiency in identified technology skills that
integrate into everyday teaching in the classroom. This scalable approach
focus is student-centered, using best practices that align to state standards.

Bret Crane, Redmond Junior High
Project 72: Fairy Tale PowerPoint Students use Microsoft Ribbon Hero
as a learning tool to be introduced to PowerPoint.
Student understanding is supplemented by mini-lessons depending on proficiency.
Students utilize PowerPoint to retell a Grimm Brothers Fairy Tale, creating a
summary of the story which acts as an outline for the slides (scenes) they will use in
their presentation. Once an outline is drafted, they choose Clip Art (or create their
own) for backgrounds, story characters, and props, manipulating as needed to fit
their theme and animation needs, citing sources used, and rewriting the story in
their own words. As a final step, students present their stories to the class.

Carrie Calonzo & Rebecca Winbauer, Glenridge Elementary School
Project 73: Third Graders + Math Problems = Problem Solving Experts
In this student-driven project, 3rd graders showcase their problem
solving abilities with Photo Story presentations and filmed videos
explaining their mathematical thought process. Problem solving
abilities are showcased with Photo Story videos and SMARTNotebook
presentations shared with the class.

Michelle Zimmerman, Amazing Grace Christian School
Project 74: From the face in the webcam to the face of humanity:
Pre-teen researchers influencing little livesUsing technology for society’s good is a skill that needs to be modeled,
instructed, and practiced with an authentic purpose as young students
prepare for the future. This project leveraged participatory action
research which sought to locate the emergence of skill development
through an intersection of human connection and laptop use in a crossage
mentoring model with middle school and preschool students. To
increase understanding of new forms of learning within a non-traditional
grouping of 6th and 7th graders in a 1:1 laptop environment, the teacher
drew on their perspective and creativity as they utilized production and
internet tools to facilitate their own data collection.

Jamie Ewing, Mount View Elementary
Project 75: bing’edu: bing Education
Every year Google does a “Doodle for Google” competition where
students redesign the Google logo. Since Mr. Ewing‘s school is in Seattle
he wanted to do something that was more locally based. He created
his own competition using the engaging Bing home page as a vehicle
to allow students to express what education means to them. Students
combined writing, photography, GiMP design software, and Bing.

Betsy Weigle, Adams Elementary School
Project 76: Connecting Classrooms with Skype and PowerPoint
The objective of this project was to open the classroom to the world by
bringing children from Washington state and South Carolina together,
virtually, to share insights on Native American cultures. Students used
presentation and interactive conferencing technology, which allowed indepth,
real-time interaction on shared content. Students prepared short
PowerPoint slide shows or posters, verbal presentations and question/
answer sessions.

Colin Horak & Antonio Sablan, Franklin Pierce High School
Project 77: Project Unite
This project evolved out of one 9th grader‘s proposal for how to
reduce the incidents of immature behavior and fighting amongst
his classmates. Dubbed “Project Unite” the class came together
in a broad campaign combining t-shirts, bracelets, signs and
ultimately an eloquent presentation to the student body during an
MLK Day assembly, followed by a moving Photo Story presentation
of the diversity within Franklin Pierce High School. The students
continued their campaign with a series of public-service video
announcements that were incorporated into the 9th grade English
curriculum as prompts to promote discussion on diversity and unity.

Kenneth Ryan Olden, White Swan High School
Project 78: The Shield of Achilles / Project Symbolic
At the time of this project, students were reading The Iliad, specifically
portions of Book 18: The Shield of Achilles. This text portion details
the shield that Achilles carries into battle against Hector. The shield
is constructed of various scenes depicting elements of ancient Greek
life, specifically elements that the soldiers valued and fought for but
were unable to attain for themselves due to their chosen profession.
Students used the idea of the shield to create their own non-linguistic
representations that mixed music, video, and still images to create short
films that depicted the elements of their life that they personally valued.
The students then showed these videos to an audience of peers, community
members, and family members and posted them to personal websites.

Regards,

Rob

(keep track via @TeachTec and track #msftpil)