Kearny-DMD 10th Grade
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10th Grade DMD
This team comprises the tenth grade teachers at the Kearny High School Complex School of Digital Media Design.
Contents |
Team Members
| Name | Subject | Contact |
|---|---|---|
| Erin Preston | Art | eaermpreston@gmail.com |
| Matt DeFord | English | mdeford@sandi.net |
| Jena Youngflesh | Biology | jenayoungflesh@gmail.com |
| Eden Orlando | English | eorlando@sandi.net |
| Luke Corazza | Math | lcorazza@sandi.net |
| Robert Carr | Science Research Techniques | rcarr@sandi.net |
Projects
DMD 10th Grade Crime Time
All 10th grade students at the School of Digital Media and Design will participate in an interdisciplinary project focused on the principles and applications of forensics. Collaborating in teams of 3-4, students will create an engaging and educational website intended for a 7th grade audience. The site will not only demonstrate our students' mastery of integrated content, but it will also serve as an introduction to DNA and math applications for the 7th graders. The user of the site will act as the detective, using the sequential evidence to try to figure out "who done-it." In Biology class, teams will learn how to gather evidence from crime scenes and perform forensic analysis including: Blood typing, DNA analysis, fingerprinting, and microscopic comparisons of hair segments. Teams will also learn the appropriate role of scientific technology in investigations that establish guilt or innocence. In Math class, students will use Algebra and Geometry to analyze evidence by exploring Newton’s Law of Cooling, the Line of Best Fit, Inductive and Deductive Reasoning, and Equations of Circles. They will also use geometry to create and illustrate their crime scenes. In English class students will analyze and trace an author’s development of time and sequence as well as the use of complex literary devices (e.g., foreshadowing, flashbacks, denouement) to assist them in the creation of their own crime story. To ensure that students’ crime stories are well-written, students will analyze the interactions between characters and explain how such interactions affect plot development. Students will also create suspect statements/biographies and functional documents instructing teachers how to use the website. In World History, students will explore the technological changes brought about by the Industrial Revolution that led to the development of modern crime investigation technology. Additionally, students will study the evolution of crime and punishment in the development of Western political thought, self- government, and individual liberty. They will write about "what is justice" for the convicted in different contexts. In the Design and Mixed Media class, students will create logos in PhotoShop, fabricate and photograph crime scenes and evidence, and construct their websites using both Flash and Dreamweaver. The design elements will be based on their marketing research of seventh grade students. Finally, students will present their websites in front of a panel of community and industry experts, administrators, and teachers.
Curriculum Map
Project Journal
Summer Institute Update
Prompt: Beyond the project, how will your PBL Summer Institute experience impact your classroom during the 2009-2010 academic year?
As a teaching team leaving the 2009 Summer Institute, we plan to bring much more to our classrooms than just the project we planned. We have gained perspective from high school students regarding effective classroom engagement. In response, we plan on continuing to plan small interdisciplinary projects to engage students in content they may otherwise eschew. Moreover, we plan to promote student connections to industry through a “Road Trip Nation”-like experience. We believe that contacting industry members through job shadows will help students understand the quality required to meet industry standards. Interacting with adults outside the school will also add weight to what they hear from teachers regarding expectations and required skills upon entering college or the workforce.
First Quarter Update
1. What challenges did you encounter while trying to launch the project? Matt DeFord (English): Although the project launch was ultimately a success, it was not without its challenges. The primary challenge was trying to get everyone on the same page without meeting face to face as a group first. Our project launch required much more than just our core teaching team to participate; we had community members from Time Warner Cable (our client), Grossmont Community College, and local law enforcement personnel, including our campus police officer, a school district detective, and a representative from the San Diego Medical Examiner's Office, all participating in the event. It was difficult to negotiate a common timetable that worked for all participants, especially since we were still determining who our participants would be and what the "look and feel" of the program would include up to the week before the launch took place. Of course, once everyone's role was confirmed, there was still the challenge of facilities use, including reservation of the auditorium and finding personnel who could use AV equipment.
2. How did you overcome the challenges? Matt DeFord (English): We were able to launch the project successfully in spite the challenges we encountered during the planning process. The negotiation of roles and responsibilities among all participants involved countless phone and email correspondence. We went through several revisions to the program for the launch before everyone knew exactly what was expected of them during the event. Once we confirmed the date and time, we were able to book the facility with relative ease as it was still summer break and the demand for the auditorium was pretty low. Fortunately, we were able to call upon some of our more experienced Seniors on campus to address the challenge of finding personnel who could properly operate the AV equipment. In the end, the launch was a success - though we certainly have a better perspective now on how to anticipate some of the challenges encountered in the process of implementing it.
3. What revisions have you made to the project since the Summer Institute? Luke Corazza (Math): In short, the changes we have made can be grouped into two categories. On the one hand, we have added more industry involvement in evaluating and guiding student work. This has included representatives from Time Warner Cable and various criminal investigation and law enforcement agencies. On the other hand, we have had to scale back some of the other content involvement in the project. For example, we have had to modify several of the math components in order to accommodate for remediation of missing skills.
4. What is it like working with your PBL team? Rob Carr (Science Research Techniques): One of the best resources I have available is the grade level team that I work with. The weekly meetings that we have and coordinated prep times that we share are absolutely invaluable. I can honestly say my job is made more manageable because I can plan and discuss curriculum issues every day during prep with my PBL team. Teaching can an be isolating experience, but working in a PBL team, that feeling of isolation is not there. In fact a team atmosphere exists, were there may not have been otherwise. Even working with science department teachers in the past has not been this collaborative. I feel the PBL team model is one the more effective that exist in the current education environment.
5. Has the plan for the Culminating Event/Public Exhibition changed? If, yes, please explain. Eden Orlando (English): Our plans for the culminating event of Crime Time have not changed, but have been refined. We have added members to the evaluation panel, which include our new client (Time Warner), members of our launch presentation (a police officer, investigator, and medical examiner) as well as teachers from the local middle school. (Hopefully, we’ll have visitors from ConnectEd and CCTE as well ;)) As planned, students will present in their teams (of 3-4) to a panel, which should span over a three-day period. Teams will present their final product (crime web site) and provide an oral explanation of the process they went through to complete the process. They will also note both positive and negative experiences and speak to how they will improve themselves for future project work. Students will present in business attire and all will be required to speak. Students will be assessed as a whole on their product, but on an individual basis on their presentation skills. Rubrics will be used to assess both components of the presentation, and teachers will average these scores to assign grades. The grade from this final presentation will impact the grades in all core classes. “Winners” of the project will be determined by the client (Time Warner) and will earn a trip to Universal Studios.
6. How have the students responded to the project? Jena Workman (Biology): Thus far, students have responded very positively to the project. When asked what they would like to do in the future, a large proportion of our students comment on fields related to forensics. Almost everyday I hear a student say, “I love this project. I want to solve crimes.” Although we are just beginning the biology portion on the project, students are continuously bringing their project-related work from other classes just to show me because they are proud of their hard work. It is nice as a teacher to see student enthusiasm, as well as the pieces from each content area working together and supporting each other for a common goal. I love seeing my students’ artistic abilities in their Crime Time logos and then reading their creative writing in their crime stories. Even the few students who are not intrinsically interested in solving crimes seem to be more engaged with the curriculum due to the project. When I introduced DNA through an inquiry modeling activity, students immediately connected the dots and made comments like, “Oh man, this is for Crime Time, we really need to understand this. It is important.” That extra meaning the project adds to the content really makes a difference in student motivation and effort. The students have also expressed great interest in the community contacts we have made thus far. Students have seen presentations from a Grossmont College forensic technician, web designers, and a lawyer from Project Innocence. They have also received feedback from Time Warner cable employees and seventh grade students about their media designs. Comments such as, “Wow, this is way more real than last year,” or “its really cool to get feedback from professionals,” confirms that our community connections are boosting interest and making the project more meaningful and authentic.
Second Quarter Update
Insert Blog Entry
Third Quarter Update
Insert Blog Entry
Final Update
Teacher Reflection
Student Reflection
Roadtrip Nation
