Division of Instruction
NHEON > Office
of Educational Technology >NCLB Title IID Grants
The following 35 mini-grant projects were funded in 2009-10. The grant funds assist project team members to acquire equipment, supplies, and training to carry out project-based learning in their schools. Teams will document their projects using video clips, lesson plans, assessment rubrics, and narratives to indicate the impact of the project activities on their students, as well as help other schools to replicate the project design. Teams will give brief presentations of their projects at the Classroom Technology Celebration Event in May 2010. They will also give extended presentations at other local and regional events between June 2010 and March 2011.
| District | Abstract | Project Manager | Grade Range | Primary Content Area |
| Alton | What can computer programming teach us about math in the real world? Grade 3 students will be introduced to algorithms and logic using Scratch and Turtle Art software. Students will collaborate about various approaches to real world problems, and will connect with other classrooms using the universal language of technology. The child as programmer will internalize the mathematics and design concepts, will reflect on the process, and “think about how they think”. | Pam McLeod | 3 | MA |
| Amherst | Can one person make a difference in the world? What is civic participation and how can I become involved? What is the role of the citizen in the community and in the nation, and as a member of the world community? Finding research topics that peak the interest of middle school students can be difficult. This interdisciplinary unit focuses on helping students to make connections with many of the humanitarian issues around the world and the organizations that are working to make a difference. Note-taking templates, rubrics, pod casts and student created videos all allow students to probe deeper to understand how their individual civic involvement can affect the lives of others. The creation of student directed I-movies will be showcased in a culminating annual Oxfam Hunger Banquet for the entire 7th grade which will invite faculty, students and parents to attend. This event will be the final step of the synthesis process as students share their knowledge with others and experience first hand how one person can make a difference in the world. | Bruce Chakrin | 7 | MA |
| Ashland | “Snap, Snap, Click: Multimedia Poetry” combines language arts, music, and art through poetry writing, music composition, and illustration. Students will explore the essential question, “How can I create music that will enhance the meaning and understanding of my written words and illustrations?” The interdisciplinary goal is to use technology tools to increase the students’ literacy level by using music composition software and computer interfaced keyboards to create music that will accompany their poetry and artwork. | Sarah Davis | 4 | ELA, AR |
| Barrington | Data from the eighth grade NECAP science test show that our students are weak in the science process skills. To address this problem the science department has developed an interdisciplinary exploration project in which students will use scientific inquiry and critical thinking skills. The students will use rockets, powered by air pressure, to increase their knowledge of the science process skills. The essential question: How does a rocket’s design affect the distance that it travels? | Nancy Vincent | 8 | SC |
| Bartlett | How can we use music notation to record original rhythmic measures and connect to the math curriculum? We’ll find out by infusing technology into the music curriculum. Using software (SmartMusic, Finale PrintMusic), hardware (recording devices, laptops) and job-embedded professional development, we’ll drive improved results for all students at all levels. We’ll excite our students and engage their minds as we develop their critical thinking skills and we’ll connect home and school through web-based real-time assessment. | Jimi Emery | 4 | AR-m |
| Chester | What do animals need to survive in the wild vs. captivity? Chester Academy second graders will adopt Webkinz from each continent to compare the animals’ actual habitat with the virtual habitat at Webkinz.com. Using interactive whiteboards, computers, document camera, digital cameras, digital voice recorders, and the Internet, students will research how the animal survives in its habitat, create a classroom model, an animal survival guide, and compare the habitat with the virtual world of Webkinz.com. | Susan Kessler | 2 | SC, SS |
| Concord | Concord's Minigrant Team will work with Rundlett staff and students to answer the question: How can I make a difference in my community and my world? The goal of this project is for students to use technology as an effective communication tool. As we address curriculum standards in social studies, language arts, math, and ICT standards, we will share our ideas on the web to influence people in our community and throughout the world. | Linda Stuart | 6 | SS |
| Derry | Eighth grade students participate in a research project as part of their Social Studies and Language Arts curriculum. The essential question for students is “ How does digital access to our school's book collection change and/or enhance our research projects in both Language Arts and Social Studies ?” Students will access e books at home and at school and will have simultaneous availability of resource material. They can share notes and resource material online. | Kathy Lane | 8 | SS |
| Dover | Students will design Travel Bugs to track and map across the United States’ regions. Students will work on state and district geography mapping standards, non-fiction reading standards, and science process skills. The technology knowledge and equipment acquired from this grant will allow students to experience geography as a 21st century student. | Dustin Gray | 4 | SS |
| Epping | This project combines short story writing, songwriting, music performance and recording, art history, and art. Students will explore the essential question(s), “How can writing be influenced by other art forms such as music and various fine art forms? In addition, how can music and fine arts enhance and enrich the meaning of a piece of writing?” Students will learn how music and art interact with creative writing. Students will write and record music, learn about and create art, write a suspenseful short story and exhibit them for the Epping community. | Andrew Fersch | 8 | ELA, AR |
| Fall Mountain | Using the CORE Plus Mathematics curriculum, teachers will guide students into finding relevant mathematics outside the classroom. The essential question, “What course concepts do you ‘see’ in your life,” will challenge students’ critical thinking skills as they make connections between the classroom and their experiences. A project will be assigned at the beginning of the semester detailing how students will capture evidence of course concepts, and this project will culminate with student presentation of findings. | Richard Elliott | 9 - 12 | MA |
| Farmington | How can our rich local history best be preserved, shared, and understood through effective written and oral communication? This project is a partial replica of the Littleton Digital Veteran’s Project. It is a cross grade level, interdisciplinary unit. In collaborative groups students utilize reading, writing, speaking, researching, and technology to create a local history documentary to be shared on local television. Flip cameras, laptops and digital software are the primary technology tools utilized. | Ruth Ellen Vaughn | 7 - 8 | SS, ELA |
| Hampstead | How do public service messages effectively inspire a person to change their behavior? Students will formulate a scientific question about a health issue they recognize as a problem in their community. Students will then work in diverse teams to research their question and a solution. As a final product, students will create a 30 to 60 second PSA to persuade their audience to change their behavior based on the data supporting the solution. | Katie Muskrat | 5 - 8 | SC |
| Interlakes | What would your school look like and feel like on Mars? Students will study conditions necessary for life and be challenged to build a life sustaining school on Mars. 21st Century Information and Communication Technology Literacy Standards will be applied to our current GLEs in mathematics, language arts, and science in order to enhance inquiry based learning. This collaborative project provides students with opportunities to acquire a greater understanding of their place in the universe. | KarolBeth Glover | 3 & 8 | SC |
| Jaffrey Rindge | Improving performance, developing responsibility for learning, and plans for post-secondary education and work is the aim of this project. The question "What difference does it make when we use digital tools?" will focus disengaged high school students in using digital tools and resources to provide career exploration, career-driven, web-based remediation, and online career path development to compile a Career ePortfolio. | Greg Naudascher | 9 - 12 | MA, ELA |
| Keene | Jonathan Daniels minigrant team will work with 5th grade students to answer the question: where do I see math in everyday life and how can I explain those concepts to my buddy class of second graders? The focus of this project will be to use Interactive Whiteboard Technology to increase student engagement with and conceptual understanding of math concepts. Students will present their explorations and understanding to the buddy class using the interactive technology. | Maureen Meyer | 5 | MA |
| Laconia | The foundation for good writing is having a good story to tell. With this in mind we will be asking all students the essential question “What is your story?” Using multiple modalities students, as individuals or class groups, will ponder what stories they have to tell. Once stories have been written students will explore different media that will allow them to digitally record stories to share with a larger community now and in the future. | Sonya Roberts | 3 & 5 | ELA |
| Lebanon | How does a 21st century student acquire, analyze and apply information about History? This project will examine this question by having students working with technology on a consistent basis. Through the use of a mobile computer lab dedicated to specific classes, students will use Web 2.0 resources, such as but not limited to Sakai, an OSP (Open Source Program), to expand their ability in both individual and collaborative work in history. They will be drawn to the connections between the past and today. | Bill Waste | 9 - 12 | SS |
| Litchfield | Do technology tools when integrated effectively in the high school environment increase student achievement in the area of writing? Our school’s academic expectations are that students will be able to read, write and speak effectively, as measured by NECAP, NWEA, SAT scores and school-wide rubrics. Our team aims to accomplish this goal by helping students improve their reading comprehension and critical analysis skills through social networking. We propose doing this in a 1:1 digital tools environment, using netbooks and Usync to support project based learning. | Andrea Ange | 9 - 12 | ELA, SS |
| Littleton | Stimulating student creativity in cross-curricular activities, high school students will mentor elementary students in bringing each elementary student’s original story to life in an animated project. While the primary goal is to reinforce elementary student analytical and comprehension skills through animated art, all students will be challenge to answer the question: How well can you demonstrate your literacy, mathematics, and science skills through the creation of stop-motion animations? | John Peters | 1 & 9 - 12 | AR, ELA, MA, SC |
| Merrimack Valley | Seventh grade science, math, language arts, and social studies classes will work collaboratively to answer the question: “How are human beings affected by our forests, and how do we affect them in return?” By integrating all subject areas this project aims to improve student engagement through by providing them with additional digital options to communicate the information they learn. Increased student awareness of the surrounding habitat will be a measure of success. | Mary Estee | 7 | SC, MA, ELA, SS |
| Milan | The 5th and 6th grade at the Milan Village School asked: What have we learned in Math and Science that will help us in future careers in the North Country? Students will do research, gather data and create videos about local jobs and the skill sets that are required. At the completion of the project students will have a better understanding of how their learning applies to their success and opportunities as adults. | David Backler | 5 & 6 | MA |
| Northumberland | How do we encourage the inner artist in everyone? Through the use of FableVision’s Animation-ish software, students’ creative thinking and imagination will be ignited by this project-based unit. Students will use digital media to communicate a poem in a collaborative learning environment. This engaging activity integrates creativity across the existing language arts curriculum and also enhances literacy skills through the use of technology. | Karen Conroy | 7 - 12 | ??? |
| Oyster River | “How will the use of technology and biomechanical analysis improve athletic performance?” The goal is for students to participate in a biomechanical analysis of motion involved with athletic activities: golf swing, tennis swing, and baseball bat swing. Students will use video cameras and scientific probes to document athletic activities; interactive whiteboards to analyze motion and body position; and work with sports professionals to provide students with individualized reports on how to improve their athletic performance. | Celeste Best | 9 - 12 | SC |
| Pittsfield | In English 10, “Individual in Society,” students choose issues of importance to their town, school, or education; they research possible solutions, present findings and suggestions to authentic audiences, and then create videos, websites, or pamphlets arguing their case for change. With added technology for video and website production, students can publish professional products to advance their voices in the community, answering the essential question: How can I make a positive difference in my society? | Silas St James | 9 - 12 | ELA |
| Portsmouth | Returning to the Woods – This Time with iTouch Technology is a project that is centered on the essential question, “What is the responsibility of an individual in society?” Students will use educational humanities and science applications for the iPod Touch to explore Thoreau’s individualism and contribution to literature/history during the Transcendental period. Students will develop their own philosophy about individual rights and responsibilities while seeking to not only tolerate, but celebrate, independent thoughts and ideals. | Susan Birrell | 9 | ELA |
| Profile | How have scientific and technological advances shaped civilization? What emerging technologies or discoveries will shape our future? Students will explore the scientific and technological innovations that have had a profound impact on society and try to develop a picture of our future. Students will use media resources to explore their chosen topic, collect data through video interview and digital survey, blog/document share and present their conclusions via video. | Kevin McShane | 7 - 8 | SC, SS, ELA |
| Prospect Mountain | We propose to use technology to integrate components of the English and social studies curricula for deeper student learning related to American history. The grant project is based on the essential question: How have historical events or periods influenced American culture? Our specific focus for this pilot project will be on the Vietnam War era and its impacts on modern America. This project would be a precursor to further integration of the humanities. | Jason Hills | 9 - 12 | SS, ELA |
| Raymond | During this yearlong project, students will explore aspects of change. Throughout the year students will be exposed to the concept of change and challenged with the essential question; “What are you willing to fight for?” Social studies will be the primary content area, as students interview citizens and produce and edit videos to answer the big question as it relates current events that are important to students, to historic events that affected various populations. | Jon Hall | 7 | SS, ELA, MA, SC |
| Rollinsford | How do I know I am becoming a more fluent reader? Rollinsford K-2 students will use FLIP video cameras, and Mp3 players to read and record Reader’s Theater activities during literacy block to practice and improve reading fluency. Using technology, students will upload and save, listen to and review their oral reading. Students’ audio and video files will be saved to their ICT portfolio to demonstrate growth. | Cathy Brophy | K - 2 | ELA |
| Shaker Regional | Preschool students at Belmont Elementary School and Woodland Heights Elementary School will use digital photography and interactive white boards to create authentic preschool books that will help build emerging literacy skills. Preschoolers will work cooperatively with older students in second and fifth grade to develop essential 21st century technology skills through positive social interactions while developing early literacy skills. Our project’s essential question is - What can we learn from the world around us? | Cassandra Prescott | PreK | ELA |
| Somersworth | Somersworth’s Maple Wood Elementary second and third graders will collaboratively use technology tools and applications to explore the question: How is life in Somersworth, New Hampshire and the United States similar to and different from life in other countries and in other time periods? Using interactive whiteboard technology, students will integrate ipod touches, Flip cameras, and animation into their project based units to document and create primary sources to share via a blog and Voicethread. | Cathy Brophy | 2 - 3 | SS |
| White Mtn Regional | What makes local/state historical places unique and different? Third and fourth grade students across SAU #36 will enhance their study of community and state by joining the letterboxing community. Students will place letterboxes at community and state landmarks within our district and register locations at www.letterboxing.org . Printed brochures will be placed at each town’s information center allowing visitors to participate in a student-created scavenger hunt detailing points of interest in each of our communities. | Sharal Plumley | 4 | SS |
| Winnacunnet | Based on “How does human activity impact the role a salt marsh plays in the flow of energy and the cycling of matter in the coastal ecosystem?“ this freshman biology project uses GPS systems to setup water sampling sites in salt marshes on our coastal campus. The data will be shared with a volunteer environmental monitoring group. In fall 2010 the Winnacunnet students will work with an elementary class using both GPS and water sampling. | Dot Grazier | 9 | SC |
| Winnisquam | In the project, Every Town Has a Story to Tell, 7th and 8th graders address ELA, ITC, Social Studies and Art standards by integrating writing, research, public speaking, web-site design and problem solving and answer the essential question, “How Am I Related to the Past?”. The goal of the project is for students to learn about local historical sites and to share information with the public. Students will reflect on their projects with an essay addressing the essential question. The project uses flip cameras for interviews to supplement student writing about their towns and the use of GPS’s to create a community geocach identifying historical sites. It provides laptops to teachers to manage the project and student work. | Susan Gannett | 7 - 8 | SS, AR, ELA |
Last
updated:
May 17, 2010