My prototype of a CLIL Educational Digital Project.

Hello everyone.

In the previous post, we saw the analysis of a CLIL project. Thanks to that work, I learnt about the most important aspects when carrying out a project.

Now in this post, you are going to see  a prototype of my CLIL project. For me it was difficult to chose a topic. Finally I decided to investigate about a social science topic: the European continent. I will try to explain carefully all the steps I followed and also my learning experience concerning this matter.

"Word". Photograph by TheAndrasBarta.CC0 Public Domain

I want to clarify that this work is a first approach to the project and therefore, changes can be made later on (depending on the real needs that I may find in a class).

Firstly I want to show you the template used to design my prototype. It has been very useful for organizing all my ideas and shaping the project. I used the tool issuu. This template shows the main features of this educational project.

As you can see, this project has been designed for the social science subject and it has a link with the music subject (cross-curricular link). It has also been designed with the propose to achieve the following aims: to locate Europe in a map; to recognize the limits of the European continent; to know the different landforms of the European continent; to identify on a map the main landforms of the European contienen; to identify some European countries; to develop habits of responsibility, effort and teamwork and to know some examples of music in Europe. The project has been designed for 8 sessions. In the session there are 2 missions (challenges) included and a final project to be done in groups. Through the seasons some skills such as communication skills, digital skills, learn to learn or social and civic skills will be developed.

I am going to show you a video to summarize the whole information. I was not sure about which tool to use to do a video. I knew how to use some online tools, and then I decided to do it myself.  Using Keynote (it is a slideshow presentation software developed by Apple), I created my own animated presentation. Then I recorded my presentation on video using QuickTime and after iMovie (a video editing software application sold by Apple). I did my own video and uploaded it on YoTube, so it was easy to link it to this post. Here you have the result:

To conclude, I would like to do a reflection of my own work. This challenge task (Prototype your open CLIL educational digital project), has made me reflect, plan and structure a prototype project like never before. The template was very useful and helped me to remember all the important aspects. Now that I have done my template, I can develop and use it in the future.  After, the video presentation has allowed me to do my own work without using online tools. I think that this aspect is important, because some times you don't have access to the net, and this is an easy way to do something by yourself.

I will be pleased to received ideas to improve my work. Together we can do an awesome project.

Thank you!

"My town" Analyzing a CLIL project.

I am going to analyze the project “My town”.

My town is a project designed for 1st grades of Secondary Education. Through different challenges (5 missions) students will have to carry out a final activity that will consist of creating a video clip in which they are going to promote their city.

The objectives of this project are:

• To know and to use the vocabulary regarding to the city.
• To be able to ask and answer about how to get to a place in a city.
• To make comparisons.
• To produce a video clip about the good sides of a city.

In order to do a deep analysis of this project, firstly I have read the moodle instructions carefully and secondly I have read the project in depth contrasting the information with the following checklist. 

After I have done a draft taking into account the principal ideas of the checklist “Essential Project Design Elements Checklist” found on moodle.

Here you can see the analysis and at the end of this entry you will see a presentation that will help you to understand the analysis.


  1. KEY KNOWLEDGE, UNDERSTANDING, AND SUCCESS SKILLS 

The project is focused on teaching students key knowledge and understanding derived from standards, and success skills including critical thinking/problem solving, collaboration, and self-management. 

The aim of this project is to guide students in the use of english language focusing on development skills such as listening, writing, speaking, carrying out investigation, cooperating with others, reviewing work, creativity, organizing information etc. Some of these skills are implicitly cited as we can see in the picture below. 

Example 1

Example 2

Example 3

As well as each of the proposed activities, has clear standards to make the work of the students easier. 

Example 4

2. CHALLENGING PROBLEM OR QUESTION

The project is focused on making a final work going through several missions. Each mission has established steps but students are free to exploit their creativity. In the case of the final activity, they have to create a videoclip about their city. But they are free to write whatever they want in each part of the video.

Of course the theme is engaging because it starts from a reality that they know (the cities) in connexion with something that they love (new technologies).

3. SUSTAINED INQUIRY 

As it is said at the beginning of the project, the knowledge will be created not only by the teacher's explanation, but also as a self investigation and interaction among the partners. This makes the process of learning more enriching because students will learn by generating questions, sharing and contrasting informations with others and using resources. We can find one example of this in the activity number one:

Example 5

4. AUTHENTICITY 

From the start it is made patent how the project is connected with the real word-context. On television or on the internet it is very common to see videos promoting cities, culture or products. With this project, the students will have the opportunity to do something similar. Also, along the activities, students will use tools such us WeVideo,  Storyboard That, Google Document, Poster My Wall, Youtube, Vimeo or twitter. 

Their work will also have a real impact because they will upload their video on YouTube where everybody can see it. 

With this project the students will feel interested and identified because they have used tools to which they are accustomed. In addition their work will remain in the time (which is a motivating aspect).

5. STUDENT VOICE & CHOICE 

In the whole project the students are never obligated to use a specific tool. These tools are suggestions and in the instruction they are redacted in this way “You may use an online tool such as…” . Sometimes the  student is also offered the opportunity to choose the tool he wants.

Example 6

6. REFLECTION 

The project provides opportunities for students to reflect on what and how they are learning, and on the project’s design and implementation.

Before the project, students have to reflect about the topic that they will work on in the following sessions. 

Example 7

Along the project students are constantly doing reflexions about what they are learning. For example, in the project some advices are given to make the student reflect. 

Example 8

In this case, the students have to put in practice what they have learned. 

Example 9

At the end of the project students have to reflect about their experience with this project. This reflection is useful for students and the teacher (to solve or change all the aspects that might not work properly). 

Example 10

It is interesting, that at the end of the project, there is a didactic guideline, where the students can see the structure of the project.

7. CRITIQUE & REVISION 

This project is designed to be done in groups, so that the students can give each other feedback. Also the checklist of each missions is useful because the student can image how his evaluation will be.  I imagine that during the sessions the students will also receive a feedback from their teacher. In the last sessions, the teacher will assess students and he will do a collaborative assessment.

8. PUBLIC PRODUCT 

With this project, students create a main product: a video clip in which they are going to promote their city and also they are going to upload their video on YouTube. 

Besides, they will create a blog where they present the works and activities that they have done.

Blogs and youtube are two digital spaces where everybody has access to, which means that their work will have a global diffusion.

CONCLUSION

Doing this work I have learned tow thing that I consider fundamenta: learn to analyze a project and the use of a new tool like Genial.ly

I have to admit that I have enjoyed and suffered at the same time doing this work. But the reward was worth it.

Thank you!  

Following you can see the presentation that I hace created using Genial.ly:

Do you want to know Irene Peña?

This is an interview with Irene Peña, who is studying a master in bilingual education in the university Rey Juan Carlos. Irene is going to give us some advices about how to be a good teacher and we will know some secrets about how she enjoys her free time. 

This interview emulates a remote interview. If you want to know how I have done this amazing video, subsequently I will give you some advices to do something similar: 

1- Find a partner. 

2- Design an interview (write an introduction and think about the questions you want to use).

3- Record the interview: in my case Irene sent me a whatsapp with the questions that I should ask her. After I recorded the questions using Audacity (an open source, cross-platform audio software for multi-track recording and editing).

http://www.audacityteam.org

4- Edit the video: in my case I did it using iMovie. 

In the video I have used free pictures from the web: 

https://pixabay.com/es/

Also, in the beginning of the video you can see a picture of Irene Peña. 

If you want to know more about me or Irene, here you have some information:

Miguel’s twitter: @mmonteroa87

Irene’s blog: One two eyes on you, one two three eyes on me!

http://playgroundintheclassroom.blogspot.com.es/?spref=tw

Irene's twitter: @irenepeapp 

Enjoy with the interview! 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uh2Y61Fk1Qs

Making this video, I have learned how to use my youtube channel. The most difficult thing has been to edit a video using free pictures and music because the result has not been as attractive as I thought. Anyway I am happy with the payoff and I have new ideas for future projects.