ND Curriculum Initiative

Subject & Standards

Needs Assessment/Rational

In order to determine the need, I first spent time analyzing the current situation. We now teach two semester classes that deal with image editing and web design. The first semester class has students spending the majority of time learning the Photoshop software and using it to create a variety of projects. Following approximately 12 weeks of Photoshop instruction the students are introduced to Flash animation. The iMovie program is also incorporated throughout the entire semester. Along with learning the software programs the students are given assignments to learn how to use both the digital camcorder and the digital camera. The second semester is spent learning HTML basics, web page design as well as creating web pages using free web editors and free web space as well as creating well-designed pages using Dreamweaver and other Macromedia software. The final assignment is rebuilding the entire school website as an online web annual.
After looking at the North Dakota Business Education Framework, the North Dakota Standards and Benchmarks for Library/Technology Literacy and the standards and benchmarks listed in the Atlas Curriculum Mapping software we are using, I decided to use a combination of standards to help determine the gap between what is and what needs to be in my classroom.
The North Dakota Standards and Benchmarks for Library/Technology Literacy has five standards listed as:1. Research 2. Developing Products using Media/Technology 3. Technological Systems 4. Collaborative Skills/Independent Learning/Personal Enjoyment 5. Ethical, Legal and Social Usage .
The research component 12.1.5 addresses storyboarding. This is a technique that is currently introduced, but students are not fond of putting the pencil to the paper and creating storyboards and little time is spent in this type of initial preparation. Using organizational strategies to record and synthesize information needs to be taught not just introduced.
Standard 2 has many components that apply to the web design area. 12.2.1 requires demonstrating awareness of audience when creating media products. I think this is an area we do address often as we continually build for the audience as test web pages in a variety of browsers. 12.2.4 calls for using a variety of media and technology to communicate with communities beyond the school. This is another area where we accomplish to a degree this benchmark but can do more to review the effectiveness of the graphics and videos used in their designs.
Benchmark 12.3.2 requires advanced knowledge and skills in various media and technology. Each student is required to use the digital camera and camcorder to make iMovies but more could be done with troubleshooting equipment and software as well as more advanced features of both types of cameras.
Collaborative/Independent skill development is ongoing in both semester classes I teach related to Web Design. Groups are often formed for brainstorming and creation of site pages, but students are also required to create many of the assignment on their own. The students collaborative and asses each others work to maximize skills and improve the final project. 12.4.1
Standard 5 addresses Ethical, Legal and Social Usage and this is an area of great need. Understanding school policies is the initial problem. Our school does have an Acceptable Use policy but more can be done to expand that policy as well as make it a document that many students are much more familiar with during their high school years. 12.5.1 Copyright 12.5.3 must be better understood in all areas of web page creation. Benchmark 12.5.4 addresses web page design that complies with ADA section 508. This area is one that we are lacking and need to address.
When analyzing the North Dakota Curriculum Frameworks, I feel we are doing a pretty good job. Many of the areas of overall production, design elements, navigation and interactivity are covered in depth. We do not spend much time on programming language nor do I think that is as important as most of the other curriculum items. Careers in web design are not explored, but this is one area that I’d like to add to our current schedule.
The Atlas Standards duplicate some of the previous benchmarks and again emphasize the importance of career choices and lifelong learning. Collaboration, Problem-solving and decision-making skills are recommending as well as skills for ethical decision making.
Upon review of all the standards, benchmarks and curriculum frameworks I see the new learning that can be accomplished. Areas of need are often addressed or introduced but it will take new rubrics and additional updating of the curriculum to cover all the suggestions listed in the standards and benchmarks. Most of these can be accomplished with very little expense with great student benefit.

Understandings & Goals

Enduring Understanding:1) One of the most important things I want students to understand is the value of learning to work together. Being able to share and work as a team is something they will need to do effectively in nearly every future job as well as in their personal lives. Providing other students constructive feedback and being able to listen and accept the same feedback is not always easy for students or adults. If they are never encouraged in this manner in school they may find it even more difficult to work in the team environment as adults.
2) Following completion of the class I also want my students to remember the basics of designing a webpage regardless of the hardware/software they have at their disposal.
Goal(s): Designing a school web site. 1)Students will learn the value of teamwork and develop collaborative team building skills.

Questions Answered

Essential questions: 1a) When working as a team on a webpage design, what do you do and say to your teammates to insure continued teamwork and equality in each class period? 1b) While you are assessing a team member’s work, how can you approach that team member with honesty and still offer constructive criticism without hurting their feelings and still finishing with a great design? 1c) After a team member has given you feedback, indicate how you will respond both verbally and using the suggestions on your website to improve your design skills? 1a) When you are asked to redesign a webpage, what will you do to insure using the 4 design principles? 1b) How will your audience react to a page that does not use proper design, and what can you do to prevent this from happening? 1c) When designing a website for school, what can you do to help insure that your audience will be able to easily navigate your pages?
Objectives:Given instruction in web page design, students will be able to produce a website usable by all those accessing the Lisbon web site with at least 3 different browsers. 1)Following instruction using a Web Page editor, students will be able to build and troubleshoot pages they’ve created in class without help from the teacher or another student. 2)Given both Internet and print media guidelines, students will show the copyright rules and good ethics in their reports and pages by always using proper documentation and references as demonstrated in their final pages. 3) Given a webpage that needs to be ADA compliant, students will be able to create pages that are easily interpreted by page readers used by the disabled. 4)Given examples of possible careers in Web Design, students will be able to define job descriptions, likelihood of employment and salary range.

Assessment

1. What quiz and test items (e.g. simple content-focused questions that require a single, best answer) will provide evidence of understanding?
Short 5-6 question quizzes covering new sections being taught. Design test with matching, T/F, short answer. Web editing test with matching, T/F and short answer.
2. What academic prompts (e.g. open-ended questions or problems that require students to think critically and then to prepare a response / product / performance) will provide evidence of understanding?
Design a 5 page site using simple text and hard coding. This site must show knowledge of alignment, images and design techniques. A Rubric will be followed to determine the grade. Students also grade themselves on a rubric they create for their class. Students will also take an HTML test with short answer and hard coding a page.
3. What performance tasks and projects (e.g. complex challenges that are authentic, mirror the real world and require a performance or product) will you include that will provide evidence of student understanding?
  Design and upload a personal website of 3 to 5 pages with images using a free web editor (Netscape Composer) and hosting site (Geocities). Design and upload a second site that will be shared with a parent. Everything in the site will be created by the student as well as the design of the site. I like to have students create a Valentine’s site for the one they share with a parent.
4.What other evidence (e.g. observations, work samples, dialogues, student self-assessment) of understanding will you collect?
Create a new website of the past year at our school using text, graphics and video. This site will have a usability test conducted on it by our Business and Office Vocational Advisory Board. Following the usability test the data collected will be analyzed and the final site will be completed. The students will make all the final decisions on the look of the site. They will pick the colors, fonts, designs etc.