This document outlines a semester-long learning project integrating literature circles, research papers, and digital portfolios. Students will engage in literature circles, writing research papers, and developing multimodal artifacts to showcase their learning. They will create blogs and online portfolios to document their process and share final presentations using Presentation Zen techniques. The goal is for students to connect their reading and research to build integrated understanding through collaborative work.

1. the big picture
reading, researching, and reflecting:
our journey of becoming connected learners
buffy hamilton | susan lester
media 21 students, fall 2010
cc licensed flickr photo by liza31337: http://flickr.com/photos/lizadaly/2944376209/

2. where
are
we going?

3. what directions will our
learning take?

4. how will we work together?

5. how will we share what we are learning with
the world?

6. let’s look at our blueprint for connecting, collaborating, and
creating learning

7. the three major components
written literature learning
research circles and portfolio
paper and reader
reflections response
journals
Image 1 cc licensed flickr photo by acordova: http://flickr.com/photos/hellacutty/501812452/ ; Image 2 cc licensed flickr photo by firma: http://flickr.com/photos/firma/2979381318/ ; Image 3 cc licensed flickr
photo by moriza: http://flickr.com/photos/moriza/96724309/

8. why do literature circles and research
together?
research
integrated
connected
learning
reading

9. the research paper process
• your blog
• traditional sources organize • your research
• social media project website
• social • multigenre
bookmarking elements
• noodletools
research and • google docs
evaluate reflect and
synthesize

10. information sources
• podcasts • youtube/video
• periodicals • twitter
• video • blogs
• reference articles • mashups
• book chapters • podcasts
social
databases
media
web primary
resources sources
• online magazines • skype
• online newspapers • eInterviews
• authoritative websites • primary source documents
• ebooks via databases and websites

11. evaluating information resources
rubrics
student developed teacher developed
principles of information evaluation
f2f mini-lessons web-embedded mini-lessons
active reflection and assessment of sources
your blog and website noodletools helplets

12. information sharing and management
social
• evernote
bookmarking
rss • your wikispaces
page (rss widget)
aggregation • iGoogle
citations and • noodletools
notes • evernote

13. literature circle conversations
individual
group
discussions
reader based on
response reading relationship to research
journals journals
understandings of book
does the book support
group or refute your findings?
incorporated into
reflections multigenre elements

14. reader response journals
choice conversation spark 1
choice conversation spark 2
discuss and cite passage of choice; how
does it inform your understanding of
the issue of the book?
cc licensed flickr photo by Martino!: http://flickr.com/photos/martinofranchi/3132140647/

15. literature circle learning process
individual
reading
journals
group
discussions
weekly
response to
group
discussions
on
class/group
wiki
collaborative learning

16. literature circles and our research
reading of
novel/memoir
informs your
research
your research
informs your
reading of your
novel/memoir

17. your research journey website
• research reflections
process • components of written paper
• identification of resources
resources
• evaluation of resources
• multigenre elements reflecting understandings of research and
reading
learning
artifacts • learning reflections

18. culminating learning and sharing activity: presentation to
community

19. presentation zen
beyond our
presentation local
zen community:
mini-lessons the web
stand and
deliver

20. Checklist
• 4 reader response/inquiry circle/reading
journals (see calendar for due dates) to be
posted on YOUR Wordpress blog
• 4 sets of meeting notes posted to class wiki at
wikispaces
• 4 research blog journals/entries to be posted
on YOUR Wordpress blog (see calendar for
due dates)

21. Checklist
• Wikispaces portfolio
• 3 multigenre artifacts with notes
• Research paper
• VoiceThread Self Assessment
• Presentation zen final presentation

22. Reading Journals/Blog Entries
• Paragraph 1: reading spark of your choice
• Paragraph 2: reading spark of your choice
• Paragraph 3: Choose a passage that stands out to
you from the group assigned reading. Include the
passage (put it in quotation marks and include
page numbers) and explain why this passage
stands out to you; also discuss how this passage
informs your understanding in some way about
the issue that is central to your group’s book.

23. Research Reflections/Blog Posts
• Paragraph 1: choose any of the writing
prompts for reflection (see list)
• Paragraph 2: discuss a research skill they used
(we’ll collaborate as a class to create an
ongoing list)
• Paragraph 3: “resource” or “Find” of the week
in which you discuss the information you
learned and how you evaluated the
authority/credibility/value of the source

24. Multigenre Artifacts
Your multigenre artifact should reflect some
significant piece of knowledge or insight gained
through your research. Ask yourself these
questions before committing to a genre/artifact:
1. Why am I choosing this particular genre?
2. What do I want to show, express, or convey
through this genre?

25. Wikispaces Learning Portfolio
Checklist
• RSS feed (s) for any sources you may use
• RSS feed for your public Evernote notebook of
sources, Evernote
• RSS feed for your blog (set to last 10 items)
• 3 mulitgenre learning artifacts
• Other resources/widgets you feel are relevant
• Embedded VoiceThread self assessment
• Embedded PPT Presentation zen slidedeck
• Discussion area for your portfolio

26. VoiceThread Self Assessment
• You will choose at least 3 performance
standards and/or information literacy skills
you feel you have mastered and create a
VoiceThread showcasing learning artifacts that
demonstrate this mastery; you will provide
narration to share your story of learning.
• Details and VoiceThread contract forthcoming

27. Organization/Checklists
• You will get handouts in
writing for each project
component. These will
also be cross-posted to
our class Google Site
• We will help you
schedule all due dates
into your Google
Calendar

28. Presentation Zen
• Visual style of presenting information and key
learnings
• We will begin working on this final part of the
presentation near the end of October

29. questions?
cc licensed flickr photo by Nomaan!: http://flickr.com/photos/nomaan/3634270675/

30. resources
• all resources, including our research and
assignment pathfinder, may be found at
http://theunquietlibrary.libguides.com/africa-
researchproject
• about the Media 21 project:
http://theunquietlibrarian.wikispaces.com