This interview is the first in our “Teachers’ Voices” series, a monthly feature celebrating teachers who, with their students, have accomplished remarkable projects that combine literacy and technology. For more about the evolution of Teachers’ Voices, visit the series introduction.

Bridget:

Congratulations on receiving the Miss Rumphius Award for your American Revolutionary War Internet project. I’ve had a wonderful time exploring the site. What sparked your interest in doing this kind of Web-based project?

Judy:

Last year my class did an Internet project called “On the Day You Were Born.” Sue Silverman, a computer and technology teacher in our district, helped us put everything together.

When Erica and I introduced the Revolutionary War this year, we started by reading a series of trade books -- Phoebe the Spy, There’s a Spy in the King’s Colony, and others. We also showed students the movie April Morning, which is about the first shots fired in the war, at Lexington and Concord. Our classes just wanted to know more about the Revolutionary War!

So I spoke to Sue and asked if she would help us put together a Web page. We were going to do it on a much smaller scale, but the kids just kind of took off. They wanted to know about the different battles, the different people -- and it was really their interest that inspired us to go into such depth. They came up with topics, we guided them to sources and worked with them on their projects, and they kept adding more. It was really very exciting. Before we knew it we were inundated with different topics...and that is basically how the whole website came about.

Bridget:

What were your goals for your students?

Judy:

In the beginning I think what we were trying to do was fulfill their curiosity. Originally we wanted to do a very small Internet project, but their interest in the topic grew, as did the project.

Erica:

One of the biggest goals was getting them motivated. Another goal was to base it on the social studies curriculum that we have to teach in the fourth grade. It blossomed into different parts of the curriculum -- literature, technology, and art. The most important goal of all was to see the kids succeed. To me, that is always the bottom line.

Judy:

In fourth grade the poor kids are inundated with big tests. We thought that this would help, but it’s not like prepping for a test. So, we felt that it was a good diversion for them, and they were learning at the same time.

Erica:

They learned so many historical facts about the American Revolution, while at the same time they were learning all these other academic skills without realizing it -- like writing, researching, deductive reasoning, and being able to formulate questions from the knowledge that they had already acquired. So, that was a big goal, because the fourth-grade state tests often require them to do that higher level of thinking.

Bridget:

What sorts of literacy skills were students learning?

Judy:

They were researching on the Internet and in the library, using their writing skills, and reading historical fiction dealing with the Revolutionary War. They were actually going to the library on their own to research the different topics they were interested in....

Bridget:

What were some other learning outcomes?

Judy:

I tell you, the knowledge that they picked up is greater than with any class we’ve ever had. It wasn’t just a regurgitation of facts. They actually understood why we had the war, what precipitated the American Revolution., who were the people involved. Questions came up on the television game show “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” and these kids actually knew the answers.... It was really an amazing thing. They educated their parents about the background of the war. I can’t tell you how much they learned.

Erica:

There is a sense of high esteem when they say, “I know the answer to that.” That high esteem was reflected throughout the remainder of the school year in all of their reading and writing.

Judy:

We spent a lot of time on the Internet. They would go home, and the next day they’d come in with something printed out that they had researched at home, either on the Internet or at the library. It was an incredible experience for us as teachers, as educators, to see the children so enthused about something.

Bridget:

How did you help your students work as an effective, collaborative team?

Erica:

They liked working together, so that in itself was motivating. Then we worked at keeping them on task, giving them responsibilities, having them take different roles in the group -- the speaker, the recorder, the timekeeper, and the person who keeps the group together. If you teach them that in the beginning of the school year, they’re able to carry it through on all their collaborative activities.

Bridget:

Did your students have a favorite activity?

Judy:

They really didn’t. They liked everything. I had some artistic children who loved drawing the flags.

I had others who were really into doing the quizzes -- basically what they wanted to do was try to stump people with their knowledge!

Bridget:

Your website includes many different types of learning activities. Could you select one or two pieces of student work and tell me a bit more about what was involved in developing them and what kids learned?

Judy:

The one thing that almost every child was involved in was the time line. We decided as a class what events we wanted to include, and then they had to figure out how we were going to illustrate it and write it up in chronological order.

Then three or four children would work at a computer illlustrating the different events. We had everything in order on the Kidpix software program, and then Sue turned it into a slide show for us. A lot of research went into it, and students also learned how to use other parts of the computer, to copy the pictures and insert them into Kidpix.

Erica:

We also did the Shot Heard ’Round the World. When we began this project one of my students was researching online different topics on the American Revolution, and he pulled up this poem called “The Shot Heard ’Round the World” from the Battle of Lexington. We thought, wouldn’t it be a neat idea to take each stanza and illustrate it? So, we told students to take their Kidpix knowledge and use it to illustrate each stanza.

Bridget:

When I looked at the slide show of the poem, I noticed that students chose an excerpt from each stanza to illustrate. I thought that was more interesting than illustrating the entire stanza. How did they decide which line was most compelling?

Erica:

When we first read the poem, we analyzed it. Words like unfurled were unfamiliar to the students, so we’d have to go back to the poem and say, “What does this mean? What is this actually saying?” Then, each child would pick a stanza, and I would say, “What is the most important and the most meaningful sentence in that stanza?” So it was which line in the stanza meant the most, and what could you illustrate?

Bridget:

How long were you working on this project?

Judy:

We were working on this for about 2 months. And I can’t say that it was on a daily basis, but it was a good 4 to 5 days per week that at least a part of the day was spent. We had stations set up.

The website has a section that describes how to implement a project like this, with lesson plans and tips.

Bridget:

What type of computer access do you have?

Erica:

We only have three computers in our classroom, and so it’s difficult to get everything done. The library has about 12, and kids also used computers at home.

Bridget:

Did you have to develop new technology skills to accomplish this project?

Judy:

Erica and I are pretty computer literate when it comes to surfing the Web and accessing things off the Internet. Sue Silverman, the computer resource teacher, previously taught second grade, and a lot of these children had her as a second-grade teacher. So they were also familiar with the different programs -- and the ones who weren’t familiar with them, we taught.

Erica:

Judy and I had both created websites with our students last year, so we had learned programs for doing photography, scanning pictures onto a website -- plus we always jump at the opportunity to take any kind of inservice course there is in the district, offering that extra learning experience, how to work, how to create websites....

Judy:

Because we decided to use Kidpix 3 Deluxe to illustrate the time line and other things, Erica and I took a Kidpix class. We learned how to operate the program and were then able to teach our students.

Bridget:

What were some of the challenges you faced?

Erica:

Well, first of all it was a big learning experience for Judy and me. We had to learn the programs we needed to use before we could actually introduce our students to them. When you’re teaching, you are constantly learning; you never stop.

We were excited for ourselves that we had actually learned something and that we could bring it back into the classroom. When the kids see you motivated and enthused about something, they can’t help but carry on that same attitude.

Judy:

I think the hardest thing is that you have to be very, very organized. You can brainstorm with the children but you have to come up with a plan, because they can be scattered. We had all these different stations going on at the same time, but it was in a very organized way. At times even with the organization that we had, it was overwhelming, and we just had to keep right on track with them.

Once students knew exactly what they were working on, where they were going next, what was going to happen.... I really think that’s the key to any kind of successful project, the organization.

Bridget:

I know many teachers are interested in trying out an Internet project with their students, but they aren’t sure they have the skills or the time. You mentioned the importance of taking workshops to develop technology skills. What other advice would you offer?

Erica:

You really need to stay organized. It is also important to have people to rely on, like Sue Silverman, who can guide you in using the technology.

Using the Internet with children can be very touchy because of censorship and things that they can access online. You can’t feel really safe hyperlinking to a site unless you know that it’s completely age appropriate and that there is nothing inappropriate on that site. So, you need to be very informed when you do something like that. Check with your district on the technology policies.

Judy:

I agree. You have to be very organized. And the children have to be aware of it -- to know exactly what’s required and what they are going to be working on next.

Erica:

It takes a lot of patience. Once you get through to the children what has to be done, and you get them motivated, then it kind of just flows.

But you can’t get frustrated because sometimes a lot of teachers will shy away from using technology in the classroom and creating things because it can get frustrating.

Bridget:

How was it working as partners on this project?

Judy:

Erica and I work very well together, and we like to get our classes involved and do some things together, usually every year. We did an Internet project last year -- in a different kind of way, but our classes worked very, very closely together. We also team teach in math.

Bridget:

Do you think that being involved in this project has influenced your teaching in any way?

Judy:

I don’t know that it’s influenced it -- I’m always trying to get the children motivated and then go from there. Maybe it’s made me want to do more. I’ve been doing more and more things, gradually taking on bigger projects. Erica has also. You know, you start small and then you get a little bigger.

I think it will make me continue because it was successful. When children react to something, my whole philosophy with teaching is, “Go with it!” Get them motivated, and get them going, and then take the ball and run.

Bridget:

What was the parents’ reaction to this project?

Erica:

The response was very positive. We’ve received quite a number of letters and e-mails from parents and neighbors.

Judy:

We pasted the e-mails we got on our doors. We made copies, and the kids brought them home to all their parents. They were absolutely ecstatic. It made them feel good, and it made them want to do more.... The parents couldn’t believe that the children did these things. They were so impressed.

We also had total support from our principal, Sandra Fortunoff, who always encourages her staff to try new things.

Bridget:

What has receiving the Miss Rumphius award meant to you?

Erica:

It means the world to me. When you are working so hard on something and putting your heart into it, and a third party comes in and recognizes you for your work -- that is a feeling I can’t describe! We never expected to get any recognition from this; we were basically doing it for the kids, to make them feel good, so that they could reflect on what they had accomplished. When we told the kids that they won the Miss Rumphius Award and the Cool Site Award from Newsday, they were just beside themselves! It’s worth everything that you do with them.

Judy:

The children worked so hard getting all the information and putting it together. The fact that they are getting some recognition makes us really happy.

I think the Miss Rumphius Award is a wonderful device to motivate other teachers to do things like this. It shows what children are capable of doing -- even 8- and 9-year-old children can do amazing things! Too often, people underestimate what kids can do....

I think that receiving these awards will inspire other teachers to take on projects like this; that will benefit the children.