Online Projects, Collaboration Sites and Publishing Opportunities

Lesson Idea Name:​ Down the Drain

Content Area:​ Science
Grade Level(s):​ Third
Content Standard Addressed:
S3L2. Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information about the effects of pollution (air,
land, and water) and humans on the environment.

Technology Standard Addressed:

3- Knowledge Constructor
Selected Online Project/Collaboration Site/Publishing Opportunity:
Down the Drain

URL(s) to support the lesson:

http://ciese.org/curriculum/drainproj/
Describe how you would incorporate an Online Project/Collaboration Site/Publishing Opportunity in your
classroom:
In my classroom, I would like to relate learning to real life as much as possible, as well as create meaningful
projects. Online projects, collaboration sites, and publishing sites offer opportunities for this. I plan to use
online publishing opportunities to encourage my students to create original works and motivate them to
pursue hobbies. For example, National Georgraphic's My Shot Blog encourages students to take an interest in
photography.
Finding safe and interesting online projects can be tough but worth it. I will use directories to find projects
that go along with our standards and can enhance the learning. I will also always check reviews and test out
sites before introducing them to the class.
What technologies would be required to implement this proposed learning activity in a classroom?
A computer
Describe how the following features are addressed in this learning experience (note: all of them may not be
addressed in the project, but most should be if you are reaching a high LoTi Level).
a. Collaboration with peers, near-peers, mentors outside their classroom and often beyond their
school:
Students post their own collected data and can view the data collected by students from around the world.

b. Student-centered learning and knowledge creation (creating original data and or producing original
products as a result of engaging in a project):
Down the Drain offers instructions that guide students in collecting data and creating a project that analyzes
water usage.

c. Higher-order thinking:
Analyzing the data they and other students have collected requires them to think about the causes and
effects of how much water different people use.

d. Students publishing their original work to others who will use/care about their product:
Students upload the data they collect about their personal water usage to the database. Their data will be
available for other students to look at, and use it to compare to their usage. There is also a Student
Database that teachers and students are allowed to post reports for publishing.

Spring 2018_SJB
 Online Projects, Collaboration Sites and Publishing Opportunities
Bloom’s Taxonomy Level(s):
☐​Remembering ​☐​Understanding ​☐​Applying X Analyzing ​☐​Evaluating ​☐​Creating

Levels of Technology Integration (LoTi Level):

☐​Level 1: Awareness ​☐​Level 2: Exploration ​☐​Level 3: Infusion ​☐​Level 4: Integration
X Level 5: Expansion ​☐​Level 6: Refinement

Universal Design for Learning (UDL):

Using Down the Drain enhances learning because it provides first hand data collections from peers around the
world. The topic of water usage and conservation is relevant to everyday life which makes it more engaging.
Lesson idea implementation and Internet Safety Policies:
Students will receive a printout of the Personal Water Usage Chart from the Dow the Drain website on
Friday. They will be asked to fill it out over the next week including the weekend. The following Monday after
a week for data collection, we will discuss the results. I will write everyone's average water usage on the
board, and we will find the average for the whole class. I will then give students a couple of minutes to talk at
their tables about their personal usage and how it stacks up against the class average. I will also provide them
with the national average and ask them to discuss how our class average compares.
After uploading our findings, students will get on the website and look at the data collected by other
classes. As a group, they will be asked to find data collected in other countries and pick one country. How
does our class average compare to classes in that country? If there is a significant difference in usage, why do
you think that is? Do they have less access to water, maybe droughts? Are there conservation laws effecting
it? They will then share their findings/theories with the class.
To avoid any privacy concerns, I will be creating the account and posting our classes collections. Down the
Drain does not ask for anything more than the city and state we are located in.
Reflective Practice:
To take this project a step further, students could be asked to create a PSA about water usage and its effects
on the environment as well as tips to conserve water.

Spring 2018_SJB