Parent/Student Tech Night Out
Curriculum Overview
Introduction
    My experiences at Northwest have shown me that there are not a lot of parents involved with school activities.  I have also noticed that not many of the students have access to computers other than at school.  Last year the school hosted a Family Reading Night in the gym.  It was a huge success!  This year the Northwest School Community Council is planning on having monthly activities for parents and students such as an art night and a music night.  I would like to suggest that Parent/Student Tech Nights become an addition to these activities to get parents involved at the school.  This year I also plan to host a Technology Fair at the end of the year where students can display the work they created on the computers.  A portion of the Fair can be dedicated to exhibiting the projects created by the participating families.

Task
    Students in grades four through six and their parents will be invited to take part in at least one Tech Night at Northwest.  As a team students and parents will complete computer activities such as cyber hunts and simple HyperStudio projects.

The Primary Goal of Tech Night is for Parents to go to school for positive reasons and to become more interested and involved in their students' educations.

Process
1.  Approval from principal and School Community Council - a decision will be made about baby-sitting.
2.  Letter sent home with students in grades 4-6.
3.  Because of limited space families must RSVP for a month and/or activity.
4.  Name tags will be made for participants.
5.  All participants will be requested to sign an AUP.

Suggested Activities


Student Assessment/Rubric
Student assessment will not be an important part of this extra curricular activity.  At the end of each Tech Night, students and parents will be asked to complete a survey that will be used to make improvements for the next meeting.

ISBE State Standards
Because Tech Night Out will be an extra curricular activity, in the evening I do not plan on emphasizing the Standards.  It is very likely though that students will be exposed to various standards through the projects.  The following are some of the possible standards.

STATE GOAL 1:
C. Comprehend a broad range of reading materials.
1.C.2d Summarize and make generalizations from content and relate to purpose of material.

STATE GOAL 3
A. Use correct grammar, spelling, punctuation, capitalization and structure.
3.A.2 Write paragraphs that include a variety of sentence types; appropriate use of the eight parts of speech; and accurate spelling, capitalization and punctuation.

B. Compose well-organized and coherent writing for specific purposes and audiences.
3.B.2a Generate and organize ideas using a variety of planning strategies (e.g., mapping, outlining, drafting).
3.B.2b Establish central idea, organization, elaboration and unity in relation to purpose and audience.

C. Communicate ideas in writing to accomplish a variety of purposes.
3.C.2a Write for a variety of purposes and for specified audiences in a variety of forms including narrative (e.g., fiction, autobiography), expository (e.g., reports, essays) and persuasive writings (e.g., editorials, advertisements).
3.C.2b Produce and format compositions for specified audiences using available technology.

STATE GOAL 4
A. Listen effectively in formal and informal situations.
4.A.2a Demonstrate understanding of the listening process (e.g., sender, receiver, message) by summarizing and paraphrasing spoken messages orally and in writing in formal and informal situations.
4.A.2b Ask and respond to questions related to oral presentations and messages in small and large group settings.
4.A.2c Restate and carry out a variety of oral instructions.

B. Speak effectively using language appropriate to the situation and audience.
4.B.2b Use speaking skills and procedures to participate in group discussions.
4.B.2d Identify main verbal and nonverbal communication elements and strategies to maintain communications and to resolve conflict.

STATE GOAL 5:
A. Locate, organize, and use information from various sources to answer questions, solve problems and communicate ideas.
5.A.2b Organize and integrate information from a variety of sources (e.g., books, interviews, library reference materials, web-sites, CD/ROMs).

B. Analyze and evaluate information acquired from various sources.
5.B.2a Determine the accuracy, currency and reliability of materials from various sources.
5.B.2b Cite sources used.

C. Apply acquired  information, concepts and ideas to communicate in a variety of formats.
5.C.2a Create a variety of print and nonprint documents to communicate acquired information for specific audiences and purposes.

Technology Needs
Equipment & Software
My classroom has five networked Pentium computers connected to the Internet.
The small classroom directly across the hall is a small Write to Read computer lab with nine computers.
Casio Qv-770 digital camera with QV Link Software.
LCD panel if available  (There is only one in the district.)
HyperStudio

Schedule for use of technology in classroom and other rooms in the building
Scheduling for each Tech Night Out will depend on the other events going on in the school and the district.  I will use the district calendar and the principal to set up the evenings.  I expect each session to last about 1 1/2 hours.

Other Support Needs
Group arrangements
Because of the limited number of computers available and their close proximity, I will have to limit the number of participants.  To insure maximum participation, I may have to limit the families to one evening.
Additional staff
Any staff member interested in donating time will be welcomed to help.  Additional teachers would allow for additional participants because more classrooms could be used.

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