All things considered, I feel that my project was successful because my students were very engaged, they dove more deeply into analyzing the book they were reading - Number the Stars - and most importantly, they engaged with each other about what they were learning, not only about the book but also about the whole idea of the Holocaust. I found them eager to share with each other about the projects they created, and they were eager to talk to other classes about the same material. Having the chance to view each other's work from their computers on Edmodo and comment about it on the online forum seemed to intrigue them: some students commented on each other's videos from Edmodo even when they were sitting next to each other! To see them ask to make multiple projects on some of our platforms - voki and goanimate, especially - and then go home and create their own account with their parents - let me know that they found these tools interesting, effective, and easy to use.
With all of that being said, however, the project was not without its challenges. From the beginning, the exact direction the curriculum of the class would take was somewhat nebulous as I was overwhelmed with ideas; so narrowing the class down to a focused project took a bit of work. Once the direction of the class was established, there were just a few hiccups along the way with technology and the students learning how to be mature global learners that taught me a lot. The first problem I had, which I had not foreseen, was with setting up Skype. I hadn't realized that there was only one specific computer in my whole school that had Skype set up on it, so I had to (and a few others had to) jump through some hoops to get that computer to me by the time I needed it. Afterward, setting up Skype and the computer all with the Smart Board was a bit of an unnerving challenge and a logistical puzzle, as the computer had to be moved a number of times for cords to reach, and I had to try the Skype test call more than once to get all parts (video and sound, incoming and outgoing) to work properly. Once all was said and done, and we were ready for our calls with the other classes, the students became so excited that their noise made it difficult to hear the call. I had them come to the Smart Board in groups of 2-3 to ask and answer questions to the other class, and I think having such a spotlight on the students made them a little more nervous about it. In retrospect, I learned that Skype may be a more effective learning tool if students have their face time just from computer to computer instead of projected over the whole Smart Board. I think also that between the two teachers, discussing specific plans for how students will interact (2 at a time, the whole class, etc.), and possibly deciding on discussion questions to moderate in advance would have made the calls run more smoothly. The students enjoyed our Skype calls a lot (and asked if we could do it again the next day), but as a learning tool a bit more co-planning in advance would have been helpful to make it more useful for the students.
With all of that being said, however, the project was not without its challenges. From the beginning, the exact direction the curriculum of the class would take was somewhat nebulous as I was overwhelmed with ideas; so narrowing the class down to a focused project took a bit of work. Once the direction of the class was established, there were just a few hiccups along the way with technology and the students learning how to be mature global learners that taught me a lot. The first problem I had, which I had not foreseen, was with setting up Skype. I hadn't realized that there was only one specific computer in my whole school that had Skype set up on it, so I had to (and a few others had to) jump through some hoops to get that computer to me by the time I needed it. Afterward, setting up Skype and the computer all with the Smart Board was a bit of an unnerving challenge and a logistical puzzle, as the computer had to be moved a number of times for cords to reach, and I had to try the Skype test call more than once to get all parts (video and sound, incoming and outgoing) to work properly. Once all was said and done, and we were ready for our calls with the other classes, the students became so excited that their noise made it difficult to hear the call. I had them come to the Smart Board in groups of 2-3 to ask and answer questions to the other class, and I think having such a spotlight on the students made them a little more nervous about it. In retrospect, I learned that Skype may be a more effective learning tool if students have their face time just from computer to computer instead of projected over the whole Smart Board. I think also that between the two teachers, discussing specific plans for how students will interact (2 at a time, the whole class, etc.), and possibly deciding on discussion questions to moderate in advance would have made the calls run more smoothly. The students enjoyed our Skype calls a lot (and asked if we could do it again the next day), but as a learning tool a bit more co-planning in advance would have been helpful to make it more useful for the students.