Service Learning Project: Global Networking

Griselda Flores
October 22, 2009
EME5432
Service Learning Unit

Title of the project: Global networking: Developed Country and Third World
Area of service: Third World Students living in poverty.

Florida high school students will work together to raise money and supplies for Haitian students. Florida students will learn about Haiti’s geography and history while communicating with Haitian students through the internet.
Haitian students lack educational supplies and qualified teachers. Most Haitian schools are private rather than state-funded because of their economic unfortunately, many families cannot offer the school fees, transportation, or uniforms because their too expensive.
Grade level: 9-12
Setting: School and surrounding communities.
Subject area: Social Studies: Geography and World history.
Unit description:
Students will learn about Haiti’s history and geography while analyzing how human actions drastically changed Haiti’s landscape and the consequences that arose from these actions. For example, when Christopher Columbus found Haiti it was dense with tropical forest. Unfortunately, the Spanish and French cleared many forests for plantations and later hardwoods were logged for U.S. and Europeans markets. Peasants then burned and cut down what was left in desperate search of farmland.
Students will also learn about the culture of Haitians, their average wages, their educational levels, their school system, their country’s financial situation, their country’s geographical dilemma, their lack of natural resources, their government system, their history, their relationship with the United States, and their literacy rate.
After studying and analyzing the history and geography of Haiti, students will see the correlation of Haiti’s economy with its educational dilemma and low literacy rates. Haiti is the poorest country in the western hemisphere, with a literacy rate below 60 percent. Students will have the opportunity to communicate with actual students from Haiti and view their perspectives and experiences as students in a third world country.

Students will ask questions like:
1.Transportation: How do you get to school?
2. Finance: Do you pay for school, if so who finances your education?
3. Distance: How far is school from your house?
4. Educational Goals: Do you plan to go to college?
5. Economy: How do you feel about your country’s financial and educational situation?
6. Personal: How you plan to help Haiti’s economy?
7. Resources: How has the lack of forest and trees impacted your life?
8. Personal: Where do your parent’s work, what’s their educational obtainment.

Students will work together to raise money for students in Haiti. The teacher will contact a school in Haiti, before the beginning of the semester or school year that has access to the Internet and an English translator. Therefore, both groups of students can communicate with each other without any language barrier. Students will communicate through emails, podcasts, blogs, mail, and videos. Both groups of students will learn about each other’s cultures, educational experiences, and aspiring goals. Students will be more engaged and interested to learn about Haiti’s geography and history if their communicating with Haitian students.

Moreover, students will be divided into five committees: fund-raiser (planner, organizer), treasure group (economics and math), decorations (visual arts, photography), and food (culinary and math), and social networking (technology). Each committee is responsible for a different task. For example, those in the fundraiser committee are responsible for coming up with effective fund-raisers. The treasure group is in charge of all the finance. They have to calculate and decide how much money they will spend on fundraisers and whether their profits will exceed their cost, as well as asking for donations. The decoration committee is in charge of any decorations or photography for the fundraisers and the food committee is in charge of selling and making food and refreshments.

In addition, each committee is responsible for posting their group’s information on the class’ website so other students, teachers, and community members can view it and stay updated with the final project. For example, the fundraiser committee will post the class’ upcoming fundraiser activities and the treasure group will ask for donations on-line and in person and post their overall expenses and profit therefore donors can keep track of it. The decoration committee will post photos of the actual fundraisers and a few pictures of the Haitian students, and the culinary committee will upload photos of the food their selling, the prices of the items, and the receipts of the food. Every student will be responsible for keeping the website up to date. The goal of this service-learning project is to teach students about Haiti’s history, geography, economy, and educational conditions while learning how to use technology on a daily bases.
By working with other organizations in order to raise money for less fortunate people, students will learn about the importance of giving back and hopefully learn to appreciate and take advantage of their public education.

Next Generation Sunshine State Standards:
SS.912.G.2.4 “Use geographic terms and tools to analyze case studies of how selected regions change over time.”

SS.912.G.2.5 “Use geographic terms and tools to analyze case studies of debates over how human actions modify a selected region.”

SS.912.W.5.7 “Describe the causes and effects of 19th Latin American and Caribbean independence movements led by people including Bolivar, de San Martin, and L' Ouverture”

SS.912.W.5.Su.g: “Recognize that Latin American and Caribbean countries achieved independence.”

Technologies/Web applications:
High school students will communicate with Haitian students through the Internet, podcast, and videos. The school in Haiti will most likely be a private school sponsor by English organizations. Since Haitians mainly speak French or Creole it is more effective to work with a school that teaches English and that has computers. Private schools are more likely to have a set of computers in their schools since their run through private funds. Both groups of students will communicate through technology applications and get to know each other better. Students will share their educational experiences and future goals with one another. American students will have the opportunity to compare and contrast their lives with Haitian students while using technology. In addition, Haitian students will inform their American peers of their economical and educational dilemma. American students will work together to raise funds and supplies for their Haitian peers in order for them to have a brighter future and a better education.
Students will also use technology to submit their assignments, such as responding to the teacher’s blog or creating their own blog and responding to each others post.

Assessment:
Students will present their final project in front of the entire school, as well as the local community. In their presentation they will inform fellow students and community members about their service learning experience. This project and presentation will education others about the geography, economy, culture, history, and educational system of Haiti. Hopefully, this service learning project will inspire other teachers and community members to work together for the betterment of other communities.
Students will also be graded according to their contribution to the class’s website, both individual and group-wise, and the quality of their work.

Students will also be assessed according to the following rubric: Presentation

100-90:
Presentation includes visual illustrations and two or more technology application (power point, internet, web page, posters, podcast, videos, iPods etc).
Presentation includes following topics: what they accomplished, how this experience changed their perspectives of other cultures and towards education, how they communicated with these students, their contribution to the project/committee, the amount of money and supplies they managed to raise, and what they learned about Haiti’s history, economy, culture, and educational system.
Presentation is neat, organize, and concise.
Few spelling or grammatical errors, no use of slang or jargon

89-80:
Presentation is visual and uses two technology applications.
Presentation does not cover two topics.
Presentation is neat, organize, and concise.
More than three spelling or grammatical errors, use of slang or jargon.
79-70:
Presentation is some what visual and uses one technology application.
Presentation is missing more than three topics.
Presentation is a bit messy, a bit unorganized, and not concise enough.
More than five spelling or grammatical errors, jargon used excessively
69-60:
Presentation not visual and does not use technology applications.
Presentation includes less than five topics.
Presentation is messy, unorganized, and not concise.
More than seven spelling or grammatical errors, slang or jargon used excessively



Rubric: Contribution to class’ Web page.
100-90pts
Comment on all of the teacher’s blog, at least two paragraphs (more than 6 lines)
Created more than five blogs
Responded to two classmates’ blogs and comments.
Submitted all assignments on-time via email/internet.
Contribute to group’s page, submitted or changed at least three things from the class website.

89-80pts
Comment on all but two of the teacher’s blog
Created four or five blogs.
Responded to two classmates blogs but only to one classmates’ comment
Submitted all assignments on-time via email
Contribute to group’s page, submitted or changed at least two things from the class’ website.

79-70pts
Comment on all but three of the teacher’s blog and left brief comments, less than a paragraph.
Created three blogs
Responded to one classmates’ blog
Submitted most assignments on-time via email
Contributed to group’s page, submitted or changed at least one thing from the class’ website.

69-60pts
Comment on only two of the teacher’s blog
Created two or one blog
Didn’t respond to classmate’s blog
Submitted fewer than two assignments and they were late
Didn’t contribute to group’s page or class’ page.