Introduction

__**Mr. Swartzentruber's Wiki**__

__**Statement of Purpose**__ This capstone project has two objectives. The first objective is to integrate technology into my already existing curriculum, particularly for my Integrated Social Studies courses. I teach at a career technical center, so it only makes sense to use the latest technology to enhance lessons and enrich the learning of my students. I will hope to accomplish this goal by increasing the rigor of the content. One way to do this is to create an environment where the students are comfortable communicating with each other, not only in the classroom, but outside the school as well. By fostering professional relationships outside the classroom, the students will be able to share ideas and comments with each other through different mediums. Some of the technologies I hope to utilize are: Facebook, Twitter, Wiggio, and Google Docs. By utilizing these technological tools that students are familiar with and enjoy using, I am hoping that homework completion and the rate of meeting deadlines will also increase as a residual effect of the overarching goal. Creating an where students can learn from their peers outside the classroom will only benefit their success in the classroom. This will help enhance the 21st Century Skills of all learners (i.e. collaboration, teamwork, critical thinking, problem solving, and creativity).

The second objective of this capstone project is to create cross-curricular learning opportunities for students in my school. To do this, I will closely collaborate with a Language Arts teacher within my building. Creating cross-curricular activities and interaction between English and Social Studies will help show the students the relevance in the content and help build a strong school community. Since most of the students in our school are very comfortable with using new technology, it only makes sense to expand their available tools. A good unit to facilitate in this manner would be that of the Roaring Twenties. The topics of fashion, politics, gangsters, technology, and jazz can be easily connected to the popular novel, //The Great Gatsby//. To do this, my colleague and I would use social media avenues such as Facbook, Twitter, Wiggo, Blogs, and Google Docs to enhance interaction and discussion amongst our s tudents.



 **__Why Technology?__ ** Technology is the key to our students' futures. Whenever professional development is available in the area of technology, I often apply to extend my knowledge and acquire new ideas. The more tools I have at my disposable, the higher probability I have to reach each and every learner. By mixing the traditional paper and pencil responses with that of electronic feedback, I hope to achieve increased homework completion and higher quality assignments. Technology helps me, as an instructor, meet many of the 21st Century Skills in my lesson planning. It also provides my students with experiences that will carry with them in the ever advancing world of work. I teach at a career and technical center where we strive to stay on the cutting edge of technology. Our professional development opportunities give me the means to acquire the skills I need to be an effective teacher. For the past two years, I have attended the T & L Conference. This is a national conference that allows teachers to observe and participate in the latest software and hardware applications. Our school is also part of the "High Schools That Work" initiative. These conferences also provide a vast number of sessions that illustrate ways that technology has been used in the classroom. I also sit on the "21st Century Skills" professional development group within our school. We meet monthly to discuss how to better implement these 21st century skills. More often than not, we lean to the extensive technological resources we have available. **__Project Steps__** 
 * 1) Select an important topic to both students and instructor.
 * 2) Choose attainable goals and objectives, including subject matter and units to incorporate.
 * 3) Research applicable content standards.
 * 4) Create an annotated bibliography that align with objectives, goals, and content.
 * 5) Create lesson plans and incorporate ideas that meet expectations of outcome.
 * 6) <span style="color: #000080; font-family: Georgia,serif;">Collaborate with colleagues about cross-curricular activities
 * 7) <span style="color: #000080; font-family: Georgia,serif;">Discuss and outline activities for collaboration.
 * 8) <span style="color: #000080; font-family: Georgia,serif;">Create a wiki and set up relevant accounts on different social media platforms.
 * 9) <span style="color: #000080; font-family: Georgia,serif;">Reflect on content and learning.