Documenting Student Exchange Programs

Engage

The experience of a lifetime can often be only a distant memory. You have made a commitment to yourself and your school to become global citizens and exchange your cultural values and personal lives with students from another nation. Yet, you are the only one who can share this exciting experience and you have so much about that you want to share with others. As a member of the 21st Century learning environment you pride yourself in telling your parents and your teachers that you're a social networker, and your tools are cell phones, My Space and Ipods. Now is your chance to let the world know what it is like to travel abroad and to meet students that you have so much in common with and never knew it. So lets get started documenting this experience. Technology has provided you with many interesting ways to store and present your information. You can create videos, images, photos and web pages that are all about your experience.

Before we begin, it is important to do a bit of research and find out how to take photos and create a web page, and just what is a digital scrapbook. You should use a word processor to document your findings.

Explore

For this section you will need an Internet ready computer and a word processor.

A digital scrapbook is very similar to a digital portfolio as they both are collections of information that showcases your best works. In the case of a scrapbook it would be the important moments of your experience. Here are some ideas on how to bring your information together.

First make sure you know how to create the video. To help you should review this video production link as it will walk you through each phase of the production. You also may want to refresh on how to best take and edit your images through the digital imaging link. If you are new too or looking for ways to get your webpage up and running use this web page creation link for all of your needs. There are some other helpful hints and ideas on ways to use technology in your project on www.Nortellearnit.org

This site will give you some background on how to create a portfolio and is helpful in getting you information together. http://www.educationworld.com/a_tech/tech111.shtml

This site will give you some tutorials for creating electronic portfolios using a variety of software formats
http://www.electronicportfolios.com/portfolios/howto/tutorials.html

Getting Started with Digital Portfolios
http://www.essentialschools.org/pub/ces_docs/resources/dp/getstart.html

How to Start / Create Your Own Website: The Beginner's A-Z Guide (advanced)
http://www.thesitewizard.com/gettingstarted/startwebsite.shtml

Here is a free site to get started with webpage templates. (beginner)
http://www.templatesbox.com/category/all-website-templates/index.htm

This site offers tutorials on how to use different tools and has resources that will help in the creation of a digital scrapbook.
http://www.digitalscrapbookpages.com/weblinks/

Explain

Before you left home you were probably all excited and thinking about your new challenges to come. Did you take some pictures or maybe send some emails to your ‘new' friends. When you arrived did you begin to take some photos or videos of this new experience? Well you get the idea, you have begun a digital journal and along with adding some of your thoughts to paper you have the beginning of your digital scrapbook.

Now you need to start to collect them in a folder on your computer, call it by your name and the travel destination (Erica_Scotland). This is where all of your personal information will go and it will keep it organized.

Now talk with the others in your group and begin to get an idea of how you want to have your webpage set up. Frames, colors, navigation and links are all things that should be discussed. Refer to your links in Explore for more details. You will need to have a front page that represents the exchange and targets your audience. Then your links in the page should take you to individual content areas, as well as group videos and photos. It is important that each member of the group writes down ideas for their page and how they connect with other. Then use the Website Storyboard (at the bottom of the page) to create your website.

Organize all of your materials and scan those that are not in digital format. Select materials that you think are most important and that reflect your travels and adventures as well as those most educational for other to learn from and experience without being there.

You are ready to begin.

REMEMBER: YOUR PORTFOLIO IS TO BE PRESENTED AS A WEBPAGE, DO NOT INCLUDE PERSONAL CONTACT INFORMATION.

Now each member should plan out their scrapbook. If you are doing a video, you should create a storyboard outline all of the shots you will use and which material will be added through editing (i.e. photos documents etc.)

You should do similar planning for a web page or slide show.

Make sure that you thank those that have assisted you through the exchange and acknowledge friends, teachers, or coaches that have had an impact on you. And finally, be sure to extend your thanks to family members.

Elaborate

Time to share your information: First you need to publish your website so that you can access it from the internet. Then you need to present the information to your fellow students', teachers, administrators and friends.

Make sure that you have made the appropriate arrangements for the equipment you will need to show your video, web page or slide show.

Get some input from your colleagues. What do they think should be added or taken out? What did they think about the presentation? You could have them write out their comments for later review, rather than verbal comments during the presentation.

Evaluate

Criteria
Unsatisfactory Needs Improvement Satisfactory
Exemplary

Research &
Participation
Limited research, from limited sources
Somewhat well researched from somewhat varied sources. Well researched, from various sources Thorough research from varied sources presenting different points of view
Storyboard & planning
Limited planning evident
Some planning evident
Planning evident
Thorough planning evident

Content
Lacks detail Some detail Good detail Excellent detail
Technology Use to Demonstrate Understanding Technology use with little purpose Technology use with some purpose Technology use with purpose
Intuitive technology use with specific purpose
Overall Final Project Inconsistent and inappropriate aesthetics and technical functionality
Somewhat consistent and appropriate aesthetics and technical functionality Consistent and appropriate aesthetics and technical functionality Consistent, creative and appropriate aesthetics and technical functionality

Extend

What about the next group of exchange students? Can they use the template and build from it? Has there been exchange in the past that you can reconnect with the students to see if they could share.

Be sure to show your Digital Scrapbook to parents and extended family members.

Fix up any flaws or areas of improvement suggested by and discussed with your teacher and use your Digital Scrapbook as part of your resume for job applications. Perspective employers might find it interesting.

When next year rolls around, talk to the yearbook advisor and discuss offering an Digital Portfolio Yearbook. You could volunteer to help create it.