8th Grade Technology

Weeks 1/2 - Intro to IB Technology (Year 3)/Intro to Dreamweaver/Analyzing Websites
*For 7-8 weeks, students will be learning how to create a website using Adobe Dreamweaver. Each week will be focused on a topic leading up to the final creation of an electronic educational portoflio! Lessons include individual and group work. This website they create will be a personal compilation of their middle school education, and can be continued into high school.
Area of Interaction: Approaches to Learning
Guiding Question: In what ways does technology impact communication systems throughout the world?

Week 3 - Planning a Portfolio/Managing Files
Area of Interaction: Health and Social Education
Guiding Question: To what extent is organization necessary?

Week 4 - Planning & Creating a Home page/Creating Content Pages
Area of Interaction: Human Ingenuity
Guiding Question: How does planning affect quality?

Week 5 - Linking Pages/Usability & Accessibility/Making a Navigation bar
Area of Interaction: Human Ingenuity
Guiding Question: To what extent does technology create understanding?

Week 6 - Quality Assurance: Technical & Usability testing
Area of Interaction: Human Ingenuity
Guiding Question: How are we connected?

Week 7 - Publishing a Website/HTML basics
Area of Interaction: Human Ingenuity
Guiding Question: How effective is technology in education?

Week 8 - Topic Essay
*Students will research and write an essay on a technology-related topic. Topics must be approved by the teacher.
Area of Interaction: Approaches to Learning
Guiding Question: To what extent does technology determine what happens to us?

Week 9 - A Person in Time Online
*Students will be assigned to research a President in their history class. Each student will create a web page containing the information on their chosen President's lifetime, political and social influences, geography and culture, and the historical events that took place during this person's presidency, as well as images. They will add this web page to their History section in their electronic portfolio to be used for presentations at the end of the school year.
Area of Interaction: Community and Service
Guiding Question: What human activity has the most significant impact on our community?