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Is Pensacola America's forgotten 1st settlement? That is the question our 4th through 6th grade students at Episcopal Day School are pondering to answer. We are so fortunate because our school is located in downtown Pensacola, Florida centered in a treasure trove of historic artifacts, Americana and West Florida History. In a team collaboration, our 4th grade students, as an integral part of their Florida Social Studies curriculum and our 5th and 6th grade Multimedia Productions classes will be taking on the task of creating a "Geocaching Quest: An Animated Journey of Pensacola-Where Florida History Begins…". Joining together with the University of West Florida Historic Trust and the Pensacola Historical Society, the mission of the Quest will be to enhance the walking tour by choosing key landmarks in the historic Pensacola village and surrounding cultural sites. Then by combining geocaching (finding historical locations and artifacts TERRA MINI-GRANT APPLICATION 2013-2014 SCHOOL YEAR TERRA • P.O. Box 12848 • Tallahassee, FL • 32317-2848 • www.terraonline.org by means of GPS coordinates), augmented reality (building layers of 3D and animated digital information on top of the physical landmark viewable by a smartphone) and a great deal of research, the students will create animated geocaches for each key landmark embedding the hidden clues that may solve this historical quest. As an end result, we want our Quest to be an enriching and informative journey with exciting challenges making Pensacola history come alive. We want our Quest to be accessible online for all to experience and a discussion forum to share ideas and comments in our community. Is Pensacola America's forgotten 1st settlement? This Quest may answer that question!

Project Objectives:
1. In a team collaboration, students will collect, organize and interpret Pensacola history collaborating with University of West Florida and the Pensacola Historical Society in order to choose 6 significant local landmarks for further study.
2. Using a graphic organizer the students will identify the sequence of events, geographical location, and collate the key information and artifacts for each landmark.
3. Students will use the graphic organizer to create a chronological quest combining historical sites and information, geocaching, augmented reality to create digital media that once completed may answer the question: Is Pensacola America's forgotten 1st settlement?
4. As an outcome of this collaboration, the students will share their Quest with the Pensacola, tourism and education communities. An online discussion forum will be set up for feedback and comments in order to assess the value of the Quest for further revision and the creation of other quests.
Proposal Questions
1. How is this project innovative? Developing a Geocaching Quest is a great twist on an old favorite. Treasure hunts or quests outside of the classroom have long been a staple of engaging lesson plans. Using GPS and augmented reality to develop that quest allows teachers and students to take it one step further by making learning more tangible and appealing. Pensacola is rich in history and this is a great way to connect and make history come to life for our students and community.
2. How will it fit into the curriculum?
a. Geocaching is a great way to provide opportunities to use real, authentic math, reading, writing and geography in context without losing the rigor.
b. Geographic skills include the ability to use maps, globes, and aerial imagery; interpret graphs, tables, diagrams, and pictures; observe and record information; and assess information from various sources.
c. This project meets the curriculum goals and objectives for 4th grade Florida History requirements. By studying our local history, students can better understand our society as well as others. Students will understand chronological thinking and the connections between causes and effects and between continuity and change. This project enables students to see how people in other times and in this place have grappled with the fundamental questions of truth, justice, and personal responsibility, understand that ideas have real consequences, and realize that events are shaped by ideas and the actions of individuals. History shows the relationship among past, current, and future issues.
d. The 5th and 6th grade collaborating with history experts and the 4th grade will be creating and publishing employing a variety of digital environments and media such as animation, video, narration, word and photo walls and links to resources. This will involve skills in script writing and editing, storyboarding, presentation skills, video and photo editing. e. Digital literacy skills: All students will need ability to effectively and critically navigate, evaluate and create information using a range of digital technologies including graphic organizers, augmented reality applications/tools and Global Positioning Devices. The students will also create an online discussion forum for feedback, assessment and revision of the Quest.
3. How will it encourage long-lasting change in the classroom, school or community? If the Quest is informative (this will be determined by the evaluation of the responses to the online discussion forum and the number of those who use it.) we are hoping to extend the project by creating other quests each school year to share with the community. Some examples: Pensacola, the City of 5 Flags, The Cradle of Naval Aviation, Haunted History Tours, Historic St. Michaels Cemetery, The Pelicans of Downtown Pensacola, Arcadia Mill Archaeological Site and Wetland Ecosystem.
4. How will technology be utilized?
Technology Objectives:
a. Communication and Collaboration: Students learn to use digital media and environments to communicate and work collaboratively including at a distance to support individual learning and contribute to the learning of others. Interact, collaborate and publish with peers, experts and others, employing a variety of digital environments and media. i. Information Literacy: Students learn strategies to increase the accuracy of their keyword searches and make inferences about the effectiveness of the strategies by identify high-quality sites. Students reflect on the importance of citing all sources when they do research. They then learn how to write bibliographical citations for online sources. Students are introduced to copyright, fair use, and the rights they have as creators. ii. Online graphic organizers: Students learn to use visual tools to express knowledge, concepts, thoughts, or ideas, and the relationships between them when planning the project. iii. Geocaching: Students learn how to use a GPS Receiver to locate geocaches, create and place geocaches that other students can find and find geocaches that other students have created iv. Digital Media: Students learn how to create, edit and publish digital photos narration, video and animation. v. Augmented Reality: Students learn AR tools to create layers of digital information to enhance the physical world
5. What evidence will be collect to show student gain? a. We will use the 6 Steps Project Design which will provide a framework for the students to follow:
Step 1. Question Step 2. Imagine Step 3. Plan Step 4. Build Step 5. Test Step 6. Improve
b. Formative Assessment
i. Through student observation and teacher feedback, the students will demonstrate their understanding of the 6 Steps Project Method, technology skills, team collaboration, and information gathering
ii. Using a rubric for content and presentation of stated learning objectives, project requirements and due dates, students self-assess their progress
iii. Test Run to determine if the project meets the learning objectives and requirements
TERRA MINI-GRANT APPLICATION
2013-2014 SCHOOL YEAR
TERRA • P.O. Box 12848 • Tallahassee, FL • 32317-2848 • www.terraonline.org
c. Summative Assessment (Using the 6 Steps Project Design)
i. Project Rubric for content
ii. Graphic Organizer for project planning and information gathering
iii. Project Rubric for Presentation
iv. Reflection: How can the project be improved? The students will use the feedback from the online discussion forum to improve and revise the project.
6. How will participants share the project results with the community?
a. Pensacola Historical Society & University of West Florida Historic Trust website
b. Online Discussion Forum set up and maintained by 4th grade students
c. Learning community at https://edmo.do/j/8uez7w This is an online forum for Private School Educators in Pensacola. The purpose of this forum is for teachers, administrators, etc. to have a place to share ideas, resources, and thoughts about teaching in a private school.
d. Submit presentation proposal to Florida Educational Technology Conference 2015