Online Projects, Collaboration Sites and Publishing Opportunities

Lesson Idea Name: Online Projects - MATHCOUNTS

Content Area: Math
Grade Level(s): 6th- 8th
Content Standard Addressed: Any (chosen from MATHCOUNTS playbook)

Technology Standard Addressed: Creative Communicator

Selected Online Project/Collaboration Site/Publishing Opportunity: MATHCOUNTS Video Competition

URL(s) to support the lesson: https://videochallenge.mathcounts.org/

Describe how you would incorporate an Online Project/Collaboration Site/Publishing Opportunity in your
classroom: This lesson would have students compete in the MATHCOUNTS video competition. Students will
work in teams of 4 to solve a problem and create a video about how they solved it. Students will also connect
the problem with a real-world context.

Students will share their videos online and outstanding videos will be chosen for the contest. Students will
need to use higher level thinking and reasoning to solve problems and connect them to things in the real
world.

What technologies would be required to implement this proposed learning activity in a classroom? The
students will need a camera to record their video as well as editing software. This work can be done either in
the classroom or at home, at the teacher’s discretion.

Describe how the following features are addressed in this learning experience (note: all of them may not be
addressed in the project, but most should be if you are reaching a high LoTi Level).
a. Collaboration with peers, near-peers, mentors outside their classroom and often beyond their
school: Students will collaborate with their team of 4 as well as with teachers/mentors. Students will
also be publishing their work to be seen by their peers outside of their classroom or even outside their
country.

b. Student-centered learning and knowledge creation (creating original data and or producing original
products as a result of engaging in a project): Students will create their own product (video) and
share it with other students around the world.

c. Higher-order thinking: This depends heavily on their chosen problem from the playbook, however
MATHCOUNTS questions are generally deep and require a high understanding of math concepts and
logic.

d. Students publishing their original work to others who will use/care about their product: Yes,
students will submit and publish their work to contest judges as well as other students.

Bloom’s Taxonomy Level(s):

☐ Remembering ☐ Understanding ☐ Applying ☐ Analyzing ☐ Evaluating ☒ Creating

Levels of Technology Integration (LoTi Level):

☐ Level 1: Awareness ☐ Level 2: Exploration ☐ Level 3: Infusion ☐ Level 4: Integration

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 Online Projects, Collaboration Sites and Publishing Opportunities
☐ Level 5: Expansion ☒ Level 6: Refinement

Universal Design for Learning (UDL): This project adheres to UDL principles because it is very broad. Students
have a lot of freedom in what type of product they would like to make. This allows them a variety of software
and hardware options that can fit the needs of many students. Students will also have the ability to work in
groups. This allows students to be adaptable and help overcome any difficulties that may arise for particular
students throughout the process.

Lesson idea implementation and Internet Safety Policies: Students will need to have permission forms filled
out for publishing student work, as well as learn good internet safety while they are conducting research.

Reflective Practice: I believe this lesson could have a big impact on students. The questions are deep and
require students to really work together to achieve a common goal. Furthermore, students will need to
connect their problem to a real-world context as well as publish it to judges and students that will get to
provide feedback on the students’ approach.

Spring 2018_SJB