Dratz,+Peter

Peter is a Middle School Social studies teacher at the Hong Kong International School. Formerly a Chinese language instructor, he attended Montana State University where he was introduced to Mandarin, then went to Taiwan for further studies. Peter spent 10 years teaching Mandarin in the States, and then moved to Hong Kong to oversee the mandarin program at HKIS.
 * Peter Dratz – HKIS Middle School Social Studies**

Peter’s greatest experiences with authentic learning have come with projects that require students to investigate family histories, particularly family members who have lived through conflict. They are given a lot of time and can present their information through any number of vehicles.

Another idea to enhance authentic learning that Peter recently had was trying to get to the Shanghai Expo using mandarin. He didn’t know the word for Expo, or what it was locally being called and had to work around the mystery. He imagined that this would make for a powerful language assignment.

** Suggested Action Plan for Peter Dratz ** ** w/Janice Dwyer & Jane ** ** Summary paragraph: ** ** Notes: ** ** Wikis ** · Participants can add web-sites, notes, and ideas. · You can actually change and modify what someone else had done. · Everyone can contribute. · A wiki is an evolving resource. · You can link a blog to a Wiki ** Blog ** · Is it an on-line journal or is it a discussion forum? · You can add to a blog, but you can’t change what other people have done. · More like narrative and response to a specific stimulus · You can link a Wiki to a blog. · The owner of the blog can edit comments before they are posted

** Goals ** : Define what a Wiki and a Blog are and how they can be used? Begin using Wikis for classroom collaboration Incorporate blogs into both 7th and 8th grade classes to encourage more on-line participation

** Indicators ** A wiki page will appear both year 7 & year 8 in which students collaborate for a learning activity Blogs become a part of every unit

** Action Plan ** Develop a comfort level with both Wiki and blogging Find teachers and students at HKIS or elsewhere who can support my efforts Look for the perfect collaboration event and blog topic Jump in and create my first wiki and my first blog

Support Network ** Jane Cooper ** jcooper@nist.asc.th ** Janice Dwyer ** jdwyer@cis.edu.hk

** Marketing your ideas and plan: ** Most students have already been exposed to and participated in both wikis and blogs Students will connect to areas of study by using familiar digital tools and formats Parents will have access to (some) wikis and blogs Students will become stronger members of their on-line community by both contributing and evaluating the works of others.

** The resistance: ** I don’t anticipate any resistance