Project Design
In each Technology Literacy project, students work through four modules that are roughly equivalent to a unit in size and scope. Each project can sustain inquiry into a big idea over the course of a semester or even one school year (O’Hara and McMahon, 2003). The first page of each project provides an overview of what students learn and do in the project and brief introductions to each of the four modules.



The Teacher Guide for each Technology Literacy project includes a form teachers can use to help plan implementation of the project. The most important planning requirements are to choose content standards and benchmarks to address, and define specific learning objectives or outcomes for students to master. Technology Literacy projects are designed for flexibility and can be used to explore a variety of subjects and topics in the curriculum.

Each Teacher Guide also includes Project Questions that can be used to introduce the associated projects. Teachers can customize the questions to focus on designated content standards and benchmarks or students' interests. Beginning a project by posing engaging and challenging questions encourages students to adopt inquisitive attitudes toward learning (Wiggins and McTighe, 2005).

Module Design >
In each module, students work through five activities and then look back on their learning in the module. The first page of each module describes a big idea relating to the technology literacy skills applied in the module as students investigate a content area. The page also provides annotated links to each of the five activities in the module as well as a checklist and rubric for the module.

Activity Design >
In each activity, students learn new vocabulary terms, explore specific content, learn new content, complete a task, and take an interactive quiz. The first page of each activity describes the key concepts that students learn in the activity and provides a link to an example student product.

Look Back Design >
After students work through the five activities in a module, they review what they have learned, use the checklist to make sure their culminating artifacts are complete, use the rubric to assess their products with teachers, and reflect on their accomplishments.

Design References >
Teachers can find more information about research on effective instructional design of technology-based projects in these sources.