In mid-April our team of six interdisciplinary teachers began a study of Ethnography with a group of 160 eighth grade students. The students were heterogeneously grouped with one of the six teachers, approximately 26 students per teacher. Each teacher had divided the students in four groups with each group consisting of 6 to 7 students per group. Each of the small groups has a designated trained student technology leader. The technology leader trained the other members of his team in the use of computer software and the use of the video equipment.
Adolescent cultures change with each generation.
The students' schedule had been modified to allow for a block of 84 minutes, per day designed exclusively for the students to use the technology to create their video project. The class will divide the responsibility among the four groups. Each group will be responsible for completing their portion of the project. During the course of the unit mini-lessons, each core academic class focused on the different concepts of culture and change relating to each discipline. At the end of the Ethnography unit a total of six videos will be produced.