InfoTech Junior Service Learning Project 2017-18 Due Date: Friday, November 17 Your Name: Advisor: Group member: Group member: Group member: Summary of Project: The Junior Service Learning Project is a multi-disciplinary project where students will form a group to research community demographics, gather data, and create a solution for an indicated area of need. The project is worth a total of 500 points, and will be worth 10% of your grade in all classes (English, Science, Computer, History). Successful completion of the Junior Project is a graduation requirement, Academy requirement, and, for obtaining the InfoTech Academy Certificate received during your senior year. Students will choose members of their group (3 or 4 total) from other InfoTech Academy Juniors only, with the purpose of: creating a survey to identify areas of concern within their community, analyzing the resulting data, identifying a problem as indicated from their data, researching solutions from communities with similar problems, and presenting a solution based on their research and analysis. Each member of the group will be responsible for: conducting a minimum of 15 surveys and for researching solutions to your identified area of concern: locally, statewide, nationally, or internationally (Groups of 3 will decide who researches the fourth topic). Individual research papers are to be 3-5 pages in MLA format and submitted via Google Docs. Group findings and solution(s) will be presented digitally to a panel consisting of teachers, administrators, local government officials, alumni, and InfoTech business partners. Note: Final presentations must be digital. Your group may choose to present your findings via the following formats: Webpage, Public Service Announcement (PSA), App creation, e-zine/e-newspaper, or Social Media Account presence, or other advisor approved digital format. Grading: Possible points Your Score Final Digital Presentation (group): 300 points MLA Research Paper (individual): 100 points Signature page: 50 points In-Class Reflection: 50 points Total score: 500 points Frequently Asked Questions (F.A.Q.): Q: Will late projects/presentations be accepted? A: No. Q: May I have fewer than 3, or more than 4 members in my group? A: No. Q: Who can I speak to/get a signature from if my advisor is not available? A: Project Lead: Mr. Mills (Room 13).
Student Name: Advisor: Page 2 InfoTech Junior Project Signature Page Due By: Signature Task Sept 25 Oct 5 Oct 12 Oct 19 Oct 19 Oct 26 Oct 26 Nov 2 Nov 9 Nov 16 Junior Project overview assembly. Submit group names and receive advisor assignment (Mr. Howell). Review survey questions with your advisor. Survey data/responses due to advisor (15 per student). Thesis statement reviewed with advisor. Research paper (hard copy) rough draft due to advisor. Digital presentation format approved by advisor. Research paper (hard copy) final draft due to advisor. Digital presentation presented to advisor #1 (with clearly integrated solution). Digital presentation presented to advisor #2 (with clearly integrated solution). Nov 17 Completed Digital Presentation & Signature Page submitted to advisor. (LATE SUBMISSIONS NOT ACCEPTED) Remember: These are due by dates - you should begin creating your digital presentation immediately! Schedule your meeting time/place with your advisor before the actual due dates listed above. You are encouraged to get signatures as soon as your group is prepared for the next deadline/signature date. All members of your group must be present when meeting with your advisor - no signatures for anyone if all members are not present. Only groups with the entire signature sheet completed will be able to present. Don t let your group down! Each member of the group must present. Each presenter is credited toward the group s grade. Be prepared to present your group s project. Every member of the group should have equal knowledge and be able to present on their own if required!
Page 3 Survey Questions: Each member of your group is responsible for surveying/interviewing at least 15 members of your community. A minimum of 50 completed surveys must be conducted by your group (combined total). In addition to asking your survey questions, demographic information must be collected as well: respondent s age and city of residence. Each student must provide documentation to their advisor who will determine the accuracy of the collected responses as well as to ensure all data/answers collected represent respondents from the same community (all 50 must be from the same community, not 10 from Bell, 5 from Maywood, and 35 from Compton). Your surveys/questions can be either written or verbal, but all responses should be written/typed, numbered, and organized for your advisor to review. Your group should formulate their own questions, which are to be general in nature and open-ended. An example of this technique might be to ask the question, What do you view as the most significant problem facing your community? and not Do you think graffiti is a problem? Be prepared for a wide variety of responses, and ask follow-up questions to get more specific answers. Successful groups ask respondents to rank their top three problems in order of importance if providing more than one answer. Open ended questions never lead the interviewee, and instead allow the respondent to talk about any aspect of the question that seems of interest to them. Introducing yourself as a local student, and explaining that you are doing research to help the community typically is met with respect and willingness to participate! The Research Paper (Individual): Each member of your group is responsible for their own research paper. Each group member will select one of the four categories: 1) Local (Choose a Southern California community outside of Los Angeles - e.g. San Diego). 2) State (California). 3) National (United States). 4) International/Global. And: determine how the citizens/neighborhoods/government addressed/solved the issue you revealed through surveying members of your community. This is a thesis driven paper, and should focus on the extent and nature of the problem within the region you selected above, and must include the following elements: 3-5 pages of academic, grade-level content (adhering to MLA format guidelines) A well developed thesis statement followed by articulate and relevant research (evidence) A minimum of five (5) reputable sources MLA Format - Font, type-size, margins for the body as well as Works Cited must be followed Digital submission through Google Docs to the project lead Hard copy submission to your advisor -Your thesis statement must address your main point concerning the problem/issue and solutions set forth in your paper. Don t try to do everything - pick one narrow subject and do a competent analysis of that. An essay without a thesis and analysis is likely to get no more than a D grade. -Inline/in-text/parenthetical citations should be utilized to credit works cited throughout your writing. -More information about MLA format can be found online, our school librarian, or from the Owl-Purdue website linked off the http://www.elizabethlc.org school website, or your English teacher. Ask for help!
Page 4 The Digital Presentation: Once your surveys, analysis, and research are complete, your findings and proposed solution must be presented to a panel for grading/review in a digital format. This portion of your project is the keystone of the InfoTech Junior Project. It is up to your group to create a platform to showcase your work in a fashion that is organized, easy to interpret, visually stimulating, and takes advantage of the medium chosen. Suggested mediums for presentation: webpage, public service announcement (digital video), App creation, e-zine/e- Newspaper/blog, or social media account presence (such as Twitter, IG, FB, etc.). Reference a major corporation s social media page for examples how this is done (Bank of America, SpaceX, KaiserPermanente, United Parcel Service/UPS, etc.) Notice how these companies that provide services differ from companies that are selling a product (Ford Motors, Apple, Chipotle, Motorola)! Please note: Any variation from these suggested formats needs the approval of your advisor as well as the project lead - But, think outside the box! All presentations must exhibit and demonstrate all aspects of the project: Survey questions and results, research, and your group s proposed solution. Surveys/survey data should be showcased both visually (graph/chart/etc), and with accompanying narrative. Your group s proposed solution should include feasibility based on your research, cost (man-hours as well as material cost), and involvement needed to succeed (can your group solve the problem? do you need community involvement? local government involvement?, etc.). Your group s presentation must be viewable on a computer and have the ability to be projected digitally. Use of graphics, audio, and effects should add to your presentation and not detract from the purpose of your project. Your presentation must be self-explanatory, and should be easy to navigate (where relevant) by someone on the panel (the people grading your project) without assistance from anyone in your group. Each member of your group, however, should be able to explain/navigate/demonstrate your presentation on their own. The ability to create a digital presentation allows groups/organizations to promote/showcase their proposals/ products to more than just a local audience. Further, the ability to digitally create, distribute, and exhibit your presentation gives you the ability to grow your audience exponentially. This project is designed for true realworld application and relevance. Your project should highlight your ability to creatively market your work, showcase your expertise, and provide a sample of work - to include in your Academy Portfolio next year, and include in your college applications - that you are proud of. Treat this project as an extension of you, and show us what your true potential really is!
Page 5 Criteria for Different Digital Presentations ***All presentations must include survey data, research, and your group s proposed solution*** If you create a webpage, the requirements include: The webpage should highlight your findings, data, and research, as well as your proposed solution All pages must be inter-linked A minimum of 6 pages The website should be logically organized and easy to navigate The website should show your creativity and aesthetic abilities The research papers and survey should be included in the website If you create a public service announcement (PSA), the requirements include: A title screen which includes all group member s full names and video title The video should highlight your findings, data, and research, as well as your proposed solution An effective use of graphics and data should accompany live action/voice-over/etc. The movie should show your creativity and aesthetic abilities All group members must have equal active rolls in the production: voice, live action, editing, etc. If you create a social media presence, the requirements include: A fully developed account which resembles a company or institutional site The account should highlight your findings, data, and research, as well as your proposed solution both textually and visually. The account should show your creativity and aesthetic abilities The research papers and survey should be included in the website If you create an e-zine/e-newspaper/blog, the requirements include: A logical layout combining both graphics and narrative text The publication should show your creativity and aesthetic abilities Your publication should have a prominent title A fully developed page/multiple pages which resembles a company or institutional publication The research papers and survey should be included in the publication If you create an App (application), the requirements include: A functional or an application that simulates a functional app (visually). A logical layout combining both graphics and narrative text, with audio as appropriate The app should show your creativity and aesthetic abilities in design and layout A visually stimulating environment which resembles the conventions of commercially available apps The ability for members of the panel to navigate, demo, or fully access all pages
Page 6 Individual Survey Planning Worksheet Possible steps in survey: 1. Decide whether you will prepare a broad survey to find out areas of concern, or a survey on a specific issue, e.g. crime, 2. Choose the population (group of people) who will answer your survey, 3. Brainstorm possible questions, 4. Pick the best 5-10 questions, 5. Revise the questions to be concise and clear, 6. Determine how you obtain random members of the population to answer the survey, 7. Have at least 15 surveys completed individually with a total of 50 by the group, 8. Compile the data, and, 9. Analyze the data. My responsibilities are (be specific): My group will do the following: -What will they do? -How will they do it? -When will it be completed? I need to complete the following activities: -What will I do? -How will I do it? -When will it be completed?
Page 7 Proposed Solution
Page 8 Planning Worksheet continued
Page 9 Plagiarism Q: What is plagiarism? A: Many people think of plagiarism as copying another's work or borrowing someone else's original ideas. But terms like "copying" and "borrowing" can disguise the seriousness of the offense: According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, to "Plagiarize" means: to steal and pass off (the ideas or words of another) as one's own to use (another's production) without crediting the source to commit literary theft to present as new and original an idea or product derived from an existing source In other words, plagiarism is an act of fraud. It involves both stealing someone else's work and lying about it afterward. Q: But can words really be stolen? A: According to U.S. law, the answer is yes. The expression of original ideas is considered intellectual property and is protected by copyright laws, just like original inventions. Almost all forms of expression fall under copyright protection as long as they are recorded in some way (such as a book or a computer file). All of the following are considered plagiarism: Turning in someone else's work as your own Copying words or ideas from someone else without giving credit Failing to put a quotation in quotation marks Giving incorrect information about the source of a quotation Changing words but copying the sentence structure of a source without giving credit Copying so many words or ideas from a source that it makes up the majority of your work, whether you give credit or not (see our section on "fair use" rules) TIP: Most cases of plagiarism can be avoided by citing sources. Simply acknowledging that certain material has been borrowed and providing your audience with the information necessary to find that source is usually enough to prevent plagiarism. Don t forget: Inline/in-text/parenthetical citations should be utilized to credit works cited throughout your writing! CAUTION: All research papers will be scanned electronically by turnitin.com after you submit your project. This website scans your file for originality, copy/paste, and lists/links to all source material included in your work. source: http://www.plagiarism.org ***Students/groups found to have plagiarized will receive no credit for the Junior project and will not receive an Academy certificate senior year ***
Page 10 INDIVIDUAL RESEARCH PAPER RUBRIC *100-points possible over 10 categories (10-points maximum in each). POINTS 0-2 3-5 6-8 9-10 Score 1 THESIS STATEMENT Ill-defined or no thesis Vague or poorly defined thesis Focused, clear and coherent thesis statement Focused and insightful thesis statement 2 3 4 ORGANIZATION & DEVELOPMENT SUPPORT FOR IDEAS QUALITY OF INFORMATION Inadequate organization and/or development Inappropriate or insufficient details to support thesis Some organization evident, but inconsistent Includes some, but not adequate support for arguments Connects ideas within document and to other sources and ideas; points are logically developed and flow logically from one idea to the next Advances argument with sound evidence and references Effective organization contributes to full development of written presentation Information has little or nothing to do with the main topic. Information clearly relates to the main topic. No details and/or examples are given. Information clearly relates to the main topic. It provides 1-2 supporting details and/or examples. Expertly advances argument with well-researched evidence and documentation Information clearly relates to the main topic. It includes several supporting details and/or examples. 5 UNDERSTANDING OF TOPIC Demonstrates little or no understanding of topic Demonstrates some understanding of topic; does not make connections among ideas Moves beyond surface understanding, demonstrates facility with topic Demonstrates understanding of topic; makes links between various topics
Page 11 6 USE OF GRAMMAR Multiple errors in grammar, sentence structure, or spelling Occasional errors in grammar, sentence structure, or spelling Uses correct grammar, sentence structure, and spelling throughout document Readability enhanced by facility in language use, range of diction(word choice), and syntactic variety 7 MECHANICS Many grammatical, spelling, or punctuation errors. A few grammatical, spelling, or punctuation errors. Almost no grammatical, spelling, or punctuation errors. No grammatical, spelling, or punctuation errors. 8 FOLLOWS DIRECTIONS Off topic, improper format, too short Improper format, partly on topic minor format errors, mostly on topic, too long or too short Correct length and format (MLA); answers complete prompt 9 CITATIONS No inparagraph citations, and no little attempt at Works Cited Few inparagraph citations, and Works Cited with significant errors in MLA format Some, but not all, in-paragraph citations, and Works Cited with errors in MLA format Proper inparagraph citations and Works Cited in MLA format 10 WORKS CITED PAGE IN MLA FORMAT Limited adherence to MLA format style. Fewer than 5 works cited. Generally follows MLA style, with slight variation. At least 5 works cited. Some, but not all, works cited follow expected MLA format. At least 5 works cited. Completely and thoroughly demonstrates mastery of MLA format and style. At least 5 works cited. TOTAL POINTS:
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