Holy GuacaMOTEly! Check Out How NISD Students Are Using Mote

The word has gotten out about NISD’s newly purchased tool, Mote! Several 3-5 grade teams had the opportunity to dive in and learn all about this new extension in a PLC called, “Holy GuacaMOTEly.” Mote allows users to add audio to any Google item and in other places via a link, embed code, or QR code. While this may sound simple, we know that simple tools in the hands of great educators can lead to big results. After learning about Mote’s capabilities, our NISD teachers had amazing ideas for integrating Mote into their lessons and giving their students the opportunity to share their voice! This post highlights student use of Mote for literacy and writing.

Holy GuacaMOTEly PLC

Writing and Student Creativity: 

Mote provides students the ability to add a layer of personalization to their writing! Utilizing Mote also promotes fluency and allows our students to be creative. Several third grade classes have given students the opportunity to use Mote within their nonfiction writing. Take a look at what teachers had to say about Mote and listen to students from different campuses as they share their experience:

Click to Enlarge and See What Our Teachers are Saying

Student Nonfiction Slides

Click The Speaker to Hear Why These Students Love Mote: 

 Shourya

Stuti

Elijah

Ava

Justifying Thinking: 

Mrs. Turner decided Mote could be a great way for her students to justify and explain their thinking during Problem Solving. In this example, Mrs. Turner provided audio supports in slides for students and then asked them to not only solve the problem, but us Mote to justify their thinking. Mote held students accountable to knowing how they got their answer rather than simply having an answer.

Why Alexia Loves Mote

Persuasion and Collaboration: 

Mrs. After seeing this Tug of War template in PLC, Mrs. Swezy (4th grade at Granger Elementary) decided to have her students use Mote to practice persuasion. Each student recorded their stance on the topic "Four Leaf Clovers are Lucky" and moved their icon on a continuum of how much they agreed or disagreed with the statement. This was a quick activity, but it allowed students to practice choosing a side. Mote allows student to get their thoughts out and would be a great for a pre-write, or reflection. Students were also all on one slide, so they could listen to each other's responses. Mrs. Swezy had students replace the speaker icon with quick selfie, so she could quickly see where everyone fell.

Mote Helps Us with Instruction in NISD:

Click the Image to Enlarge

Join Us for Holy GuacaMOTEly this Summer:

Holy GuacaMOTEly will be offered at this year's NISD Engage conference, along with another opportunity in August. Come join us as we experience Mote firsthand, preview examples of Mote usage throughout NISD, explore ready-made templates, and share ideas. We’ll learn how to share voice notes via link, embed code, and QR code. We’ll also provide time for you to create experiences for your learners using Mote. 

Growing Beyond "Normal" with Digital Feedback

When Maya Angelou said, “If you are always trying to be normal you will never know how amazing you can be,” her intent was likely to address a different definition of “normal,” but her words are absolutely applicable in today’s schools. We are at a turning point as educators and the recent pandemic has to become less about us going back to “normal,” or where we were before, and more about embracing growth and creating new and better ways of doing things.

Educators everywhere have recently been impelled to adapt and find digital ways to give feedback to students. Some of those strategies have persisted and even prompted teachers like Cathy Slagle, a business pathway teacher at Eaton High School, to provide her students with immediate and relevant feedback on digital assessments by taking advantage of the answer feedback option in Google Forms quizzes. This feature allows teachers to add comments, instructions, embedded videos, or links to previous course resources so that students can review missed concepts and even extend their learning.

Craig Hardin, another Eaton High School educator, uses Google Slides with his athletes as a creative way to review performance and prepare for upcoming competitions. Coach Hardin recently learned about the comment features in Google Workspace and has begun using written comments to provide timely, meaningful, consolidated, and personalized feedback to his athletes. Coach Hardin says that the team has found this extremely valuable for post-game reflection and says using this strategy for giving student feedback is saving him hours each week as he works individually with athletes in an easier to manage digital platform.

Patricia Smith in Eaton’s Business Management and Entrepreneurship Academy stated that she is “very excited to try out Mote,” an audio recording tool, as a different way to provide feedback for her Academy students. Not only is she using Mote to help record feedback for her students as part of an upcoming assignment but she is also having her students use it in Google assignments to comment and reflect on their work and provide peer feedback within their groups. Using resources like Mote allows teachers the ability to spend less time grading by hand and also engages the students directly in the feedback process. By incorporating a digital feedback resource into her lessons, Mrs. Smith has saved herself valuable time and empowered her students to become more active in the learning process.

Over the course of the last year, as responsibilities and approaches to classroom instruction have been forced to evolve, each of these educators are meeting their classroom needs by adapting the ways they give students feedback. These efforts not only save them time, in comparison to traditional forms of feedback, but the strategies implemented have provided their students with timely, meaningful, and actionable feedback that can be used for reflection and growth, allowing both teachers and students to spend more time creating and learning and realizing “how amazing they can be.”

Elevating Student Learning with Technology Integration Academy

Goodbye one-size-fits-all lesson! See ya to an old mindset of technology use automatically equaling a higher level learning experience! 

HELLO personalized, needs-based & interests-based, choice-filled, differentiated, self-paced instruction! Technology Integration Academy meets teachers, administrators, and librarians where they are with technology integration and provides tangible resources and intentional modeling to elevate experiences for their unique learners. 

"But I'm already using technology in my classroom. Can I be exempt?" One of the best parts of TIA is that it is structured to grow EVERY learner from their current experience as choice is embedded in every module to provide a meaningful and tailored PD. Rather than providing a skills-based checklist where everyone meets the same end-goal, in this growth-mindset course, there is no technology proficiency ceiling, so the sky is the limit with possibilities that meet individual comfort levels. 

A primary goal of TIA is to highlight that technology usage itself does not elevate the learning experience; rather, it focuses on what students are being asked to do with the technology. Listing ideas on a Google Doc might have it's place in the lesson cycle, but are there also opportunities to publish to a larger audience, digitally collaborate outside the walls of the classroom, choose a personalized path or product, or create using higher level thinking? Focusing on the cognitive demand of the task helps to shift the focus from "Does this lesson have an element of technology" to "How can I pick the right technology platform to meet the intended learning goal?" 

The course content is structured around digital learning platforms we support in Northwest ISD, such as Learning Management Systems by grade level and the suite of apps in Google Workspace, accompanied by high impact instructional practices, like collaboration, creation, critical thinking, choice, reflection, and goal setting which are modeled in the course design and supported by participation requirements.

Take a look at some examples to explore the original prompt for various modules paired with unique creations and perspectives that develop as a result of choice, ownership, and collaboration.

 

To solidify new learning and identify actions steps moving forward, participants have a variety reflection opportunities in final module. Here are a few takeaways from the Spring 2021 TIA Cohort:

• I have really liked exploring the different opportunities for choice and differentiation throughout this course. It has been nice to be able to pick according to my learning level and not have to be able to review things I have already learned. Another aspect I have enjoyed from this course is being able to be reflective and set goals on how I want to grow in the future. I want to try to incorporate more technology especially with goal setting and student choice. - Elementary Interventionist
• Opportunities for Choice and Differentiation - I've come to realize that technology can play a significant role in the efficiency of differentiation. Meaningful Technology Integration - Technology is more than just assigning a google doc for the students to complete and submit. It can be collaborative and used to help students connect and enhance their learning. -7th Grade Science Teacher
• I thought it was important to review SAMR and take a reflective look at the technology integration that I currently use in the classroom. I noticed that most technology I use is on the lower end of SAMR, so I've set a goal of looking at the technology use that allows for even more learning involvement for the students. My goals for moving forward also include being more productive with technology use in the classroom (like using the iPad to be more mobile and keep track of student progress), and for parent communication. -5th Grade ELA/SS Teacher
• I will say that there are SO many options when it comes to technology use in the classroom. I was amazed at how many choices we have as teachers that are made available to us. My biggest plan is to use the technology to engage my students with presentations. I also want to really start using the IPAD for Doceri so I can walk around my room more. - High School CTE Teacher

Ready to take your technology integration to the next level? 

Enroll in the Summer 2021 TIA cohort today! The course content is available June 1st - August 8th, 2021.

For more information, visit these Technology Proficiency FAQs.

At Northwest ISD, we believe technology enables us to extend our reach and become more effective, relevant, and connected educators. We strive to use technology as a tool that engages our students at high cognitive levels, and this course is designed to reflect that philosophy in every way. This is important because NISD educators are expected to design, implement, and assess learning experiences to engage students and prepare them to be competitive and successful in a global marketplace.

Adapting to a New Technological Environment

While biological adaptation happens due to environmental stressors over long periods of time, mental and social adaptations can happen much faster under certain conditions. What we are currently witnessing in relation to teaching and learning is a change that not only shows what we, as humans, are capable of but also the degree to which our schools are capable of serving students. While education reform seems somewhat out of reach most days, times like this, although unfortunate in many ways, can force our constructs and viewpoints to change and ultimately result in natural and positive reforms. Dr. Derek Voiles put it best in a recent tweet when he said, “The schools we walked out of won’t be the same schools we walk back into when this is all over. Our schools won’t just be different, they’ll be better.”


Northwest ISD is fortunate to have many resources already in place to help make our staff and students successful during times like this. However, the particular challenge brought about by Covid-19 has shined a light on areas of need and allowed us to take steps to help improve things like online access, technology training, and remote communication. In addition, educators in our district have been given the challenge of using this time to really focus on student relationships, learning, and growth in very innovative ways.

Math typically takes a lot of practice and, traditionally, practice looks a lot like plugging away with a pencil, paper, and a calculator to work out a solution. While that pencil and paper practice is an important part of understanding the way math works, NISD Algebra II teachers took it a step further by trying their hands at an app called Explain Everything on the iPad where they smashed it together with Zoom to create incredible videos that bring calculations off the page for students.

In addition, Becky Spasic and Carla Dalton, at Byron Nelson High School, took this opportunity to share their knowledge of this app with fellow teachers by using it to create a “how to” video for implementing this strategy in a remote classroom setting. This strategy is one that adds an element of comfort and personalization to remote instruction while also helping students approach content from a variety of platforms.

When NISD teachers began looking at the shift to remote learning, many wondered how elementary students would be able to learn without being physically present with their teacher and classmates. How could our youngest children possibly manage their own learning tasks? It became apparent very quickly that most of our elementary teachers were teaching a level of independent learning prior to the break and that many of these students were able to adapt very quickly to a remote situation.

Seeing third grade students manipulate Google Slides and Google Drawings to illustrate understanding of ecosystems and food chains is truly an amazing process to watch and it almost makes you forget that you are watching eight and nine year olds as they move adeptly from one application to another while happily finding ways to showcase their knowledge. The teams of teachers creating these lessons know their students, know their capabilities, and have prepared their students to be self-sufficient learners.

Although the changes in the trajectory of society due to Covid-19 are some that we will be navigating for years to come, the world of education is one that is capable of mastering this shift and the obstacles that come with it. Educators are meeting this challenge head on with every bit of creativity and determination they have for the sake of their students. Some critics are predicting that this change will automate learning in a way that will make teaching an obsolete profession. However, through this, we are not only learning how much technology can help produce student independence but we are also learning how necessary human beings are in making the use of these tools relevant to learning and student success. Without previously established expectations and student relationships, these teachers would be dealing with completely different results. Educators are a necessary element to making learning meaningful for each and every one of their students and they cannot be replaced by technology. Circumstances like this will only enhance skills of both teachers and their students and everyone will grow as a result.

Book Snaps: Snapping for Reading

Walking into Mrs. Guy’s classroom is such a delight. She has set a goal to take risks this year and try new things that enhance student learning outcomes. With that goal, she is committed to incorporating relevant technology into her lessons to help students reach her yearly student learning objective, or SLO.

Mrs. Guy wrote, “When developing my SLO I noticed that students demonstrated weakness in the area of critically thinking about reading and that students had difficulty drawing conclusions with logical text evidence. This lead me to create my SLO as follows: When reading, students will draw conclusions, evaluate relationships within texts and provide text evidence to support their conclusions. Shelly brought the idea of book snaps as a way to have students showcase their evidence, so I introduced book snaps in one of my reading skills groups.”

#BookSnaps are a digital representation of the text with annotation. Mrs. Guy’s 3rd graders were given the task of choosing one difference from schools in the past and schools now in their reading skills group. They also used book snaps to showcase their favorite book with evidence on why they choose that book. Mrs. Guy said, “In my opinion, it is more than just a reading response. It is hits our SLO by having the student frame exact book evidence to support their answer in a way that interests them.”

Tyler said, "Books Snaps are fun, you can use them to tell about your favorite book.

Book Snaps is a great a way for students to find text evidence and make connections with their reading. Taking risks and finding relevant ways to get your kids learning and reaching goals is invaluable. By using Book Snaps and other useful technology integration tools, they can reach their learning goals easily and more often!

Technology Tackles Tricky Standards

Over the past few years, Texas math teachers have been challenged with updated TEKS.  One of the new standards (4.5 A) requires students to utilize strip diagrams to represent their work.  Strip Diagrams can be difficult for students to comprehend without a clear visual representation. Mrs. Mooneyham, teacher at J.C. Thompson Elementary, met this challenge head on and turned to technology for help teaching students about the valuable strategy.  

In this 4th grade classroom, students spent several weeks utilizing strip diagrams to decode and represent word problems.  As a way for students to showcase what they had learned, the teacher created a Google Slides presentation with an individual slide assigned to each student in the class. On the first slide, students were presented with a word problem and asked to solve the equation using a strip diagram.  





Students were provided Thinking Blocks from the Math Playground website as a resource to create their strip diagrams. Once completed, students took a screenshot of their diagrams and added it to their slide, along with a written justification of their thinking.  An example can be seen to the left.

Mrs. Mooneyham always strives to provide students more opportunities for written feedback.  To take this activity deeper, students were asked to look at the work of one of their classmates and use the comment feature of Google Slides to ask questions and/or provide meaningful feedback to one another.  Feedback from the teacher was also given in the same way.  Mrs. Mooneyham found this piece especially valuable stating, “Students took giving and receiving feedback very seriously. They were able to see multiple ways to represent the problem using strip diagrams and were exposed to a lot of great feedback that would be lacking in a notebook.”

Through this learning experience, students were able to further develop their problem solving, collaboration, and critical thinking skills.  The integration of technology into this lesson, increased engagement and deepened the level of learning.  Natalie, a student in the class, enjoyed this experience. “I liked how we got use this cool app that helped me understand strip diagrams.  The technology gave me the opportunity to do something outside of our other work.”  Thinking outside the box and looking to the vast array of resources available through technology, took this seemingly simple lesson to the next level.

Technology is Making a Big Impact

Google Sheet Learning Journal with Peer Feedback

How did technology influence, impact or change _______? 6th grade students in Mrs. Wilsie's Tech Apps class at Tidwell Middle School were tasked with this question and got to fill in the blank with the topic of their choice. They soon realized that keeping up with their ideas, sources, and summaries would be a big task!

The Tech Apps class has had many opportunities to utilize their Google Drive this year. This project, however, revealed that Google Sheets could be more than a place for numbers. Mrs. Wilsie found a resource to share with students that allowed them to organize their research and thoughts in different columns and tabs. After a few days of research, students shared their sheet with a small group to gather feedback on their progress. They then used the feedback to go back and fill in gaps.

Aryi wants to be a dermatologist, so she chose to research how technology has influenced the medical world. She's especially enjoying using Google Sheets for the learning journal. "The learning journal was very helpful. When I use technology for projects, it’s usually not very organized, so I go back to using paper. The learning journal showed me how to organize my information." She added, "I got to write out what I had learned in the different columns which was good because it kept me from just pasting a bunch of research in one place." Another student, Brody, points out, "I like using this because it’s an easy way to track your data. The sheet keeps up with the dates for us, so that we can go back and find them. I also like that I can have group members comment on my research." 

Students using a variety of tools from the
Tools That Make IT Click Blog to
create their final presentation

Another neat aspect of this project, is the amount of choice involved. Now that the research is complete, students are grouped based on their research topic. They will be putting together a presentation for the class on their research. Students are using the Tools That Make IT Click Database to get ideas. Brody comments, "We went through the tools and saw Emaze. I have used it once before and we chose it because we think that we can embed our different projects within the slides." 

Tatum is doing her research on Quantum Physics and is presenting her information in a Google Site. She wants to take something big and outside of the box and make it easier for others to understand. Another student LiLi is creating a PowToon video for her presentation. "I’ve never used it before, but it looks like a cartoon and I think my class would enjoy watching this." 

Students will be presenting their research presentations to the class this week. According to their research, technology has influenced many different areas of life, but it has also made a BIG impact on these Tech Apps students who get to try new tools and learn new skills daily!

EXTRA! EXTRA! Read All About IT Online!

The Byron Nelson High School newspaper The Paw Print has taken off this year and found themselves in the clouds, or rather, THE cloud. By utilizing Google Docs and Google Drive this year in the classroom they have streamlined their writing and editing process and allowed for better management of their newspaper. Their teacher, Tammy Litchfield, has pushed the students to adjust to using this digital method of data sharing and editing. "The best thing is the immediacy of it," says Tammy. "Editing is instant, feedback is instant, and everything is expedited. We can get things done quickly and in real time."

Oliver, one of the newspaper's co-editors in chief, breaks down the process the students use when creating a new article. "First, the author types his story into a Google Doc which is shared with the editors and teacher. The copy editor then suggests grammatical and formatting corrections in the doc by making comments or highlighting errors. The author is notified by the document that it has been edited, so they fix any errors after discussing them with the copy editor. Then they notify the editor in chief that it is ready for review.  The editor adds content comments and addition edits and collaborates with the author to finalize the article. Once this process is complete the doc is then accessed by the design editor who places the finished article into its proper place using Adobe InDesign." The teacher can go in at any point during this process and interact in the same way, using Google Drive's comment system to leave suggestions and notify contributors.  As Oliver said, "It's way better than using email, the comments in docs are amazing and have really streamlined our process.  We can edit and work in real time. It's really a step forward to go fully online and better facilitate the process."

Not only has Google Drive revolutionized the newspaper's creation process, but it is also helping to facilitate their plans for having a fully online print version of the newspaper next year. Sarah, the section editor, just finished designing and creating the new Paw Print website that will host the online version of the paper next year. "The online version will be checked more than print and give us the opportunity to stay on top of the news," said Sarah.  Thomas, the Social Media Director, says that the online version "will sync with our Twitter account, @thePawPrintBNHS, so we can tweet out new stories as they are added."

The newspaper team here at Byron Nelson High School envisions a more interactive and modern type of paper, one that will be highly visible to students, teachers, and parents alike.  They have made some huge leaps forward in taking the paper to the next level digitally, and those improvements will continue into next year. With the Paw Print now in the cloud, the sky's the limit on how far they can go.

Choice is Voice!

For students, having a choice in their day-to-day learning is huge. Choice gives them a voice of their own to express what they are learning and to showcase it. By combining technology with students choices, you can empower students and allow them to increase their learning and ownership of the classroom. Student choice is most effective when teachers provide clear, simple options and if appropriate, leave room for kids to change their minds so that they can explore and learn.

Mrs. Famigletti's 7th Grade Pre-AP Science classroom at Medlin Middle School is an example where both technology use and student choice is evident on a regular basis. While assignments and projects often have clear guidelines for a final product, the method of creating that product is generally theirs to choose. For example, this past week the class had a two day assignment where the goal was to create an energy diagram of consumers and producers in the natural ecosystem around the school. For the first day of the assignment, students took pictures using their tablets or their phones, properly identified their place in the energy pyramid, and then uploaded these on a Padlet wall.

Created with Padlet

On the second day, students formed groups and created an energy diagram with three energy pyramids from the pictures on the Padlet wall. Students got to choose which platform they would use to create their diagram.  They could create their diagram digitally using a new program or one of the programs they've used in the past, or draw it on poster paper. The group of Miles, Daniel and Edward said they "appreciate that we have a choice to use programs that are more user-friendly, or that we are more comfortable with. We like having the option of how we are going to work."  Their group began using Microsoft Publisher 2016 but then opted to use a poster instead, showcasing not only their power to choose but also the ability to change their mind about how they were creating their own project. Another student opted to use Microsoft Word to create his energy pyramids and then uploaded them to Smore to present them. Another group decided to use Google Docs and Google Drawings to collaborate and draw their diagram together. Even groups who opted to use posters had their tablets or phones open to access the pictures via Padlet and class notes via Moodle while creating their diagrams. Morgan, a student in a group making a poster, explained to me that "we use digital stuff all the time in our class, but sometimes it's easier to just draw or make something with our hands."  The option to choose is not lost on these students and they are appreciative of it.

Check out the pictures and links below to see their work in action! The choice is yours and that is what's important!

How to Succeed in Virtual Business Without Really Trying

This year in Northwest ISD marked the opening of V.R. Eaton High School, and with it the Academy of Business Management and Entrepreneurship (BME).  This means this is the last year for the flagship Virtual Enterprises International (VEI) class to be held at Byron Nelson High School.  Since this class deals with the creation and management of a "real" business in a virtual world, it will be moving to the BME Academy after this year.  VEI is a program where students learn about business by creating their own business in their classrooms, as shown in their video below:

About Virtual Enterprises International from VE International on Vimeo.


At Byron Nelson High School, currently the only school in Texas with a VEI course, Mr. Browarski's class has taken to this task like a fish to water.  They have taken a vision of a business and made it a working machine.  From payroll to HR, social media accounts to corporate webpages, marketing to online virtual marketplaces, their company Salubre has grown in leaps and bounds.  Check out their story and success at www.ve-salubre.com.


What this group of students has done is more than just create a website.  They have created a business plan based on market research and models.  They have a team divided into departments to handle all the responsibilities a real company would have to face.  Students Ethan Langley and David Ryan, the Salubre Financial Team, discuss some of the intricacies of their company.  "Essentially there are all the facets of a real life company.  We keep track of the finances related to running our business, from sales and shipments to operating costs such as food, insurance, and utilities."  The work each group in the company has assigned to them is not random, as David explained. "Each department has a specific set of tasks to perform during the course of the school year, including using our personal pay from the company to invest in or buy merchandise from other VEI companies (schools) around the country to keep their companies in business."

The creative and marketing team members describe how they went about creating all of this.  The amount of software applications and skills that the team members have had to learn, often on their own initiative, is staggering. "We had to create logos, banners, catalog designs, web designs, all kinds of stuff," said Nathan Sokul from the creative team. "Primarily we use Adobe Illustrator, Indesign, Lightroom, and Photoshop.  If we didn't know how to use something we had to figure it out for ourselves.  I learned most of these during class by looking up video tutorials on YouTube or Lynda."  Hayden Rivers, part of the marketing team, said they used Wix to create the website and then linked it to Google Analytics to continuously assess their company's exposure.  "We have to do industry analysis by checking out prominent companies and looking at our VEI competitors."  They also use Google Docs and Google Drive to organize and collaborate within the company.  "Honestly, without this type of instant collaboration, this couldn't be done" says Hayden.  "With the plethora of videos and guides available to teach yourself, and such easy access to free and cheap software, it makes all this possible."

Mr. Browarski's class is special.  It's special because it isn't really a class at all: it's a business. A business developed and run by students.  A business that is connected to and collaborates with other businesses both locally and globally.  A business that has taught them life-long lessons by helping them to develop skills they can use as they enter the real business world.  A business that has taught them how to succeed.

Designing an ER: A Medically Sound Project

We've all been to an emergency room at one time or another, either for ourselves or for someone else, and we all know what to expect: reception area, waiting room, medical facilities, etc.  But did you know that every last detail is painstakingly considered during the design of an ER, even down to the color of paint on the wall?  This is something that students at Byron Nelson High School recently discovered during their work on a project to design an emergency room from the ground up.

Students in the Academy of Biomedical Sciences (ABS) collaborated with students in the advanced Architecture class in order to create a 3D design of a an emergency room, taking into account all the medical and physical requirements that an ER needs to function.  The project began with the ABS students, who had to use their knowledge of medical sciences to plan an emergency room that would be streamlined and effective from a medical standpoint.  Using Google research tools, they figured out all of the necessary data, including measurements, medical hardware, furniture, facility necessities, etc.  "It was way more intricate than we were aware," said ABS student Matthew.  "Once we began researching we realized the level of detail was incredible."

In order to keep up with all the design ideas and collaborate with one another, one of the groups decided to use a Pinterest board as a tool.  ABS students Rasia told me that it "made it easier to see each other's thoughts and ideas; it helped us design the ER without having to meet all the time."  In addition to structural design, the group incorporated new technology advancements into their plans.  Breakthroughs such as facial recognition software and high tech wristbands for easier patient identification make for a better functioning ER, as shown in the group's Google Slides presentation:

Once the ABS students finished collecting data and design requirements, they sent the data along with basic sketches to the advanced architecture students.  These students then worked with the ABS group to construct a 3D computer model with their architecture software according to the specifications of the group.  Architecture students had to incorporate necessary changes to make the design more functional or to make it structurally sound.  Once the design was agreed upon, the 3D designs were rendered by modeling software.  These models, as well as the project in detail, can be seen on the architecture program's Standards Based Bulletin Board:

In the end, the project was a great success.  By utilizing useful tools like Google research, Pinterest, 3D modeling software, and Google Slides, groups were able to communicate and collaborate on a design for a newer, better emergency room. Students like Rasia walked away from this project with a greater appreciation not only for each other's classes, but also for emergency rooms and the planning that goes into creating one.  "With no limits to our innovations and designs I believe our team was able to execute to the best of our abilities... I was able to learn much more about an ER than I ever have, and I certainly have way more respect and appreciation into all the aspects relating to an ER and how they are made."