Project Proposal

Introduction:

One of my favorite novels to teach in the World Literature class is Herman Hesse's novel Siddhartha. The project that I have in mind within the context of technological pedagogical content knowledge and the design of technologically enhanced learning environments is the creation of a website that explores the topics of this novel and that helps students to relate to it.

Common topics that students will be addressing are as follows:
* The search for spiritual enlightenment
* Inner vs. exterior guidance
* The wisdom of indirection
* The importance of experience
* The search for the meaning of life
* The hero and his quest
* The nature of desire
* The human condition as divine
* Asceticism
* Meditation
* Autonomy
* Alienation
* Rediscovery
* Loss

Problem Statement:

I have taught this novel perhaps six times in the past; however, I discovered that students have a very difficult time relating to it. This is due in part to the lack of exposure and familiarity that they have with the religions of Hinduism and Buddhism, in addition to the fact that the book is highly philosophical. I would like to design a website that helps students to master the background knowledge that is necessary in order to have a sophisticated understanding of the novel.

This novel is studied in the Indian Literature unit of the World Literature class. The prior knowledge that students will have pertains to the background information that is provided in the textbook on Indian history. The information in the text is rather limited, hence the need for further study. This project seeks to meet the technological needs of my students that I discovered in my Project Tomorrow research. Also, students will be using the experiences of Siddhartha in order to better understand their own life experiences. Likewise, I have found that my students are rather interested in religions other than their own, and this project will help to better familiarize them with Hinduism and Buddhism-- two religions that they are somewhat familiar with from what they already know from their own life experiences and from their studies in their Theology 12 class, a class that they are required to take in order to graduate and that covers polytheistic faiths. Additionally, this project will be connected to other areas of study in the World literature class, specifically to the following literary texts: Oedipus Rex, the Tao te Ching, the Zen parables, Sundiata, excerpts from the Mahabharata and the Ramayana, the Iliad, and the Aeneid.

Big Questions:

1. What are the basic premises of Buddhist thought?
2. What are the essential features of a religion?
3. How do a person's personal philosophic and religious beliefs shape her identity and affect her actions?
4. How does a person's life experiences shape who she is?
5. What is a spiritual quest?

General Objectives:

1. To discuss the need for faith & reflection
2. To describe the quest for contentment
3. To discuss the religious background of India
4. To outline the relationship between spiritual leader & disciple
5. To discuss the significance of harmony
6. To characterize altruism & idealism

Content Standards:

The learner will:
1. Use multiple resources to enhance comprehension of vocabulary.
2. Analyze & evaluate the five elements (e.g. plot, character, setting, point of view, & theme) in literary texts.
3. Explain ways characters confront similar situations & conflict.
4. Analyze how an author uses figurative language & literary techniques to shape plot, set meaning, & create style.
5. Compose reflective writings that balance reflections by using specific personal experiences to draw conclusions about life.
6. Use correct spelling, punctuation, capitalization, & grammatical conventions of the English language.
7. Compile, organize, & evaluate information, take notes, & summarize findings.
8. Use precise language, action verbs, sensory details, colorful modifiers, & style as appropriate to audience & purpose, & use techniques to convey a personal style & voice.
9. Use available technology to compose text.

Results:

* Project: This project requires that students choose quotations that reveal the character of Siddhartha and reflections that discuss the perceptions such a progression gives the reader about the nature and development of Siddhartha. Then students must reflect upon their own significant life experiences that have contributed to their growth as a person. In the past, this has been in booklet or in paper form. However, students will also have the option to choose a 2.0 web application that they would like to use for this project.
* Quiz
* Study guide/worksheets

Resources:

In order to create this website, I will need to find online scholarly resources that pertain to the novel, to Hinduism, and to Buddhism. Some resources that I have been able to find are as follows:

Buddhist studies website
Essentials of Buddhism
Introduction to Buddhism
Introduction to Hinduism
The history of Hinduism

Schedule:

I believe that I have a reasonable plan for completing the project on time. Typically, the Indian literature unit is studied during the sixth-seventh week of the semester, so I plan on implementing this project in April of 2010. Before then, I need to design this website, research scholarly websites, and create assessments (worksheets, quizzes, etc.) that allow for students to use the information that they learn and not just look for it.

Qualifications:

I believe that I have the qualifications to complete the project effectively. Since this is a novel that I have taught several times before, I am confident in my knowledge base in addition to my ability to find scholarly resources to help with the project's completion. However, I have never created a WebQuest before, so I will navigate what is referred to as the QuestGarden in order to familiarize myself with the WebQuest. Since the WebQuest requires a subscription, I would rather create an online environment on a website on my own design. Due to the expertise in creating websites that I have gained in this Educational Technology class, I am confident that I can create this website.