The lesson plan I chose to revamp is part of a five week language arts research project that I do with my fifth graders at the end of each year. Students choose a historical figure from 
the American Revolution to research, write an informational essay on their topic, and create a project to present to an audience.
Week 4 of this project (the project/presentation) is what I chose to revisit. In the past I have followed the model of having my students create a poster or digital presentation which would be presented to their classmates, though I’ve found this to be unmotivating& unengaging for students.
Revisiting week 4 now as an MAET student, I focused on incorporating creative thinking and developing a maker mindset. As authors Punya Mishra & The Deep-Play Research group describe, creative thought processes are becoming increasingly necessary in the 21st century (2012, p.14). In an effort to encourage creative thinking & a
maker mindset, I chose 3 new learning objectives: create a 3-5 minute video presentation on their topic, design a model of their topic, & use Aurasma to create a final presentation which will be shared with parents, teachers, & other classrooms during our American Revolution Museum. I chose the last objective, using Aurasma, to focus on for my lesson.
TPACK , which stands for Technological, Pedagogical, & Content Knowledge, is the framework I used to design my lesson. TPACK is the merging of technology, teaching 
method(s) & content that help teachers create effective lessons.
The learning outcome of this lesson is for students to synthesize their extensive research into a brief presentation on their topic, which is to be shared with an audience. They are expected to do this by creating a multimedia/visual project. This is the content.
I will use the instructional method ‘To-With-By.’ I will explain to my students that they will use Aurasma to complete their final project. I will go through an example with my students of how to create an Aura. Finally, my students will create their own Aura. I feel this is the best method when introducing something new, because students are eased into the new skill by being introduced to it, seeing an example, then doing it by themselves. This is the pedagogy.
I chose Aurasma because it is very similar to QR codes, which my students have both used and created before. Since they are familiar with something similar, my students will be able to make connections between Aurasma & their understanding of QR codes. They will also be challenged to think creatively by extending their understandings beyond the simplicity of QR codes. Aurasma involves different terminology and the new concept of Augmented Reality, though is very user-friendly. This is the technology.
Incorporating Aurasma will better suit the needs of my 21st century learners. My students will eventually enter a workforce where there is a constant need for creative thinking, a maker mindset & knowledge of technology. As teachers we need to also think creatively, in an effort to prepare our students with 21st century skills.
Natalie D'Amico 