I believe that this unit on explorers went extremely well.  Integration of technology greatly increased the amount of student interest in the topic.  Students spoke of their explorers in the first person throughout the schoolday and enjoyed learning more about them.  Students also enjoyed using the Internet to research their assigned explorers.  Some students were previously unfamiliar with the Internet and now surf with ease.

I had originally anticipated the project taking approximatly five days to complete.  As it turned out, it took more than ten days total.  I had assumed that students would be able to highlight their research print-outs without a formal lesson on highlighting.  This was not the case.  Therefore, a lesson on highlighting was added to the original plan.  I also had assumed that students would need two hour-long sittings to type their rough and final drafts on the computer.  Since this class has a full range of typing abilities, some needed three and even four days to complete these reports.

Overall, my students and I were extremely pleased with the results of this unit.  Students gained a new sense of confidence in using technology and in creating a project from start to finish.  I feel that my students will now be better prepared for the technology-rich world they live in.