Project...will it work???

SO, I know this is late...oops! (But so is my electric bill! That's how frazzle brained I am right now!)

Anyway, I kind of wanted to blog about a project I want my sophomores to do with this mythology unit I am about to start. I haven't introduced them to it yet, so I still have time to change it a little bit if need be, but I wanted to see if my instructors had any thoughts.

I want for my sophomores to use technology to create a medium of presenting their knowledge to me. I realize this is more of a surface level use of technology, but I think that it forces the kiddos to go a little bit further with their technology skills than they have previously. The project will require all students to use computer software to create the project, which they will then email to me. Some possible formats/options the students will be able to pick from include (but I am open to other ideas) include:
1)MovieMaker (PC) and/or iMovie (Mac)—create a film or documentary
2)Publisher, Adobe PageMaker & Photoshop—create a magazine or newspaper
3)Kidspiration—create a series of graphic organizers turned into a easy-to-use guide for students
4)Website Design—create an informational website
5)PowerPoint—create a formal presentation
6)Micrsoft Word or Publisher to create a professional brochure

The students will have a set of objectives that I want them to prove to me that they understand in this format, which include:

• Guiding Question:
  --What meanings did myths about gods, goddesses, and heroes have for the ancient Greeks? What meanings do the Greek myths have for us today?
  
• Link between Gilgamesh and mythology:
  --How are they similar, how did Gilgamesh influence mythology, what common modern influence do they share?
  
• Learning Objectives:
  Learn, describe, and understand the basic plots of myths studied during unit.
  Learn, understand, and identify the three major themes in Greek myths:
  o Stories about heroes and adventure
  o Creation stories, or stories about “how it came to be”
  o Life lessons, or stories about consequences of unwise behavior
  Identify, learn, and understand the modern implications and relevancy of mythology, specifically related to:
  o Vocabulary derived from mythology
  o Cultural/Societal references to mythology (restaurants, festivals, movies, TV shows, cartoons, music) that make reference to, satirize, or do a creative take on mythology
  o References to mythology in both ancient and modern art
  o References to mythology in both ancient and modern literature and poetry

In addition they must include the following information:

• Written information/text à you must formally write explanations to answer the answers to some of the questions you project must answer/address (this cannot be information taken from other sources such as the Internet).
• Images/Photos à you must include photos, pictures, drawings, or other graphics that help illustrate your information. Must include a minimum of 6 images embedded in project (included the artwork image).
• Hyperlinks to websites à you must include a minimum of 3 hyperlinks that help illustrate your information. These sites could includes items such as maps, cultural information, images, sounds clips, film clips, government sites, etc.

I really think this project will go beyond a surface level use of technology, especially since the requirements will force the to seek information and media off of the Internet to prove they have an understanding of the objectives.

One question that I do have, is what about the kids who seriously struggle with technology skills. I plan to give them the option of working with a partner, and will encourage students who are not tech savy to do so. I will also give them a week in the lab to work on it (with a weekend of either side of that week). I am concerned about these students, still.