Bring It Home: As a current educator of adults and a future educator of teenagers, I feel that I have made a journey after reading this book. I allowed my students to be consumers instead of giving them that extra nudge to be producers. I was also reminded that before I can be as effective as I need to be as an educator, I must remain current with the newest technological advances. The section in this book entitled “Expanding Your Circle” was very beneficial to me. In the past, I have not allowed my students to lead. Students are capable of leading when given the opportunity. My future students will be producers. They will have a more hands-on experience within their own educational experience. They will use technology even more to connect and share ideas with others. This book was very beneficial, and I will become a better educator as a result of the knowledge that I gained through reading Reinventing Project-Based Learning.
Boss, S. & Kraus, J. (2007). Reinventing Project-Based Learning. International Society for Technology in Education. pp. 159-164.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Celebrating and Reflecting
Celebrating and Reflecting: Reflection is a key element in the learning process. Students are given the opportunity to reflect at the end of each class session. Reflection is meaning to each student because they must relate the assignment to some aspect of their lives. My students are asked, “How can you use what you learned today in some aspect of your life? What skills did you use? What did you learn today that you didn’t know yesterday or prior to enter this class?” Students must take their educational experience as a personal journey. Blogs and podcasts are well-suited to capture reflection. Students will be encouraged to use blogs and other digital tools to reflect upon their learning experience. Aside from reflection, it is important to celebrate what they have learned. Projects and other assessments will have a tangible outcome in which students’ work will be displayed. I’m an advocate of hosting socials which serves as the opportunity to showcase the work of my students. In the past, I taught a course entitled Administrative Technology and Support. The entire class was given a project in which they were required to use technology to carry out this assignment. Once all of the details were finalized, the students were able to host a luncheon they designed, and they were able to showcase their work to other teachers, students, parents, etc… Celebrating is always a key element in praising students for their accomplishments and motivating them to continue to make positive contributions to their learning experience.
Boss, S. & Kraus, J. (2007). Reinventing Project-Based Learning. International Society for Technology in Education. pp. 147-155.
Boss, S. & Kraus, J. (2007). Reinventing Project-Based Learning. International Society for Technology in Education. pp. 147-155.
Expanding Your Circle
Building Connections and Branching Out: Digital tools are important for students to connect and share ideas with others who may be geographically distant from their school. To make the most of this experience, there must be a database of experts in the required field of study who are willing to offer their expertise. This database would include experts from other schools, colleges and universities, parents of some of my students, etc… Furthermore, students would have the opportunity to practice interacting via digital tools through simulations within the class. This would provide the opportunity for students to become more familiar with the process and with asking questions. Therefore, when the students are allowed to interact with the experts, they will make the most effective use of their time as well as our experts’ time. The Flat Classroom Project was another example of using digital tools to connect and share ideas. My students would have had the same reaction as Julie Lindsay and Vicki Davis’ students. In my past experiences as an educator, I have found that students go the extra mile, and they take a great deal of pride in their work when they know that others are observing them for doing something positive. The EAST Initiative Model is another example of using digital tools within the classroom. This model is built on the following essential ideas: student-driven learning, authentic project-based learning, technology as tools, and collaboration. If these ideas were incorporated into our current learning environment, these ideas would have an impact on the student learning experience. Students should take more of an active role in their learning experience. Students should able to take a hands-on approach in attempting to address a problem that is in their community. Again, in my past teaching experiences, I have found that students are more motivated when they understand why they are doing a specific task, how they will accomplish the task, and how the completion of the task will benefit them.
Making Assessment Meaningful: Though Elise Mueller says that it’s better to be a producer, my past students have more than likely been more familiar with being consumers. With today’s current educational system, it is important to allow students to lead. They must take a more active role in their education experience. Therefore, my future students will become producers. Each student learns at different rates, and they will travel at different speeds along the journey of education. The measure of the distance each student travels as a learner may be viewed through project-based learning in which a project may be assigned that tests students’ knowledge on specific learning goals. Furthermore, this progress can be determined through observations of students during the class. The conversation during group assignments may have transformed since a prior point in time. Students who didn’t have much to say may speak out a little more now because they are more comfortable with the material. Various assessments may be given to determine individual gains of each student.
Boss, S. & Kraus, J. (2007). Reinventing Project-Based Learning. International Society for Technology in Education. pp. 127-145.
Making Assessment Meaningful: Though Elise Mueller says that it’s better to be a producer, my past students have more than likely been more familiar with being consumers. With today’s current educational system, it is important to allow students to lead. They must take a more active role in their education experience. Therefore, my future students will become producers. Each student learns at different rates, and they will travel at different speeds along the journey of education. The measure of the distance each student travels as a learner may be viewed through project-based learning in which a project may be assigned that tests students’ knowledge on specific learning goals. Furthermore, this progress can be determined through observations of students during the class. The conversation during group assignments may have transformed since a prior point in time. Students who didn’t have much to say may speak out a little more now because they are more comfortable with the material. Various assessments may be given to determine individual gains of each student.
Boss, S. & Kraus, J. (2007). Reinventing Project-Based Learning. International Society for Technology in Education. pp. 127-145.
Monday, March 1, 2010
Navigating the Learning Experience
Project Launch-Implementation Strategies: Chapter 6 presented many good ideas in terms of developing rubrics and strategies to effective teaching. I briefly worked in the secondary education system; however, I never allowed my students to participate in developing rubrics for assessments. The K-W-L approach appears to be an excellent approach. In contrast to my previous experience in the classroom, I have never fully implemented the K-W-L activity. This activity may have been effective in my classroom. The text discusses how Vicki Davis taught a particular subject for a year before a completing a project using what the student learned. This step is vital to ensure that students fully understand the subject matter prior to completing a project using this information. The analogy that was made to the approach of learning to drive was relevant. This example put the learning process in a better perspective for me. We as teachers must ensure that our students fully understand and can effectively apply what they are taught. Therefore, ample time should be spent on teaching the fundamentals and ensuring they have a full understanding of the information. In the future, I will ensure that I focus on building my students’ foundation skills. In projects that I’ve given in the past, I did very little to ensure that my students understood the fundamentals of the project that was assigned. It is difficult for the student to complete a project in which he must use Microsoft Word when he has never used this program. Foundation skills will be a fundamental part of the lesson for my classes prior to assigning any project.
A Guiding Hand - Keeping a Project Moving: What is the art of teaching? The art of teaching refers to individual and how that individual effectively teaches the subject matter for that course to his students. The art of teaching also refers to the teacher’s interaction with students, the teacher’s compassion for his students, and his willingness to go above and beyond to ensure his students are learning. It takes a special person to be a teacher. Teachers understand that not all students learn in the same manner. Therefore, various approaches must be taken to convey the information to all students. Sometimes students may be assigned to work in groups in which various dialogue takes place. One method that I use to keep my students on track is to provide guiding questions for their dialogue. The text mentions higher-order questions. Higher-order questions lead the students to think deeper about subject matter being presented. Furthermore, providing the students with questions helps to keep the students focused. Student-to-student dialogue has been effective in my past experiences because it provides the students to chance to share their ideas with their classmates away from a large setting. Some students are reluctant to share within large classroom settings. Furthermore, I circulate the classroom to monitor each conversation to ensure dialogue is conducted in a respectful manner. Sharing ideas is beneficial, but it requires a great deal of respect on everyone’s part.
Boss, S. & Kraus, J. (2007). Reinventing Project-Based Learning. International Society for Technology in Education. pp. 95-124.
A Guiding Hand - Keeping a Project Moving: What is the art of teaching? The art of teaching refers to individual and how that individual effectively teaches the subject matter for that course to his students. The art of teaching also refers to the teacher’s interaction with students, the teacher’s compassion for his students, and his willingness to go above and beyond to ensure his students are learning. It takes a special person to be a teacher. Teachers understand that not all students learn in the same manner. Therefore, various approaches must be taken to convey the information to all students. Sometimes students may be assigned to work in groups in which various dialogue takes place. One method that I use to keep my students on track is to provide guiding questions for their dialogue. The text mentions higher-order questions. Higher-order questions lead the students to think deeper about subject matter being presented. Furthermore, providing the students with questions helps to keep the students focused. Student-to-student dialogue has been effective in my past experiences because it provides the students to chance to share their ideas with their classmates away from a large setting. Some students are reluctant to share within large classroom settings. Furthermore, I circulate the classroom to monitor each conversation to ensure dialogue is conducted in a respectful manner. Sharing ideas is beneficial, but it requires a great deal of respect on everyone’s part.
Boss, S. & Kraus, J. (2007). Reinventing Project-Based Learning. International Society for Technology in Education. pp. 95-124.
Monday, February 15, 2010
Reinventing Project-Based Learning Chapters 3-5
Howard Rheingold Interview (http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/1033294): In the Howard Rheingold Interview, he mentions that we should “find people we can learn from and with.” Continuous growth is a vital part of not only the education field, but it’s also a vital part of life. To continue to offer the best educational experience to our students we should collaborate with other teachers in our area as well as other areas. This aspect further prepares our students for life after the secondary education system.
Imagining the Possibilities: My concern is that our students leave the secondary education system unprepared for the “real world”. Students need to understand the basics as it pertains to effectively and efficiently managing a bank account, being able to budget and pay bills, etc. Therefore, a project that I have contemplated and attempted to execute dealt with “real life” budgeting. This project entails critical thinking, decision making, problem solving, etc… Students are required to research various occupations to include the average salary for that occupation. Furthermore, students are required to list the bills they will have and the budgeted amount for those bills. Based on their research, they must identify ways to pay these bills using the wages for the occupation they researched. This research would be attained through performing research via the digital tools, the Internet, and the Web 2.0.
Strategies for Discovery: I integrate technology into any lesson that I teach whether it’s in the workplace, in the church setting, etc. I have encountered the pitfall that relates to technology layered over traditional practice. I overcame this pitfall through first identifying the desired learning outcomes. Through first identifying the learning outcomes, this ensures that the project is meaningful and not just a “dressed up version of a research report” (boss & Krauss, 2007, pg. 61). Furthermore, students are required to collaborate with other groups. These are steps that I am taking to overcome this pitfall; however, I will continue to find other ways to resolve this pitfall. Optimal ambiguity is important in terms of project based learning. I’ve found that in my classes, students respond to projects better when the projects are structured. However, students should have the flexibility to use their creativity to achieve the desired outcome. Students have also responded better when they were able to make adjustments while still arriving at the desired outcome. In my past experiences, students responded better when they have a certain level of autonomy or flexibility when completing projects.
Project Management Strategies for Teachers and Learners: In my past experiences, my students have had problems in the following areas: time management, communication, collaboration, effective use of resources, and troubleshooting. In the past, I have gathered this information through monitoring, observing, interacting, and analyzing. Students are normally given a timeline by which to complete their project. They are encouraged to monitor their own progress. In terms of project management with technology, I found the need of assessment tools and strategies to be the most desirable. There must be a way to gauge whether students are working productively and accomplishing project goals. Furthermore, there must be a way to assess the load balance within a team so no individuals end up doing too much or too little. There are many aspects that must be addressed through project-based learning, but the experience is a valuable asset to our students.
Boss, S. & Kraus, J. (2007). Reinventing Project-Based Learning. International Society for Technology in Education. pp. 43-91.
Imagining the Possibilities: My concern is that our students leave the secondary education system unprepared for the “real world”. Students need to understand the basics as it pertains to effectively and efficiently managing a bank account, being able to budget and pay bills, etc. Therefore, a project that I have contemplated and attempted to execute dealt with “real life” budgeting. This project entails critical thinking, decision making, problem solving, etc… Students are required to research various occupations to include the average salary for that occupation. Furthermore, students are required to list the bills they will have and the budgeted amount for those bills. Based on their research, they must identify ways to pay these bills using the wages for the occupation they researched. This research would be attained through performing research via the digital tools, the Internet, and the Web 2.0.
Strategies for Discovery: I integrate technology into any lesson that I teach whether it’s in the workplace, in the church setting, etc. I have encountered the pitfall that relates to technology layered over traditional practice. I overcame this pitfall through first identifying the desired learning outcomes. Through first identifying the learning outcomes, this ensures that the project is meaningful and not just a “dressed up version of a research report” (boss & Krauss, 2007, pg. 61). Furthermore, students are required to collaborate with other groups. These are steps that I am taking to overcome this pitfall; however, I will continue to find other ways to resolve this pitfall. Optimal ambiguity is important in terms of project based learning. I’ve found that in my classes, students respond to projects better when the projects are structured. However, students should have the flexibility to use their creativity to achieve the desired outcome. Students have also responded better when they were able to make adjustments while still arriving at the desired outcome. In my past experiences, students responded better when they have a certain level of autonomy or flexibility when completing projects.
Project Management Strategies for Teachers and Learners: In my past experiences, my students have had problems in the following areas: time management, communication, collaboration, effective use of resources, and troubleshooting. In the past, I have gathered this information through monitoring, observing, interacting, and analyzing. Students are normally given a timeline by which to complete their project. They are encouraged to monitor their own progress. In terms of project management with technology, I found the need of assessment tools and strategies to be the most desirable. There must be a way to gauge whether students are working productively and accomplishing project goals. Furthermore, there must be a way to assess the load balance within a team so no individuals end up doing too much or too little. There are many aspects that must be addressed through project-based learning, but the experience is a valuable asset to our students.
Boss, S. & Kraus, J. (2007). Reinventing Project-Based Learning. International Society for Technology in Education. pp. 43-91.
Monday, January 25, 2010
Project-based Learning & Professional Learning Communities
Education is a continuous process for both the student as well as the teacher. If we want our children and students in general to have the best education possible, we must ensure that the best teachers are in place to properly educate our children. As stated by Boss and Krauss (2007), “Being able to adapt to change is essential for your students’ future success. It’s just as important for your own professional growth.” Learning to adapt to change only occurs through continuous education. Therefore, I have begun the quest for more knowledge and more ways to convey that knowledge with my students. Because we live in a world that is heavily influenced by technology, it is important to understand how technology is driving our society and how to effectively teach these changes and their impacts to our students.
As I started reading, I immediately started to reflect about the methods used by some of my fellow educators who currently teach Freshman English Composition at Purdue University and another educator who specializes in Special Education on the middle school level. I thought about these individuals because they implement project-based learning within their classrooms. They understand that the lecture method may not be the most effective method in the classroom setting. Like my fellow educators, I am an advocate of project-based learning. It is my desire that my students leave my classroom with an understanding of how the information presented to them in the textbook relates to the world in which they will be exposed upon graduation. Project-based learning provides the opportunity for exposure to issues that will be faced, tasks that will be given in the workforce, etc… when they enter the “real world.”
Collaboration is one way to improve student learning. I currently use technology to meet and connect with like-minded peers such as through social networking sites, education blogs, and online education courses. In the field of Business Education, many other areas are used for projects, examinations, portfolios, etc. Students must understand how to read instructions and how to comprehend the information. Furthermore, they must understand how math plays a vital role in the Business Education. While briefly teaching in a rural high school, I had the opportunity to work with FBLA. I was able to collaborate with other teachers in terms of coordinating activities for banquets, competitions, etc. Student organizations is one way to collaborate with other teachers. Another way to collaborate with other teachers is through assignments. For example, an English teacher may require the student to type a paper in a specific format. This type of format maybe included in a lesson plan in a business education course. If had the opportunity to develop a collaborative “dream team”, I would definitely include a veteran teacher who has been around and understands the dynamics of the school, an English teacher to provide the grammatical expertise for reports, a math teacher to explain the fundamentals of how numbers work to gain a desired outcome, and family and consumer sciences teacher to correlate the home as and the business aspect. I completely agree with Jeff Whipple as he makes the comment, "If I could do one thing for teachers to make school better for students, I'd find a way to have teachers have more time to work with each other and to develop collaborative projects" (Boss & Krauss 2007). Students should learn how all areas and subjects relate to provide the total educational experience.
Boss, S. & Kraus, J. (2007). Reinventing Project-Based Learning. International Society for Technology in Education. pp. 11-39.
As I started reading, I immediately started to reflect about the methods used by some of my fellow educators who currently teach Freshman English Composition at Purdue University and another educator who specializes in Special Education on the middle school level. I thought about these individuals because they implement project-based learning within their classrooms. They understand that the lecture method may not be the most effective method in the classroom setting. Like my fellow educators, I am an advocate of project-based learning. It is my desire that my students leave my classroom with an understanding of how the information presented to them in the textbook relates to the world in which they will be exposed upon graduation. Project-based learning provides the opportunity for exposure to issues that will be faced, tasks that will be given in the workforce, etc… when they enter the “real world.”
Collaboration is one way to improve student learning. I currently use technology to meet and connect with like-minded peers such as through social networking sites, education blogs, and online education courses. In the field of Business Education, many other areas are used for projects, examinations, portfolios, etc. Students must understand how to read instructions and how to comprehend the information. Furthermore, they must understand how math plays a vital role in the Business Education. While briefly teaching in a rural high school, I had the opportunity to work with FBLA. I was able to collaborate with other teachers in terms of coordinating activities for banquets, competitions, etc. Student organizations is one way to collaborate with other teachers. Another way to collaborate with other teachers is through assignments. For example, an English teacher may require the student to type a paper in a specific format. This type of format maybe included in a lesson plan in a business education course. If had the opportunity to develop a collaborative “dream team”, I would definitely include a veteran teacher who has been around and understands the dynamics of the school, an English teacher to provide the grammatical expertise for reports, a math teacher to explain the fundamentals of how numbers work to gain a desired outcome, and family and consumer sciences teacher to correlate the home as and the business aspect. I completely agree with Jeff Whipple as he makes the comment, "If I could do one thing for teachers to make school better for students, I'd find a way to have teachers have more time to work with each other and to develop collaborative projects" (Boss & Krauss 2007). Students should learn how all areas and subjects relate to provide the total educational experience.
Boss, S. & Kraus, J. (2007). Reinventing Project-Based Learning. International Society for Technology in Education. pp. 11-39.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
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