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.
Monday, February 15, 2010
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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