Project #14: PBL Plan 2

What does My Skeleton Look Like?
After completion of this project, students will have an understanding of where the bones are in our bodies and their proper names.
Rubric
Calendar
Lesson Plan
Check List

Blog Post #11

There's always more to learn!
Brian Crosby's video was a great example of the methods that should be used in Project Based Learning. I agree with what he said towards the end about learning cannot be a race - it is a lengthy process about students building schemas for the world. His balloon experiment was a blast to watch! It definitely got the students engaged by blogging, recording video, taking pictures, uploading those files, watching the balloon travel in real time, and reaching out to other students around the world. I believe those components are what made this project so fun and engaging, and the students were all a part of it. Every science teacher should try this. I also liked the part where he highlighted his Second Language Learners. Even if those students are at risk and in poverty, they are still students who deserve to be taught, and that is something every teacher should remember.

Paul Anderson's video,"Blended Learning Cycle" was also really interesting and he shared some great methods to use in PBL. His blended learning cycle method is exactly what it means-a cycle! He shared that if the students aren't understanding the material by the end then they will start back over at the beginning until they do. This is a great strategy to show the students that teachers aren't going to give up on them and their learning potential. The most important concept I took from his video is this: "Have you learned something if you cannot explain it to someone else?" This is an engaging and open ended question to ask students to really get them to reflect on their work and understanding.

The "Making Thinking Visible" video was all about the students noticing the difference in their thinking process from the beginning of an assignment to the end. The teacher presented them with a topic and a driving question, and the only instructions were to think and collaborate. What changed? What stayed the same? What caused this difference? I believe this method is very useful for encouraging problem solving skills and collaboration work.

Building Comics with a "super digital citizen" was one of my favorite videos to watch for this blog post. One of my primary concerns about the use of technology in the classroom is that children will be exposed to too many harmful things on the internet if they are not educated about it. The project of building and narrating comics about them selves prompted them to make choices of right and wrong. I thought this was a quick and easy assignment to teach proper online respect, responsibility, and safety; like the teacher said, it only took about 5 minutes to build the super hero character and then the rest was up to the students' imagination. Building comics looks like a really great online tool for teaching computer safety, problem solving skills, and most of all creativity!

The fifth video, PBL from Dean Shareski was also interesting. This school was blending three different subjects to reach the same goal in the curriculum. There was a ton of feedback being exchanged between the teachers and students and that seemed to help the students tremendously. I learned that we should never forget the value of feedback, no matter the level of education. I think that when a student really knows that a teacher is rooting for them to do better with every revision they take more pride in their work. When the student can take more pride in their work they are engaged in the learning process and want to do it again. From this video, I learned that there is no doubt that teachers can motivate students into trying harder every time.

The PBL program at Roosevelt Elementary was impressive. This school has had much success with really getting their students to understand the material rather than just passing the tests and getting good grades, and of course there is a difference. And the difference is self-motivation! The children are excited to learn and eager the begin each project that they can prepare themselves to learn. The parents had a great reaction to PBL, along with the staff members, about how well their children were learning to become self motivators. There is much more to Project Based Learning than a better understanding of the material; it teaches social skills, team work, presentation techniques and public speaking. All of these skills are important to learn at a young age so they become natural as children mature.

Project #12: Smart Board (Part A)

C4K Summary #2

Sulaman is in Madame Thomas' 8th grade English class. He is a bright student that is fabulous at writing poetry and keeps up with his blog regularly. I happened to comment on one of his posts, that was a poem, titled "Today I..." It was a very well thought-out poem for an 8th grader; I was impressed and it even made me reflect on my own day, and compare it to his. I have always been jealous of people who can create thoughtful and meaningful poetry. :)

Erin is in Mrs. Ripp's 7th grade class. She seems to really enjoy posting on her blog and she includes many original ideas of her own. The post that I commented on was titled, "What Should Kids Decide In School?" In this post she shared her ideas about how she would like to be able to have a say in the classes she takes at school. I was very intrigued by her mature ideas about why students should choose classes in middle school. I think she will go very far in her academics.

Cole is a student in Mrs. Philipenko's 1st grade class. The class had only done one post that was a single sentence about what they enjoyed at school. Cole liked to play Minecraft... not very related to school or academics, but he still gets participation points, right?! Even though a computer game isn't related to school, he still had the correct capital letter at the beginning of his sentence and a period at the end.

Bejamin lives in New Zealand and is in Mrs. Jacobsen's 5th grade class. In his post he shared about who they were studying this week-an artist named Michel Tuffery (Check out some of his work!). Ben seemed to really enjoy learning about him because he likes to draw, too. In almost every one of his posts he has included a drawing of his own that relates to the topic.


Artwork by Michel Tuffery

Blog Post #10

The video Ms. Cassidy made of her first graders was really awesome, and I enjoyed actually hearing from the kids them selves. Even though I still have my doubts about technology in the class room, I saw a lot of accomplishments with her first graders. Ms. Cassidy's first graders have so much potential at their age and I hope they continue learning at this pace. I remember what one student said in the video, "Every time I blog my spelling gets better." It's one thing to engage young students with a blog, but hearing them share their own success is something else entirely! Young students really are engaging in their work when they can evaluate their own work, it is surely a great accomplishment with the use of technology. Other accomplishments they're making include internet navigation skills, typing skills, problem solving techniques, and even something as basic as sharing; and these skills will only improve with time.
After teaching the content, Ms. Cassidy seemed to be focused on developing skills (reading, writing, etc.) in group sessions called "centers." Team work can greatly encourage developing and mastering skills. She also used the approach of powerful encouragement. Teachers encourage their students everyday, but what really works? Ms. Cassidy says that young students really get excited when they know people from all over the world can see, and comment, on their work. I believe it makes the students perform differently when other people are viewing their progress and not just the teacher.

Additionally, Dr. Strange's interview with Ms. Cassidy opened up many doors. One thing that I would definitely take from the knowledge Ms. Cassidy shared with us is to protect the students. We will be responsible for the children that come into our class rooms, and we will have the duty to protect them. Online identity protection is very important, and so is parent involvement. I liked how on the first day of school Ms. Cassidy sent home a permission form just to have access to a computer. Protecting their innocent identities is one thing I learned to focus on from Ms. Cassidy. Another method I could use would be to establish an online portfolio of the students' work and progress. Even if it's not exactly a blog, having internet access to class work is very helpful. Myself, the principal, parents, and other classes from anywhere in the world could view and keep track of assignments.

There are many scenarios one could anticipate from Ms. Cassidy's use of technology in the class room; I immediately thought of a more technology savvy generation. A generations where (almost) everyone would know how to access information on a computer, how to save and upload documents and pictures, and to make presentations or movies would have a domino effect on so many other parts of life. Secondly, these students will acquire better communication skills with the use of blogs and skyping. And thirdly, these two ideas would work simultaneously to produce young adults who will be excellent workers in their future careers. There are a lot of skills that are trying to be taught in school to prepare students for careers, and I think the use of technology will absolutely help prepare them.

Blog Post #9

The most important concept that stood out to me today was that there is a difference between Project Based Learning and what teachers like to call "busy work." In the blog, "7 Essentials for PBL," the author elaborates about the difference and says that it's about "the process of the students' learning and cognitive development rather than the final product." Furthermore, the project must be meaningful to the students and fulfill an educational purpose. Here is a summary of the 7 essentials for PBL...
Launch the project by initiating questions about the problem. In other words, get those gears working in the students' brains! Then, establish a driving question, and a driving question is simply what highlights the theme, or the "heart" of the project. Without this, the purpose of the project could be lost. Next, make sure the students have a voice-a loud voice! This is their project, not their teachers' or their parents' but theirs. We need to make sure they have the chance to make it their own and not be pressured to do it a certain way. Also, include new (or old) skills that will be learned by completing the project. For example, collaboration skills, critical thinking skills, or even technology skills are some that could be taught. Then, once the project is near or has reached completion, give the students the opportunity to revise their classmates' work and put their work on display! Other teachers, faculty, students, and parents enjoy seeing great work being recognized. Follow these guidelines to avoid assigning "busy work" instead of a fun and engaging project!
Next, was the PBL video for teachers. The video was extremely entertaining and engaging and if I was a teacher watching that, I would definitely be excited to try PBL in my classroom. I thought that, besides the distracting and intense background music, it was a very informative video.

I then proceeded to read the two related blog posts about a collaborative PBL project that could be done in a P.E. class, PBL & Physical Education and PBL in PE. The first one briefly explains the base of the project: high school students are to create a physical activity plan for a middle school student. This project has a lot of room for creativity and team work. The second one was an elaboration on this project using the 7 essentials that were discussed above. The author, Miller, described a PBL project as an "authentic task," and I think he meant a project that could be tailored to fit any classroom at any grade level. I also think that is why PBL methods are so successful.

Lastly, I was curious about the Ketchup video. Boy, was I impressed! And a 3D printer?! That is extremely cool, I wish I had the chance to use one of those like these two senior boys did. I thought this video was a great example. Even though it was a little silly, this project showed that they were engaged, they were having fun, and it meant something to them!

Project #9: Book Conversation