Final Concept Map

We did not make any changes to our final concept map because we had edited our original several weeks ago and used all of the "balloons" in our blogs, projects, and final website. We believe this final concept map truly shows what our project is about and how we enforced it in our classroom and commemorated it on our website.

Reading Reflection #11

Lydia Harpe

4/12/2013

                                                    Reading Reflection #11

           “Good project don't come to an end. Instead they open new doors and create connections that you can build into future project designs” (159). As part of the reflection process at the close of your project (perhaps at the end or middle of the school year), take the time to consider how you plan to improve on your students' experience. Consider the parts of the project that were successful and the parts that needed a little extra work; critiquing your work and sharing your insights are important ways to insure that your hard work isn't easily forgotten. 

              Yet again, always remember the importance of your fellow teachers as a valuable resource and consider yourself the same for them: having completed a successful project in your classroom, you have the experience and expertise to share valuable tips and advice. Most of all, enjoy the journey and remember that your “small steps lead to bigger ones” (163).

 

              I think that having completed the project of having my students design a dessert cookbook, I would be able to find lots of things I was proud of (as well as some things I could work on)! Maybe the next year I'd try to expand the project into a multi-recipe cookbook...or perhaps I'd just modify what I already planned.

Reflection #11

Amanda Miller 1. As a result of using the project based learning approach, good projects lead to success. As the book states, "they open new doors and create could into future projects." Using project based learning helps student projects and learning become a success! 2. There are several ways to "bring your project home." Some of the way you can do this is by, capitalizing on your investment, critique your work, share your insights, become a resource for your collegues, enter a contest and enjoy the journey. With that being said, when sharing your insights, "share your project idea with an existing network, such as iEARN or Global SchoolNet, where teachers from around the world turn for insiration, good ideas, and ongoing projects they can join." Also, create a project library to make project plans. turn your project into an archive on the web, and publish your project. These are just some of the many ways and ideas to bring home the project. 3. Concepts in this chapter relate to our project because this chapter gives us plenty of resources and information on how are projects can be useful and resourceful even after completing it and bringing it home.

Reflection #11

Corin Justa

Chapter 11 Reflection:

            Project based learning is a new fun and engaging way to guide students along in their education rather than teaching them through lectures and a book. As a result of this learning approach many things happen. Students and teachers take many things away from this type of learning. If successful, it opens new doors to fresh discoveries that connect and can build into future projects. Teachers and students reflect on their work and see how they may have done thing differently or how they would change something in a future project. Throughout this learning experience students may be left with souvenirs, artifacts and memories that will be memorable and useful in the future.

            After celebrating accomplishments at the conclusion of a project and reflecting every little detail of the experience, it is important to remember where the students began and how far they have come as a class. Teachers can “bring their projects home” by sharing them and becoming a resource for other teachers, entering contests, or blogging with others to share experiences and get insights on how to do things differently. These concepts relate to our topic by showing us the closure to these lengthy projects. Identifying the accomplishments and end result to a successful learning experience is the best way to finish a long thought out activity and help teachers and students look forward to the future projects that are to follow.  

Reflection #10

Corin Justa

Chapter 10 Reflection:

            Throughout the duration of a project it is important to help guide students along their journey. The importance of setting aside time for reflection allows for constructive criticism among peers, teachers and the community. By allowing students to look back on their work and admire their accomplishments, we provide the opportunity for the children to observe their experience and really identify what they have learned and where they will go from there. Students need to reflect and elaborate on their work in order to make what they learned more meaningful and cause them to end the project with a positive experience and outcome.

            When students take pride in their educational accomplishments, it is important to support and recognize their work from more than the classroom. By establishing and promoting students learning activities, schools can produce traditions that will excite future students. Schools can work together to promote student successes through rewards and celebrations to distinguish each and every student’s abilities and efforts. All of this relates to our topic by relating the importance of reflection, closure and celebration from successes. After completing a big project students need to be able to take away just as much from the project as what they put in to create it. When we as teachers recognize and admire students work, and guide them to take pride in their accomplishments, we generate the opportunity to lead them to become even more intrigued in engaging in their future educational topics; therefore allowing them to soar as they approach higher education in future successes as they continue to grow and learn.

Reflection #10

Amanda Miller 1. The importance of setting aside time for reflection is important. According to the text, "Taking time to reflect helps students feel good about their accomplishments, but more importantly, reflection can be the thing that makes learning really stick (p 147.)" Also, "When students create their own meaning, its important that they look at it from all sides while meaning is taking shape, and then viewing it from a distance, too, as they get ready to step beyond the experience to the next learning challenge (p 147.)" Putting away time for a reflection will help students see things that they may not be able to think about when it comes to what they have learned, their growth and what they want to learn for projects in the future. 2. The reason students need to reflect and elaborate is because they must be able to share what they are learning about and look back and be able to talk about their learning skills and behaviors to their classmates. This can help students who dont know much about a topic become more familiar by just reading a reflection or elaboration. 3. Schools build tradition and identity by establishing that "we are the school where kids get to..." This means to build awareness to others. It was well said in the text that, "When families, the community, and students coming up throught the grades know what you are up to, you have a foundation for tradition. Younger students will be ready for the learning that awaits them in future project-based classrooms (p 150.)" When community memebers notice and value students accomplishments and work, they will give encouraging support. 4. It is important to celebrate a project. This is because is shines light and importance when students work is displayed and recognized. It give students a sense of pride when student work is displayed. There are several ways to celebrate. SHow students work, put on an event, create a blog, or hold a party. This will help build the schools identity in becoming a place where students can go to learn though project-based learning. 5. Concepts in this chapter relate to our project because once the students finish their cookbook they will be able to reflect and elaborate on it and be able to share with others their experience and journey when making their cookbook. We would celebrate the accomplishments of all students and display student work for others to enjoy :)

Reading Reflection #10

   

Lydia Harpe

April 5, 2013

                                        Reflection #10

         “Taking time to reflect helps students feel good about their accomplishments but...reflection can be the thing that makes learning really stick” (147). This quote really captures the essence of this brief but concise chapter, which explores the importance of reflecting upon and celebrating the completion of a project or learning experience. This reflection can be as simple as sitting down with your students and asking appropriate and prompting questions to get them to reflect on the work they have done. Use the reflection time to make this an opportunity to “springboard” on to the next learning experience.

         Keep the positive momentum of your project-based learning going with advanced projects in upcoming grades; more parents and members of the community will want to get involved when they see the great learning and hands-on activities your students are participating in. Your class may even be able to “lay the groundwork for a tradition of exemplary projects at your school” (151). Not only does this take hard work and reflection, a successful project should be rewarded by celebration and display!

       I think that once my students finish creating their dessert cookbook, they will have a tangible project in their hands that they can reflect upon and be proud of! I hope to come to such a successful conclusion to my project as this chapter promises.

Reading Reflection #9

Lydia Harpe

3/29/2013

Reading Reflection #9

  

       Not all kids start at the same point coming into the same year; though they may have had the same teachers and been assigned the same homework in previous grades, your students are still coming from different backgrounds and learning styles. As a teacher, it is important to gain a sense of where each individual student is starting and how they can each meet the goals you have prepared. By establishing anchors, you can differentiate instruction so that all students have attainable goals that they can work towards throughout the school year.

       There are several different ways to assess students. Of course most teachers use tests and quizzes to assess students' knowledge, but you can also have honest conversations with students or even encourage them to blog about their learning journey. At the end of the year you might even encourage your students to work collaboratively to create something that embodies all the concepts they have learned through project-based learning.

       This chapter was very short but important: I think that time must be put aside to not only assess students for your own personal satisfaction and critique, but to let your students know that all of their work was not for nothing. I think that the final creation of a dessert cookbook will be a perfect way to assess my students and how they have prepared for this final embodiment of their hard work.

Reflection #9

Amanda Miller
1.A description of a method of prior-knowledge could be to develop rubrics to assess progress toward key learning goals. Also, many of my professors have the class do a prior knowledge test the first day of class and on the last day to compare how much we have learned throughout the semester.
2. It’s important to make sure all students are on the same page. Establishing prior anchors may help the students who many not know much about a topic, become more familiar with the topic at hand. It states in the text, that “anchors, help gain a sense of where students are starting and how far they are going as they work to meet the learning world.” With that being said, this helps all learners be on the same page and become more successful while expanding opportunities.
3. Chapter nine gives plenty of examples on assessing what students learned. Assessing the students project work requires deliberate strategies to take stock not only of what they have created, but also the teamwork, effort, and creativity that went into the project (p 139.)” Also, ask students what they have learned and have students create something new that asks them to summarize what they have learned. A way to model real-world assessment is to “promote critical thinking, and this additional level of assessment is a natural connection (p 144.)”
4. Concepts in this chapter relate to our topic/project because establishing what we already know before doing our project is important. This is important because it is essential for all group members to be on the same page. If someone doesn’t know much about a topic, another group member can help their partners better understand before proceeding with the project.

Reflection #9

Corin Justa

March 29, 2013

Chapter Nine Reflection:

In an ever growing world it is important for teachers to incorporate technology into their classrooms so that students can gain the skills needed to be successful as new ways of learning and teaching are created. It is our jobs as teachers to be able to identify each of our student’s prior understanding so that we can have a basis to start from and understand how to continue on as we build our foundation. The students in your classroom will have been exposed to different levels of technology.  Every student is going to be different, there will be those whom are fully capable and comfortable and then there will be students whom have never worked with certain types of technology before. Doing small activities will help teachers establish each students readiness and help us find out what they do and don’t understand so we can grasp a sense of where we should start on our journey. Establishing anchors helps you gain a sense of where your students are at and helps you create learning goals. Once you assess your classroom, you can think about how you to create a quality learning experience that will reach all of your students needs.

Throughout a project it is important to observe and assess your student’s productivity. Providing rubrics and deadlines helps benefit both the students as well as the teacher as projects go on. With rubric, students know what is expected of them. For each rubric deadline created, the teacher has the opportunity to assess each student’s progress and become aware of whether or not the overall lesson needs to be adjusted in any way to help benefit the students learning experience. It is important to have a basis of assessment to track your student’s progress so that no one gets left behind, and advanced students have the opportunity to learn more. Grading throughout the entire project is beneficial for both teachers and students and helps reach a successful outcome.

This chapter relates to our project and topic by reminding us of the importance of setting deadlines and creating rubrics so that we can wager how a lesson is going and identify if we need to make any changes. Flexibility in lesson is one of the most important jobs of teachers, but more importantly is knowing when lessons need to be changed to benefit the overall learning experience for the classroom. Evaluating student’s prior-knowing, creating rubrics and deadlines, and providing feedback are all key tools to necessary to assess students educational abilities and grow to reach an even greater outcome.

Reading Reflection #8

Lydia Harpe

3/25/2013

                                                       Reading Reflection #8

             Project-based learning is all about expanding your students' horizons; sometimes that means that you as their teacher have to introduce your students to other people who can help them on their journey and better inform them on their topic. There are two different groups of people that can help your classroom on their project-based learning experience: (1) experts on the topic, who normally are adults working in that field or (2) classrooms from other countries or cities who are working on the same topic. 

 

             Students following the EAST Model (Environmental and Spatial Technologies) also use technology extensively to “solve problems and make improvement in their communities” (133). They use sophisticated tools in order to make a difference in their communities from the research and work they do in and out of their classrooms throughout the year.

            Not only can teachers encourage students to interact with experts and to use technology in order to research and work on their projects, they can let students take the initiative throughout this experience. As a result, students will feel more “tied in” to their project and interested in their results as a whole.

         I think that this chapter connects nicely with my project, which is all about kitchen cooking and catering. I am not really an “expert” on desserts, but I think my students would benefit greatly from hearing from cooks and health professionals who are! I look forward to using the ideas from this chapter in my future classroom.

 

                                                                                                                                 Amanda Miller
Reflection #8

1. Some ways to build connections and branch out beyond the classroom are using digital tools. This makes it easy for students to share their work and exchange ideas with diverse audiences. Another way to branch out in the classroom is to use blogs. The book says that “This helps connect with other content experts, to reflect on their own learning, and to engage in global conversation that would not otherwise take place (p 127.)” It also states that “students can communicate with fellow learners and become more proficient at working in a culturally diverse world (p 127.)” In this case, students become the experts. This has to do with digital age projects.

2. In the text, The EAST Initiative Model is based on four essential ideas.

a. Student driven learning: Student need to be responsible for their own learning

b. Authentic Project Based Learning: Students should be engaged in solving real problems in their communities.
c. Technology as Tools: Students need access to relevant technologies that professionals use to solve real problems.

d. Collaboration: When students collaborate in teams to pursue authentic projects, they accomplish more than any one person can do in isolation.

3. Some reasons to let students “lead” their projects are starting with an idea they care about. In this case, students can come up with their own idea based on what they are passionate about. Creating resources that may benefit other kids may really be beneficial and help other students out.

4. Concepts in this chapter relate to my topic/project because it is extremely important to build connections and branch out in the classroom. I feel my group has a pretty good grasp of these concepts that are talked about in this chapter. We communicate and connect well and have a good understanding of what happens in the class J

Reflection #8

Corin Justa

Chapter Eight Reflection:

As teachers we are always looking for new ideas on how to keep our students engaged while learning and finding things that make their education fun. Some of the ways to build connections and branch out beyond classrooms include reaching out to and sharing the children’s work with a diverse range of audiences. As a tool to motivate students, we can seek family members, peers, local community members and even other teachers and students around the work to look at a students work and reflect on it. Some ways that we do that are through blogs and videos. We can even go further in benefiting our student’s educations by expanding our learning circles and providing our children the opportunity to speak to experts, as well as students in distant countries or continents who are working on the same topics.

            The Environmental and Spatial Technology Imitative Model (EAST) is a network of schools that demonstrates the benefits of using technology for its real purpose of solving problems and making improvement in communities. Using tools that are more commonly found in professional laboratories or design studios, students master the ability to use these technological tools and applications while solving problems that interest them in their community.

            When teaching, it is important to model and guide students to work independently to achieve their own successes. Letting students take the lead in a project allows them the ability to begin charting their own learning path. If teachers encourage their students to take the lead in their own projects, their students will develop a since of pride and accomplishment in the work they are doing and be eager to share the new information with their classmates, providing and engaging and rewarding learning experience for everyone.

            The concepts in this chapter relate to our topic/project by identifying the ways that outside sources can be beneficial to our students learning experience within the classroom. It focuses on the ability to motivate students to learn more and share their new discoveries with others. The chapter talks about how using technology devices such as blogs and videos can be useful in allowing students to publish the information they have learned and have it reflected on my peers and teacher throughout the community, as well as the world. As teachers in an ever growing technological world, it is important for us to be aware of these resources and use them appropriately to provide our students with the ultimate learning experience.

Amanda Miller

EDT 3470

15 March 2013

Reflection #7

1.      The levels of classroom discussions are:

a.       Teacher to teacher

b.      Student to student

c.       Teacher to student

2.      In the book it states that you should, “frame your questions to get at the information that you want to discover, ad use the right tools to help keep projects moving. Procedural: Are we staying on schedule? Do we have the right materials available? When is the best time to schedule a field trip, expert visitor or other activity?” Teamwork: “How are team members getting along? Is one student carrying too much of the load for the whole team? Are students able to manage conflict themselves or do they need my help?” Understanding: “Spend time observing teams at work, listening to student conversations, and asking probing questions. If you see students going way off task or basing their decisions on faulty information, ask questions or suggest resources to redirect them. If you see opportunities for students to go beyond expectations, encourage them to push themselves.” Self-assessment: “Ask questions that encourage self-assessment and reflection. Project journals or blogs offer space for students to describe challenges or frustrations, to ask questions that they may not feel comfortable asking in class, or to share their excitement about a project.”

3.      The benefits to students when optimizing the use of technology is that “with optimum use of technology, you may find students gaining benefits you did not envision at the outset of the project (p 121.)” Students get the opportunity to gain new insights into how to converse with a culturally diverse group of people.

4.      Some 21^st-century skills that may make or break a project is that of which, teamwork is a big factor in project making. If a teacher senses trouble, help students to understand and become aware of their teams conflicts. In the book, it says that, “making teamwork a focus of formal assessment, you help to emphasize the importance of this 21^st-century skill (p 123.)” Evaluation peers could be a great way in trying to get students to work and help put their team. Also, conversation is a huge skill that can either make or break a project. Teachers must build their classroom and have to talk about what is happening while it unfolds.

5.      Concepts in this chapter will relate to our project in this class because it will help up pay close attention to how our group interacts with one another while working as together. Making sure everyone in our group understands and communicates what is going on is essential in this project as well. We cannot just throw something as someone and tell them to go do it. As teachers, we must help and elaborate when we are working as a team.

 

Teamwork makes the DREAM work :)

Reading Reflection #7

Corin Justa

March 15, 2013

EDT 3470

Chapter Seven Reflection:

Teaching is an extraordinary task that takes a ton of patience, time and consideration. It is important that teachers know how to create an appropriate lesson plan, promote it and keep it moving to reach the end with a successful outcome. Classroom discussions, which take place on several levels during project implementation, are very important and helpful throughout a project. Levels of classroom discussions include teacher to teacher, student to student and teacher to student. Each of these levels of discussion is beneficial to both the teacher and the students to keep a project moving successfully in the classroom.

Throughout the duration of a project it is important that the teacher routinely monitor the students work and asks questions to determine how each student is doing. Checking in involves asking questions to follow up on your students progress. Certain question topics that teachers may ask their students about include procedural, teamwork, understanding and self assessment. Each of these topics helps the teacher determine whether a student is meeting the deadlines, understanding the assignments, working well together, and reflecting on their own work. With this information teachers can determine if they need to adjust the overall project in any way to help benefit the class and keep the students engaged in the activities.

Technology has many benefits to helping students grow and learn throughout their education.  The benefits of optimizing technology in the classroom include helping your students reach learning goals, stay organized, expand their horizons, and providing access to other equitable technologies that may be useful. There are many skills that can be used in education. Some twenty-first century skills can have a positive effect while others can have another. The twenty-first century skills that make or break a project include troubleshooting and manage conflict, such as teamwork. It is important to recognize these skills in the classroom and determine how they are affecting student learning.

This chapter relates to our project by illustrating the importance of keeping a project moving. It provides details on ways to observe students as they work, reflect on how the project is going and how to interact with students and other teachers to end with a successful outcome. It is important when doing a big project that student’s stay on task and that teacher’s adjust their lessons when necessary. One of the biggest responsibilities of teachers is being flexible. Being aware of how to keep a project moving and adjusting things when necessary is extremely important in any lesson plan big or small.

 

Reading Reflection #7

                                                                                                                      Lydia Harpe

                                                                                                                     03/15/2013

                                                   Reading Reflection #7

                    There are several different levels of discourse that can occur between the participants in a classroom including: teacher to teacher, student to student, and teacher to student. In a traditional classroom the primary level of conversation is teacher to student, or, more specifically, the teacher to the entire group of students as a whole. However, in classrooms focused on project-based learning there is also an increasing need for student to student collaboration and teacher to teacher peer review and support.

               Part of the importance of teacher to student conversation is checking in on the students as they move through their project and making sure they are on the right track; this can involve asking questions about their procedure, teamwork, understanding, and self-assessment. For example, asking students if they have considered a related topic may lead them to a deeper understanding of the project than they might have reached if they had just worked independently. Teachers should also continually monitor that their students are appropriately using technology to help their research and discovery instead of distract them from it.

              This chapter related to my two lessons I have created on taskstream because of the importance of continual teacher monitoring, support, and feedback. Though it is important to encourage student to student conversations and collaboration, teacher guidance should never be neglected or underestimated. When students use technology to aid their research, they are always going to need teacher monitoring to help them keep on track. As Teacher Anne Davis put it, “You have to build your community of learners, and you have to talk about what's happening while it unfolds” (123).

Reflection #6

Corin Justa

Chapter Six Reflection

Technology tools can encourage students to be reflective and evaluated their own strengths by using such things as blogs which offer students to reflect on what they are learning overtime. Survey tools are also helpful to assist you in identifying the learning characteristics of each student and be able to identify their strengths, weaknesses and interests to better adapt your teaching to reach all students.

Ways in which you can get students’ minds ready for a project include shaking up ideas on what they already know. Arousing curiosity will spark a student’s interest and they will want to learn more. By generating events that grabs students’ attention, teachers can build confidence among their students who will in turn become eager to learn generate more information on a topic.

The elements of teaching fundamentals first include helping students build their skills gradually before taking on a complicated project. It is important to provide students with the necessary information to build and strong foundation before moving forward and onto larger, more complex tasks.

The important steps in preparing students for using technology include setting up a technology playground, finding out each student technical capabilities introduce project management tools and demonstrate. It is important to educate yourself in what your students already know. Those students whom are more advanced in their knowledge of technology may be helpful when assisting other students who lack in the awareness. Once all the students are on the same page, providing tools and demonstration will promote a successful experience for each and every student involved and the teacher as well.

Ways to promote inquiry and deep learning involve guiding students throughout their learning experience. Provide questions and comments that will help expand their thinking and direct them in the direction they should be going. Positive feedback is one of the most important tools when trying to promote a successful experience in the classroom.

Concepts in this chapter relate to our topic by showing how important it is to demonstrate and guide students along while teaching. Project based learning provides students the opportunity to take control of their education. It is important that we understand how to appropriately conduct our lessons and know how to properly engage with students so that they can reach the expectations that we set out for them. Organization, demonstration, reflection, and positive feedback are all important attributes to establish success as our students venture out and use technology to reach their educational goals.

Reflection #6

Amanda Miller

EDT 3470

01 March 2013

Reflection #6

1.      Technology tools can encourage students to be reflective and evaluate their own strengthens by blogging. For example, blogs offer students space where they can reflect over time about what they are learning. Another way that technology tools can encourage students is my profilerPRO which allows you to identify the learning charachterisitcs of an individual and also amount members of a group. The last suggestion is tools such as SurveyMonkey and Zoomerang which allows you to set up online surveys and use the results to track trends and help students see how their self-assessment compares to the larger group.

2.      There are several ways to get students’ minds ready for a project. Some ways are to tap into student’s prior knowledge to see where they are at. Start by getting students attention and giving the idea time to settle in their imaginations. Encourage students to explore and think about the topic, and to discuss their ideas with friends and at the dinner table for several days. Another way is to invite them to open their minds and eyes to the possibilities before digging in.

3.      The elements of teaching fundamentals is to think about teaching prerequisite knowledge or skills students need in order to work with a degree of independence in their investigations. Student must know more about the project topic in order to actually carry it out. Seeing what ideas and prior knowledge the students have before can benefit the whole class or group.

4.      When preparing students for using technology in a project, it depends. Teacher’s needs to think about what tools are best for the job? What do students already know how to do? What will they need to know? Also, setting up a technology playground for the students to get familiar with would be a good idea as well. Tap student’s expertise and introduce project management tools as well as demonstrate. These are all great ideas to get students prepared for a technology project.

5.      This chapter gives a good amount of suggestions in promoting inquiry and deep learning. First, we must choose questions, plan investigations, and begin to put their plan into action. Another key thing to do to promote inquiry and deep learning is to ask questions to make sure that the students are understanding what they are learning. Ask them a series of yes or no as well as open ended.

6.      Concepts in this chapter relate to our topic/project because the above are all amazing points that we, as future teachers should keep in mind in order to make our project successful. I think that using prior knowledge can really help us as well and become engaged and prepared before doing the project could boost our potential too!

Reading Reflection #6

                                                                                                                                      Lydia Harpe

                                                        Reading Reflection #6

          In the past couple of chapters, we have read how important it is that teachers develop appropriate lessons and take advantage of their peers' advice in order to provide a profitable project-based learning experience for their students. Now in this chapter we read about how students also must be prepared and have the proper background knowledge necessary to tackle such a project. The first step in this can be as simple as encouraging your students to use the technology available, such as ProfilerPRO, in order to evaluate themselves and get their minds ready for this process. 

           Students will learn better when they know that their work in the classroom is also impacting their lives in the daily world, so making sure that your students develop a real interest in your project's main idea is key. Teachers should devote a considerable amount of time getting a sense of what students “know about a topic, and also what they wonder” (101). Teachers can do this by having whole group discussions with their students as well as teaching mini-lessons on specific topics or evaluating students one-on-one.

         Because technology is so important in the modern classroom, take some time to explain new skills to your students. Just like setting aside a hotlist of websites that are appropriate for students to browse, taking time to explain the fundamentals and appropriate usage of technology will benefit and guide your students to a better learning experience.

         I could easily relate this chapter to my group's project on designing a healthy dessert cookbook because I could see how important preparing our students would be. If students do not understand rudimentary concepts about researching, using technology, or even the main core of subjects (math, science, language arts) that are learned through this process, they will not understand how to contribute to the cookbook as a whole. I hope to use technology and in-class work to lead my students to a clear understanding of project-based learning.

Revised Concept Map 03/01/2013

Amanda Miller

EDT 3470

22 February 2013

Reflection #5

1.      There are several things that need to be considered before introducing a project to students. First, it is essential to consider the resources you will need and plan strategies to support effective time management, teaming and assessment. By doing this, we ensure that we are ready to make the best use of instructional time once the project is underway. Before beginning, teachers need to ask themselves what resources need to be used. See what supplies, tools or other materials are available at school or offered by your parent community and other supporters. Next teachers need to ask themselves if technology will be used and who else can help with the project.

2.      When planning a project, teachers and students should have management needs and skills. This is extremely important and extremely essential to a successful project as well as overall, learning. Many things that are important for teachers to include are tools like milestones, communication and assessments. As the reading states, a good team needs a mix of skills. These management skill help student become more structured. Team planning requires the reset of expectations and experiment will different combinations. With that being said, it may help to team students will others who share the same skills or interests. I think it is also key for students to know how to seek help or assistance when working so that they can learn and grow from feedback.

3.      In this chapter, I found that there are many technology applications that should be considered for use in a project. With web pages, a wiki is the simplest and easy when editing. A blog is another great form, such as Drupal or Textpattern. These web applications give students the opportunity to submit their work and have their teachers and classmates read and provide feedback. This is a great way to engage in project based learning.

4.      I enjoyed reading this chapter because it relates to our project/topic by giving us more ways to become successful while using project based learning. This chapter also shines light upon what we have been doing in class which will also help our group project be a success. I think this chapter goes hand in hand with classroom management as well. This chapter stresses the importance of organization too. Our project can and will truly benefit from this chapter let alone this text.

Reading Reflection #5

Lydia Harpe

Reading Reflection #5

Ever since my very first education class I have learned from my professors and from my peers that the most valuable resource a first-year teacher can have is the advice from the teachers around her. This chapter reinforces that idea by saying that "team management takes effort but...is worth the investment" (80); it also suggests many other invaluable assets that teachers will need to gather as they plan their "big idea"; these include supplies, experts on the topic, and technology.

Technology is essential to a 21st century project and there are a wide variety of ways to use it! For example, my group's project this semester is designing and creating a healthy dessert oookbook, and I can envision the students in my classroom using a class blog to share ideas and skype to communicate with chefs and bakers around the world! I just wrote a lesson plan about having my students use laptops and ipads to research desserts from countries around the world; this information would not be nearly as accessible without the technology that allows the students to instantly find it!

In order to manage a project appropriately, teachers need to use tools for communicating with their students about the project (such as a blog or class website), systems for managing work products, and assessment tools and strategies. Technology can be used for all of these to make important information easily accessible and visible to both students and teachers. As students work through a project they are going to need ways to stay on track and receive timely feedback, and teachers can connect with their students outside of the classroom through using technology. Students will also be able to collaborate with one another and seek assistance through using the technology that their teachers make available.

Last week's lecture about high and low tech really excited me about the endless possibilities for technology in my future classroom and so did this chapter! I hope to start simply and then build my way up to managing a classroom that utilizes technology as a way for teachers and students to connect, collaborate, and assist in learning!

     

Reading Reflection #5

Corin Justa

February 22, 2013

Reading Reflection #5:

All teachers are obligated to successfully fulfill the curriculum standards in their classrooms throughout the school year. However, teaching requires more than just providing students with an education, but with lessons and materials to make students learning experience engaging and meaningful. The items that should be considered before starting a project with students are what materials you will need. It is important to take an inventory of what supplies are available at the school in order to know what you have to work with. In the case of not having all the necessary materials, teachers can use parents, students and the community as resources to help provide these necessary items for the students positive learning experience classroom. It is also important to know if projects are going to require technology, expert speakers, or field trips to appropriately plan and inform students, as well as their parents of what they can look forward too as they move through the project.

Project management is extremely important and essential to a successful learning experience. It is crucial that teachers include tools for communication, milestones/events, and assessments in their lessons. Providing students with clear systems of management, structured tasks and due dates will help establish a structured and organized project. Project management tools and strategies that are necessary for students include having methods for managing time work flow, and materials appropriately. It is also important for students to know how to appropriately seek assistance and use feedback when working to better their learning experience.

Some of the technology applications that should be considered for use in a project include web-based applications such as Wiki, or a blog such as Drupal or Textpattern. These web pages provide the students the opportunity to publish their work and have their peers and teachers read and reflect on it. Each online application provides a different way for students to study and reflect on their experience as they engage in the projects they are learning.

The concepts in this chapter relate to our project/topic by illustrating more ways to conduct a successful lesson while using project based learning. It also reflects on what we have been doing within our technology education course, by blogging and reflecting on each other’s responses to the chapters we are reading. As with classroom management, project management is extremely important when trying to provide a positive learning experience. Organization is a key component to both the student’s, as well as the teacher’s success in a classroom.

 

Reading Reflection #4

Corin Justa

February 15, 2013

Reading Reflection #4:

1.      The potential pitfalls of project design include:

a.       Long activities that are short on learning outcome, meaning that the project may be busy or too long that it does not provide the level of recall and understanding because of its lengthiness.

b.      Technology layered over traditional practice, where students research topics online, but present their knowledge using their traditional presentations with things such as PowerPoint.

c.       Trivial thematic units that may lack the big picture of many other aspects that may correlate with the topic being studied.

d.      Overly scripted with many, many words, which can cause students and teachers to go through many steps to find the key things they are searching for and be led to a dead end.

2.      Some features of a good project include features such as:

a.       Being loosely designed with the possibility of different learning paths.

b.      Being generative, causing students to construct meaning.

c.       Centering on a driving question or are otherwise structured for inquiry.

d.      Capturing student interest through complex and compelling real-life or stimulated experiences.  

e.       Reaching beyond school to involve others.

f.       Having students working as inquiring experts might

g.      have students learn by doing

3.      Project ideas come from:

a.       new stories

b.      contemporary issues

c.       student questions or interests

d.      a classroom irritant put to educational use

e.       a “mash up” of a great idea or a new tool

f.       a tried or true project with potential for more meaningful, expressive learning

g.      project plans developed by and for other teachers

4.      The steps to design a project include revisiting the framework by doing such things as making a final list of learning objectives for core subjects and allied disciplines. It is important to decide on what specific skills should be addressed and to identify the learning dispositions. With these skills, teachers can establish evidence of understanding among their students, identify what they will acquire and plan the project experience.

5.      Discussion in this chapter relate to our group topic by providing examples of what does and does not work when trying to incorporate project based learning into our lesson. With this new knowledge of good project features and pitfalls, we can stay clear of certain teaching styles that may defect our topic by avoiding them and try to incorporate the successful ones to become efficient in our ways of teaching.