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.