Final Concept Map

Reflection 11 Ishara Brent

1. Description of what occurs as a result of using the Project-based learning approach.

A lot occurs when using the Project based learning approach. One thing that occurs is learning about an assignment and evaluating. Another is teamwork and working with others on how to communicate. Project based learning approach helps with communication and branching out to others for criticism and opinion. Project based learning helps build skills and use technology to the best of its ability.  It also help create a strong relationship between the teacher and the students, so that the students can be successful. 

2. Discussion on ways to “bring your project home"

Bringing a project home can mean opening new doors and creating connections that can build future project designs. It's also important to reflect on the project at the end to help with future planning. Learning from mistakes is bringing a project home because you can perfect the next project.  It is also important to invest in a project to structure the learning experience for students. 

3. Discussion on how concepts in this chapter relate to your topic/project.

Concepts in this chapter relate to our topic "staying healthy", because we also bring projects home. We invest in all our projects and try our best. We critique our work, share insights, and enjoy our work. This chapter summarize how we learn from a project we created. 

Ishara Brent Reflection 10

Discussion on the importance of setting aside time for reflection

Setting aside time for reflection is very important because it helps students feel good about their accomplishments and it makes learning stick. Reflecting is an essential way of learning and helps students reveal things they might not otherwise think about. For example, what they learned, their growth as learners, and what they want to learn in projects ahead. Asking questions is also important when reflecting. Reflections help students think about how joyous and gratifying the learning journey can be.

Discussion on the reason students need to reflect and elaborate

Students need to reflect and elaborate to earn more decisions for subsequent projects. Projects help open students’ eyes and provide questions to reflect. Students can use wiki to elaborate and organize a proposal. The students get to be evaluated by educators which help them to elaborate.

Discussion on how schools build tradition and identity

Schools build tradition and identity by being known for something special, such as, teams, projects, or programs. Community members play a he part because once they begin to notice and value students’ accomplishments, they will give schools enthusiastic support. Schools build tradition and identity because once they have established a tradition of excellence, students will feel it’s a privilege to honor the tradition with their hard work. Schools’ identities are tied to their traditions.

Discussion on the importance celebrating a project

It is important to celebrate a project  to showcase students work and accomplishments. Celebrating a project, celebrates learning and building a schools’ identity. There are a lot of way to celebrate a project, in a classroom, or on the web. It is also important because it anchor memories in students’ minds.

Discussion on how concepts in this chapter relate to your topic/project

Concepts in this chapter elate to our topic Staying Healthy, because we set aside time to reflect as well. It helps us learn, and remember what we learned about Education Technology. We also plan to celebrate once we are done with all are assignments. Great way to end the semester. 

Reflection 11 (Allison Burt)

1.       Description of what occurs as a result of using the Project-based learning approach.

 

As teachers use a project-based learning approach they have a lot of planning to do before they can “launch” it to their students. Based on student feedback/reflections teachers get a sense of how PBL has helped them succeed. Since students work is posted online after each assignment teachers are able to see their progress over time. This allows teachers to hold class discussions regarding student work they see and teachers can see which parts of the assignments need improvement. Teachers are able to collaborate online with other teachers regarding project success and/or learning. Sharing online on a database opens up a pool of new ideas.

 

2.       Discussion on ways to “bring your project home”.

 

There are many ideas teachers can use to help students “bring their project home.”  In this digital-age tools are essential to have in PBL. Students can use their mobile phones or portable devices to add to their learning. One example is using mobile phones, which features cameras, video recording, text messaging, and being able to access the internet almost anywhere. Teachers should initiate “deep learning” by providing students with rich resources regarding their projects. Teachers should be teaching students how to navigate, analyze, and gather important information using reliable sites. Another aspect to PBL is making things visible and discussable. Using visuals like maps, mind mapping, and photographs add to students learning. For example, using Google Earth allows students to visualize checkpoints of destinations and analyzing. Lastly connecting with others worldwide through blogging or using a webcam builds your network. These are all ways students can develop a phenomenal project.

 

3.       Discussion on how concepts in this chapter relate to your topic/project.

 

Throughout this semester we have used a variety of tools with PBL.  I have used a blog, concept map, Windows Live Movie Maker, Google Earth, Google Docs, taskstream, and mobile phones to get photographs for our web site. All of these mini-projects lead to the big celebration at the end, “Staying Healthy Workshop.”  Having all of this online allows others to give us feedback and reflect on our work. Also since our web site will have all our work gathered from the semester it will be assessable to others for sharing. We can always go back and reflect on our progress.

 

Reflection #11 -- Lexie Sittsamer

Covers Chapter 11, Bring It Home, of Reinventing Project-Based Learning, p. 157 to185. Your reflection should include:  1. Description of what occurs as a result of using the Project-based learning approach. (p. 159-160) ""been somewhere" together" opens new pathways / topics of interest  sharing findings with others capitalize on investment critique work resource for others                                                                            2. Discussion on ways to “bring your project home”. (p. 161-163) share blog iEARN Global SchoolNet project library  publish web resource  3. Discussion on how concepts in this chapter relate to your topic/project. With the completion of the PBL Staying Healthy lesson, students will gather all information and share it with others who may be interested in the topic.

Cameron McCririe Reflection #10

1. Discussion on the importance of setting aside time for reflection

 Setting aside time for reflection gives the students time to think about their thinking or self reflect on what others might have said about the topic. Allowing the students to reflect helps them to learn and analyze what they learned.


2. Discussion on the reason students need to reflect and elaborate

Students need to reflect and elaborate because reflection allows for students to think about their own and others ideas. Giving time to elaborate allows the students to expand their ideas and dual monsters


3. Discussion on how schools can build identity and tradition

Schools can build identity by sharing their knowledge with other students and with other members of the community. This form of sharing information can be called a tradition at a later time.


4. Discussion on the importance celebrating a project

After a project is complete allow the students work to be displayed in the classroom as a reminder of what they have done and to give them a sense of identity to their individual work.


5. Discussion on how concepts in this chapter relate to your topic/project

As our fair comes to a close each student will come up with a celebration. Also we are having students to reflect about the choices they make during the day in what food they eat and what they do to exercise.

Reflection #10 -- Lexie Sittsamer

Covers Chapter 10, Celebrating and Reflecting, of Reinventing Project-Based Learning, p. 147 to 155. Your reflection should include: 1. Discussion on the importance of setting aside time for reflection. (p. 147-148) "taking time to reflect helps students feel good about their accomplishments, but more importantly reflection can be the thing that makes learning really stick." essential element in learning "reveal things they might not otherwise think about what they learned and what they enjoyed about learning their growth as learners what (and how) they want to learn in projects ahead." 2. Discussion on the reason students need to reflect and elaborate. (p. 148-149) "A successful project is the springboard for the next cycle of learning." "What does this get you wondering about next?" "What do you want to learn now, and how do you want to go about it?" What worked / what didn't work? Next step(s) 3. Discussion on how schools build tradition and identity. (p. 150-151) "building awareness in others" "foundation for tradition" annual activities/events that are looked forward to year after year meaningful projects to community / school 4. Discussion on the importance celebrating a project. (p. 154-155) celebrate learning school = "place where kids get to learn through projects" event blog party display work students take charge of event "acknowledgment of hard work and commitment contributed to the success of the project and a culture of excellence at your school." appreciation of those who were apart of the process presentation of learning 5. Discussion on how concepts in this chapter relate to your topic/project.

• the students in our group will create/plan the final celebration
• educating others in the community about healthy living

Reflection 10 (Allison Burt)

1. Discussion on the importance of setting aside time for reflection.

Reflection is an important aspect of learning. When you set aside time for students to self-reflect on their overall work and accomplishments throughout a project it helps them understand what knowledge they had gained. Since each day you learn new material and move on the next day it is easy to forget what you had previously learned. Making time for reflection helps instill learning and students analyze what they had learned.

2. Discussion on the reason students need to reflect and elaborate.

Students need to reflect and elaborate to grow/expand in their thinking. Have your students take the lead for what they want to do next regarding projects. Students are very clever with developing ideas so go off of their interests. Teachers should set their students up for a challenge by incorporating previous skills they taught them to apply in multiple subject areas. Also meaningful work is what motivates students to learn. Overall, students should “elaborate” on their thinking so they can reflect what they have previously learned in order to expand their ideas/visions.

3. Discussion on how schools build tradition and identity.

Schools build tradition through generations of students. Students share what they may have done previously in a grade with their younger siblings, which prepares them of what they have to look forward to. Inviting community members to your school while doing traditions helps you, as a teacher build positive relationships. Teachers should share their students’ accomplishments and how hard work pays off. Building community relationships builds on to your support as a teacher.

4. Discussion on the importance celebrating a project.

Displaying and celebrating a project allows students to take pride in their work. Celebrating your students work also builds a positive identity to your school that learning is fun, especially through projects. One idea mentioned is displaying students work in the local library. This makes students feel good about themselves with their accomplishments, and gives them a sense that their work is being “published.” As students celebrate allow them to take the lead! Students should be in charge of the theme, decorations, games, and food. All learning is worth celebrating!

5. Discussion on how concepts in this chapter relate to your topic/project.

This chapter relates to our project because we are having a celebration at the end. Our celebration is based on a theme, “staying healthy.” Also my team members had to plan the event, guest, and place. For planning, we had to analyze and reflect on our ideas to create the “celebration,” staying healthy workshop.

Ishara Brent Reading Reflection 9

Description of a method of understanding prior-knowledge of students

Active learning is a method of understanding prior-knowledge of students. Students know why they are taking on a particular task and how it leads them toward important learning goals. Assessing a child is another great method by using rubrics or scoring guides, it makes students understand the goals they are aiming for and the criteria for measuring success.

Discussion on the importance of establishing anchors for a project.

Establishing anchors are very important for a project. It helps teachers gain a sense of where students are starting and how far they are going as they work to reach their learning goals. It also helps teachers find out about their students prior understanding like the KWL. It provides a learning journey, and expand the opportunities to help all learners be successful. 

Description of several ways to assess what students learned during the project

A couple ways to asses what students learned during a project is videotaped interviews. This tells the teachers some of the students insights about their own learning styles. Students also open up about how the project helped them learn. Podcast is another great assessment because it allows students to give their feedback and critical reviews from their peers. You can assess students learning by many forms of communication, writing, interview, video, or simple feedback.

Discussion on how concepts in this chapter relate to your topic/project

Concepts in this chapter relate to our topic because we are constantly assessing our selves and reading feedback from our teachers and peers. Feedback from one another helps us learn and reach our goals. 

Reading Reflection #9



1. Description of a method of understanding prior-knowledge of students

A method that can gauge a students prior knowledge is the use of a KWL chart which asks the students what they know, what they don't know, and what they wish to learn about the topic.


2. Discussion on the importance of establishing anchors for a project.

By establishing an anchor for students you are getting an idea of where the students starting points are and where they are going in the project as they work to meet their learning goals. Differentiated instruction gives the students the opportunity to help reach these goals.


3. Description of several ways to assess what students learned during the project.

A way to assess if students have indeed learned during the project is to develop an online grade book. This way of assessment allows the teacher to measure the students progress across several categories. Students, parents, and teachers all have access to this assessment data, creating opportunities for meaningful conversations about the students achievement.


4. Discussion on how concepts in this chapter relate to your topic/project.

A concept that relates to my project is the use of anchors to gauge where students are at. They can be used as a KWL chart or a simple question to them about experience with exercise and staying healthy. Students who are not familiar with exercises are encouraged to look up exercises that they would be interested in and learn about it.

Reflection #9 -- Lexie Sittsamer

Covers Chapter 9, Making Assessment Meaningful, of Reinventing Project-Based Learning, p. 139 to 146.
Your reflection should include:

1. Description of a method of understanding prior-knowledge of students. (P. 139-140) 

• success 
• comprehensive 
• credible 
• dependable 
• information

2. Discussion on the importance of establishing anchors for a project. (P. 140) 

• KWL -- student prior understanding 
• establish readiness 
• "where students are starting and how far they are going as they work at meet learning goals." 
• "expand the opportunities to differentiate instruction and help all learners be successful." 

3. Description of several ways to assess what students learned during the project. (P. 141-143) 

• rubrics
• feedback 
• reflection 
• not just grades, "skills and abilities of that student" 
• "assess how well students have mastered key content." 
• online grade book 

4. Discussion on how concepts in this chapter relate to your topic/project. 

• reflection on learning / process 
• working / reflecting with others 

Reflection 9 (Allison Burt)

1. Description of a method of understanding prior-knowledge of students.

One method teachers can use to understand prior-knowledge of students is a K-W-L chart. The “K” assesses what the student already knows. The “W” is what the student wants to know. The “L” is what the student has learned, which is an important part to know for assessing. This helps the teacher understand where all their students are at before starting a new unit or concept. I used a K-W-L chart in my lesson plan about the 5 food groups.

2. Discussion on the importance of establishing anchors for a project.

It is important to establish anchors for a project to be able to identify where your students starting point is at and what distance they will go to meet their learning goals. It is important that you know all students will not start at the same point. Teachers need to figure out how they will measure individually all students’ progress.

3. Description of several ways to assess what students learned during the project.

Paul Curtis, a classroom teacher developed his own online grade book. This tool was used to assess his students and offer immediate feedback “across multiple categories” for a class. Curtis states, “A teacher might have one category about how well a student knows the content, another about written communication, another for critical thinking, and another for work ethic” (p. 141). This identifies the student’s abilities and achievements. The student’s parents also would have access to this tool for monitoring their child’s progress. Curtis had made a valid point that traditionally when students turn in a paper late you lose 10 points. This however, does not assess the student’s “achievement” of their work because they are getting marked off for lateness, not the quality and understanding of the paper. Another way to assess what students learned during the project is having videotaped interview with your students at the end of their project. This allows the teacher to receive feedback and insight of what the student actually learned. The student is also learning how to be reflective.

4. Discussion on how concepts in this chapter relate to your topic/project.

One concept that relates to our project is using a K-W-L to assess student learning prior to learning a new concept. Within my lesson plan, “Getting to Know the 5 Food Groups” I used a K-W-L to assess my students on what they already know about them. This helped me focus on parts of the concept that the students did not know. It also allows teachers to not waste their time on details students already have knowledge on. The “L” I did after the lesson was done to see the growth in my students. In the text it mentions the importance of asking students what they learned, which is an essential piece for assessing your students.

 

Reflection #8 -- Lexie Sittsamer

Covers Chapter 8, Building Connections and Branching Out, of Reinventing Project-Based Learning, p. 125 to 138.

Your reflection should include:

1) Description of some ways to build connections and branch out beyond the classroom. p.127-133.

• Connecting with Experts
• "natural component of the learning experience"
• collaboration
• Expanding the Learning Circle
• world-wide collobration
• connecting with others with share interest in topic
• Communicating Findings
• share research found with others
• advocating 

2) Description of the EAST Initiative Model.

• Four Ideas
• Student-driven learning
• "Students need to be responsible for their own learning."
• Authentic project-based learning
• "Students should be engaged in solving real problems in their communities."
• Technology as tools
• "Students need access to the relevant technologies that professionals use to solve real problems."
• Collaboration
• "When students collaborate in teams to pursue authentic projects, they accomplish more than any one person can do in isolation."

3) Discussion on some reasons to let students “lead” their projects.

• project idea they care about
• interest and passion drives the project
• greater results when student leads their project

4) Discussion on how concepts in this chapter relate to your topic/project.

• Students will be creating a heath fair to share what they have learned with others.

Reflection 8 (Allison Burt)

Allison Burt

Reflection 8

1. Description of some ways to build connections and branch out beyond the classroom.

One way teachers and students can branch out beyond the classroom is building a blog that connects with other experts or others globally to get their feedback on what they are studying. Weinshenker says, “Listening to youth is as much a part of the dialogue as giving them the tools to speak” (p.127).  Students can engage in making a digital storytelling project to connect with their peers and others who see the movie when they may be sharing hardships or life experiences. This is a neat idea to help them speak out about their feelings. Students should have ample opportunities to be conferencing with other experts who are practicing researchers. One example in the text discusses about conference calling a marine scientist. This opens doors to new insight regarding what they do. Expanding the learning circle is another way to broaden student learning. Teachers could construct a cross-cultural project by communicating with other teachers across the world. This would enable students to get a new taste of a different culture. The perk about using technology is to broaden teacher and student knowledge beyond the classroom.

2. Description of the EAST Initiative Model.

The Environmental and Spatial Technologies (EAST) is a network of schools that use tools including: GIS, GPS, CAD, and other applications to solve problems or make improvements based on student interest. Through collaboration one team developed a documentary based on a Japanese-American internment camp.  Tim Stephenson was the person who had initially developed the EAST model. He has trained and supported teachers who implement this model into their classrooms.The EAST model has four essential components including: student-driven learning, authentic project-based learning, technology as tools, and collaboration.

3. Discussion on some reasons to let students “lead” their projects.

Teachers who let their students “lead” their projects opens up opportunities for students to do a project that follows their own interests. When students get to have choices and choose what topic to do a project you will see much more engagement and a piece of work that the student put time and effort in. In the text it mentions a student who has dyslexia and how she connected more with blogging than writing. This is why as a teacher it is important to recognize what you can do to help students learn based on their abilities and interest.

4. Discussion on how concepts in this chapter relate to your topic/project.

The teacher is having us lead our own projects. We first got to choose from a list of topics what we wanted to do, which is connecting to our interest. Also as a group we got to decide our celebration, which is a staying healthy workshop. Another way my group is “branching out” was when we pretended to connect with students from Tokyo, Japan to learn more about their healthy dishes and exercises.

Ishara Brent Reading Reflection 8

Description of some ways to build connections and branch out beyond the classroom

Branching out beyond the classroom is a learning experience. A way to to build connections is connecting with experts. This provides a variety of connections because students use blogs and personal responses from experts to help them with their learning experience. Experts provide knowledge and experience that students can take note of. Another way is expanding the learning circle, this includes connecting with other classrooms in the community, and other countries and continents. Communicating findings is another way to build connections and branch out beyond the classroom. This includes conducting research or raising awareness to address a real problem, and advocate change. 

Description of the EAST Initiative Model

The EAST initiative model helps solve problems and make improvements in their communities. EAST stands for Environmental and Spatial Technologies. EAST students master multimedia tools and applications in context while solving community problems that interest them. The EAST initiative model is a technology benefit used for a real purpose. The model is build on four essential ideas, student-driven learning, authentic project-based learning, technology as tools, and collaboration. 

Discussion on some reasons to let students “lead” their projects.

When students lead they can open up new opportunities for other students. A reason to let students lead their projects is because they create their own ideas about their project, learn on their own, and develop their own understanding. When a student leads is helps their leadership skills.

Discussion on how concepts in this chapter relate to your topic/project

Concepts in this chapter relate to my topic because we use connections to branch out beyond the classroom. My team member and I focused one of our projects on international students so we can focus on communication and diversity. 

Reflection #7 -- Lexie Sittsamer

Covers Chapter 7, A Guiding Hand -- Keeping a Project Moving, of Reinventing Project-Based Learning, p. 113 to 124.

Your reflection should include:

1. Description of the levels of classroom discussions. (p. 114-115)

• teacher to teacher
• collaboration amongst teachers 
• student to student
• working in groups 
• inquiry
• teach others; improve own skills  
• teacher to student 
• instruction
• announcements 

2. Discussion on the questions for “checking in” on students during a project. (p. 118-119)

• procedural
• stay on schedule
• track progress
• have all materials needed
• teamwork
• group togetherness
• management of group
• understanding
• overview of student's work
• gently redirect students
• self-assessment
• what do students know?
• inquiry process
• share with others

3. Discussion on the benefits to students when optimizing the use of technology. (p. 119-121)

• communicating key content
• teachers able to check in with students
• multiple technologies used together

4. Discussion on the 21st-century skills that can make or break a project. (p. 122-124)

• teamwork
• dynamics
• contract
• rubrics

5. Discussion on how concepts in this chapter relate to your topic/project.

• collaboration amongst teachers
• student to student
• working in groups
• teach others; improve own skills 

Ishara Brent Reading Reflection 7

Description of the levels of classroom discussions

Levels of classroom discussion includes teacher to teacher, which includes teacher conversations that touch on everything, project planning, and working together. Another level is student to student, which includes students discussing their learning experiences and enhancing their communication skills. The last level is Teacher to student. This is very important and includes technology and how teachers can communicate with each and every student to help them with a project. 

Discussion on the questions for “checking in” on students during a project

There are many questions to ask to get the kind of information you want.  is a question that ask if a class is staying on schedule, do they have the materials they need, or When is the best time to do something. Teamwork is another type of question that focus on team members and their group work. Such as, are the team members getting along, is a student carrying too much, or are they able to manage conflict. Understanding is a type of question that observes teams at work. It ask if a student thought about the work before they started, or have they considered research. Last type of question is self assessment, which finds out what students are thinking about the project. 

Discussion on the benefits to students when optimizing the use of technology

Students have a lot of benefits when optimizing technology. Some of those benefits are helping students meet learning goals by communicating and reaching out to them. Another benefit is podcast that match students learning speed and needs. Another benefit is you can choose what kind of technology yo want to use. this is very helpful for students and their learning. 

Discussion on the 21st-century skills that can make or break a project

Troubleshooting is a 21st century skill that can make a project because it helps students understand the real-world projects come with challenges. Also, project based earning can make or break a project. Some students get intimidated  about their skills, such as writing and they have to practice and seek help. A teacher skills can make or break a project, a teacher has to be prepared and communicate with students so that they can learn and be successful. With a lack of skills you can break project and with strong skills you can make a project. 

Discussion on how concepts in this chapter relate to your topic/project

Concepts in this chapter relate to my topic "staying healthy, because we have classroom discussion with our team members. We also ask questions for checking in so that we can improve and enhance our skills, and also pay attention when things are not working very well. 

Reflection 7 (Allison Burt)

Allison Burt

Reflection 7

1. Description of the levels of classroom discussions.

There are three different levels of classroom discussions during project implementation including: teacher to teacher, student to student, and teacher to student. Teacher to teacher is when a teacher and their colleague will collaborate and touch base with what they observe the students are doing and what concepts they may have to revisit with them. The teacher and their colleague may discuss what their lesson will be on for the following day and how they are going to assess their students. Student to student is when students within a group or among others will communicate and be reflective with their progress with their project. During student to student the teacher will be a “bystander” and listen in on the team members’ discussion.  The teacher should model how to give constructive feedback and allow the students to practice. Teacher to student discussions happens occasionally if you need to teach a new concept or make an important announcement.  Sometimes you may lead the class in a discussion to make sure they are grasping the concept. For the most part, as a teacher you will be circulating the classroom and asking students higher-order questions to challenge them.

2. Discussion on the questions for “checking in” on students during a project.

There are different types of questions teachers can ask students to frame their thinking based upon: procedural, teamwork, understanding, and self-assessment. Teachers need to be asking meaningful questions to their students to be informed with what direction the students are going with their projects. Before teachers ask questions, they should make sure the types of questions they ask are based on the information you want to get from them.

1.      Procedural- questions that track student progress.

“Are we staying on schedule?” (p. 118)

2.      Teamwork- questions that are reflective on team dynamics

“Is one student carrying too much of the load for the whole team?” (p. 118)

3.      Understanding-the teacher should be aware of teams progress and listen in on student conversations. The teachers may re-direct students by giving them resources if they are off track.

“Have you considered this research?” (p. 118)

4.      Self-assessment- asking questions based on assessing the team members progress and goals. This also may be students describing any challenges or asking questions for clarification.

 

3. Discussion on the benefits to students when optimizing the use of technology.

Students can benefit from the use of technology by helping them reach their learning goals.  We live in a generation where using technology increases student interest and engagement. Therefore, allow students to choose their technologies to use and help them identify if the technology is helping them reach their learning goals. Technology allows students to expand beyond the classroom and connect with outside resources. These are real life skills that we would be teaching students to do, which is networking. Allowing students to use technology in their projects can help them be more familiar with the tools and get creative.

4. Discussion on the 21st-century skills that can make or break a project.

Troubleshooting and teamwork are two 21^st-century skills that can make or break a project. Troubleshooting happens in a real life experience outside the “traditional” classroom. It’s important for teachers to teach students strategies to help team members get back on track if the project is failing.  A teacher should help students understand that failure happens and there is always room to grow. Teamwork is another skill that can lead your project to either success or failure. Teachers need to teach students how to problem solve when conflict arises within their group. An important element is formal assessment, which allows student to evaluate their peers following a rubric. Students may also assess themselves describing their skills they have to contribute to the team. Also students should be aware of students they may work with from different cultures. Getting to know your group members will make it easier to understand why people do things in a certain way, which will reflect on your project.

5. Discussion on how concepts in this chapter relate to your topic/project.

As my group is working on specific projects we will ask each other questions for clarification. This may involve discussing topics for the lesson plan or digital story so we don’t choose the same. The questions we are asking allows us to “check-in” with each other and get the information we need to keep moving along. We are also optimizing different tools in our project. For example, making a podcast for parents to inform them of what we have been doing and talking about our staying healthy workshop. We often engage in student to student classroom discussions to keep us on the right track and help one another on different tasks.

 

 

Reading Reflection #6 Cameron McCririe


Discuss how technology tools can encourage students to be reflective and evaluate their own strengths.

Some tools that can be used are blogs and online surveys. Through blogs students can talk about their ideas and have other students comment on them to encourage communication in the classroom. Surveys can be used for group members to individually gather information and then later pool their surveys together to get data.



Describe several ways in which you can get students' minds ready for a project.

Some ways to get students' minds ready for a project would be to have them write KWL charts, watch a movie that is related to the topic, and asking them to ask friends and family about the topic and see what kind of information they can gather using those resources.



Discuss the elements of teaching fundamentals first

The elements of teaching fundamentals are to set up the stage for inquiry and sharing the assessment rubric. Getting students to ask questions instead of just solving a problem is the first step in achieving the stage for inquiry and will engage more students through this method. Having students understand what they are being graded on is also important for the teacher and the students to have an agreement on what is being assessed.



Describe the important steps in preparing students for using technology in project.

The important steps in preparing students for using technology are to set up a technology playground, introduce project management tools, demonstrate how to use the technology, and to always collaborate with the technology specialist so the students and you are not wasting time.




Discuss ways to promote inquiry and deep learning

Some ways to promote inquiry and deep learning are to have students brainstorm about the topic and if it connects with any other subject area such as social studies, science, math, etc, and guided inquiry where you ask students, "which one", "how", "should", and "why". These types of questions allow students to dive further into questioning and eventually finding their own answers.



Discussion on how concepts in this chapter relate to your topic/project.

These concepts in this chapter relate to out topic of Staying Healthy because in our workshop we have many different booths containing different information that some students may already have information about and some that do not. From this we can begin to give them more information and have them leave to share and explore more about the booth topic. 

Reading Reflection 6 Ishara Brent

Discuss how technology tools can encourage students to be reflective and evaluate their own strengths

Technology tools can encourage students to be reflective and evaluate their own strengths through blogs that offer students space where they can reflect over time about what they are learning. ProfilerPro also helps students evaluate their own strengths because it allows students to identify their learning characteristics and members of a group. Survey monkey also can encourage students to be reflective and evaluate their own strengths because teachers can use the results to help students see how their self-assessment compares to the larger group.

Describe several ways in which you can get students' minds ready for a project

You can get students minds ready for a project with a Know-Wonder-Learn activity. Teachers can start their project idea is fun when presenting it to the students. This helps get their attention and giving the idea time to settle in their imaginations. Students can also get their minds ready for a project by by exploring the topic and discussing it with friends and family. Excitement is another way to get students minds ready for a project. If they have something to look up to, they will be more ready to do research and prepare for the project. Visitors also helps students get their mind ready for a project because visitors can really kickoff the project.

Discuss the elements of teaching fundamentals first

Students needs knowledge and skills in order to work with a degree of independence in their investigation. Students should know facts, history, and have done research before starting a project. Elements such as getting to the inquiry stage, so that students can be driven and investigate like real scientists do. Another element is using cutting edge technology, by introducing students to online collaboration, video production, and other skills before the project. Teaching fundamentals first, helps prepare students for the real work. The two fundamentals are Set the Stage for Independent Inquiry and Share the Assessment Rubric. The rubric shows students what performance looks like through a qualitative description of each rating.

Describe the important steps in preparing students for using technology in project.

Technology is not the project, but rather how the projects gets done correctly.The first step is set up a Technology Playground. This sets up technology opportunities for students to learn by and among themselves by providing the environment. Second step is Tap Student Expertise, this includes setting up computer stations, each with one tool students will use in the project, such as, an online database at one station, presentation software on another,and a shared wiki on another.  The third step is Introduce Project-Management Tools, this includes a log or a checklist where students track tasks they have completed.The last step is Demonstrate this includes demonstrating the use of technology.

Discuss ways to promote inquiry and deep learning

A couple ways to promote inquiry and deep learning is questions and answers and combining all subjects. To promote deep learning students should understand certain topic such as economics, health, money, and relationships. Another way to promote inquiry is asking questions, such as which one, how, what if, should, and why.

Discussion on how concepts in this chapter relate to your topic/project

These concepts relate to our topic, Staying Healthy, because we test our knowledge and use inquiry all the time. We continue to learn from each other and others. We also get our minds right for each project by getting excited and eager to learn more.

Reflection 6 (Allison Burt)

Allison Burt

Reflection 6

1. Discuss how technology tools can encourage students to be reflective and evaluate their own strengths.

Technology tools including blogs and online surveys can encourage students to be self-reflective. Students can use blogs to continuously evaluate and write about the process of the project. They can express what is going well and what needs polishing for their projects.  Online surveys can be useful to see how group members are doing on their individual tasks. Then students will compare with other group members responses and reflect based upon that information. Surveys allow the group members to be able to gather information regarding individual strengths and weaknesses.

2. Describe several ways in which you can get students’ minds ready for a project.

First, before kicking off a project allow students time to think about the possibilities they can do for their projects. A good idea requires “thinking” time. Students should be researching their ideas using technology based on the focus topic. Teachers should be networking with other resources so students can engage in real-life experiences related to the topic. The teacher can invite or contact outside resources/guests to inspire the students and spark their thinking on the focused topic. The teacher should encourage their students to think outside the box by asking higher order of thinking questions. Teachers may use google earth or Flickr to present information prior to their project. Teachers should discuss the topic daily to track students’ progress on their ideas regarding the focus topic. Make sure you give them choices and direct them to “rich” resources.

3. Discuss the elements of teaching fundamentals first.

Teachers should recognize that a complicated project working with unfamiliar software tools should not be placed at the beginning of the school year or semester. It should be a gradual incline of complexity by building on prior knowledge. Students need an abundance of practice to be able to apply complicated tools within their projects. Teachers had stated in the text that they had their students working on different elements of a larger project for a year before doing a complicated project.

4. Describe the important steps in preparing students for using technology in project.

Teachers should, “Set Up a Technology Playground” for their students. This allows students to interact with their peers to learn from each other the new technology they will be using. Also involve parents as well because they can be updated on recent technology and what their child is doing in their class. Allow students who do well and enjoy exploring new technology to be training their classmates. Stations are an excellent way to demonstrate and familiarize the class with different tech tools they will be using. Students who are able to play and do hands-on activities with new tools will become more comfortable by time they tackle a difficult project. The more exposure the better off students will be. Also demonstrate the new tools by inviting a technology specialist in to introduce and explain how it works. Make sure your students know your expectations involving the specific tools. Handing out a rubric ahead of time and thoroughly explaining it will give them a clear understanding of the project.

5. Discuss ways to promote inquiry and deep learning.

Brainstorming as a class is one way to come up with different perspectives on a given topic. A teacher should encourage their students to look beyond one area of study such as science, and include all academic areas such as math, literature, and art. Having a combination of areas of study allows students to think in multiple dimensions. In the text it states, “Guide students toward skill questioning by imagining what practitioners or experts might ask” (p 108). This is a great point because teachers should challenge their students to come up with higher order thinking questions instead of based solely on facts.

Types of Questions (pages 108-110):

“Which one”- collect information, make informed decisions

“How”-understand problems

“What if”-use the knowledge they have to create a hypothesis

“Should”-making moral or practical decisions

“Why”-understand cause and effect

6. Discussion on how concepts in this chapter relate to your topic/project.

With our staying healthy workshop project we had recently integrated technology that some of us was not as familiar with. At first, everyone got a chance to practice using the tool when we first got introduced to it. It really helped in understanding the different elements we needed for the podcast. For example, the podcast we had created we had to work collaboratively to make it work. The team member that was most tech savvy was able to put together the technical parts of the podcast whereas the other team members worked on the script or other parts of the project to make it happen.  This relates to the chapter because it discussed that the teacher should allow time for playing and practicing with the new tools introduced. Also a rubric was clearly explained and posted regarding the project. Our group had a clear understanding of the expectations.