R&R #6

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

By the use of technology, in examples such as blogs, immediate feedback quizzes or surveys students can evaluate their own strengths and weaknesses. As it was stated in the reading, students will be able to track their progress of their expectations during the project duration, or in the class in general. Self-assesment causes students to think about their learning capabilities, as well as their capabilities of achievement and success. Through this process, with reflection by the students themselves, students can direct their own learning and assess when they need to put more time into a project, or where they need to get help to improve. By using self-assesment students can identify positive experiences in their learning and events that helped them grow in their knowledge as well. 

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

As the book stated, several teachers use Know-Wonder-Learn as introductions to projects, but instead, we need to focus more on the in-depth, wonder section of prepping students' minds for a project. An idea I really enjoyed from the book was to "Invite them to open their eyes to the possibilities before digging in." I see this as giving students a small piece of the project, or a question that inquires the students' minds to think outside the box before they begin. I enjoyed their middle school teacher example as the teacher encouraged the students to find new concepts of habitability on other planets, that even posed questions she had not even thought of. These lists, as well as an introduction from a "professional" in the students' project study, gave the students' a stepping stone promoting eagerness to find out more. 

3. Discuss the elements of teaching fundamentals first.

Diving right into a project can be overwhelming for both the students and the teacher. It is important that fundamentals are taught first, prior to engaging in projects that also include technologies. The teacher example that was used in our book took the time span of a year introducing the use of blogs, online collaboration between students for assessment and team building during projects, video production, and creating wiki pages. She used this as a precursor to her project because the project included all of these elements. Without these elements the students wouldn't have the knowledge or capability of understanding the full use of the programs or applications. A great aspect of fundamentals that the book gave us as a tool is the know-wonder-learn process. This process leads students into deep investigations, but also shows the importance of fundamentals. These fundamentals are a necessity, also showing that working with a media specialist is important. Media specialists can guide teachers through the instruction, introductory, and use of these technological tools with students. 

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

Preparing students for the use of technology in projects directly coordinates with teaching fundamentals prior to starting a class project. I enjoy that the book stated that technology is only how the project is prepared and accomplished. A teacher first needs to understand what tools will best fit this project. The teacher also needs to find the functions that he/she wants to accomplish by using these technological tools such as collaboration between students, deeper understanding of a topic, reflection and self-assesment, etc. that students benefit from several of these tools. Other tools that are helpful in preparation for using technology on a project is the use of computer stations that have one tool of the technology used, and the students rotate, encouraging collaboration of student-student teaching and understanding. Project management with journals to track progress, as well as demonstrations by teachers or media specialists are great tools preparing students in the use of technology prior to the engaging in a project.

I believe the part of this section in the chapter that I learned the most was "Set Up a Technology Playground." This section showed the integration of problem solving using technological tools and the collaboration between parents, students, and teachers. I truly admired that the teacher in the example gave parents an opportunity of technology training before a field trip, giving the parents a better understanding of how to use the tools the students would be using, as well as assisting the teacher during the field trip. By using this preparation the teacher not only taught the students and parents technological tool use, but also engaged more parents in school involvement! 

5. Discuss ways to promote inquiry and deep learning.

Encouraging students to connect different topics they study into the current topic is a great way to promote inquiry and deep learning. Many students reach for the concrete answer, instead of digging deeper to accomplish the answer themselves. Teachers can guide students away from only factual questions to lead into deeper research. When students research and accomplish learning by asking their own, insightful questions, they feel more accomplished and successful, leading them to keep asking questions in further assignments and projects. 

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

One of the many ways I find connections from this chapter to our own Gardening project is promoting inquiry and deep learning. To break up our research and lesson plans, we broke our Gardening topic into smaller pieces such as the parts of a plant and the growth (science), the selling of plants at a market (economics), journaling the growth and their research of the plants (english/writing skills), graphing and calculating growth of plants as well as making change and counting money at the market (math). Due to this breakdown, we asked ourselves questions as to how, why, what, and should questions, that lead us to deeper research and insight into the study of Gardening and how to introduce the topic to students. 

We also can relate our project on fundaments first idea. As we progress through the semester with Educational Technology, we learn new tools to put to use in our classroom as well as technological tools that are great use in projects. 

Reading Reflection #6

1. Discuss how technology tools can encourage students to be reflective and evaluate their own strengths.
 There are several different technological tools out there that can encourage student reflection in the classroom. Some of the tools listed in the book are: blogs, ProfilerPro, SurveyMonkey and Zoomerang. Blogs are a great resource for students because they can use it as a space to display their learning and growth throughout the project. It's also a useful form of communication among group members. One technological resource that I enjoy is Glogster. This is a user friendly website that teaches you how to create your own interactive website. This would be a great tool to use in the classroom because it allows students to show their creative side and makes the technology aspect to learning more engaging.

2. Describe several ways in which you can get students’ minds ready for a project.
 Activating prior knowledge is helpful to introducing any new idea or project to students. Giving the students the chance to bring what they already know to a project gives them the opportunity to teach others, become confident about the topic and expand their knowledge. The use of a K-W-L chart is beneficial to students because they can actually see their growth over time. When starting a project make sure to get students attention and keep it. Having a really strong anticipatory set in your lesson plan will make sure this happens. Giving students the opportunity to let the idea sink in, to explore the idea and to discuss it with their group members is important for student comprehension.

3. Discuss the elements of teaching fundamentals first.
 Prior to starting a project a teacher must first think about all of the elements that go into implementing this type of project. Making sure that students have a grasp on the technology that will be used is important for students to be able to work on the project and research independently. Also making sure that the project is at their appropriate level and that the students are able to produce prior knowledge about the topic makes the learning meaningful and makes it stick. Like I mentioned earlier using a K-W-L chart is helpful for students in developing good research as their driving force for their project. Making sure to share the rubrics with students allows them to have a guided plan for maximum achievement. Sharing a well thought out rubric with students shows them exactly what you expect of them and gives them the chance to show their skills. 

4. Describe the important steps in preparing students for using technology in project.
The first important step in preparing students for technology use in the classroom is figuring out an efficient plan. Going over your inventory list will help immensely and make the planning process easier. Discussing your plans with colleagues gives you the chance to brainstorm with others to make the project engaging and meaningful. The second step is setting up a specific time and place where students can explore with all of the technological tools that will be incorporated into the project. Setting up a rotating station system would be beneficial to students because they will be exploring in small groups, learning from each other and getting the chance to work with each technological tool. Having student facilitators could be an effective resource in time management. I have found that sometimes learning from peers is more effective because they can put it into simpler terms. Demonstration is also the key to student success and the overall success of the project. Discussing different project management tools with students is highly important to keep students on task and ensures that they know what is expected and when assignments are due. This is where the use of a blog is highly effective. Making notes on a blog or in a google document allows students to come back to their ideas when they are not in the classroom and working on their project. Concept maps are also useful tools to use to ensure that the students are incorporating each main point into their research and final product. Maintaining contact with your tech support team always comes in handy when working with technology. If you aren't sure about programs or if you are having difficultly these specialists are there to help. Make use of the resources directly located at your school.

5. Discuss ways to promote inquiry and deep learning.
 To ensure that your project promotes inquiry and deep learning it is important that you know what the learning outcomes are prior to planning the project. A good project covers all subject areas and has learning outcomes for all areas. All inquiry learning starts with an initial questions that needs to be solved. Students use their prior knowledge and skills to research the project. They are encouraged to formulate their own questions to expand the research and knowledge that they are obtaining. Allowing students to guide their learning with questions gives them the drive to dig deeper into the topic and create meaningful lessons. Before and after each assignment students should be reflecting on their knowledge and skills that have been expanded or learned from the lesson. This shows students their personal growth and shows teachers what students have learned and what still needs to be taught.

6. Discussion on how concepts in this chapter relate to your topic/project.
The information in this chapter is beneficial for teachers in the sense that it gives you great ideas and tips about starting a project. Chapter six pretty much lays the whole creation process out for you and makes sure to highlight what you need to include in your plans to make sure the project is successful and beneficial to your students. I feel that a lot of the information will be helpful in creating the lesson plans for this course and making note of the main points that need to be included in our procedures. In class, Professor Peterson always makes sure to introduce us to a program before we are expected to explore it ourselves which gives us the skills needed to work independently and with our groups. The most obvious way that this chapter relates to this course and project is how we reflect what we have learned. Our group blogs is essentially a place to reflect on the information that we have learned so far in this course. We can use it as a resource or as a way to individually assess what we have learned.

Concept Map 2nd Draft

RR #6: Project Launch Implementation Strategies

1. How does Technology tools encourage students to be reflective and evaluate their own strengths?: 
Students will use tools that they know as well as help others who may need help using tools. This process right here shows their strength to their knowledge of using tools . They will also get better at organization which will increase their professionalism.  Through using technology tools students will be able to evaluate the success of efforts, direction, and overcome obstacles.They will fill out student evaluations before and at the end of their projects which will show them their strengths and what they are learning. Blogs are a great way for students to reflect over time what they are learning about. Also taking surveys helps students recognize their interests, strengths, and weaknesses.
2. What are several ways in which we can get students minds ready for a project?
Its important to use KWL charts to know how much prior knowledge the student has. Also getting the students attention is really good because than the students can explore and think about the topic. Brining in a poster or movie about the topic will gain the students attention and the students will get excited about the topic, bringing in mystery guests is another great way. Having students research a little bit to get them ready for the overall project so they know some information. Also discrepant events and role playing predictions are a great way to grow the students curiosity, and use of technology!
3. What are the elements of teaching fundamentals first?:
Its important to teach prerequisite knowledge that students are going to need in order for them to work independently and know what to look for in their investigation. Teaching fundamentally helps students get pointed in the right direction. Its important to give the students a starting point for their research. Besides doing the KWL chart to know where your students are at with their knowledge, what they want to know, and what they wonder; its important to try to get students to have deeper questioning. Also give the students their assessment rubric so that way they know how they need to perform to get the grades they want.
4. What are the important steps in preparing students for using technology in the project?:
Setting up opportunities for the students to learn the technology they will be working with and becoming familiar with it. Another way is to have a meeting with the parents as well to help the parents with the technology as well as the students because it is new to everyone. Students should be able to teach others technology through teachers setting up computer stations with things on the database that students will be using for their projects.Discussing the purpose for each tool and expectations will help using technology go more smoothly. Creating a project log or journal gives the students another tool to help track their progress towards goals and reflections. Also if the teacher is well knowledgeable on the tool its important to demonstrate the use of the tool. Using your technology specialist is also a great way to help show students and even you as a teacher the way to use technology that you are going to be using for the project because they know technology and are coaches for the school to help promote success in the technology integration aspect of learning. Its really important that students really master these applications we use in class because they can be used for real world projects and activities as well.
5. What are some ways to promote inquiry and deep learning?:
Its important to guide students with choosing questions, planning investigations , and putting their plan into action. Challenging students interests is important to get a deeper understanding of the project and what objectives your trying to have your students learn. Having students ask which one questions and how questions will promote more on collecting information and making informed decisions also to understand different types of problems. Its important as teachers to have students write down questions in their own words and than probe them deeper so that way students use a deep understanding approach. Also never give students the answer right away let them come up with the answers themselves.
6.  How do concepts in this chapter relate to our topic of gardening?
Its important that with all the technology applications we decide to use that we go through them with the students so that way they can get a good start with how all the technology works. Also we will be using an inquiry approach with our students and probe their thinking by asking many follow up questions. Also I will have students journal about their progress each day and what they are learning to practice reflection and evaluating their own strengths.

Lesson Plan 1

My lesson plan is on Plant Predators!

R&R #5

1. Discussion on the items that should be considered before starting a project with students.

Before starting a project with students, things that are very important to consider is budget, time, technology needed, materials, and a final plan for assessment. When starting a project, the book as well as our class referred to working with media specialists to ensure that all of the technological resources that the teacher plans on using are available, ready for student access, as well as how to instruct students with these tools. I found it very helpful that working with a media specialist to introduce how to use the tools such as a website, internet, email, and other resources were incorporated to the beginning of starting a project with students. Another influential item that can be addressed before starting a project with students is the use of time management. The teacher must address if the project should be blocked into smaller chunks, and specific due dates that are accessible for students and parents (i.e. a class website or blog). A great tool that teachers can add to their website is an e-calendar so that students, parents, and the teacher all have access to due dates for pieces or the entire project. 

2. Discussion on teachers’ and students’ management needs.

As stated on page 84, there are several management needs for both students and teachers. A few of the teachers management needs are a means of communication with the students, as well as making a way to introduce to students if there will be any changes to the project, or rubric. Getting resources to students such as reading material, internet, computers, or any other things needed for the project is for the teacher to manage before they start the project. Teachers also need to manage the assessment strategy. The teacher needs to make goals, balance between individuals on work load, feedback, and productivity assessing, as well as how to keep productivity of learning in an environment that exhibits varieties of learning among the teams.

Students need management as well during the project process. Students need the major importance of tools to keep their time managed for productivity during the project, as well as tools to keep the entire team working together towards their project goals. I personally believe that seeking assistance is one of the most important management need for students. The students need readily access to an email, discussion board, or instant message notification that gives them assistance if they need it during any time of working on the project. 

3. Discuss some of the technology applications that should be considered for use in a project.

Something I found helpful in the reading about technological applications for projects is a class blog. I have had several instructors in my college career use this, and it was very helpful throughout the semester. In the reading, it stated that Drupal, and Textpattern were a few helpful blogs that included discussion forums, and surveys to help during the learning process or projects for classroom teachers. Another application is the use of wiki and flickr as it can be a great file folder for all the students projects, work, and other items that can be readily accessed from anywhere, on any computer, as long as it has internet access. Another great tool is the use of dropbox, this can be used on quizzes, and sends from one computers folder, to another computer's folder (i.e. from one student, to another, or to a teacher). 

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

The concepts in the chapter relate to our project because of all the tools, assessment, and technological applications that we are learning to use in the process of creating our ongoing project. In the topic of gardening, it is hard to do your own project in the snow that we have in Michigan, unless we use indoor facilities. We can use images, videos, and other web based tools to find out more about our topic to help us create our project and learn at the same time both on gardening, as well as technology applications. By creating our blog, online lesson plans, podcasts, the use of our class website, eLearning (D2L), we are learning different tools to become better pre-service teachers. 

Reading Reflection #5

1. Discussion on the items that should be considered before starting a project with students.
Before initially starting a project teacher's should make sure to create a list of any objects, tools and resources that will be used during the project. After the list has been created make sure to check your inventory to see if you may need to purchase any of the items. You can also see if any parents are willing to donate anything. Also, if your students need access to the internet for research make sure that you arrange that as well. Making sure to introduce any new technology to students is extremely important for the success of the project and your students' learning. Thinking ahead to work out possible difficulties will ensure that the project goes smoothly.

2. Discussion on teachers’ and students’ management needs.
As it highlights on page 78 of our book, the over-arching goal of these projects is to teach students how to manage their time effectively. Providing a calendar with all major deadlines on it is an effective way to ensure that students and teachers are very aware of what needs to be accomplished in the course. Putting this online also gives parents access to what their children are learning and when assignments need to be turned in. Making sure that students can have access to their work anywhere is really important. I suggest using an online blog or google document to make sure that working at home or the library is possible. Grouping students is another important aspect of Project-Based Learning to keep in mind. Making sure to put students with different strength skills together increases the success of working together because each student has a role in the group. On pages 84 and 85 of our book also provides a list of management needs that should be met while incorporating PBL into the classroom.

3. Discuss some of the technology applications that should be considered for use in a project.
 Some of the technology applications that should be included into a PBL classroom are: wiki pages, blogs, drupal, textpattern, prezi, personalized webpages, imovie and google documents. Several of these programs are really easy to teach to students. Wiki pages and blogs are very useful in the classroom because they are easy to edit and to use. Anyone can view these blogs so it makes working in groups much more tolerable. Using these also makes it easy for parents and teachers to view each groups work.  Google documents are just as easy to use because it gives students access to their work anywhere, not just the classroom. Power point presentations and prezi are also useful tools to use for creating presentations for the classroom. I personally like prezi better because it's right online and can be saved just like a power point. The only thing to remember is to introduce these programs to students prior to requiring their use in the classroom.

4. Discussion on how concepts in this chapter relate to your topic/project.
Several of the aspects that were discussed in this chapter are very useful in our projects for this course. Creating a list of all of the items that we need was easily made by creating our concept map. When creating our concept map we had to make sure that we covered every part of the project. Working in a group is often time consuming and can be hectic, but making sure that each of us has a part in the assignments makes managing our time that much easier. Each of the girls in my group plays an important role in the success that we've had thus far. We make sure to highlight what each of us is covering before we leave class to ensure that each aspect is completed by the deadline. Our deadlines are also posted online so if we ever forget something we can always check on our class website. We are incorporating several of the technology applications that I mentioned in this class and within our groups project. We have our group blog for gardening ideas and reflections and we have used google documents to make sure that each member is on the same page. We are using power point, excel, and several other applications for our lesson plans and other projects for this class. With this project we are able to incorporate many, if not all of the aspects that are highlighted in this book.

RR#5

Discussion on the items that should be considered before starting a project with students.

The items that you should be considering before starting a project with a student are things like is what you are asking as a teacher achievable and measurable? How will you be able to test that the students are learning objectives? What objects and materials will you need in order to carry out your project? How will you get these materials? Will students bring them from home? Do you have grants? How is the participants of the project? Will you need others from your school or community to assist you in your project?

Discussion on teachers’ and students’ management needs.

Teacher’s management’s needs are:

-How will you as a teacher communicate with your students?

-What methods will you use for relaying information?

-What structures will be available for a supportive learning environment?

What assessment tools will you use?

-Systems for managing systems?

               * Rubrics

Student’s management needs are:

_How will students communicate with other students or teacher? What tools will the students use when they need to collaborate together?

-System for managing self and others?

-Systems and tools that help students manage their time and flow of work

-Methods for seeking assistance

-Systems that help students manage and use feedback on their work?

Discuss some of the technology applications that should be considered for use in a project.

Some of the technology applications that I should be considering for my project are Hot Lists, GoogleDocs, this lets group members all collaborate together and work together on a project without having to do it separately. Hot lists are great tools because the students will be more controlled given the websites they are supposed to use vs. browsing the web for unknown and un-revised websites. Any app for an IPad that could be beneficial to what I am teaching. And last but not least creating a class blog so that everyone can partake in the conversation in and out of class.

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

This concept relates to our topic because we are all collaborating to work on a big idea. Ours is having a classroom garden and teaching the students about supply and demand so that once they harvest their vegetables the students can sell them to the Farmer’s Market. For our lesson plans we are utilizing the Hot Lists and utilizing Task stream. We are also working together using GoogleDocs because it is very convenient for a group to all be able to work on something together and all at once.

RR #5 : Project Management Strategies for Teachers and Learners

1. What items should be considered before starting a project with students?:
Its important as teachers to be resources as sometimes when teaching students the materials can get expensive. See if there are any free materials that you can get. Its also important before you start a project to know what exactly you will need in the classroom for your students and maybe some places where your students can get the materials they need that you send out in an email so that the students are prepared. If you as a teacher are going to use technology its important to be ready to explain and show students the technology and make it fun and accessible for students. Its important for example if your students are doing a research project or something where they need more info if there is an " expert" or someone who knows a lot about the topic to have them accessible for the students through video chatting , coming in to do a presentation, etc. Its important to have deadlines made up for when certain things are due and make sure there is a way that the students and parents can access it. Its important to go over teamwork that will maximize results. Its important that the teammates your students choose will enhance the benefit of their learning and that everyone plays a part in it. Its important to give assessments or evaluations and have them prepared so that way students can give you feedback on what they have learned and maybe what they have liked and didn't like about how you delivered your project.
2. What are the teachers management needs and what are the students management needs?:
The teachers management needs are these: "tools for communication with students and others about the project, tools for making milestones and events visible and for notifying students when changes occur, methods for getting resources to students. systems for managing work products, structures that support a productive learning environment in which teams and individuals are engaged in a variety of learning tasks at the same time, ways to gauge whether students are working productively and accomplishing project goals, ways to assess the load balance within a team so no individuals end up doing too much or too little, and ways to give just in time feedback on student work as it develops."(84-85)
The student management needs are these: "systems and tools that help them manage their time and flow of work, systems that help students manage materials and control work drafts, collaboration tools, methods for seeking assistance. ways to get and use feedback on their work, through self reflection, team input, and teacher advice, and ways to work iteratively and to see how parts add up to the whole."(85)
3. What are some of the technology applications that should be considered for use in a project:
There are so many different technology applications that you can use for your projects. I believe that blogging is a great way in groups to get ideas flowing and people can communicate with each other. Also mentioned is using wikis, audio introductions from teachers and students to each other, photographs, Skype is a great way to communicate, and web visits. Also you can use personalized web pages to show others your information and what you have done! Some examples of these are web mail, calendars, notepads, news and blog feeds, page flakes, igoogle and my yahoo.
4. How do the concepts in this chapter relate to my project of gardening?:
All the concepts and time management tools are helpful for our project because we are planning a gardening unit and all the components of the teacher management will help us create better projects . Also we will be more prepared to actually teach our students if we are more prepared ourselves and pay attention to the things that should be considered before starting a project with students. Also adding technology using different apps will make our project more beneficial!

Reading Reflection #4

1. Discussion on the potential pitfalls in project design.
While coming up with projects for your students to complete you need to make sure to keep in mind some of things that could make these lessons less effective. Some of the pitfalls you should avoid are: long on activity and short on learning outcomes, technology layered over traditional practice, trivial thematic units and overly scripted with many steps. When writing lesson plans keeping the core standards in mind are essential to the keeping the outcome of the lesson on track with classroom goals.

2. Discussion on the features of a good project.
Several components come together to create a project for students that is unique, relevant, and meaningful. In the text it lists several qualities that are needed for a project to be considered "great". This list includes: the possibility of different learning paths, students are constructing meaning, inquiry based lessons, lessons/projects are based off real-world experiences, are realistic and cross multiple disciplines, involve other schools in different areas, data and resource based learning, projects are structured for students to learn from one another, cultivate 21st century skills needed for the future and to ensure that students learn by doing. Including these components in each project and lesson plan will ensure that your students are expanding their outlooks on life and learning at the same time.

3. Discussion on where project ideas come from.
Project ideas come from numerous sources. You can look on pinterest for project ideas, which I have done with the children at the daycare that I work at. The ones that I did obviously weren't as in depth as what we are doing in this course. There are several websites listed on pages 38 and 39 of  our text book, Reinvented Project-Based Learning. Many of the websites are teacher resources to find other classrooms that are using collaboration projects. Finding project ideas can also be as simple as talking with fellow colleagues. 


4. Discussion on the steps to design a project.
Designing a project is time consuming and tends to be a learning process for the teacher as well. A lot of time and effort have to be put into a project. Each component must be thoroughly thought out before the students can begin their work. Teachers need to communicate with one another prior to implementing any project into their planning because collaborative teaching is an important part to the success of project-based learning. Another key point is to make sure to trouble-shoot any problems that could arise while students are researching for their projects. Being prepared for these projects gives teachers the upper hand in managing the time it takes to complete the specific project. Making sure to also take into account your students interests makes a big difference in their learning experience.
On page 66, the authors want us to keep in mind that one successful project often leads to another. This is important to remember because much like anything else, project-based learning is a trial and error situation.

5. Discussion on how concepts in this chapter relate to our topic/project.
This chapter definitely plays a role in the group projects that we are doing in this course. I really liked that the authors included pitfalls to avoid when planning projects for our students. This list will help us in the creation of our lesson plans and to make sure that we aren't doing any of the pitfalls during instruction. The section on where to get project ideas from will be extremely helpful as well. Though we have already found our topics we can use these websites for our lesson plans and pod casts.

Reading Reflection #4

1. What are the pitfalls in Project Design?

There are a few things that we must keep in mind when designing a project and that is avoiding having these be anywhere in your project or even lesson.  Some of the pitfalls include having too much energy be put into the activity or lesson, but having the learning outcomes be very low. If is always disappointing when we put so much time and energy into something and then it doesn't go as well as we had planned. This is a pitfall as well with projects just going to deep into the information and having the students not be able to do what was asked of them. It could also tie into being overly scripted and having to many steps, this actually then takes away from the children’s lesson or project. Also having technology layered over traditional practice is another pitfall. This is when we have student’s research information and have them spew it back via slideshows. Teachers are also at fault for this, but it’s such an easy way to display information and also teach it. We have to make sure that there is more learning going on instead of children copying and pasting information and then reading it to prove that they know it or have learned it.

2. What are features of good projects?

Having loosely designed projects is great because you then create the possibility to explore or have the children explore different learning paths. Good projects allow students to construct meaning from the materials they are given, they also tap into rich data and go beyond school to involve others including members of their own community. Features of good projects include having everything be realistic, and they also contain a driving question or having a real and in-depth way for students to inquire. Good projects create a learning environment where the students can learn with and from each other, and also contain hands on learning. I think that any project can be a good project just as long as it is in the students favor and it has to include some of these features. Good projects include children learning skills and utilizing skills that would make students take more risks, build confidence, work on cooperation, communication and team/ group work. Also being able to reflect at the end of a project is a great tool for the students to learn from others and also see things from different viewpoints.

3. Where do project ideas come from?

Project ideas come from things that you have seen, things that already exist. Good project ideas come from letting the student’s interest and curiosity drive the learning experience. It also comes from anywhere and everywhere. You can create an amazing project by yourself or have the most incredible idea. I think that a lot of teachers teach lessons that someone else has taught that they have begun to teach. Usually you would be more comfortable teaching something that you wanted to teach versus something we don’t want to teach. Project ideas could come from one project that you see and then you could come up with multiple successful projects.

4. Discuss the steps needed to design a project?

The steps needed to design a project are focusing on reaching a significant learning outcome. Also having students make critical decisions about learning paths and it needs to include a flexible framework. You always have to make sure backbone of the project is a solid starting point.You have to know what you are planning on teaching. Once you have figured that on, you just keep on building off that, Creating a map will help you organize your ideas and thoughts in a neat and appropriate display. Lastly, the last step is planning the project.

 5. Discuss on how concepts from the chapter relate to my project?

This relates to what we have been doing in our groups because we converse our ideas with our group members and everyone can provide feedback. We are able to bounce thoughts off one another and we can all work together to create the best lesson plan for the students. I can use this tips when creating a lesson so that it is a good project instead off a bad product.

Reading Response #4 : Strategies for Discovery

1. What are some of the potential pitfalls in project design?

The potential pitfalls are long activity, short on learning outcomes, technology layered over traditional practice, trivial thematic units, and overly scripted with many many steps. Long on activity, short on learning outcomes means that that when the project has a lot of busy work and is long but only teaches you a little bit its not worth time investing in. You as a teacher also want to have different types of products and not similar ones which means that you have assigned something that just is about recalling and understanding information. Technology layered over traditional practice means that having a student do research on a topic and than making a slideshow is a dressed up version of a report. When you as a teacher are making good project you are focusing on reaching different learning goals and objectives.  When teachers pick technology its important to make sure the technology connects students to rich data and allows the students to create a really good high quality project. Trivial thematic units is about using themes to unify a year's worth of projects to help students make connections between each project with the same theme. Overly scripted with many many steps is about having students get away from the step by step instructions and make critical mature decisions about their learning paths.

2. What are the features of a good project?

"Some features of a good project are to let students ideas and curiosities drive the learning experience, are loosely designed with the possibilities of different learning paths , are generative, causing students to construct meaning , center on driving questions or are otherwise structured for inquiry, capture students interest through complex and compelling real-life or simulated experiences, are realistic, and therefor cross multiple disciplines, reach beyond school to involve others, tap rich data or primary sources, are structured so students learn from one another, have students working using inquiry, have students learn by doing not telling them step by step instructions, and have the students use 21st century skills , literacies , and dispositions."( 65)

3. Where do project ideas come from?

Some project ideas come from project plans developed by and for other teachers, a tried and true project with potential for more meaningful, expressive learning, news stories, contemporary issues , student questions or interests, a classroom irritant put to educational use, a mashup of great ideas and a new tool, and collaboration with other teachers to make the best lesson plants and projects.

4. What are the steps to design a project?

Revisiting the framework is the first step. ( which is the objectives, disciplines, specific 21st century skills , and learning dispositions)The second step is establishing evidence of understanding, the third step is planning the project theme or challenge, than plan the project experience and write a project sketch, create an asset map, and track assets online.

5. How can concepts in this chapter relate to my project?

I can use how the steps to how to design a project in my lessons plans and lesson focuses. Also its important to remember how to find project ideas that will help my students gain more learning. I can use some of the project ideas and incorporate them into my lesson. Also I need to make sure I overcome any pitfalls !

Reading Reflection #3

1. Discussion on what should be considered in finding "the Big Idea" for a project.
From what I read in the chapter, I found that making sure that the big idea for a project is an idea that happens in the real world. The importance of this is so that your students will be able to understand and be able to reflect on aspects that happen in life. This helps students and teachers to get thinking about the application process that goes into real world topics. Issues that are brought up in classroom projects are often ones that are discussed at the dinner table at home and are making news in the media.

2. Discussion on 21st century skills.
While reading the chapter on Imagining the Possibilities it made a point to discuss Bloom's Taxonomy and how each category aids in the learning of skills such as: analyzing, evaluating, creating, understanding and applying. Project-Based Learning requires students to have higher-order thinking skills which are incorporated by creating lessons and projects that demand students to analyze data that they are researching, evaluate the sources that they have found information on and to create projects off of their research. Each category on Bloom's Taxonomy listed above has certain actions that are associated with that students are able to obtain knowledge from.

3. Discussion on 21st century literacies. 
Through Project-Based Learning the lesson plans and projects that students are required to accomplish give them more than just 21st century skills to further their success, but teach them a different type of literacy that students who participate in traditional classrooms do not receive. Students in PBL learn Digital-Age Learning which teaches them the scientific, economic and technological literacy skills. They are also informed of visual, informational and multicultural literacy and global awareness. Students are also taught to have Initiative Thinking which allows students to manage complex thinking, have self direction, are curious about the world, show creativity in their work and take more risks than the ordinary student. Students that are taught with a PBL curriculum are also skilled in Effective Communication. These students learn about their civic responsibility to their nation and community, how to communicate with everyone that they come across, they know how to manage and plan their time wisely, they are better able to produce high quality goods and have an effective use of real-world tools. Students who participate in PBL are better equip to handle fast-paced tasks that are frequently seen in real world situations. These students are prepared for life after high school and can adjust to any situation where they can work together and meet deadlines. They are ready to be independent thinkers, are aware of their surroundings and what's going on in the world and how to be productive citizens.

4. Discussion on essential learning functions. 
 Students that are in Project-Based Learning classrooms are asked to work together, dig deeper into the topic and give them a chance to take ownership of their learning. When students take ownership of their learning they are obtaining knowledge that they are interested in and allows them to put more effort into their work. PBL has several functions that allow the curriculum to become successful. Students learn in and outside of the classroom and bring that knowledge with them and it stays with them over time, rather than just memorizing facts for a test. Students dig deep into their topics which allows them to learn more about their specified topics. Because students learn about real-world topics they make better connections and are able to discuss these topics that are made more visible rather than just hearing about them in the news. PBL gives students the opportunity to express themselves, share ideas and build a community within the classroom. Working together has given the students the chance to accomplish these things which will benefit them in the future. Because Project-Based Learning requires collaboration with teachers, students and people from across the world you are able to get many different aspects on topics and therefore have a diverse way of looking at the world. Research is a main key point in the success of Project-Based Learning and allows students to build upon the skills that are learned in this type of classroom. Literacy is a huge aspect in the research of a project. Being able to manage your time and having an organization plan makes PBL and the projects that much easier. Students are required to complete many projects and parts of projects within certain time limits and being organized and having a plan to complete these makes a difference in student success and failure.The last main learning function in PBL is reflection. Being able to reflect on what you have learned is a huge part of the learning process. Students are becoming successful because they are given the chance to reflect on a project and all of the real-world learning that they have obtained from doing so.

5. Discussion on how the concepts in this chapter relate to our topic/project.
I believe that all of these concepts relate to our project in this course. Being able to come up with the main idea and digging deeper into that topic is something that takes a lot of time management and commitment with each member of our group. Working together and being able to communicate with one another is the key point to the success of the outcome of our projects. Each of the eight learning functions play a big part in this course as well. We are always learning both in and outside of class, we need to dig deep into our topic or we won't find out enough information on gardening to be able to have a great blog and project to share with our peers that may not know a lot about it, we are able to discuss our ideas and share them with our group to gain a better idea of what we want to accomplish in this project and working together creates a little community within our group that will be the success of our project this semester. I believe that each chapter in this text will play a big part in our project.

Reading Reflection #3

Reading Reflection #3

1.      Discussion on what should be considered in finding “the Big Idea” for a project.

The big idea should be based on the concept that you want to teach, it will be wrapping everything up that you have been teaching and it will be the overall project. It is what your projects theme is based on.  If you are planning a lesson, all of your lessons should tie into the BIG IDEA. When I was working in a daycare this summer our theme was space, but the big idea was that the kids would learn enough about space. We had a field trip and brought the students to the planetarium. The big idea was having children understand the Solar Systems and we had daily projects that were simple like making 3-d stars, or doing a 3-d solar system. We even had astronaut/ space food for lunch and snack for that whole month. This really got the students interested and it was very obvious they were intrigued as well. This provided real world learning like going to look at stars, the moons phases, and also having things that the students can learn in the class and apply to real life.

2.      Discussion on the 2lst Century skills.

The 21^st century skills are the skills that children will learn that will help them advance in a 21^st century. These include collaborating with group members, important attitudes, beneficiary skills and good habits. These are not just learned through book work, but instead working with a community of people and with practice students can go beyond mastery and become comfortable utilizing what they were taught. This applies to Blooms Taxonomy, where instead of teaching to remember, and then comprehending, we teach children to apply it but then we stop. We rarely have the students evaluate and synthesizing. These are all skills that children don’t learn from a book, these skills are practiced and taught deliberately.

3.      Discussion on the 21st Century literacies.

The 21^st century literacies include many of the skills that we want our students to learn for 21^st century skills. Also collaborating and project management is always very good for people that ever have to work in groups. These are things that many children wouldn't know unless they got exposed to them. The ISTE and NETS discussed digital literacy. These literacies help students learn and create. All of this comes down to having the students be able to be independent  and aware.  "Projects are a great way to hold children accountable for their own actions. "Projects can truly prepare learners for the world beyond school." (Pg. 48)

4.      Discussion on each of the essential learning functions.

There are 8 different learning functions, they include Ubiquity, Deep Learning, Making things visible and discuss-able, expressing ourselves, sharing ideas, building communities, collaboration, research, project management, and reflection and iteration. Ubiquity means presence everywhere or in many places. This has to do with teaching inside and outside of the classroom and making sure that the students are always learning no matter where they are. Deep Learning means not just teaching but going further than that. This means really aiming deeper than we usually need to go. Making things visible and discuss-able is a huge deal because if children can’t “see” what you are teaching or if they can’t relate to what they are getting taught, the students will be less likely to get involved or pay attention. We need to remember that discussions are so powerful and we need to remember to incorporate group discussion because so much can happen once everyone comes together and this gives other students to reflect off other student’s ideas. Expressing ourselves and sharing ideas all lead to building a community. This is so important when you are in a classroom, this breaks the barriers where children feel threatened and they can feel more comfortable sharing when they feel a sense of a community. Collaboration’s a very important skill, you will never be able to work together if you don’t ever practice working in a group. These are skills that many people take for granted, but if you've never gotten taught, then how would you know? Researching is great because it is something that we have to relying on. This also takes skills, we have learned that there is so much out there on the internet and it is so important to understand how to research and how you do it correctly. This takes time and its great practice because it involve reading and searching different articles and different types of materials. Project management-planning and organization are huge skills to have. You have to be organized and the more that you are organized the easier life gets. If we start out teaching our younger students about this, then our future generations will be so more prepared and also planning is a skill that you do not just learn overnight, instead this takes time. Lastly is reflection and iteration, and I think that reflections are so powerful and really teach you so much. This is something that we should be focusing on as teachers is having our students be able to reflect more, because this gives them a great understanding and sometimes if others are having problems and you reflect that helps not only the child struggling but the others as well. This is a great idea, because this comes directly from others and since everyone has a different viewpoint, this lets everyone hear different things from different people. This allows people to think of things they wouldn't have thought about, since it’s coming from others besides their selves.

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

These learning functions are important and relate to our project because we have to do these things. We have to collaborate as a team because we are a team. We also have to be able to make things visible and discuss-able because we are going to have to do this for our students. We have to be able to express ourselves and share ideas with others otherwise there will be no communication. Sharing ideas is a must when you’re on a team working as a group. All of those things create a sense of community. In order to improve, you must be able to provide feedback and reflect on the positives and the negatives and then you can make adjustments.  These concepts in this chapter relate to our topic because, we have to utilize these techniques to collaborate as a group to come up with a way that we will introduce our “Big Idea” which is our classroom garden. Of course this takes a lot of preparation, and also a lot of communication and working tightly and efficiently with the members in our group so we can create what we want to create.

Reading Response #3: Imagining the Possibilities

1. What should be considered in finding " The Big Idea" for a project:
Its important that in finding the big idea that you consider the concepts that stand out to you as a teacher as well as the processes that you as the teacher want your students to understand. Its also good as a teacher to ask the question in their head of "What do these add up to?"(44) because that will help you as a teacher think about the main topics that need to be brought up in the lesson. Also as a teacher we need to remember we want our students to gain real world experiences and learning from any lesson or activity we do as a class so we need to make sure that we can tie in real world concepts. Also as teachers its important to meet with other co-workers and discuss main topics and bounce ideas off each other to make sure that the lesson will  be the best it can.
2. What are the 21st Century Skills?:
The 21st century skills are remembering, understanding, apply , analyze, evaluate, and create. In the project based learning process the skills of analyze, evaluate, and create are most common to use. Analyze means to "examine, explain, investigate, characterize, classify, compare, deduce, differentiate, discriminate, illustrate, and prioritize."(47) Evaluate means to "judge, select, decide, justify, verify, improve, defend, debate,convince, recommend, assess."(47) And Create means to "adapt, anticipate, combine, compose, invent, design, imagine, propose, theorize, and formulate."(47) All these skill meanings are different ways to lead your lessons so that the students can build upon these skills. Biographies are great ways for students to practice these skills.
3.What is 21st Century Literacies?:
The 21st Century Literacies is when literacy is used to help students identify, understand , interpret, create, communicate, and compute using a variety of different resources and context. It also helps develop the students knowledge to help the students enhance their potential as well as participate in the society we live in today as a whole. There is digital literacies which is the performance and behaviors that reflect learning opportunities that can be afforded with the use of technology as well as creativity and innovation. There is also Creativity and Innovation works on structural knowledge as well as to support students or individuals through different learning methods. Literacy is is when individuals like students , learn how to be independent, aware , and good citizens of the world.
4. What are the different learning functions?:
The learning functions are learning inside and outside the classroom all the time, deep learning, making things visible and discussable, expressing ourselves, sharing ideas, building community, collaboration, research, project management, and reflection and Iteration. Reflection and Iteration is when you as a deep learner examine all your ideas from all different sides and views or different directions and reshape them into what you really want to say and make sure they are well supported. A blog is a great way to use this learning function. Planning and organization is using your time wisely and keeping everything organized by using folders or computers to keep everything in the same place and well organized. Research is to make questions that students are interested in that will be beneficial to what they are working on and look up things on the web that are from good sources to answer those questions. Collaboration is using tools to interact with others to make things the best they can be using blogs or wikis is a great way to do this. Expressing ourselves, sharing ideas, and building community is about having students use the web to express different ideas and build a community while sharing ideas. Making things visible and discussable is about using digital images is better than just telling someone information because it gives the students or people in general something to look at and something more to discuss. Deep learning is about using primary sources to help students  make sense of " raw " information. Its important to have students to navigate, sort, organize, analyze , and make graphs. Learning inside and Outside the classroom is about how learning never ends anywhere you go as a human being is a learning experience and you can take things away from what you have learned.
5. How do  concepts in this chapter relate to my topic?
All these concepts are great ways to base lesson plans around. All the different learning skills can be individual lessons I can do with my students to gain more insight on gardening and the economy. With the essential learning functions listed above I can have students practice their deep thinking functions through the web as they are learning about their specific vegetable they are going to be planting as well as collaborating with the other individual students that are going to be in the same vegetable groups as them. These skills , literacies, and functions should be applied all the time because it will really enhance the students knowledge as well as the people around us.

Concept Map - Draft

Websites I used for assignment

organicgardening.com ; tomatodirt.com, and fao.org

Virtual Penpals Part A

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1HQSxEvTcX3SLPefpofz-9DHuNFLWgAmAi-OvnPSmxB0/edit?usp=sharing

Virtual Pen-Pals Part B - Google Map

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