Reading Reflection #9

1. A method of understanding prior-knowledge of students is using the K-W-L, or the Know-Wonder-Learn method which we learned in prior chapters. This method establishes the prior knowledge of the students in the classroom, what they are striving to learn through the projects and lesson, and what they ultimately learn in the end. This is a good way to judge the level of the students’ knowledge prior to starting a project, as we know that students will not all be on the same level as there is variation in the classroom. 

2. In this chapter, we learned a new method of assessing prior and current knowledge of students, called establishing “anchors.” This method gives the teacher an idea of where the student’s progress is before, and during the project process. This is used by students writing about their learning journey as it is stated in the chapter. This tells if the student is struggling compared to other students or if they are putting in a good amount of work into the project itself. 

3. There are several ways in this chapter that gives pre-service teachers ideas for assessment of students during a project. These were, traditional rubrics, online grade books, a deeper look into a grade book (non-traditional) and into traditional books, typical tests with generic answers, and bringing in professionals (that specialize in their project criteria) to give students feedback and gradings, as well as submitting their works into a competition or publication which gives the students incentive to do a great job. My favorite idea of assessment of projects in this chapter was the idea of bringing in professionals. The students in that classroom drew pictures that illustrated their class’ book being read at the time. The graphic designers were brought in and explained to the students in detail about their jobs, as well as gave feedback and grading on the students’ work. This gave students a real-world perspective on their in-class work, giving them ideas for their future careers. 

4. The concepts in this chapter relate to our Gardening the classroom project because of the assessment process. We needed to find ways to assess our lesson plans as well as our overall project. With all of these ideas, we can use the online grade book idea to give immediate feedback to students and parents that also give them grading on specifics such as content, communication, work ethic, and critical thinking, as stated in the chapter which is a very useful tool to students, teachers and parents. Relating this to my favorite assessment idea as stated before, I could bring professional gardeners from a plant store to discuss with students the progress of their plant growth and areas for improvement, as well as a banker that could provide insight to students when they are in the exchange of money at the end of their project, selling their goods to the market. These give students real-life opportunities that also give project assessment. 

Reading Reflection #9

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

Making sure to encourage our students to promote their prior-knowledge on a subject is a great tool for teachers to see what students already know and what may need to elaborated on. There are different ways that teachers can do this such as: anchor charts, K-W-L charts, doing a group discussion, think-pair-share and etc. Several of these ways can be beneficial to students to hear what others may have to say about the topic that is being covered. When students already know a little information about a topic they feel more confident that they will succeed during the project.

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

Using anchor charts in the classroom is a huge support system on its own. Having students fill out a K-W-L chart with what they already know, what they want to know and what they learned from doing this project helps reinforce what students have learned about. Making sure that your students are filling these out as they go along is important because each student learns at a different pace. Anchor charts are important to make sure that each student is able to understand where they are going with their learning. These charts are also helpful for teachers to see where these students have come compared to where they were before you started the project. Anchor charts are also helpful when it comes to differentiated instruction and how each student as an individual is learning versus getting graded as a group.

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

There are several different ways to assess students while they are working on their projects. These can be formative assessments where they aren’t being graded on what they learned such as: an exit slip, a K-W-L chart, journal reflections. These types of assessments are used throughout the project and aid the teacher in understanding what the students are learning and where they may be stuck and don’t understand a concept. Summative assessments are the main assessment for the project and provide the students with their final grade. These assessment types vary from class to class and project to project. I really like what the author mentions in the chapter on page 144 about having professionals come in and give the students feedback on their overall projects. Though you will ultimately be grading their project it gives students meaningful real-world feedback that matters to them.

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

Several of these concepts relate to our project this semester. We are always being assessed by one another and by Professor Peterson. Our formative assessments are our concept maps which also work as an anchor chart to track our journey through this project. We are always able to go back to the concept maps that we’ve created to get information to add to other aspects of our project. Our weekly chapter reflections are also used as a formative assessment to see how well we understand the information in our text book. We are almost done with our project and to look back on how each concept from the book relates to our topic is eye-opening to see.

Reading Reflection #9

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

  As teachers, we are all aware that students are never all on the same knowledge level. A method that could be used in the classroom to test student’s prior knowledge would be to utilize a KWL. This lets the teacher see what the students already know, what the students want to know, and what the student learned during the lesson/time frame. You can always physically ask the students what they know, but this becomes very time consuming, therefore the KWL is less timely and more effective. It is so important to figure out where you need to start teaching a lesson at, and one main way to figure out where to start, is to figure out what the students have previously been taught.

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

A few things that are important anchors for establishing a project are active learning and assessing your student’s project work. .By establishing these “anchors,” you begin to see where your students stand and how far they have progressed. KWL are great because they provide what the students already know, what the students wants to know and what the student learned. This is great in so many ways, because it can be used as an opening activity and can also be used as a reflection. These KWL are so powerful in the classroom, both for the student and the teacher.

3.      Description of several way to assess what a students learned during a project?

Give your students grades that matter, ask the students what they learned, have them explain by reflection what they liked and what they didn’t. Ask them if they could change anything what would they change? Create new things, new ways to grade, and model real world assessments. You can also wait until the end of the project and assess the students by having them demonstrate or apply what they have learned, which makes it clear if they caught on or not. This can be done very easily. This is a better way than giving the students a multiple choice test. If the child doesn’t know the answer and they guess they could get it correct, which leads to false accuracy. You can have students do projects to display what they have learn, have them type papers and also have them verbally state what they have learned during their projects.

 I really enjoy the idea from David Fagg and his invention of iHistory Podcast Project, we can assess students in ways that they wouldn’t normally be assessed on/ by. Another example given in the text was by Anne Davis, she allowed her students to publish a book that tied everything together at the end of the unit for the children. Regardless of what you use, you are trying to see the progress of the students. When I was little and in elementary school, I remember writing poems and having them get submitted. That was a way to assess as well, some ways can be more fun for others, the more the assessment hooks the students, the less they will care of what type it is.

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

This related to our chapter by asking the students to reflect, by having them have journals. We are constantly reflecting on our blog all the time and are expressing how we feel about the projects. Also it creates a blog where the students can discuss things. Reading the blog from the beginning to the end allows us to see how much the students has learned/ grew from doing the project. Our final project is really a test of the previous lesson plans but it is all put together to create a big final project. The assessment is having the students follow through and do the assignments which aid in the final.

Reading Reflection 9 : Making Assessment Meaningful

1. What is a method for understanding Prior Knowledge of students?
A method you can use for understanding the prior knowledge of students is using a KWL chart. A KWL chart has the students list everything they know about the subject matter, what they want to know about the subject matter, and than what they have learned about the subject matter at the end. Since everyones knowledge differs in the beginning its important to figure out where everyone is at and these charts are a great way!
2.Why is it important to establish anchors for a project?
When you establish an anchor you as the teacher get a sense of where the students are starting off with the knowledge they know and how far they want to go or are willing to go to meet the needs of the learning goal you have set for them or the expectation you have set for them. This is very important because you want all your students to be interested and successful with their learning processes.
3. What are some ways to assess what students have learned during the project?
A rubric is a great way to assess the students and give them meaningful feedback regarding why you have scored them the way you did. An online grade book is a great way to measure students progress through many categories that can be relayed back to the students. Giving tests based on traditional tools is another great way to monitor progress as well as beneficial tests in general. Another one is to have students create something new in a project that synthesis what they have learned.
4. How do these concepts relate to gardening?
We will be assessing our students on the progress of their plant growth, how they sell their vegetables to the food markets. We will be using a rubric and taking notes on each of the students progress to see how they are progressing through the unit.

Reading Reflection #8

Reading Reflection #8

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

Some ways that you can build connections and branch out just beyond the classroom includes connecting with experts, expanding the learning circle, communicating findings, letting the students lead, and extended the benefits. Connecting with experts is so beneficial because opens doors for students to understand things. The example given in the book was interviewing experts. This creates a great learning opportunity for the students, that the teacher could have never been able to teach through a text book, but instead have them experience real world situations. It’s always a great idea to expand the learning circle because real learning happens once you step out of your comfort zone. It’s important to communicate with findings so that everyone is on the same page. A great way to do this is to do a class blog, this can be used in the classroom and utilized outside of the classroom as well. Technology can make this very easy, like creating videos with I-movie. Letting the students lead gives them a sense of independence and allows the student to be able to feel a sense of responsibility and feel like they are in charge. This overall might mean that you have more

2.      Description of the EAST Initiative Model.

The EAST initiative model stands for Environmental and Spatial Technologies. Part of this is to make sure that the schools are utilizing technology for a real purpose. They include more than 260 schools in seven states. They are now a non-profit organization.

The EAST initiative model has four essential ideas built into it, they include:

Student-driven learning- This is where students need to be responsible for their own learning.

Authentic project-based learning: This is where the students should be engaged in solving real problems in their communities.

Technology as tools: This is where students need to access to the relevant technologies that professionals use to solve real problems.

Collaboration: When students accomplish more than any one person can so in isolation.

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

Some reasons teachers let students lead their projects are because children can be more involved if they feel like they had a say so or feel more connected to the project if they lead projects. This allows children to really dive in and show you what they know. I will want to encourage my students to lead their projects when I have my own classroom. The teacher knows what to do, so the teacher shouldn’t be leading because it’s the student’s opportunity to learn. Plus, with the students aware that they are leading a project, might mean having a great outcome for the product/ project.

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

This concept relates to our topic by building connections with other classmates and we are technically branching out and reaching out to others. We are stepping out of our comfort zone by expanding the learning circle. We also communicate with group members about our findings and also we communicate with other groups about what we are doing as well. We are also technically leading our own project, we have deadlines and requirements of what to do, but we are free to create products of our own. We as the students in the class are leading our own assignments, we are learning from professionals and we also have created a blog, where we can communicate in and away from the classroom. This chapter relates to everything that we are doing for our project. 

Reading Reflection #8

1. Description of some ways to build connections and branch out beyond the classroom.
When working on a Project-Based Learning project or unit it is a great real-world and learning experience for children to ask experts questions about their field of work. This is a great way to incorporate inquiry into a PBL project. Asking your students' parents if they are experts in this specific area is a great place to look for volunteers. I love the collaborative idea of having pre-service teachers to aid in classroom projects. Implementing projects that include pen-pals and interaction with international students provides real-world experience and gives students a diverse outlook on life.

2. Description of the EAST Initiative Model.
EAST or Environmental and Spacial Technologies is a network of schools that use technology as the driving force for educating their students. They use technology to solve problems that students are interested in and to makes improvements to their communities. Students are introduces to professional level programs such as: CAD and GPS. They are able to interact with these programs on a daily basis to solve problems. EAST started in 1996 and now includes 260 schools in seven different states. EAST was designed and centers around four essential ideas: student-driven learning, authentic Project-Based Learning, technology as tools and collaboration. It is also important that teachers support and are trained in the Environmental and Spacial Technologies curriculum prior to implementing it.

3. Discussion on some reasons to let students "lead" their projects.
When allowing students to take charge of their own learning it creates a meaningful and more in depth learning process than a set, by the books project that is the same for each student. Students are able to use their personal interests as the main topic of their project. As future teachers, we want to make sure that students are understanding the objectives, but we also want to give them room to learn things on their own. Inquiry and Project-Based Learning are great ways to let students experience different programs, learn from different sources and make learning more meaningful to them.

4. Discussion on how concepts in this chapter relate to your topic/project.
 Collaboration is a big part of our over-all project. Our group is always coming up with different ways to incorporate discussion and working with others. We have discussed collaborating with an elementary school in Colorado and comparing our vegetable growing results with students in different areas of the country to see how the climate affects the plants. Also, making sure that our students keep open communication with their pen-pals is important to know how each region of our nation differs and how people differ in other regions.
Technology is also very important to our project. We have used several different programs such as: Audacity, online blogs, Google documents and Excel, etc to drive the learning during our projects. We are able to have freedom with our project which makes it that much easier to accomplish our goals.

Reading Reflection #8: Building Connections and Branching Out

1. What are some ways to build connections and branch out beyond the classroom?
Using technology or digital tools really makes it easier for students to branch out and talk to different diverse people throughout the world. Blogs are great way for communication beyond the classroom as well. Having students using the PBL approach will have students be able to help students with real audiences which is breaking them apart for only classroom learning. Connecting students with experts on a given subject is a great way to build connections and branch out beyond the classroom. Another way is branching out of the classroom by having pen pals in another state or country and using the resources from the other school to benefit your students learning. Another great thing is for students to be able to share their research and findings!
2. What is the EAST Initiative Model?
EAST represents the environmental and Spatial technologies network. It is a network that demonstrates benefits using technology to solve problems and make improvements in the communities they live in. Students use different technological tools and master them to help their communities. The technology gives these students interest in the projects they choose to help with. It follows the ideas of student driven learning, authentic project based learning, technology as tools , and collaboration.
3. Why should students "lead" their projects!?
When students lead students are uncovering how they learn for themselves as well as pushing through their struggles themselves. Students can also design their own project based on their learning necessities so that way their learning will be reflected in a way that they created and spent time on. Learning is beyond just doing the project the more interested a student is in how they create the project the better the student will do on it.
4. How do these concepts in this chapter relate to gardening?
Well the students are basically working together in groups to grow plants, collect data , and than sell their vegetables to a market. They have to do all the research in how to do all those things which are the ways that the students are leading their projects on their own. Us as teachers will be there is they need help or a guide but we will encourage teamwork and peer help before we come in. Also students can meet with experts on gardening and economy to discuss things to figure out some of their questions and their research instead of just looking online or getting lectured.

Reading Reflection #7

1. Description of the levels of classroom discussions.

• Teacher to teacher: - discussing ideas with co-workers helps to shape the project. Conversation with other teachers will give you the chance to review each concept of the project prior to implementing it in the classroom. This will give you the opportunity to fix anything or add more details to the project if needed. 
• Student to student: - the students should constantly be communicating within their groups and also discussing with the rest of their classmates. The reflecting and discussing with one another allows students to learn from, question and challenge each other in a productive manner. Maintaining open communication within groups is the key to the success and organization of the project. In order for students to provide one another with effective feedback you, as the teacher, need to model this skill and allow the students to practice giving positive and constructive feedback. 
• Teacher to student: - during this level of classroom discussion the teacher often observes the students' discussing and working together. It is important to remember when to step into a student facilitated conversation and when to step back and listen. When jumping into a discussion the teacher needs to probe student thought and discussion with higher order thinking questions. 

These different levels of classroom discussion are important to implement in a Project-Based Learning classroom because it helps students engage in skillful questioning. Students will gain skills such as: analyzing, comparing, evaluating and elaborating through participating in higher order thinking discussions. It is also important to allow students to share their higher order thinking questions with the class and not to rely on the teacher to spark discussions.

2. Discussion on the questions for "checking in" on students during a project. 
 There are several different types of questions that can be asked to check the progress of a group and their project. These question types are: procedural, teamwork, understandings and self-assessment.
Procedural  questions should be asked when checking in on how the group is staying on task, if they have everything that they need, etc. Teamwork questions are geared towards how the members are working together, if everyone is getting along and to make sure that each student is doing equal work amounts. When asking understanding questions it's a good idea to use higher order thinking questions that probe student thinking and create great discussion. When asking these questions it's also important to observe group conversations. Self-assessment questions are important to see how much your students are also important to see what students may be struggling with. Assessments whether they are formative or summative, help guide teaching in the classroom.

3. Discussion on the benefits to students when optimizing the use of technology. 
When using technology in the classroom it is important that these tools are aiding the students in reaching their learning goals and aren't a distraction. On page 120 of our text it talks about allowing students to follow their interests to keep them engaged. Letting students choose gives them a chance to work on the types of skills that are required for each aspect of the project such as: working collaboratively, organization, making real world connections and meeting goals. Students will also gain several other skills that I have mentioned above and in previous blog posts. Some of these skills include: diverse thinking, organization, communication skills, teamwork and collaboration.

4. Discussion on the 21st century skills that can make or break a project. 
Not all projects are perfect and more times than not working with others can cause problems. Making sure to troubleshoot all problems is the distinguishing factor of a successful project. It is the teacher's job to ensure that students are staying on task and to let each group know that real world projects come with real world challenges. Letting students know that they can learn from their mistakes is crucial to any type of learning. Overcoming challenges, according to McDowell, is a necessary learning component of PBL. I really like what he says on page 122 of the book, "Project-Based Learning is more like real life. You can mess up, but then you have the opportunity to learn from that and make adjustments. There's huge value in that experience." Students are gaining so much knowledge from Project-Based Learning that will be useful to them in the future.
Another learned skill that can make or break a project is teamwork. Like I mentioned earlier, working together can be challenging. Mastering this skill can be time consuming and takes a lot of effort and good modeling from a teacher. If a group of students cannot work together to achieve the goal of learning from this project than the project won't be successful. When students learn to effectively communicate with each other it helps them to gain a mutual respect amongst each other which then makes collaborating on a project much easier. I really like that in the book they mention having students sign a teamwork contract so that students understand their responsibilities and the consequences that will come if they don't follow the contract. Another thing that I liked was how you can use teamwork as an assessment. Reflecting on teamwork in our blogs is something that we do weekly in our reading reflections; our last question always has to do with how the material relates to our group project. I also really like how the author mentions evaluating our group members, this helps to emphasize the importance of team collaboration.

5. Discussion on how concepts in this chapter relate to your topic/project. 
Chapter seven's concepts heavily relate to our project and how our group works with one another. The different levels of classroom discussions have been present during the semester thus far. The student to student level happens whenever our group communicates with each other and the other groups. Our blogs are a great example of this level of discussion. Whenever we have lab or lecture we are participating in teacher to student discussion. Our weekly reading reflections are also an example of this level because we are asked to reflect on what we've learned and how we have experienced these concepts personally. The reflections are also an example of self-assessment and peer evaluation.
This entire course uses technology as the tool to aid in our learning. We were able to choose our groups and the topic that we wanted to cover for the semester. Being able to make our own decisions from the start has made this "our" project and more interesting to work on. I have definitely gained skills from this course that I didn't have before. Learning how to create a blog, a podcast and using the technology that has been available to us this semester are skills that I will take with me when I start teaching.
Another concept that relates to our project is the skills that could make or break our semester project. Our group has always been really good at troubleshooting possible problems that could arise. I'm thankful that I am able to communicate with each of the other members effectively, it has made working in a group fun and easy.

Reading Reflection #7

Reading Reflection #7

1.      Description of the levels of classroom discussions.The description of the levels of the classrooms are Teacher to Teacher, Student to Student, and Teacher to Student.Teacher to Teacher means that teachers collaboratively work together and take into consideration how one teacher can help others and vice versa. This allows the teachers to come together and create an environment with the students being the teacher’s main priority. Teachers are able to bounce ideas back and forth between their colleges and this plays a huge role in PBL. Student to Students means that the students can converse and question each other. They can learn from each other and once this happens there is more opportunity to students to be able to work on their communication skills. Teachers can learn a lot by listening to these conversations and should try to encourage the students to dig deeper. Teacher to Student means teacher and student communicate. The teacher monitors the students and aids in the students learning, this is what is common in the PBL classroom. This learning environment allows the teacher to really get on a personal level with each student. The teacher and student create a trusting relationship where they both learn from each other and both teach each other as well.

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

Procedural questions are good because you can keep track of what the children’s strengths and weaknesses are. You can also keep tract of the students’ progress, and can track

Asking teamwork questions for checking in is a great idea because you want to know how the students working and collaborating together. Also, what are you going to do if the group isn’t working equally? Asking students questions about understanding is beneficial because if the students don’t understand what you ask of them, they will be getting set up to fail. If the students don’t understand, the teacher can always clarify. You can also keep tract by keeping an eye on the students and listening to how the students act and speak. Self-Assessment are great because this lets you see exactly where your students are at. Are they where you want them to be? Are some of them advanced, or some far behind?

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

There are so many benefits to utilizing technology in the classroom. Communicating is a huge thing because once you have the internet, you can talk to anyone. You could be in Michigan in a classroom talking to a class in India, and that allows many positive learning experiences. Having podcasts be available for the students is great. If you were to record your classroom and post it, the children and their parents would always be able to keep track of what their children are missing.

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

Teamwork can make or break a project. This is such a big category because it includes communicating with individuals and also working collaboratively which can be very challenging some times.

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

This relates to our topic because all of these fall into the PBL. Everything that we have been working on like collaborating with team members, deadlines, and checking in with our group.  We are constantly working together as a team to create an amazing unit plan.

RR #7 A guiding Hand Keeping A Project Moving

1. What are the different levels of classroom discussion?:
The three levels of classroom discussion are teacher to teacher, student to student, and teacher to student. Teacher to teacher is about when teachers get together and work on project planning. The group of teachers will have discussions about the procedure as well as the assessment. The teachers will also touch upon every aspect of the lesson. Student to student discussion is when the students discuss their learning experiences when they happen with other group mates.Its important that students discuss their thinking with others and as teachers its important to help encourage that. As teachers its important to incorporate higher order questions as well as inquiry based questions when leading classroom discussions.
2. What are good ways to ask questions to check in on students?
Its important when doing this that teachers ask questions based on the procedure, teamwork, understanding, and self assessment. Its important to ask questions about the procedure to help students to track their progress as well as reminding students of the deadlines. Its important to ask questions about teamwork to make sure  all students are working together and working on progressing! Its also really good to check on students understandings by observing students and listening to students thoughts and with their thoughts ask promoting questions! As teachers we should encourage students to exceed expectations and push themselves. Last but not least its important to discuss self assessment to see what the students have learned about the project as well as reflection on how they liked it and what could be different.
3.What are the benefits to students when they optimize technology?
Students will benefit from technology because they will gain new insights on how to communicate with many different culturally diverse audience! Podcasts can be listened to over and over again so that way they can enhance their learning and listen to information again! There is more ways to connect students with other people in the community through technology! The biggest benefit is communicating with people in a culturally diverse audience!
4. What are the 21st century skill that will make or break a project?
Trouble shooting is the 21st century skill that will make or break a project! It helps distinguish effective project managers because when you as a teacher have your students work on real life situations their are real world challenges. Its important to talk with peers and the teacher if there are any misunderstandings or anything with the project to prevent confusion! Teamwork is another skill that can make or break a project! There are many dynamics when working in groups or teams its important as teachers to watch the dynamic of groups and make sure that all students are equally putting in effort if not than to encourage those in groups to confront the person and push them to exceed their knowledge!
5. How do these concepts in this chapter relate to gardening?
All the topics listed will be used in our project based learning approach! Its important to have classroom discussions as well as plan with teachers to make sure our lessons are working well with each other. As a teacher for gardening I will make sure to watch my groups dynamics and write down observations based on teamwork!

Reading Reflection #6

Reading Reflection #6

1.      How does Technology tools encourage students to be reflective and evaluate their own strengths?:

Technology allows children to become encouraged about things and allows children to interact with things. There are many interactive apps that the students can utilize. Teachers incorporate blogs in their classroom and allow children to have a community where they can talk on a public form. Also using I-clickers in the classroom allow children to be responsible for their own self. They can check in and answer questions and even take quizzes or tests with these. You can then display the correct answer so the children know immediately. When children take assessments this causes the student to be able to feel like they succeeded without waiting for results. This has very beneficial because children can interact with smart board, giving them a little bit more excitement. Emailing is great because so many people have can stay connected. Having like a ProfilerPro is very handy because it lets you see your initial start point and the progress you made. Having students fill out a survey for a project is very beneficial to asking them to rate themselves on a scale before doing the project and having them do one after the project is done.

2.      What are several ways in which we can get students minds ready for a project?

A teacher can prepare the students for the next project by utilizing KWL charts. These get the children involved in discussing what they already know, what they want to know and what they learned. Incorporating field trips, movies, and books are some ways that you can get the children more ready for a project. You can also have the students act out or role play. Researching about something that you will be learning about is a great way to utilize materials, like different texts, medias, and even different technologies. This sets a great stage for a lesson because you wouldn't want to teach a lesson and then realize it was out of the students ZPD (Zone of Proximal Development). The KWL really lets you get a grasp of where your students stand. Concept maps and other visuals are great for the students, because they can see the layout or what is expected.

3.      What are the elements of teaching fundamentals first?

The elements that are required for teaching fundamentals first are being able to scaffold and create a lesson for the children that is in their ZPD. Creating a KWL really acts as a great starting point for the lessons. Also you need to be able to create a rubric so that the children know what they are being asked of.

4.      What are the important steps in preparing students for using technology in the project?

Some Important steps in preparing the students for using technology in the project would be thinking of some way to assess the students and also what goals and objectives the project or plan is aiming towards. Technology use can be very overwhelming for the students. Making sure they don’t feel over whelmed and having them know that you will be willing to assist in ways might make the children feel more comfortable.  I think that as a teacher we should be showing and modeling the use of technology, and then let the children do it.  Make sure that you are aware of the tools that you and the children will be utilizing. Make sure that you are aware of what you have to do, before making the children do it.

5.      What are some ways to promote inquiry and deep learning?

Some ways to promote inquiry and deep learning are encouraging them to just go that extra mile for the deeper understanding, not just the stuff on the surface. Creating that platform for having the students want to learn. Maybe field trips could be a start, or reading some books. Once you let the children see a glimpse of something, then it could be that very instance that triggers their minds to learn more and question why or how. Having good projects is a way to tell if your children dove deeply enough into what you wanted them to investigate. Allowing children to ask questions instead of telling them what they want to do opens up more room for having a deeper learning.

6.       How do concepts in this chapter relate to our topic of gardening?

Student reflection is a thing that the children will be doing while they are recording their observations in their journals. Communication can be done via Skype. Also the children are really expressing deeper learning by asking questions and researching answers. The class blog lets everyone be able to communicate and instantly creates a safe learning environment. These concepts relate to our chapter by utilizing different types of technology in the class. The pod casts allow everyone to hear what the goal of our project was while also utilizing the technology opportunity. The children are also responsible for researching using the web. This ties into the different subjects and also the different techniques that each one uses.  Also having the children actually partake in project based learning and physically creating a garden, measuring the growth of their crops. This really puts the responsibility on the kids and allows them to use different programs including excel for the creation of the data spreadsheets.