EDTECH 542- Worked Example

Here's my screencast on setting up folders and a sharing process for students and teachers in a school using Google Apps for Ed.

EDTECH 542 Post project reflection

Reflection and revision are ongoing processes that happen before, during and after a unit is rolled out to students. In past classroom experiences, my students’ input is always a part of the process. Seeing how they interpret, manage and learn provides me with information I cannot anticipate on my own. It will be like that with this PBL too, especially since my “students” are professional educators. I value their input. I am particularly interested in the content value versus time invested balance.

Because this is a job-embedded model of professional development, I see informal check-ins with teachers as an ongoing process. I’m sure there will be teachers willing to “reflect” at me regularly. I will also likely use a survey (Google Forms) a couple times throughout the unit to formally check in and request feedback. When I see that something is not working as planned, I’ll make a note of it or change it immediately if possible.

My administration will also play a role in the post-reflection process. I know I will be constantly checking in with my manager on our progress, and his input will definitely be considered. As school goals and needs change, topics included in my PBL may need to reflect that change. Because this model of tech integration is a new process for the school, revisions may have to take place as hiccups come along. Flexibility is key.

EDTECH 542 The Teacher's Role in Project Based Learning

One of the greatest challenges for an instructor in a PBL unit is to adapt to the role of facilitator. Reflect on the following:

• Will my role in the teaching/learning process change?
• What are the skills of effective facilitation?
• Will the students develop the competencies and skills needed to be successful?
• What changes will you need to make in order to become an effective facilitator in your PBL unit?

I recently read a posting in Edutopia about the role of the teacher and how it changes even within the PBL realm.  Teachers can be the developer of the unit on one hand, to one who creates the infrastructure and sets guidelines on the other.  The latter has a highly student-managed PBL, where they create the essential question, find the standards they are addressing, and create a project that has both real world impact and a service component.

 

The former, although still a PBL, is very teacher-driven, allowing little choice and opportunity for unique outcomes.  The teacher still desires control in this instance.

 

In a PBL setting, teachers need to create environments where 1) students know time off task is not an option; 2) project development and problem solving takes place within the work group; 3) collaboration skills are taught and adhered to; 4) all options remain on the table until proven unsuccessful. In other words, FAILure (First Attempt In Learning) is desirable.

These are skills students need to succeed in the world. As a former junior high teacher, too often I experienced students who feared testing the waters. They thought that if they didn’t have specific guidelines with only one correct outcome, they were sure to fail (meaning get a grade unacceptable to themselves and their parents). They weren’t learning driven, but approval and fear driven.  That’s not how to succeed in the world.

I hope in using the PBL model with teachers is help them create environments that develop these global skills.  It’s about helping teachers move forward in creating units, coaching and providing support when things don’t work as hoped. It’s also about training teachers to FAIL too, to problem solve, and to collaborate with others so they experience the skills that they want their students to achieve.

EDTECH 542 - Reflection on Designing Integrated Curriculum

Option 1: Designing Integrated Curriculum At some point you may consider including other disciplines in your project (if you haven't already). Watch the video below on Designing Integrated Curriculum and reflect on the benefits of interdisciplinary projects and the challenges in implementing them. How might you go about making this a reality in your school?

Watching this video was very inspiring. What these teachers are doing is something I hope takes place in our school. Nothing in our students’ lives happen in isolation, why should it in school? These interdisciplinary learning opportunities offer the ultimate in real life content integration and critical thinking. One area we see more of this happening is in STEM (or STEAM) instruction. Integrating math with science and technology seems like a natural fit, and very applicable in real life. It also makes sense to add ELA and history into the mix.

As a teacher I can see the benefit of working with a team. Often teachers work in isolation, as I did as the only 7th grade social studies teacher at our school. The opportunity to team-teach a combined ELA/social studies block was both invigorating and challenging, and it better replicated what happens in the business world. We planned, implemented, and revised instruction as necessary. We used a webquest model, integrating collaboration and technology into the students’ day. I’m not sure the students would have had as enriching an experience if either one of us tried to do it on our own.

The challenges hinted at in the video can’t be ignored. As one teacher said, you have to work harder and smarter, especially on the front end. Personalities have to be complementary, and teachers have to handle their share of the planning, implementation and other work load. Teachers have to be open to criticism (hopefully delivered appropriately). Administration has to be supportive; open to scheduling changes this type of instruction may cause. They also have to be open to providing planning time for teachers.  Parents and students need to be included in the conversations, as they too are important stakeholders in the program.

EDTECH 542 - PBL Assessment reflection

Discuss how your planned assessments meet the key requirements for effective assessments. Reflect on how you might adjust your teaching during your project to allow more student input in the evaluation process.

The assessments included in my plan meet most of the key requirements for effective assessments.

Assessment is for students.

The two formative assessments allow my students (who are teachers) the opportunity to collect resources that will they can refer to when creating lessons or providing counseling to their own students. They help the teachers assess their own digital footprint, which provides context to what their students are experiencing.

The assessments also provide teachers the opportunity to build skills. Teachers will be learning how to curate, working collaboratively with others, and understand how to reach out to a larger audience.  Teachers will also have choice throughout the assessments.

Assessment is faithful to the work students actually do.

Teachers will be maintaining both a reflective learning log and a note-taking/curation tool.  They will be using both throughout the process to build content they can use following the completion of their training. Choice in the performance task allows them to demonstrate what they know, not what they don’t.

Assessment is public.

Maintenance of the learning log and note taking/curation tool is required, and there is criteria, but teachers have the freedom to select what they collect and post. The rubric for the performance task is included in the unit. Their peers will view their performance, and hopefully some will be viewed by the student body.

Assessment promotes ongoing self-reflection and critical inquiry.

Opportunities to discuss outcomes with the instructor will be ongoing throughout the unit. I encourage the teachers to continually update their notebook and learning logs, and refer back to them, for their own personal benefit.

How teachers respond to these assessments will allow me to consider if revisions need to take place. Working with professionals, and understanding their schedules and responsibilities will require me to be flexible.  

EDTECH 542: PBL in diverse classrooms

The article I read entitled, Designing Effective Projects: Characteristics of Projects Benefits of Project Based Learning, was published in 2007 by the Intel Corporation as part of the Intel Teach Program - Designing Effective Projects. It provides an overview of Project Based Learning and then discusses the benefits of PBLs for students and teachers. Finally, it defines the challenges both teachers and students may face in adopting Project Based Learning strategies.

Although not explicitly stated, the article outlines why PBLs are ideal for a diverse classroom and for students who, for whatever reason, are not successful in a traditional learning environment. PBLs are not about sitting and listening - skills that teachers know challenge a percentage of learners in every classroom. Because PBLs present real life, relevant questions that allow students to investigate, plan and create solutions, issues that affect traditional classroom learning are not as relevant in a PBL environment.

I can relate to this finding, as it mirrors my experience when 1:1 laptops were first provided to my students.  The students who were most noticeably engaged were those most challenged with traditional learning strategies.  One student in particular stands out in my mind. He was very unhappy in school.  His educational failures were coupled with a lack of friends and frequent teasing.  He really enjoyed working on projects with the laptop computer.  It allowed him to express himself and share his learning in a way he could not with multiple choice tests or writing essays. He learned too that he had choice and options in what he produced - very empowering for a child who previously believed he was at a disadvantage.

Project based learning benefits all students in the same way.  According to the article, research has found benefits that include:

• better attendance, self-reliance, and improved attitude
• greater responsibility for own learning
• academic gains equal or better than other processes
• opportunities to develop skills such as problem solving, collaboration and communication
• opportunities that engage culturally diverse learners

Teachers face a number of challenges in implementing Project Based Learning, and have to be willing to overcome them.  Managing the learning process, as opposed to “telling”, has huge advantages for students, regardless of how diverse the classroom is.  It transforms the classroom into a space where errors allow for reflection, collaboration and change.  There are no predetermined answers, only opportunities to build on previous learning, solve problems and communicate learning in an engaging manner to a broader audience.  

EDTECH 542 week 2 learning log

Assignment: Post a reflection regarding your research this week on Project-Based Learning. What were you able to find? How do you think PBL will fit into your teaching style? Do you have an idea for a project? If so, begin articulating it now.

I have found that there is so much more information, models, and research supporting Project-Based Learning than there was when I first began my study of it a few years ago. This is very encouraging in light of other changes in education, including the implementation of Common Core, changes in standardized testing procedures, and the integration of technology in classrooms.  I believe that teachers that integrate PBL into their classrooms will produce students who will be better prepared for the challenges of college and career.  They will internalize the skills of perseverance, inquiry, and determination - skills that children have when young, but somehow are squelched by their education system as they grow older.  As Sir Ken Robinson said, the education system has anesthetized our children’s ability to be creative, and we as teachers need to find ways to “wake them up.”  Project-Based learning can (when done well) do that,  as it offers opportunities for students to use their innate creative skills to demonstrate learning.  It also allows students with different learning styles and learning challenges options to “show what they know.”  By design, PBL provides differentiation that traditional classroom teaching can not.

If I was currently teaching students, I believe PBLs would fit well into my teaching style.  Much of the work my students did in the past was of this style - unique creative outcomes, collaborative teamwork, some connection to students’ lives, reflection on learning.  

Because I will spend much of this coming year teaching teachers, my PBL for this class will address adult learners.  Specifically, I will create a project based on ISTE*T standards for promoting digital citizenship and developing digital age learning opportunities. My goal will be that teachers learn more about digital literacy resources so they can instruct their high school students how to be better digital citizens.  As my (new) school has just adopted a 1:1 tablet program, I also want this to be an opportunity to teach the teachers how to use some of the tools on their tablets.