Getting Started with Project-Based Learning (Hint: Don't Go Crazy) Before the start of the school year, many of us want to use the remaining weeks of summer to learn some new skills -- such as project-based learning (PBL). One of the things we stress for new PBL practitioners is, as I say, "don't go crazy." It's easy to go "too big" when you first start PBL. I have heard from many teachers new to PBL that a large, eight-week integrated project was a mistake. Start Small As I said, "Don't go crazy!" Plan Now One of the challenges of PBL, but also one of the joys, is the planning process. Limited Technology We love technology, but sometimes we get too "tech happy." Know the Difference Between PBL and Projects This is the big one! We are all learners, and when we start something new, we start small. Photo credit: wwworks via Flickr (CC BY 2.0)
Frictionless Formative Assessment with Social Media In a seminal experience sampling study (EMS), Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi gave beepers to teenagers with instructions to write down what they were feeling and thinking whenever the devices went off. This simple technique, randomly checking in with students throughout the day, led to an epiphany about performance psychology, something Csikszentmihalyi defined as flow. Also a discovery about assessment was derived: Quick check-ins over time can reveal an extraordinary amount about an individual or collection of individuals. Experience sampling using technology, so revolutionary in the early 1990s, is pedestrian now. Instead of beepers, they use Twitter, Instagram, Wordpress, Google Plus, Tumblr, and Facebook -- though 25% fewer teens use FB now than in 2011. Formative Assessment in the Age of the Common Core According to The Marzano Center, the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) make it imperative for all instructors in all content areas to make use of formative assessment: Twitter
Teacher Experience and Expectations for the 1:1 Elementary Classroom In my last two posts, I detailed the iPad initiatives at Burlington High School. I talked about what we learned after a year of a 1:1 iPad environment and dispelled some myths surrounding iPads in education. Recently, I had the opportunity to connect with two of my elementary teachers at Pine Glen Elementary and Francis Wyman Elementary schools. This year, four first grade classrooms will be piloting a 1:1 iPad environment. The iPads stay in the classroom and are only used during class time. Why is it a good idea to integrate iPads into the elementary classroom? Erin: iPads are a great way to complement other forms of instruction. Irene: Used correctly, iPads can only enhance the basic, formative skills taught in an elementary classroom. Irene, what applications have you been using? I anticipate using even more, such as My Story and Toontastic, in the near future. How are you integrating the device with your curriculum? Erin: I'm TRYING to incorporate it into each subject area . . .
What Project-Based Learning Is — and What It Isn’t Screenshot/High Tech High The term “project-based learning” gets tossed around a lot in discussions about how to connect students to what they’re learning. Teachers might add projects meant to illustrate what students have learned, but may not realize what they’re doing is actually called “project-oriented learning.” Terronez, who teaches at High Tech Middle, a public charter school in San Diego, Calif says that when an educator teaches a unit of study, then assigns a project, that is not project-based learning because the discovery didn’t arise from the project itself. “If you inspire them to care about it and draw parallels with their world, then they care and remember.” For Terronez, the goal is to always connect classroom learning to its applications in the outside world. It takes a lot of diligent planning by the teacher to design projects that give students space to explore themes and real-world resonance to make it meaningful for them. Related
Η νέα γεωγραφία της τεχνολογίας | Απόψεις Πριν από λίγες μέρες ήρθε ένα συνεργείο να γυρίσει βίντεο στο γραφείο μας του Openfund. Ενας εικονολήπτης είδε ένα μικρό πλαστικό αντικείμενο που είχαμε «τυπώσει» σε έναν τρισδιάστατο εκτυπωτή στο ισόγειο του κτιρίου The Cube, όπου βρισκόμαστε. Μου είπε ότι κι αυτός χρησιμοποιεί τρισδιάστατο εκτυπωτή, γιατί προσπαθεί να λύσει ένα πρόβλημα της δουλειάς του. Σχεδιάζει μία ράγα που θα επιτρέπει στην κάμερα να ακολουθεί το αντικείμενό της καλύτερα από ό,τι μπορούν τα σημερινά συστήματα. Εχει ανάγκη από ένα εξάρτημα δικής του έμπνευσης, με ειδική γεωμετρία. Στην Κομοτηνή ένας εφευρέτης σχεδιάζει ειδικούς αισθητήρες που θα ενσωματώνονται σε αθλητικά ρούχα, για να συλλέγουν πληροφορίες για τη μυϊκή δραστηριότητα. Ο τομέας της ρομποτικής, γράφει ο Economist σε πρόσφατο αφιέρωμα, ύστερα από πολλά χρόνια σχετικά αργής εξέλιξης, βρίσκεται σε φάση απογείωσης. Αλλάζουν επίσης οι ανάγκες για κεφάλαια, και η γεωγραφία των επενδύσεων. * Ο κ.
Using Prezi in Education Using Prezi in education is taking the classroom by storm, rapidly gaining popularity over other programs as the presentation tool of choice for educators and students. For those who may not yet be familiar with the application, Prezi was developed in 2009, primarily with the iPad in mind but it’s just as usable on standard laptops and PCs. It’s an online Flash-based program which uses visual learning techniques to create “maps” of your chosen subject matter and it’s packed with some great interactive features. It’s these features which explain why using Prezi in education is becoming so popular, so let’s take a closer look at them. Prezi differs quite fundamentally from other programs which guide the viewer through a linear series of slides based on text and outlines. To illustrate how it works, let’s take one of Prezi’s popular templates, the tree, as an example. Sounds like a lot of information to fit on one slide? Read more articles on technology in the classroom
10 Apps For More Organized Project-Based Learning Project-Based Learning, by definition, is flexible. It encourages learner-centeredness, provides the possibility of more authentic work, and allows learners to self-manage and self-direct in places they used to have their hands held. But this has its drawbacks. Learning is a capacity-building endeavor that seeks to, well, build capacity will ironically depending on that same capacity to progress, There are a variety of ways to support students in project-based learning, including organized digital learning spaces that support creative thinking, collaboration, and ultimately project management. Below are 10 apps for more organized project-based learning. 1. Platform: iOS How It Can Help: Pure overkill for most classrooms, but if an extremely powerful productivity and project management is what you need and you’ve got a $50 iTunes card burning a hole in your pocket, this could be just what the doctor ordered. 2. Platform: iOS 3. Platform: Android & iOS How It Can Help: 4. Platform: iOS 5. 6. 7.
Why We're More Creative When We’re Tired, And 9 Other Surprising Things About How Brains Work Editor's Note: This is one of the most-read leadership articles of 2013. Click here to see the full list. One of the things that surprises me time and time again is how we think our brains work and how they actually do. On many occasions, I find myself convinced that there is a certain way to do things, only to find out that actually that’s the completely wrong way to think about it. For example, I always found it fairly understandable that we can multitask. Recently, I came across more of these fascinating experiments and ideas that helped a ton to adjust my workflow towards how our brain actually works (instead of how I thought it does). So here are 10 of the most surprising things our brain does and what we can learn from this information. 1. When I explored the science of our body clocks and how they affect our daily routines, I was interested to find that a lot of the way I’d planned my days wasn’t really the best way to go about it. Here’s how it breaks down: 2. 3. 4. Improved memory
10 Practical Ideas For Better Project-Based Learning In Your Classroom By Jennifer Rita Nichols, TeachThought Intern Teachers are incorporating more and more projects into their curriculum, allowing for much greater levels of collaboration and responsibility for students at all levels. Project- based learning is a popular trend, and even teachers who don’t necessarily follow that approach still see the benefit to using projects to advance their students’ learning. Projects can be wonderful teaching tools. The increase in classroom technology also makes projects more accessible to students. Despite general agreement about the benefits of using projects and project-based learning in general, it must be noted that all projects are not created equal! This may happen fairly often because teachers are wary about being able to assign grades to the final assignments handed in to them by students. Students do not need to be compared against each other, but to the standards they need to achieve for their level. Don’t underestimate the power of collaboration.
Ψηφιακός πολιτισμός | Ψηφιακές Ερευνητικές Εργασίες Πάει καιρός που πρωτοδιάβασα τον όρο “ψηφιακός πολιτισμός”. Ομολογώ ότι δεν ξαφνιάστηκα. Είχα πλέον αποδεχθεί τη νέα πολιτιστική πραγματικότητα: ο κόσμος είχε ήδη εισέλθει σε μια καινούρια εποχή, της κυριαρχίας των ψηφιακών μέσων επικοινωνίας. Ένιωθα ότι αυτή η νέα πραγματικότητα θα έπρεπε, στο γλωσσικό επίπεδο, να αποδοθεί με έναν νεοπαγή γλωσσικό όρο. Γενικότερα, όταν η δημιουργική επινοητικότητα του ανθρώπου παράγει νέα και εκπλήσσοντα προϊόντα πολιτισμού, τότε επιστρατεύεται και η δημιουργικότητα της γλώσσας. NASA: Apollo 11 Image Gallery Αυτονόητο, βέβαια, ότι ο όρος “ψηφιακός πολιτισμός” συνιστά, για την ελληνική γλώσσα, μεταφραστικό δάνειο. Το πρόβλημα, βέβαια, δεν είναι ο νέος όρος. Άλλοι υπερτονίζουν τη μία σημασιολογική έννοια του όρου. Υπάρχει, όμως, και η άλλη πλευρά. Θα αρκούσε, ενδεχομένως, ένα παράδειγμα για να φανεί η διαφορά. Digital intelligence everyday life Το “συννεφόλεξο” του παρόντος κειμένου με το Tagxedo Πού θα πρέπει, ενδεχομένως, να καταλήξουμε;