Project Based Learning / Project Based Learning In Project Based Learning (PBL), students go through an extended process of inquiry in response to a complex question, problem, or challenge. While allowing for some degree of student "voice and choice," rigorous projects are carefully planned, managed, and assessed to help students learn key academic content, practice 21st Century Skills (such as collaboration, communication & critical thinking), and create high-quality, authentic products & presentations. Rigorous and in-depth Project Based Learning: is organized around an open-ended Driving Question or Challenge. These focus students’ work and deepen their learning by centering on significant issues, debates, questions and/or problems.creates a need to know essential content and skills. ~provided by the Buck Institute for Education
Digital Leadership cc licensed ( BY ) flickr photo shared by flickingerbrad Joe Bower has some strong viewpoints on differing topics in the world of education and I have read his blog for the last two years. I feel comfortable calling him a friend of mine and I learn a great deal from him. I thought I would try to share my thoughts on this in the comments and have shared what I have written here: Phil and Joe, Thanks for sharing your thoughts and I would like to point you to an example. If you look at Martha Payne as an example, as outlined on Ewan McIntosh’s blog (and countless other sites), you see a 9 year old student that is giving an answer to both of your questions. What I want to believe is that you, Joe, myself, and others want to make change for the better and we have an opportunity to have a voice more now than ever. The problem is that it is too easy to create this culture of fear around technology. Would any of this happened if Martha wasn’t able to use this technology? Just my two cents.
Best Practices for Deploying iPads in Schools Digital Tools Teaching Strategies Flickr: Lexie Flickinger By Matt Levinson As schools get ready to deploy iPads this year, each one is scrambling to figure out how to develop an efficient and effective system that works. Without professional development and a set plan in place, educators in individual classes might be stumped by how to set up iPads for different uses. To that end, here are some ideas about how to put a system in place for iPad use in classrooms:
Project-Based Learning: Real-World Issues Motivate Students Concrete, authentic project-based learning helps students illustrate core knowledge. VIDEO: Project-Based Learning: An Overview Running Time: 9 min. Ask Seymour Papert, renowned expert on children and computing, why students are turned off by school, and he quickly offers an example: "We teach numbers, then algebra, then calculus, then physics. In a growing number of schools, educators are echoing Papert's assertion that engaging students by starting with the concrete and solving hands-on, real-world problems is a great motivator. Students at Harlem's Mott Hall School design their kites on a computer before beginning construction. Credit: Edutopia Advocates also say that the availability of technology that can call up the knowledge of the world's best thinkers with the click of a mouse, that can graph in two seconds what once took hours, and that can put scientific instrumentation in a pocket-sized computer further argues for moving away from century-old models of instruction. The Big Picture
Pros and cons of digital devices in the hands of young students I have three kids and they love their tech tools, but I worry about the possible effects of electromagnetic radiation, and about the way in which time spent with these devices takes away from time they could be spending in more active pursuits. I also see skills and learning coming from their use of these tools. While I am clearly an advocate of technology, I also recognize that there are down sides and trade-offs that come with these advances. This guest post from Daniel Kimball reflects those realities and I look forward to hearing what readers think about this modern day dilemma. – K. Walsh Digital devices are all the rage among young people today, across all ages. Image from Are digital devices plugging our children into experiences that actually fuel their creativity and make them consider the world beyond their neighborhood or are they robbing our children of some of the joys of childhood? PROS include … CONS include … About Kelly Walsh
6 different ways of getting student feedback in your iPad lesson. Update 14-09-2012: Syncing Notability with Dropbox is possibly the easiest and best way of keeping track of your students’ work. One of the most difficult challenges for the teachers at my school is changing from workbooks and worksheets to get students to work and monitor their answers on the iPad. There are many ways to go about it. 1. This one, is my go to tool form creating questionnaires. 2. In my mentor class last year there were almost no students who did not have a twitter account. 3. Socrative allows you to fire questions at students in a game like setting. 4. iBooks Widgets I’ve previously written a post about making worksheets in iBooks. 5. Nearpod is the most advanced educational app I have used yet. 6. Keynote is often overlooked as a workbook app. Related posts:
How does Edmodo support PBL? COACHES' CORNER | Dayna Laur A project based learning environment can certainly be created without the use of technology. The addition of technology in the classroom, however, undoubtedly enhances the project based learning experience. As a veteran high school social studies teacher with unlimited access to technology in my classroom, I have experimented with countless web 2.0 tools. Edmodo has many benefits for classroom use. As a free online tool, one would expect Edmodo to contain unwanted advertisements on the site. The Project and Edmodo as Support My junior/senior level law class just recently completed our Introduction to Criminal Law unit. The significant content covered in this project integrated a myriad of things. The public audience element of this project was not completed via Edmodo. BIE National Faculty
Do You Have the Digital Leaders You Need? - Jeffrey F. Rayport and Tuck Rickards These days you can’t have a business conversation without discussing digital — social, local, mobile, big data, the cloud. But that’s just talk. We wanted to discover what companies are really doing about this new world, so we analyzed the backgrounds of the CEOs and directors of America’s largest companies. The answer is surprising. Only nine companies — less than two percent of the Fortune 500 — are what we would call “highly digital.” If you narrow the scope to the Fortune 100, the data are still relatively weak. You might focus exclusively on company leadership, but, of course, boards matter: they provide strategic counsel to the CEO and, crucially, they plan for CEO succession. It’s clear the tide is turning — and it’s turning fast. At HP, Meg Whitman, the former CEO of eBay, has moved from board director to CEO. At the board level, when done right, certain patterns emerge: leading companies have jumped in with both feet. Some CEOs are learning by doing.
The 100 Best Web 2.0 Classroom Tools Chosen By You The Wordle of this list! (Click image to enlarge) One of the most popular posts on Edudemic in 2010 was The 35 Best Web 2.0 Classroom Tools Chosen By You and I felt it might be time for an update to that list for 2011. In order to put together a list of the best Web 2.0 classroom tools, I polled my Twitter followers, Facebook fans (are they still called fans? Likes?) and ran a contest to try and get as many submissions as possible. There were more than 900 submissions but many were duplicates. 50 Ways to Use Wikis for a More Collaborative and Interactive Classroom Wikis are an exceptionally useful tool for getting students more involved in curriculum. They’re often appealing and fun for students to use, while at the same time ideal for encouraging participation, collaboration, and interaction. Read on to see how you can put wikis to work in your classroom. Resource Creation Using these ideas, your students can collaboratively create classroom valuables. Student Participation These projects are sure to get your students involved. Group Projects Allow wikis to facilitate group work by using these ideas. Student Interaction Get your students to work together on these projects. For the Classroom Use your wiki to create spaces that are special to your class. Community Reach out to the community with these resources that everyone can appreciate. Other Here are even more fun and useful ways to improve your classroom with a wiki. Did you enjoy this article?
How to Teach Digital Citizenship in 1st Grade How can I teach my students about digital citizenship Understanding how to use the internet has become a cornerstone issue for students. No longer do they complete their research on projects solely in the library. Now, there is a varying landscape of resources available on the internet. But with wealth comes responsibility. As soon as children begin to visit the online world, they need the knowledge to do that safely, securely, responsibly. Here’s First Grade: Overview/Big Ideas Students learn how to live in the digital world of internet websites, copy-righted images, and virtual friends who may be something different. Essential Questions What is a ‘digital citizen’? Objectives and Steps The objectives of this lesson are: Understand that computers can be used to visit far-away places and learn new things.Understand that staying safe online is similar to staying safe in the real world.Describe how to travel safely on the internet. ____As a town has rules and laws, so does the digital world.
iPad As.... iPads have exploded throughout schools and classrooms. Their flexibility, versatility, and mobility make them a phenomenal learning tool. As teachers seek ways to integrate these devices, we recommend focusing on specific learning goals that promote critical-thinking, creativity, collaboration, and the creation of student-centric learning environments. In other words, begin with..... Project-Based Learning Research: Avoiding Pitfalls The challenges many teachers face in implementing project-based learning well are not to be taken lightly, but we've compiled a list of strategies to avert the most common issues educators face. There are many potential barriers to implementing successful project-based learning -- it requires serious student and teacher commitment, adequate planning time, and buy-in from the top down. But with these practical tips based on research findings, you can stay away from the most common mistakes educators make, and be confident you are getting started on the right foot with PBL. Schools That Work: Fifth-grade students at the Ferryway School in Massachusetts went on a field trip to visit a historic water wheel (left) and then built their own water wheels with the help of a mentor engineering student (right). Credit: Rob Weller Don’t Be Afraid to Make Mistakes Wrong turns often lead to some of the most memorable learning experiences. Model Active Listening and Full-Group Attention