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. 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. Platform: Android & iOS 6. Platform: Android & iOS 7. 8. 9. 10.
Problem Based Learning Activities Constitution Day projects & Essays resources es/ms/hs Actively seek out alternative information ADA - assessment and action project Alternative Energy Sources and Conservation Attendance Improvement Campaign Benjamin Franklin Extraordinary Biodiversity Exploration Investigation ms/hs Birds - examine status of local species Bird Species List for FeederWatch - make one Biomes - learn about biomes as you select a new home Bloggez- vous? Bonus Army treatment and veterans today Bridges or earmarks what is the national priority? Cars - Event recording device - privacy, safety & justice Charity begins at Home Civil Rights - What are yours? Clean Coal Technology fact or fiction Club or School Presentation Project Collaboration Online and Social Networking - Web 2.0 Collaboration online and Social Networking - using it to do work Colonial American PowerPoint project ppt download Community's History through its names Community Green Infrastructure Project Competition of Birds on Wade Island - updated 3/2013
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. They can allow for a more student-centred environment, where teachers can guide students in their learning instead of using lectures to provide them with information. 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.
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.” And it’s quite different from project-based learning, according to eighth grade Humanities teacher Azul Terronez. 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. When Terronez assigns a writing project, it’s rarely just for a grade. Related
Six Affirmations for PBL Teachers All great teachers do great work. And not only that, but they also do different work. Great teachers are always looking to improve practice, steal ideas and try new things -- all in order to meet the needs of their students. PBL teachers are no exception. Any teacher who is truly doing PBL would also agree that it's different. 1) PBL Teachers Collaborate with Each Other Although PBL teachers often start out with projects in just their own subject area, most create integrated projects with teachers of other disciplines. 2) PBL Teachers Give Power to Students Through voice and inquiry, PBL teachers constantly reflect on how students can have more power in their learning environment. 3) PBL Teachers are Learning Environment Designers When PBL teachers engage in designing a PBL project, they are looking to create an engaging experience for all students. 4) PBL Teachers are Student-Centered PBL teachers know it isn't about them. 5) PBL Teachers Honor 21st Century Skills
Bringing Parents and Guardians into Your PBL Projects Providing your students with a public audience is not only a critical part of the project-based learning process, but it's also a great strategy for building authenticity into assignments to create work that matters. We often leverage our students' parents and guardians in this process because 1) they are easily accessible, and 2) they are our partners in their children's learning plans. Why not then continue and build this partnership in PBL? Use Technology I know many teachers use technology tools like Edmodo in their PBL projects, and Edmodo has a way to set up parent accounts. Parents as Experts Our parents and guardians are experts not only in a wide range of job-specific content areas and skills, but also in hobbies and other outside interests. Parents as Assessors If you plan to have parents or guardians as part of the assessment process, make sure to orient them to the rubrics they will be using. Parents as Planners Thank You! It's easy to forget this part. see more see less
Bringing Authenticity to the Classroom Photo credit: iStockphoto Authenticity -- we know it works! There is research to support the value of authentic reading and writing. When students are engaged in real-world problems, scenarios and challenges, they find relevance in the work and become engaged in learning important skills and content. In addition, while students may or may not do stuff for Mr. Authentic Products Does the work matter? Needs Assessment How do you make the work be authentic? Authentic Audience and Assessment Edutopia has a great section on Authentic Assessment that you can use to get started. Authentic Tools When you partner with an authentic audience that can give honest feedback about the work, they may also be able to provide you with authentic tools. Whenever I build PBL projects, I try to make them as authentic as possible, not only because it helps engage students, but because the students start becoming social change agents.
Free Resources and Tools for Replicating Project-Based Learning Educators from High Tech High in San Diego, California, and the Whitfield Career Academy's 21st Century Learning Academy in Dalton, Georgia, have provided these resources for you to use in your own school. Students in Whitfield County take on a range of multidisciplinary projects. A middle school science student (left) identifies the parts of a fish before painting it to make a Japanese-style gyotaku print, and students (right) learn math and physics while building an outdoor classroom. Credit: Grace Rubenstein (left); David Markus (right) Click on any title link below to view or download that file. Tips for downloading: PDF files can be viewed on a wide variety of platforms -- both as a browser plug-in or a stand-alone application -- with Adobe's free Acrobat Reader program. To download a free version of the Microsoft PowerPoint Viewer, visit Microsoft's Download Center. Resources On This Page: Back to Top
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. So how do you start PBL in ways that will ensure your success as a learner and teacher? Here are a few tips to consider. 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)