Sarah Hughey's Reading Response #5

1. Discussion on the items that should be considered before starting a project with students.
2. Discussion on teachers’ and students’ management needs.
3. Discuss some of the technology applications that should be considered for use in a project.
4. Discussion on how concepts in this chapter relate to your topic/project.

1.  The items and people that should be considered before starting a project with students are materials, use/access of technology, any experts that should be consulted, who else can help with the project, and how responsibilities will be divided between the teachers if it is a collaborative project between classrooms.

2.  Students need to manage their time wisely.  To help with this, a project calendar with milestones and visual deadlines helps students keep better time management skills.  This calendar can either be a low-tech literal calendar on the board or one that's online.  If having a project that spans across many weeks, it helps students to have it broken down into manageable pieces and smaller deadlines so they are not overwhelmed.  It is also beneficial for parents to be aware of these deadlines and have access to the calendar so they can help their students and simply be in the know.  Both teachers and students have a management need of organizing the project.  Learning management systems online can help with this, as students can have access to their work wherever they have internet and teachers can view student in-progress work and be aware of any needs out there.  Teachers also need to manage the teams and mix them up every so often while matching students together who will work well together.  Finally, teachers have to plan for assessment and will have to manage multiple assessments and feedback methods throughout a single PBL project.

Tools that teachers need for management are tools for communicating about the project and changes about the project, tools for making milestones/events such as deadlines available for viewing, methods for giving students resources, systems for managing work products, structures supporting a healthy learning environment, and assessment tools and strategies.  Tools that students need for management are time-management tools/systems, systems to manage materials/drafts, methods for asking for guidance, methods to get feedback from themselves and others, and ways to see how everything comes together.

3. Some of the technology applications that should be considered for use in a project include a wiki (esp. the "Flat Classroom" wiki), a blog, a "desktop" application, and personalized web pages (ex. either an actual website or a "home page"/"startpage" that many browsers and e-mail services offer).  Page sharing in particular between students, teachers, and parents can be beneficial.

4.  These concepts are very relate-able to our project.  For one, being more aware of our and our students' management needs will help us design our project in order to ensure that nobody is frustrated due to a lack of management tools and to make sure we can efficiently get our work done.  We also need to incorporate the various items and people that the chapter suggested rather than just only coming up with an idea, and being in a technology in the classroom course means that we need to also consider how to incorporate technology applications in a meaningful way.

Reading Reflection 5

Introducing the idea of project based learning for a new project requires teachers to consider certain items.  These items include the resources that will be needed as well as to plan the strategies to support effective time management, teaming and assessment.  Teachers’ management needs include a communication method to take place with the students, tools for marking and announcing milestones to be reached and looking into, and having available, the resources that will be needed by the students.  These resources may be new to students, so teachers should also a lot time to introduce unfamiliar items.  All in all, successful management of the teachers will result in the students learning management of their own.  Project management needs of the students includes methods for seeking assistance, ways to get and use feedback on their work through self-reflection, team input, and teacher advice, collaboration tools and tools to help manage their time.  This learned management of the students will be displayed by setting the end goals of their projects, and the steps that will need to be taken to reach them.  Relating to the management of students, teachers can incorporate technology applications.  This may include an online assessment for the students to complete to determine that the students did, in fact, take the management responsibilities of developing a plan to distribute their time and resources to successfully complete their project and meet their end goals.  This planning for the project to be done by teachers and students relates to our group project of tracking health habits in small groups by having the students work together to develop a plan for the week to obtain a healthy lifestyle as well as each student documenting, and communicating, their daily health data to their group to receive feedback.  

Sarah Hughey's Reading Response #4

1. Discuss the potential pitfalls in project design.

"Long on activity, short on learning outcomes." - Projects can take up much time and energy yet does not hit on significant learning outcomes.  Small/lower-order learning aims are much better suited for a brief lecture or reading rather than a huge project.

"Technology layered over traditional practice." - If students are just making use of technology rather help the students reach a somewhat "lofty" goal, then the project does not stray far from traditional uses.  A sign that technology is really essential to a project is if it is used to connect students to other people, data, and primary sources that they would not be able to use if the technology was not there.

"Trivial thematic units." - Thematic teaching is not a synonym for PBL - it must be interdiscinplinary, collaborative, and rigorous.  For example, just relating all of the core subjects to a theme is not PBL; using a theme to create over-arching projects with all of the stated qualities can be a PBL unit.

"Overly scripted with many, many steps." - Students need to have the freedom to direct their own learning, not have to follow many predetermined steps.  A PBL unit will not end with "cookie cutter work" due to specific steps the students had to take.

2. Discuss the features of a good project.

Features of a good project includes the following: designed loosely so students have the option of pursuing different learning paths rather than tightly-designed and leading to cookie cutter work; makes the students to create their own meaning; focuses on a "driving" question; relate to complex and motivating real-life problems or situations that are relevant to the students' lives; multidisciplinary; collaborates with others outside of the school; uses primary sources or "rich data" rather than all secondary sources; sets students up to be the "inquiring expert"; develops and builds upon 21st-century skills and literacies; emphasizes important learning dispositions; and has students "learn by doing" rather than be passive learners.

3. Discuss where project ideas come from.

Project ideas can simply come from others who have tested them and found them successful.  However, teachers are free to create new project ideas, and these ideas can come from many sources - the news, current issues, the students' interests, a "classroom irritant" used in an educational way, and a synthesis of an already successful idea and new tools.

4. Discuss the steps to design a project.

Before finalizing or designing a project, it is beneficial to create a "Project Sketch" with notes and ideas.  When ready to develop the project, the framework needs to first be revisited - what will the learning objectives be, what 21st-century skills will be addressed, and what learning dispositions will be developed?  Then what will be the "evidence of understanding" will be decided - what will students be able to do or understand when the project is over?  Then the "vehicle", or the project theme/challenge itself, will be planned with "optimal ambiguity", which is the ideal balance between flexibility and structure the students need to succeed.  Then the introduction or "entree" to the project experience that will get the students' attention and excitement will be planned. 

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

The concepts in this chapter are very relative to our topic/project, as we are in the process of project design!  We need to keep all of the pitfalls in mind so we don't fall into them while also making sure that are project embodies all of the qualities of a good project.  The steps in designing a project will also be used as we create it.

Reading Reflection #4

1. Long on activity, short on learning outcomes- when planning a project, it's important to keep in mind the outcomes that a student will get from the project. Is the project really worth their time if they can gain the same knowledge simply by reading a chapter of a book or listening to a lecture?
  Technology layered over traditional practice- it is important for students to understand technology and use it for their projects, but that should not be the primary outcome of a project. Technology should help students obtain a goal, and not just a fancy way to present a project.
  Trivial thematic units- Thematic teaching is not PBL, however that doesn't mean it has to be trivial. As teachers, we just have to be careful not to turn thematic teaching into a repetitive, useless project. Instead we should think outside the box to turn it into PBL.
  Overly scripted with many, many steps- As teachers, we don't want to assign projects with limited or predictable results. We should avoid "recipe" projects and allow students to reach their own outcomes. This will lead to more significant learning.

2. First things first, to create a good project you must avoid the potential pitfalls discussed above. Flexibility is huge when designing a project because projects will not always be "cookie cutter" or predictable--broaden the topic for the kids and let them explore their own options.

3. Good project ideas can come from anywhere if you open your eyes. Teachers can look through books, get ideas from colleagues, find ideas online, etc. Once you get an idea for one great project, it will get the juices flowing for your next big projects.

4. The first step in designing your project is to revisit the framework. This is where you make a list of the learning objectives and decide what you want your students to get from this certain project. Next, you must have a good grasp on the topic if you expect your children to succeed in the project. It is important to understand your students and imagine what they will gain from this project. After that you must plan a theme and structure for the project. And finally, you must think of how you will introduce the project and get your students excited for it.

5. This chapter relates to our project because it gives us advice on how exactly to set up our first project. As a team we can take advice from this chapter and use the concepts in our own project, such as learning outcomes and flexibility.

Sarah Hughey's Reading Reflection #3

1. Discussion on what should be considered in finding “the Big Idea” for a project.
2. Discussion on the 2lst Century skills.
3. Discussion on the 21st Century literacies.
4. Discussion on each of the essential learning functions.
5. Discussion on how concepts in this chapter relate to your topic/project.

1. When considering the "Big Idea" for a project, we should make sure that our project is important to our students and real life, is complex, is multidisciplinary, and can fit within the PBL scheme.  Making sure the project is important to both the students and real life is key, because the students will not be as engaged in the project if it is not relevant from their viewpoint and the project will not prepare them well for the future if it is not relatable to real life problems they will face in the workplace.  Having it be complex and multidisciplinary is important so it students can deeply engage in the project and so that the teacher can teach all of the subjects the students need to learn.  And of course, if the idea doesn't fit into the PBL scheme then it cannot be used for a teacher using PBL.

2. The skills needed in the 21st Century relate to Bloom's Taxonomy's three highest order objectives: analyzing, evaluating, and creating.  Conveniently, these higher-level thinking skills are also utilized and developed in PBL.  According to the book, most traditional assignments usually stick to the lower-order objectives, but PBL requires the students to engage in the higher-level thinking skills needed in real life.  And these higher-level thinking skills are, as listed in the book, "Digital-Age Literacy", "Inventive Thinking", "Effective Communication", and "High Productivity.  These enGauge 21st Century skills clearly link back to the higher order Bloom's Taxonomy's skills when a closer look is taken at all of the more detailed skills listed under each of these categories.

3. The listed definition in the book on literacy is "the ability to identify, understand, interpret, create, communicate, and compute, using printed and written materials associated with varying contexts."  But these skills aren't just something one "has" or "doesn't have" -- students display literacy on a continuum.  However, when it comes to digital literacy, the book takes an even broader approach to literacy's definition and says it simply "boils down to learning to be independent, aware, and productive citizens", and the categories of literacy the book uses comes from ISTE NETSS: "Creativity and Innovation", "Communication and Collaboration", "Research and Information Fluency", "Digital Citizenship", and "Technology Operations and Concepts".  The book then emphasizes that students need to be "information artists" rather than students who only utilize the first three thinking orders in Bloom's Taxonomy.

4. As listed in the book, the essential learning functions are "Ubiquity" (being able to learn anywhere and everywhere, especially with technology), "Deep Learning" (creating one's own meaning out of information from primary sources rather than just absorbing someone else's), "Making Things Visible and Discussable" (turning ideas from text into graphics or infographics and then discussing them), "Expressing Ourselves, Sharing Ideas, Building Community", "Collaboration - Teaching and Learning with Others", "Research", "Project Management", and "Reflection and Iteration."

One concern I have with the "Making Things Visible and Discussable" section is that making everything "visable" would cause a significant challenge for visually-impaired students.  I would also think this can go too far and then make students not be able to analyze information that isn't "visible", which is a significant amount of information out there in real life.  One can be too extreme with this section if not careful, which would hurt some students more than help them.

5. All of these concepts relate to our idea/project.  For one, we have to make sure that our "Big Idea" is compatible with the criteria listed under item #1.  With a topic such as "Staying Healthy", I'm sure that it meets all of the needs of a PBL project.  We can also practice and develop our 21st Century skills and literacies and learning functions while doing the project so we will one day be able to develop these in our students.

Reading Reflection #3

1. To find the "Big Idea" for a project, it is important to know your students. Once a teacher knows their students well, they will know what their students should know and what they're capable of. They will also be able to predict how their students will respond to a certain project. It is also important to have a complex and important idea for students to study and to reflect on the concepts and their importance. 

2. Developing 21st-century skills is important for students these days because it will help them succeed not only in school, but eventually in the job market. Using well-designed projects in the classroom will help students develop skills that students in traditional classrooms might not acquire. I especially liked the part in this portion of the text that contrasted a traditional biography assignment with a reconsidered biography assignment that was much more in-depth and engaging.

3. Having 21st-century literacy simply means to understand the ideas behind having 21st-century skills. Students who are literate in the 21st-century skills are independent, aware, and productive. 

4. Learning Functions:

    a. Ubiquity- I like the idea of ubiquity because it allows students to be studious while on the go. Having mobile devices makes it easy for them to stay engaged even when they are not in the classroom.

    b. Deep Learning-Deep learning is extremely important in my opinion because it helps student grasp the ideas and concepts from certain lessons. Using databases to do additional research on a topic is extremely beneficial for the student and their learning. 

    c. Making Things Visible and Discussable-This function is definitely helpful for the visual learners in the classroom such as myself. I like the idea of making things visible for students, because I feel that it helps them grasp the concept better when they can actually see it and discuss it. 

    d. Expressing Ourselves, Sharing Ideas, Building Community-Using blogs, tagging, and other social interaction is a great way for students to bounce ideas off of one another and brainstorm as a community. 

    e. Collaboration- I think collaboration is a huge part of PBL and is one of the reasons why it can be so successful. Collaboration is definitely beneficial for students because it allows them to work together and learn from each other.

     f. Research- Research is great to help students learn more about a topic, but they need to know the right tools that will make researching beneficial for them. 

     g. Project Management- This function is good for students because it will help them learn how to manage their time and keep them more organized in the future. 

     h. Reflection and Iteration- Blogs make it easy for students to look back on their thinking and it is a good way to show how much a student has grown and learned from post to post. 

5. All of these learning functions will be helpful to our project because students will be engaged with most of them throughout the project. For instance, students will brainstorm ideas and collaborate with each other, they will make visuals to help display what they learned, they will do research and develop deeper learning skills, and many more aspects. For us as the teachers, we will be looking at the "Big Idea" for the project, and this chapter will help us figure out what that big idea is. 

Assignment V Topics

Emilee --

For Assignment V, we have to each do a separate lesson plan with different ideas.  If any of us do the same idea/lesson plan, then all of us lose points.  So Arika is going to do something with Food Pyramids with Kindergarteners and I'm going to do something with Preventing Illness/How to Stay Healthy with 4th graders.  Then you can do whatever topic/grade you want that's related to our overall project but isn't the same as what we did.