Reading Reflection 4

1. Discuss the potential pitfalls in project design.

• Long on activity, short on learning outcomes: If the project's outcome is solely information that they could read or find in a book then the activity was a waste of time because of how long it takes.
• Technology layered over traditional practice: Good projects focus on reaching real life learning strategies, not just using electronics to show what you learned using electronics.
• Trivial thematic units: Thematic teaching is not necessarily project based learning but have the potential to to be trivial if the theme can unify a year's worth of projects and teach the real life learning strategies.
• Overly scripted with many, many steps: If the instructions are overly scripted then they leave no room for real learning to take place, they are simply following step by step instructions.

2. Discuss the features of a good project.
The best projects:

• are loosely designed with the possibility of different learning paths
• are generative, causing students to construct meaning
• center on a driving question or are otherwise structured for inquiry
• capture student interest through complex and compelling real-life or simulated experiences
• are realistic, and therefore cross multiple disciplines
• reach beyond school to involve others
• tap rich data to primary sources
• are structured so students learn with and from each other
• have students working as inquiring experts might
• get at 21st-century skills and literacies, including communication, project management, and technology use
• get at important learning dispositions, including persistence, risk-taking, confidence, resilience, self-reflection, and cooperation
• have students learn by doing

3. Discuss where project ideas come from.
Good projects can come from anyone and a successful project can be the beginning of a new project. Ideas can come from project plans developed by and for other teachers, news stories, contemporary issues, student questions or interests, a classroom irritant put to educational use, or a "mashup" of a great idea and a new tool. Technology helps by connecting us to view and explore other projects to improve our own.

4. Discuss the steps to design a project
First you'll want to revisit the framework. Make a list of learning objectives and dispositions you want to foster and accomplish. You also will want to decide on the 21st century skills you'll want to address. Next you'll want to establish what you you believe the students will know and what different things they will be able to do once they have learned. Then you'll want to plan the theme or challenge. Imagine what life connections students will get out of the project and how real life people would address the topic you've chosen. Finally you'll plan on how to get the students interested in the project you have. You'll want to edit and revise the material a few times before you create a sketch to get an idea of what your project will look like.

5. Discussion on how concepts in this chapter relate to your topic/project.
With a theme like healthy living, there is a wide range of project ideas that teachers can use. The concept map we made is proof of that. Making a good project will help students get more out of the lesson.

Chapter 3 reflection

1. Discussion on what should be considered in finding “the Big Idea” for a project.

The project first needs to be effective and purposeful for the classroom, after that begin to consider the relevance to the students lives, and the world that surrounds them. The “Big Idea” should be realistic, engaging, and produce a higher order of thinking. The students should come to see how this project could change their outlook on the world or at least their community. Think of who can be involved, who can benefit from this knowledge, and how will this impact the student and future students in the community.

2. Discussion on the 2lst Century skills.

Focusing the Bloom’s Taxonomy helps for lessons and projects to produce high order thinking skills, and engage students into new realms of thinking that will help them to succeed in the 21^st century. Using the higher order thinking verbs in Bloom’s Taxonomy will develop 21^st century thinking skills because they are not asked just to explain but to justify, characterize, invent, design, differentiate, and examine all parts of the topic. The students will know the depth of a topic not just the breadth.  

3. Discussion on the 21st Century literacies.

Literacy skills are a different topic then they were 10 years ago, it isn’t about the ability of reading written word, now it is about inventive thinking, digital age literacy and studies, as well as high productivity. Not only must student have the skills to read and write in their native language, but in that of the digital world, possess  the ability to collaborate, communicate, understand personal, civic, and social responsibilities. Our community isn’t limited to the location where we live, we literally have the entire world at our finger tips.

4. Discussion on each of the essential learning functions.

I find that the learning functions are essential to any and all successful learning communities. For some students “school” is hell, they hate it and are only there for food, shelter or social interaction; it doesn’t have to be that way. Learning can be fun, not a punishment, but encouraging and promoting these learning functions students will be excited to come into your classroom because learning will not strenuous, it will feel like daily living.

Ubiquity: Students should know that they are always learning, and their mind never stops working, processing, ordering events and that is awesome. Learning shouldn’t be about what only happens in the classroom, it should be about what happens outside of the classroom and how we can apply it to our daily living and learning.

Deep learning: Allow students to find the depth of a topic that interests them, and apply that to the lesson. Never make the student fit into the lesson, make the lesson fit the student.

Making things visible and discussible: Many of our students are hand on kinesthetic learners, they need to see, feel, and touch what they are learning to understand it. According to the cone of learning people remember 20% of what we hear, 50% of what we see, but we remember 90% of what we are able to see and do. Allowing for open discussion will let the teacher see what interests the students, and what they want to learn, not what the textbook says they should.

Collaboration: In today’s world the most successful people are not only people but groups of people working together in collaboration.

Research: Students research everything, it might not be education related but they are constantly finding new information on music, people, games, etc. Let them use those tools to find what interests them and have them produce a product they are proud of.

Project management: Someday students will grow up to be adults, they will have appointments, deadlines, and tiny time frames to work in, and they won’t have anyone managing their time for them, teach them this early. Help them to plan and organize, and then teach them to plan and organize.

Reflection and Iteration: Life gives you the test first and the lesson after. Reflecting on what you have learned, how you have felt,  will deepen the learning experience, what was good about the project, what could have been modified or eliminated to make it better. Showing students how to reflect and examine their learning and thinking process will produce more developed, thought out, and engaging projects.  

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

In using the above listed idea into our project we will be able to produce a project that will reach to our community, develop our higher order thinking, engage us in more than just our classroom, and help produce 21^st ready students and citizens.

 

Reading Reflection #3

1. Discussion on what should be considered in finding “the Big Idea” for a project.
We learn that the more complex an idea is, the better suited it is for the 21st century project treatment. You can find the big ideas in the table of contents, curriculum standards, or even by asking colleges. Once you identify these big concepts you want the students to understand, figure out why these concepts are important.  What is their application or relevance in real life? Who outside of school pays attention to this fundamental idea? When students think about what affect their project has on their community, they become more involved and interested.

2. Discussion on the 2lst Century skills.
The book describes 21st century skills as thinking beyond subject mastery. It says a well designed project causes students to stretch their intellectual muscles in ways traditional learning activities may not. Bloom asks how your project can evolves using the following skills: analyze, evaluate, and create.

3. Discussion on the 21st Century literacies.
A well done project can prepare students for activities in the real world using the tools they have learned to better their community. 21st century literacies come down to students learning to be independent, aware, and productive citizens. 21st century literacies are based off of visual and technological literacies.

4. Discussion on each of the essential learning functions.
-Ubiquity: giving students the opportunity to learn inside and outside the classroom
-Deep Learning: Using higher order thinking to go beyond "filtered" information to come up with your own answers
-Making Things Visible and Discussable: Tools like google earth, flickr, and other digital tools to show more than tell
-Expressing Ourselves: Using the social media to find ways to expand your thinking and analize other's work
-Collaboration: Working with others
-Research: Learning to filter through an abundence of information given to us through search engines
-Project Management: Teaching students to manage time, work, give feedback, make drafts, and manage products
-Reflection: How will this project help in the real world

5. Discussion on how concepts in this chapter relate to your topic/project.
This relates to our topic because staying healthy is much older than a 21st century concept. But it has evolved through people coming up with projects and considering how it will benefit the real world.  Each of the learning functions is essential for any project because they teach us how to think beyond a normal graded project.

Reflection 3

1. There are multiple things that should be considered to finding the "Big Idea" of a project.  Whenever you start thinking about a project you need to figure out what exactly you want students to learn.  This involves outlining concepts and aligning standards to your "Idea".  Another important aspect that is involved in the "Big Idea" is how go you get your students engaged? This can be done by incorporating real-world contexts and different ways that they can offer value to their community.  Students learn more if they have a purpose for learning.

2.  21st century skills consist of a higher order of thinking strategy called Blooms Taxonomy.  Blooms Taxonomy consist of six levels, moving from lower orders of thinking to higher.  The levels are:

1. Knowledge
2. Understand
3. Apply
4. Analyze
5. Evaluate
6. Create

Ultimately you want your projects to evolve so that students are using more thinking skills such as, analyzing, evaluating, and creating. 

3. Literacy in the 21st century has moved towards a digital-age.  This concept is very understandable since most of our lives consist of technology nowadays. Whenever you use or teach new technology it is important to state the purpose for it.  Communicate to students and parents how this tool will help meet the students educational goal.

4. Essential Learning Functions

1. Ubiquity: Learning Inside and Outside the Classroom, and All the Time

• Give students opportunities to learn in and out of class through technology. For example, Blogs, Google docs,etc.

      2. Deep Learning

• Help engage higher order of thinking on websites that gives main details of information, encourage students to think and go beyond information. 

      3. Making Things Visible and Discussable

• With technology today it is easy to make things more visible to students.  This is very important because as you make things more visible rather than verbal you are tapping into different intelligences, meaning you are reaching different types of learners.

       4. Expressing Ourselves, Sharing Ideas, Building Community

• Use social aspects of the internet to find ways students can express their ideas to others and build around shared interest.

       5. Collaboration-- Teaching and Learning with Others

• Make collaboration happen with projects.  Have students share ideas and build on one another. 

       6. Research

• Incorporate research methods into lessons.  This will allow you to give students reliable websites and teach them how to cite work.

       7. Project Management: Planning and Organization

• This helps students manage time, work, sources, feedback from others, drafts, and products during projects.  

       8. Reflection and Iteration

• To activate higher order of thinking, have students reflect on what they've learned and how they learned it (meta-cognition). This can be done through blogs.

5. Learning about health and wellness is a good way to tap into the strategy of higher order of thinking.  Ultimately, students will end up evaluating their lives and apply their knowledge to their own life.

    

PenPal

Virtual Penpals

To demonstrate cultural understanding and global awareness we will be having our students do research and communication projects with 5th grade students from the Valparaiso, Chili area.  We chose this area because it has similar water features just like Michigan, but different living styles that affect their health and wellness.  The goal for this project is for each student to understand and inform others of what a healthy lifestyle consist of.


https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Pu8rpvqqudqZYyoH8KGPFKRYJoLW8-pCn-CyO8NP_iY/edit?usp=sharing

Penpal Map

Concept Map 1 (2/3/14)