Project Based Learning Resources (image from education-world.com) Project Based Learning (PBL) is a great way to teach students content, 21st century skills, and engage them in something fun and educational. I spoke more about PBL in an earlier blog ( and we had some great reader comments (Tech&Learning, May 2009, page 14). First of all, PBL can be used in any classroom, in any subject, at any grade level. PBL does take planning. For instance, I teach physics and developed a project for my classes on structures and stress and strain. Another example of PBL is having the students research a topic and present it to the rest of the class through a multimedia presentation, website, or poster. Start small. Another idea for projects is to look at your school or community and see what they need. An idea I got from my wife (a Biology Education student) is to have students create a lesson for other students about a topic. Some web resources to get you started:
8 Characteristics Of Education 3.0 Something “point-oh” has entered the modern vernacular as a response to our digital world. Unlike physical “stuff,” digital stuff is more fluid–constantly iterating and evolving at often breakneck speed. It’d be difficult to suggest that public education is doing much of anything at breakneck speed, but the idea behind this presentation is to clarify how it has changed, and where it could be headed. Just as web 1.0 turned to 2.0, there are new generations of education as well. This chart is broken up into three categories–Education 1.0 (the old way), 2.0 (the current way), and 3.0 (the future way). One immediate takeaway for right here, right now K-20 educators might be numbers 4 and 6: Beyond literacy night and conferences, how can we involve busy parents–even as they might resist–early on in the learning process, leveraging not just their authority as parents, but their occupational experience, professional networks, and related real-world interests for learning? 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.
The 7 Powerful Idea Shifts In Learning Today by Terry Heick, TeachThought.com : Shift_Learning: The 7 Most Powerful Idea Shifts In Learning Today So we’re taking a stand here. This is all incredibly subjective, but so are the VH1 Top 100 Hair Bands Videos and those are fun, am I right? So subjective it is. Let’s make a list. Utopian visions of learning are tempting, if for no other reason than they absolve us of accountability to create itright now, leading to nebulous romanticizing about how powerful learning could be if we just did more of X and Y. But therein lies the rub: Tomorrow’s learning is already available, and below are 7 of the most compelling and powerful trends, concepts, and resources that represent its promise. The Challenge of Implementation It’s challenging enough to manage a traditional learning environment where the curriculum is handed to you, and meetings are set, and you’re simply there to manage; adding more ingredients to the mix seems like asking for trouble. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.
work - mediaweaver - Gmail Benefits to Project Based Learning and Technology Integration | Technology Integration - TechnoKids BLOG Technology integration and project based learning are a perfect fit. Teachers can design learning experiences that incorporate the use of the computer to complete motivating projects. For example, an environmental technology project may include the design of an information pamphlet using Microsoft Publisher or a rainforest technology project may include the creation of a eco-tourism travel advertisement using Microsoft PowerPoint. Benefits to Project Based Learning and Technology Integration Benefit 1: Technology Projects are Interdisciplinary An interdisciplinary approach connects learning objectives from two or more academic fields of study. Children collaborating to set the stage as part of a video production technology project. Benefit 2: Technology Projects Encourage Collaboration Collaboration is a process where two or more people work together to reach a common goal. Benefit 3: Technology Projects Promote Inquiry Benefit 4: Technology Projects Support Self Directed Learning
12 Powerful New Ideas For 21st Century Learning How we learn is changing in response to a changing environment, from fluid digital environments to constant access to information, incredible peer networks to learning simulations, 21st century learning is teeming with possible learning pathways. So it seemed appropriate to take a look at a handful of these new approaches–not so much formal learning approaches such as project-based learning or mobile learning, but rather some of the platforms and tools themselves. The immediate benefit is to take inventory in what’s available now. 1. Summary A search engine to help you find the information you’re looking for. What Makes It Special When a (research literate) learner is connected to Google, the scale of any learning process changes entirely–what they can find, who they can connect with, and what they can do. 2. User-generated video content on any topic imaginable. It puts content back into the hands of grassroots-level users, caretakers, and experts. 3. 4. 5. 6. iTunesU 7. See a pattern here?
Western Philosophy Combining 21st Century Skills, Project Based Learning, and iPads <div class="greet_block wpgb_cornered"><div class="greet_text"><div class="greet_image"><a href=" rel="nofollow"><img src=" alt="WP Greet Box icon"/></a></div>Hello there! If you are new here, you might want to <a href=" rel="nofollow"><strong>subscribe to the RSS feed</strong></a> for updates on this topic.<div style="clear:both"></div></div></div> These are my notes from Felix Jacomino and Inge Wassmann‘s breakout session, “Combining 21st Century Skills, Project Based Learning, and iPads” at the 2012 Mobile Learning Conference in Phoenix, Arizona, on April 13, 2012. MY THOUGHTS AND COMMENTS ARE IN ALL CAPS. “The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance.” St Stephen’s Episopal Day Schoolwww.sseds.org@SSEDSorg GREAT movie! What is project-based learning?
Bloom's Taxonomy Blooms Digitally 4/1/2008 By: Andrew Churches from Educators' eZine Introduction and Background: Bloom's Taxonomy In the 1950's Benjamin Bloom developed his taxonomy of cognitive objectives, Bloom's Taxonomy. Bloom's Revised Taxonomy In the 1990's, a former student of Bloom, Lorin Anderson, revised Bloom's Taxonomy and published this- Bloom's Revised Taxonomy in 2001.Key to this is the use of verbs rather than nouns for each of the categories and a rearrangement of the sequence within the taxonomy. Bloom's Revised Taxonomy Sub Categories Each of the categories or taxonomic elements has a number of key verbs associated with it Lower Order Thinking Skills (LOTS) Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) The elements cover many of the activities and objectives but they do not address the new objectives presented by the emergence and integration of Information and Communication Technologies into the classroom and the lives of our students. Bloom's digital taxonomy map Remembering Understanding Applying Analysing Evaluating
18 Things Highly Creative People Do Differently This list has been expanded into the new book, “Wired to Create: Unravelling the Mysteries of the Creative Mind,” by Carolyn Gregoire and Scott Barry Kaufman. Creativity works in mysterious and often paradoxical ways. Creative thinking is a stable, defining characteristic in some personalities, but it may also change based on situation and context. Neuroscience paints a complicated picture of creativity. And psychologically speaking, creative personality types are difficult to pin down, largely because they’re complex, paradoxical and tend to avoid habit or routine. “It’s actually hard for creative people to know themselves because the creative self is more complex than the non-creative self,” Scott Barry Kaufman, a psychologist at New York University who has spent years researching creativity, told The Huffington Post. While there’s no “typical” creative type, there are some tell-tale characteristics and behaviors of highly creative people. They daydream. They observe everything.
Project Based Learning and iPads/iPods Introducing an irresistible project at the beginning of a unit of study can give students a clear and meaningful reason for learning. Plus, they end up with a product or result that could possibility make a difference in the world! In project based learning students are driven to learn content and skills for an authentic purpose. PBL involves students in explaining their answers to real-life questions, problems, or challenges. Technology can be helpful throughout a project, whether students use iPads, Chromebooks, Android tablets, laptops, or desktops.
Technology and Education | Box of Tricks Can Schools Create a Culture of Learning By Doing? - Education What if we had a culture of "do" instead of a culture of "know" in our schools? That was the question posed by sixth-grade language arts teacher Bill Ferriter and three other educators at last weekend’s EduCon, an education innovation conference held in Philadelphia. Ferriter writes on his blog, The Tempered Radical, that the group came up with the question during a session designed to push educators to dream big and develop ambitious solutions for the problems facing schools. Although knowing academic content is foundational, he writes, students often complain about feeling disconnected from what they’re learning because they’re never given the chance to apply their knowledge in meaningful ways. Models like service learning are proven to boost student engagement and reduce the dropout rate, yet the test-heavy school culture has created an environment where teachers simply cover the curriculum and students regurgitate facts onto a test. Photo via (cc) Flickr user Mark Gstohl