Blog Assignment #9

What Can Teachers and Students Teach Us About Project Based Learning?
All throughout my years of schooling I have been given projects. From presenting powerpoints to creating a mousetrap racecar, I was sure there was not much I had not done. Then, I enrolled in EDM310. So far in this class I have made a blog, movies, and much more. Not only have some of the projects been different, but the ways they were given to me and the lessons they have taught me differ as well.
There are two types of projects, meaningful ones and borderline busywork. To be considered a meaningful project, it must meet two criteria: it must be personally meaningful for the students and it must fulfill an educational purpose. According to, ASCD, seven essentials help makeup a good meaningful project.
1) A need to know- Introduce a project with a video, guest speaker, or lively discussion about its topic. Give the students a reason to want to do this project rather than just having to for a grade.
2) A driving question- This question gives the project purpose challenge the students. Have them help in coming up with the question by brainstorming on the topic as a class.
3) Student voice and choice- Giving the students the opportunity to decide how they want to complete the project or what they want to use gives them a voice. Teachers can give some limited options as to help the students not get overwhelmed, but in the end the students will decide how to carryout the project.
4) 21st century skills- Projects should always help enhance 21st century skills such as collaboration, critical thinking, and the use of technology.
5) Inquiry and innovation- Have the students trail their own questions with more questions. Causing them to go deeper into the topic than had originally planned.
6) Feedback and revision- Have the students revise one another's work in the team throughout the project. Allow them to use their team rubrics to decide, giving them control with your guidance or assistance.
7) A publicly presented product- Giving the project more meaning than just a grade, has the students care more about the quality. A real audience will drive them to surpass expectations.
These are the things we want for our students to learn. Real world skills and quality work to enhance their futures.

In the video, Project Based Learning for Teachers, we are given a presentation on the importance of technology and its resourcefulness in the classroom. Using technology for PBL opens many more doors for children's research. When they know how to use technology correctly and resourcefully they can ask questions and find the answers and much more.
What motivates students today?, is a video of many students telling us what motivates them. Most of the motivations include their dreams. For instance, one student said their dream to be an accountant motivates them to do well in school. Another student said compliments motivate them. In EDM310 we are assigned classmates' blogs to comment on. The first step we are supposed to complete is complimenting the student on the blog. We should keep this in mind while teaching, because it is always good to have at least one positive note or comment about a student's work. This is very useful information for a teacher because it tell us exactly what we need to do to help our students be excited for school and learning.
Ten Sites Supporting Digital Classroom Collaboration in Project Based Learning
This site is full of resources for teachers and students using PBL. Some resources listed include Google Docs, Skype, and Quick Screen Share. These are all useful resources provide by technology that allows students and teachers to work collaboratively and resourcefully.
New Ketchup Cap This site showcases two high school students that used project based learning to solve their issue with watery ketchup caps. The teacher explains how he gets his students to create a topic. I especially enjoyed that he gave the students the opportunity to choose their own topics, starting with "It really bugs me when..." gets the minds flowing on how to fix it. Teaching the students how to resolve relevant issues using project based learning helps give them the tools for their futures.