EDIM 502: Project-Based Learning

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Who can brag that their students are excited EACH day to learn? Who can brag that their students eagerly discuss schoolwork during lunch and after school? Teachers who wisely incorporate project-based learning  (PBL) into their curriculum can! Three different articles on the website Edutopia’s “What Works in Education” series tell the success stories of classrooms that incorporate PBL and the enthusiasm that is generated both within and outside the school walls.

First and foremost, there are some similar circumstances and design principals that are constant in each success story. Each project is developed from an interest the students have. From wondering about a peer’s physical health to earning money by selling plants, student curiosity plants the seed and teachers coach the students in the cultivation. The project must be challenging yet attainable, with real-life, hands-on activities. Flexibility is a must as the projects are done in real time and are authentic. Each project must allow the students enough time to do research, experiment or hypothesize, work in teams, complete a final report or presentation and self-assess, developing personal goals for future projects.

The teacher’s role is that of a learning coach. He or she must be enthusiastic and curious about the projects. Although time consuming, the teachers must know the state standards and skills that are expected to be learned, and ensure that they are being covered through the completion of the project. Teachers must be attuned to their students’ needs and interests in the development of real-life projects. Teachers must teach students how to work in teams by clearly defining roles and expectations, predicting challenges and offering advice. Authentic assessment and differentiated work projects must take place along the way, with very clear expectations, timetables, models of student work and self-assessment upon completion.  As teacher Eeva Reeder said so eloquently about varied assessments along the way, “It demystifies grades, and most importantly, helps students see that the whole object of schoolwork is attainment and refinement of problem-solving and life skills" (Armstrong, 2002).

The student’s role is to be a team player and be responsible in taking ownership of each project task. The three schools in the spotlight in Edutopia all noted that there was no lack of enthusiasm or involvement with the students in the completion of projects. As they learned to plan their time and work together to solve a real-life problem, they became confident and proud of their accomplishments.

Learning is increased tremendously with projects. First, there is very little student absenteeism due to the fact that students are engaged in their learning. They want to be in class. Students become a part of the project as they are given the opportunity to help develop it from the start, are given formative and helpful feedback along the way, work with others, and care about the subject they are studying.

Students are motivated (rare today) because they see meaning in the project and are able to connect it to their lives. It is not just busy work, or complicated or boring work unrelated to anything they are living, or foresee themselves doing in the future. No, projects are infused with real work. Students learn outside the school walls as they go out into the community seeking professionals in the field or use the computer to access life across the globe. They are able to utilize technology throughout the process as they research, connect and present findings to others.

The skills that students learn not only cross curricular boundaries (incorporating math, science, reading, writing, etc.) but also are improved tremendously. The student test scores that are higher than expected in classrooms that utilize PBL tell the truth. Not only do the best projects incorporate varied subject matter, but allow for higher order thinking, reasoning and understanding as students synthesize the information to pull together the project. As Edutopia author Diane Curtis noted of teacher Fran Koontz, “Koontz says she sees big dividends in the hands-on approach to learning... from better writing to deeper investigation skills.”

In conclusion, it is difficult to argue with success. Students who are engaged in learning through real-life projects they have helped develop and completed with the help of a teacher-coach, experts in the field, as well as teammates, are happier, more educationally advanced, and motivated to learn more. Sign me up!

References:

Armstrong, S. (2002). Geometry students angle into architecture through project learning. Edutopia. Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/geometry-real-world-students-architects

Curtis, D. (2002). March of the monarchs: Students follow the butterflies’ migration. Edutopia.  Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/march-monarchs

Curtis, D. (2001). More fun than a barrel of… worms?! Edutopia. Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/more-fun-barrel-worms

Digital Portfolio

Can of worms, anyone??

My Portfolio

I wish I could say my final project is complete, but have realized that for the first time in my life, the final project will NEVER END! Yes, it will always be a work in progress. In this case, however, it is a good thing. My digital portfolio will be updated with each new project I want to showcase, each new technical skill I am able to figure out and each noteworthy event.

In retrospect, putting the information together in GoogleSites was fairly easy (especially with a template) but the difficulty was in deciding what to include, how to organize vast amounts of information and how to link and insert information and projects. Although I could link web-based projects such as Glogster posters, I was not sure how to show my digital stories, Google Earth field trip or accounts that need my password. I'm not sure the "contact Me" page works..seemed to at first but isn't now. I want widgets too! I'm glad right now that I am keeping our "tester" Ning social network site open, but fairly soon I will need to limit access for the safety of our students.

I am thrilled to have an updated and continuously fresh "resume" of sorts with the ability to showcase a digital portfolio, but it needs lots of work to be complete. I'll never be able to stop thinking of ways to improve this webpage, but it is off to a great start.
All in all, a splendid way to end this course!

Self-Evaluation

Let's take time to ponder........

Oh, the joys of evaluating yourself! I decided to use a rubric found on Educational Origami's "Bloom's Digital Taxonomy" website and tweak it to match my situation. The original was an evaluation of the use of Skype, a video conferencing tool.

I needed a slight change as my Livestream live broadcast was slightly different. The viewers could send me a text message, but mostly to ask questions or clarify. There was not a lot of two-way communication. I wanted to also be able to use this rubric for my Jr. High students as they give a live video "how-To" demonstration over our school channel.

I felt that although the original rubric had 3 essential parts: Preparation and Planning, Communication and Reflection, I wanted to also be able to evaluate content: the "actual" of what was presented, so I added a column for that. Within Content I noted whether their assignment was original or copied/quoted and accurate, among other things. I deleted some (unnecessary in my situation) pieces such as "There is some interruption and speaking over people." I also added a few pieces from Educational Origami's Podcasting rubric, such as the quality of production (background noise, etc.)


In the rubric I made for my Livestream broadcast, I scored 14 points out of 16 possible. I gave myself a 3 out of 4 in the Preparation and Planning due to the fact that I did not prepare any questions in advance for the audience and should have thought about having a moderator sitting next to me to read the text box in case a viewer had a question. It was challenging to present and have to keep checking the side for messages.

I gave myself a solid 4 in Content as I met the goals intended. I was original and added new information to the topic. The content was accurate and on topic.

I gave myself a 3 out of 4 in Communication. Although I made sure the sound, background noise and etiquette rules were adhered to, I was nervous and it showed. I also did not look directly into the camera. I tried to speak slowly and clearly, however.

I gave myself a 4 for Reflection. I appreciated the feedback from our instructor and the viewers. I have noted the improvements that need to be made and will make sure I take action on improving next time. I made it a point to review my preparation, goals, questions, process, communication and rules. Oh, and I completed* the rubric!
*Unfortunately, the rubric with my comments would not translate into my GoogleDocs page, so it appears to be more of a generic one, without my lovely decoration and added hilighting.

Becoming a Teacher

I wasn't always an invisible person.







The Longer Story:

In fact, as a child, I was a delight to my first teachers, my parents. Whether we like it or not, parents are our first teachers, after all, for better or worse. Mine were wonderful. My father was an artist, author and Professor of Art and Art Therapy at California State University, Sacramento and a excellent model. I wanted to be a teacher just like him.



I realized an important thing on one particular day when I was eight years old and in third grade. I was sitting in my chair, quiet as always, studiously working, it dawned on me that I was invisible. I needed no help, I demanded no attention. Did the teacher even know my name? Out of the blue, the young teacher burst into tears and said she could not "take it" anymore from Johnny Y. Yes, he'd pushed her over the edge. At that moment, I began to write my list of things she could do to better manage the class, help those who were struggling and inspire us all.





I carried that list and as the years ticked by added more and more to it. I was determined to make a difference and do it right. I graduated from college with a K-8 Multiple Subject teaching credential. I kept finding the hidden students and wanted to help. The "invisible" migrant student lacking English? Sure, I'd learn Spanish and get a credential to teach second language learners and teach English as a Second Language. A bright but "invisible" child who just can't seem to sit still or read, spell or write? Sure, I'll learn about ADD and Dyslexia. I'll become a diagnostician and certified tutor! And the many, many "invisible" students falling through the cracks with no labels? The disenfranchised? The 30% in my town that never even graduate from high school? Well, why not learn about Instructional Media and use what they all know and love (technology) to reach, teach and motivate? Working on that!

Why? So no child will ever be invisible again!


Note:
I had wrongly assumed that since I have an iPhone and MacBook it would make this assignment too easy. As I result, I ignored the cool "apps" and tried to utilize the programs that most kids have already on their basic cell phones. It began well. I took numerous pictures, signed up for Evoca (to record a message then get it placed directly in my blog) and began researching other options. It all quickly went south. The evoca account would not recognize my password. I ended up recording my narrative on my "voice memo" app. That worked well. I sent it to my email. Bubbleshare and Gabcast are both no longer offering services, so those were out for podcasting and slideshows.

I finally broke down and used iMovie (iTunes and eventually tried iDVD). I transferred my voice memo to iMovie, added photos I took with my cell, and made the 1 minute video posted above. But ALAS! It would not play. Not until I finished typing this lengthy explanation did it miraculously work. Blogger would not recognize or download my Mac movies. I could watch my movie on QuickTime, but could not get it translated into that format. I tried everything and spent hours searching "help". I tried sending it to YouTube so I could get a link, but that was a fail. Or maybe it's there and I can't find it?? Why does it work now? I have no idea and probably could never recreate it again. In retrospect I should have completed this project on my daughter's cell using our old HP computer. The good news, however, is that with my students at school we could use our MacBooks in the lab and utilize our cell phones easily. Just no tedious downloading to Blogger!

Interview: Cell Phone Use in Classrooms

"...having great success"
-Colin Schumacher

Isn't that what education is all about?

As I was able to report on Helium, I am in favor of using cellphones in the classroom. I was excited to begin my search for other educators who agree and are having students learn using everyday cellphones. Starting at the beginning, this is how I came to interview two educators.

I began my search in Classroom2.0. There were numerous forums and blog posts about using cell phones in the classroom. I attempted to contact some people through forums both there and at eschoolnews, but received no response. A few days later, while inadvertently reading through Edutopia's Back to School Guide (PDF) I came across the Tappedin.org website. I quickly became a member and was welcomed into the chat room by "DavidW" who seemed to be part hound.

When I mentioned that I was looking for an educator using cellphones in the classroom he directed me to 5 or 6 other sites. Tappedin sent a transcript of our conversation to my email and I was able to follow up on those leads. One was a big hit! Slideshare.net had a presentation by a secondary school math teacher and IT Coach from central Pennsylvania named Jimbo Lamb. He replied instantly to an email I had sent him. He not only uses cell phones in his own math classrooms (plus has a Wikispaces home for his classes) but helps and encourages all teachers to embrace this easily available technology. His slideshow was excellent and helped direct me to his even better blog and eventually his email.

"Misterlamb" had this wonderful story to tell about the challenges he has faced:

"The biggest challenge was getting other teachers on board with the new policy. Particularly, one English teacher didn't think there was any educational benefits of mobile devices in the classroom. She had a great speech to back up her position. While she was giving her speech, I downloaded the entire works of William Shakespeare for free from the iTunes app store and asked her if she would find that helpful. She mentioned they didn't have enough copies of some of the works that are covered, and that would be highly beneficial. She now has her own iPod touch (and almost got an iPhone) and sees the benefits of the devices, even if she doesn't necessarily use them in her classroom."

Mr.Lamb said this about the policy at his school:

"Phones should be silenced and out of sight unless given permission to use them for educational purposes. I am trying to get a policy in that allows for use in the hallways and at lunch, which is essentially the students' time."

He goes on to discuss how the parents have viewed the use of Cell phones in class. I love the last sentence!

"I use them without parental input, but have had positive feedback from parents, noting that they are appreciative that I am helping them get their money's worth out of the devices by helping them be more productive."

The very same day I heard from Mr. Lamb, I received a response from someone I had contacted earlier. A while back I was reading an article from eschoolnews about cell phones in classrooms. Someone who had written a reply to the article was very helpful in this endeavor. Colin Schumacher is a teacher, writer, consultant and doctoral student living in Sydney, Australia.

Here's a description from his website:

Colin is the creator and presenter of Making Meaning OnScreen - professional development workshops in screen production, screen literacy and pedagogy. He has trained over 1,800 K-12 teachers and screen directors in Australia, Thailand, Vietnam, The Maldives, Singapore, Japan and Portugal. Colin is a writer, and director of theatre and screen production.

He has also written a book called "Making Meaning OnScreen" which is a student handbook for making effective videos. He has used cell phones for video production in dance, drama, visual arts, and English at the primary and secondary school level.

He mentioned that in his experience, the principal at the school is the key person for policy decisions. Here's a snippet of what he told me about cell phone policy and use:

"Students can't communicate with SMS or outgoing or incoming phone calls but strictly for video recording, viewing and downloading. It works really well and of course every student has a cellphone video capability and no longer stresses the video equipment needs and availability in schools.

I have to monitor this – but I find the teachers and students are so engaged, it isn't a problem."

He also discussed the challenges he has faced which appear to be of a technical nature.

"There are downloading problems from a cellphone to computer and acceptance by the software again depending on individual schools and their computer capability."

I have to be honest; that last little tidbit did make me nervous! Luckily, our school has a Tech Wizard.

Both educators are interested in keeping up the dialogue and have asked for a response to discuss what we are doing. So far not much, but I am encouraged to take the first step. What great networking! In the end, I was thrilled to have found two successful people, worlds apart, validating the effective use of cell phones in education.

Live Broadcast

Does my hair look OK?

Naturally this is the first thing I though of when reading the "Live Broadcast" assignment. Although it could be audio only, I needed to use the webcam to demonstrate some activities and show student papers. My purpose was to tell the other Advisory Teachers at our school how I assess students who were recommended for a special reading and spelling program (Barton*). I also wanted them to be able to ask questions if needed and was glad there was a chat area. Prior to the event I communicated with them via email to promote the discussion. Here is the nine minute video.

*With the Barton program our homeschooling parents attend the video trainings so they can teach it at home. We have four Advisory Teachers who serve as tutors in the program. We meet weekly with the families to help, encourage and teach. I assessed 10 students this past week. Instead of describing my screening process 10 separate times, I offered to let them participate in this live webinar. Only 3 were able to attend, so I recorded it in order that they may view it anytime on our channel. Two ATs have done so already. I should have warned them that they'll need to listen to a short commercial to watch, but they figured it out.

Additional notes:

I began practicing on Ustream, but ended up choosing Livestream as it seemed easier to use. I practiced recording live broadcasts on both with a coworker, but got confused while trying to "upgrade" Ustream's downloaded app-Producer, and decided to go with the basic Livestream channel. It works like a charm! The additional Studio piece helps the administrator organize and tweak video clips. Signing up was a breeze although both required a birthdate and BOTH had me scrolling down forever until I got to my birth year. Seriously! I was afraid maybe the lists did not go back that far. The email they sent to verify my account had links to helpful tips and upgrades.

I started working on this project early as I was afraid it would be complex, but the Livestream website offers many suggestions to create a successful live presentation. I read the tips, then made sure the lighting was good to show the papers (tricky with the webcam), unplugged the home phone, silenced the cell, and locked the dog in the laundry room. I turned on the channel live-but without it recording-so those who looked at the site a few minutes early could see me (instead of the "offline" message). I chatted with a coworker in the chat box to make sure it worked, then quickly deleted the dialog prior to the live, recorded event. When 10:00 arrived, I pushed the record button and began the dreadful 9 minute recording. Although it was educationally sound, it is frightening to not be allowed to erase mistakes or edit. I realized later that a live presentation needs more than one person. There are reasons for moderators, such as reading the dialog chats while the speaker was speaking. There was no way I could keep up with anyone's chat while trying to present. Next time, I will grab a team member to help.

I can see us using this channel for all sorts of live events. Our families not only live in Stanislaus County, but any adjacent county, so some live 1 1/2 hrs away. This would be a neat way for us to give demonstrations or lessons on curriculum. Students, both individual and classes, could share their work with others by doing a live broadcast at school in our Mac lab or on an AT's laptop. For example, the guitar class could play a song and broadcast to the school, family and friends. In fact, although the ATs meet regularly at the school, it would be neat to communicate other times as I did today with my live chat. The potential is huge!

I was able to participate in EdTech Talk live show on Sunday, September 26. It was their weekly general topics presentation. This week they had guest speaker Camilla Elliott, an author/librarian from Australia. There were two moderators that managed the chat. Camilla discussed the good points and pitfalls of ebooks in classrooms/libraries and shared some exciting Google Earth curriculum projects/adventures. Meanwhile the moderators asked questions, typed links into the chat box (as well as posted them later on the EdTech website) and gave their opinions and ideas. A few listeners participated if they had a question or link to share. I was just observing as I had nothing noteworthy to add. This weekly "meeting" on Sunday is a wonderful idea and I'd love to continue checking in each week for general information on technology and education.

EdTech as well as Classroom 2.0 lists tons of daily shows with varied topics that would be useful to me. The archived shows are also valuable. I'm glad that recording is an option! One small annoyance that others noted was that the sound cut out a few times and the network was slow, rebuffering quite a bit. I did, however get lots of ideas for future K-8 educational pursuits, such as Googlelittrips.org and Googletreks.org. I could see the use in our parents and students watching some of the shows. For example, on the Classroom 2.0 website this week the following shows occurred: Monday: "Stress!" and "Teaching with SciFi films." Thursday: "Solving mysteries in Elluminate", and "Edublogs" (chosen by popular poll vote-fun!) The positive aspect of it being live means we can be participating; we're much more inclined to focus, be interested, motivated, and get on-the-spot help or clarification as needed. We get to be a part of the education instead if it being "thrown" at us. Students especially need that.

Social Networks

Warm Fuzzies to Hart-Ransom Charter School's Ning Network to help relieve stress and make learning fun!


After a fairly unsuccessful attempt at social networking with our school on Facebook in addition to concerns about online safety and privacy, I have decided to create a custom private social site with Ning. I began by looking at the top 3 that are frequently recommended: Edmoto, ShoutEm and Ning.


I liked the fact that Edmodo is designed with education in mind-a way for students and teachers to connect. It is free for educators and has many wonderful ways of organizing and communicating. In our particular situation (homeschool) I work with families as a whole. I do not have a class of 30 students in 1 subject, therefore do not need much of what this site offers, such as posting of assignments and groups. I needed a place where Advisory Teachers, students and parents can intermingle.

I tried ShoutEm. Right away I was intrigued as it is available on the iphone. It appeared fun to personalize, decorate and share. However, for this "digital immigrant" I found it extremely difficult to manage. Did I want Flicker uploads? I had to read a complex page on how to do that. I could not even figure out how to get people signed up. I quickly decided it was not worth the effort.

Finally, I looked at Ning. Based in Palo Alto it seemed to be designed just for me. All the required set up steps were very intuitive. I began with the free 30 day trial, and as an educator will be able to get it for free with Pearson as a sponsor. I set it up currently as an open, public site so this EDIM class can access it without having to be "accepted", but will switch over to private next month. I will only allow current families at our school to have access to keep it a safe site. Ning offers a place to post, share and comment on photos, videos, and blogs. Each member can personalize their profile. There are forums where our families can interact, get tips from those "in the trenches", encourage and help one another. This is something our parents have been requesting for quite some time.

The assignment I gave our students will fit grades K-8. Each year they are required to demonstrate that they have covered the state standards in the Visual and Performing Arts category. Many are confused about what type of sample that would be. I chose 4th grade to be the sample grade for demonstration purposes.

Each student will be required to go to our Ning network and read my blog "Visual and Performing Arts Sample." I put a link to a chart I made in the assignment which will clarify what that category encompasses. My blog gives a brief description of what they are to do.

The goal is to show mastery of one standard in the appropriate grade level "arts" category. It will be shared on the Ning network. They will comment on a classmate's work which will actually fulfill the state standard "Analyze Art Elements and Principles of Design
1.5 Describe and analyze the elements of art".

The objectives are to:

1) Show families what that category encompasses and provide some ideas or an assignment
Example: Visual Arts category includes photos, paintings, mobiles, etc.
How does color affect mood?
2) Do one of the suggested activities (or one similar) from the chart
Example: Do a dance, paint a picture. My sample posted on Ning was a photo collage.
3) Share their own project in Ning -
Example: post a video of a dance or a photo of what you made. Write a blog to describe the difference between jazz and rock music.
4) Critically assess other art. Make a comment on someone else's art sample, keeping it positive
Example: "I like how you used pastel colors to show calm and brights to show excitement."
5) *The most important objective will be for students to begin utilizing this site and learn how to utilize social networking to their advantage. The majority do not currently use any site and will need to know for their future success. Ning is easy to use and by requiring an assessment of others' art they will become more proficient.

In our November HRCS School Newsletter, I will give the suggested assignment. I will provide them with the Ning network private link code for them to become members. It will tell them to look at my blog in Ning for the assignment and look at my sample photo in Ning for an example.

Evaluation will be based less on the quality of the work completed in the "Arts" than their sharing their work with others and commenting and evaluating on art.

Only through a safe social network am I free to encourage my families to interact and share. Students will be motivated to do an assignment when they can show others. I began with the arts as that is the easiest and most similar to what some are already using to share online. Eventually we may ask our 8th grade students to make a GlogsterEdu poster to show they understand the activities leading up to the Civil War (posting the link on Ning) or our 1st graders to contribute to an ongoing story (in a blog) using 5 of their own spelling words. My hope is that parents begin to use the site to network with other parents at our school to build one another up and students will be encouraged to create and demonstrate mastery of a concept in a different format. No doubt students will encourage more use as they will be eager to share. I can't wait to get started!