(u05a1) Students Meeting the NETS-S

To be honest, the 6 NETS-S standards for students are often overlooked. It seems as though these 6 simple standards are overshadowed by the state-tested language arts, math, and science standards. This week, we spent a great amount of time looking at communicating, collaborating, and publishing with Web 2.0 tools.

To me, there are innumerable ways that the use of Web 2.0 tools can meet the standards if teachers are willing to go outside of the textbooks and traditional ways of education. I spent the majority of my time reading the profiles for “technology literate” students in grades K-2.  Profile #1, “Illustrate and communicate original ideas and stories using digital tools and media-rich resources” was one that came to mind with my 2^nd grade language arts classroom right now. Students are working on a book reflection/recommendation project. They are concept mapping and LOVING it! It’s been awesome to see them communicating with one another, working as trouble-shooters for each other, and being so proud of their published piece! Going through the profiles, I noticed that this one activity also covers profiles #7, 8, and 9.

The first four standards in and of themselves don’t require the use of technology. Great teachers have been helping students be creative, communicate and collaborate, research and interact with information, and become critical thinkers and problem solvers for years. Why use technology now? It’s not because of the tool, but rather because of the future of our students. John Dewey once said, “If we teach today’s students as we taught yesterday’s, we rob them of tomorrow.” The jobs our students will have, the tools that will be available to them, and the technological expectations that will be set before them require them to know how to communicate, collaborate, and present using Web 2.0 tools and a variety of other technology. Why wouldn’t we help them navigate these skills now?

Is there a reason students can’t do group work on a blog instead of on a poster? Do science fair projects have to be done on a tri-fold board or could a Prezi meet the same learning objectives? Wouldn’t a traditional book report work on S’more or Glogster instead of composition paper and graphic organizers? The possibilities are endless. Students are only limited by their teachers comfort zones. Our students are willing to take more risks now than ever before. How can we help them?

Project Based Learning (u01a1)

Coming into this course, I had heard of project-based learning, but hadn’t done a great deal of research regarding it, nor had I been able to see it in action. As part of the assignment this week, we read about and viewed three very different classroom projects. As a 2^nd grade teacher, it was encouraging to see that this approach to the classroom came from 1^st grade all the way up through high school and was very interdisciplinary.

All of the educators in the videos viewed and articles read this week seemed to have similar answers to the same concerns that you or I may be asking. Do you cover all of the standards? Yes. Are your students prepared for high-stakes testing? Yes. Do colleagues question this approach since it’s non-traditional? Yes. Math teacher Eeva Reeder (Applying Math Skills, 2002) gave great insight as to why she chose to use a project-based approach, ““It became immediately apparent to me as a teacher that talking to kids didn’t cause them to really deeply learn concepts.” Any great teacher who makes that realization must stop and reevaluate what’s happening in their classroom. Some of the teachers such as Miss Reeder had front-loaded instruction and used the projects as an application and relevancy assessment while others such as Mrs. Hetrick seemed to allow student inquiry to guide their instruction and the projects came as a result. Regardless, all of the teachers showed intentional planning and design of the projects. Kindergarten and first-grade teacher Patty Vreeland said, “"We've got to know our curriculum. We've got to know the standards inside and out” (Curtis, 2001). She also noted that, “teachers must be willing to work harder to ensure that projects are meaningful learning experiences.” Eeva Reeder also showed that teachers need to intentionally refine their assessment techniques. Rubrics ahead of time where students know the specific expectations will help make this more successful for both the students and teachers.

Project-based learning allows the students to take ownership of their learning. In essence, the students are now in charge, which can be terrifying for a traditional classroom teacher! The teacher has to become a guide or facilitator while the students are guiding the process. I feel that it’s important for the students know someone believes in them. They need to be guided, but not “mothered”, and challenged to reflect and evaluate their progress throughout the project.

What makes project-based learning memorable and shows application of knowledge and skills? The relevancy of the project, of course! If students see a practical application for the project, they will be much more engaged. If students feel like they are the one in charge and making the decisions, engagement level drastically increases! As a teacher, how will I know students have learned the skills to meet my required standards? I will be able to see it in their project results. This is much more authentic application than any traditional assessment. “PBL is not just a way of learning; it's a way of working together. If students learn to take responsibility for their own learning, they will form the basis for the way they will work with others in their adult lives” (Why is Project-Based Learning Important, 2007).

References:
Applying Math Skills to a Real-World Problem. (2002, February 11). Retrieved March 16, 2015, from                 http://www.edutopia.org/mountlake-terrace-geometry-real-world-video

Curtis, D. (October 1, 2001). Edutopia: More Fun Than a Barrel of …Worms?   Retrieved              from http://www.edutopia.org/more-fun-barrel-worms

Why Is Project-Based Learning Important? (2007, October 19). Retrieved March 16, 2015, from                 http://www.edutopia.org/project-based-learning-guide-importance