My standards

USA- ISTE: National Educational Technology Standards for Students: The Next Generation

Standard: 1. Creativity and Innovation- Students demonstrate creative thinking, construct knowledge, and develop innovative products and processes using technology.

Indicator: Students: b. create original works as a means of personal or group expression.

Standard: 3. Research and Information Fluency- Students apply digital tools to gather, evaluate, and use information.

Indicator: Students: b. locate, organize, analyze, evaluate, synthesize, and ethically use information from a variety of sources and media.

Final Concept Map

Final updated concept map now completely reflects the set up of our entire unit and as listed in our storyboard.

Reflection 11

1. Description of what occurs as a result of using the Project-based learning approach.
2. Discussion on ways to “bring your project home”.
3. Discussion on how concepts in this chapter relate to your topic/project

There is no doubt that using the project-based learning approach is going to change your teaching style. However it will improve it. Your lessons will be more effective and you will get more out of your students. Your students will benefit from Project based learning. The students will have to solve real world problems and this will help them become life long learners. The approach will benefit both the teacher's and the students' learning experience. 

The book refers to "bring your project home". This is the finalization of your final project goal. All the work that the students have put into the project is finally coming to an end. The project will lead to new open doors and will help the student take his or her learned knowledge and apply it to life's next obstacle. 

This chapter directly relates to our class. We are finalizing our project and creating a final presentation to put it all together.

Chapter 11

There are so many things that occur as a result of using the project based learning approach. The benefits that students can reap are infinite. The skills that students will learn to use in project based atmosphere set them up for the real world but maximizing their retention of knowledge and teaching them cooperation, communication and more. The front loaded work for us as teachers pays off in the end as well. Working with other teachers ensures that multiple thought processes can give the best project as well as being able to tweak it as time goes on. For both the students and the teachers, project based learning can benefit all around.
There are a few ways to "bring your project home." You want to think about how to capitalize your investment. Think back on your project and figure out which activities were the most engaging. Those are the ones to continue to use on future projects. Another thing that is important is to critique your work. Go through and review the students' products. From there you can see which activities were successful and which ones flopped. This is critical in continuing into the next year to alter lessons and activities. Be a resource for your colleagues. When you can share your PBL experience with them it will help gain new insights to the approach. No matter how the project wraps up, it is good to remember that the journey is also important. Take time to see how far you've come and what new things the future holds.
This chapter related to what we are doing in class because with the end of the semester right around the corner, we too are wrapping up. We are working on our websites and finishing up everything we have been working on. Making this website is a lot like "sharing your insights" from the chapter. By making everything accessible online for other teachers to use. This is also a way for us to reflect on the work we have completed.

Reading Reflection 10

“Taking time to reflect helps students feel good about their acomplishments, but more importantly, reflection can be a thing that makes learning really stick.” They will think about things they might not necessarily dwelled on because often in a classroom setting, when a project is finished, you quickly move on without any extra thought. When students are given the time to reflect they are making their own meaning out of what was learned. When a student can have specific meaning, they are so much more likely to remember. This is key because the most important aspect of doing project-based learning, is that students will be able to take more out of it. Offering them time to reflect also allows for critical feedback. 

All schools are different, and schools’ identities are linked to their traditions. When in your own classroom, if you can establish a traditional project it will set up a foundation. Younger students will look forward to getting to your classroom because of years of other students doing the same project. This builds excitement for the younger students to get there.

Showing off student work is absolutely vital for many reasons. This gives students a sense of pride, but it also shows your appreciation for their hard work. When students are spending so much of their time on a specific assignment or project, it is important that their work does not go “unseen” so they don’t feel like it was wasteful.

This chapter relates to our topic because with project-based learning I think it really is important to reflect for feedback. When creating a project you will need to alter it to make is as successful as possible. Getting feedback allows you to do so. Also when doing project based learning “celebrating” the work is just exactly what we do. We post to our blogs, upload videos etc.  

Reading Reflection 9

Reflection 10

            Reflecting helps you improve your learning. Reflecting on what you have learned really helps the information stick. Reflection helps students reveal things that they might not otherwise think about. Students can recognize what they have learned; see their growth as a learner, and what they want to learn in projects ahead. Students should self reflect to find both their strengths and weaknesses.

            Teachers should ask questions that would help prompt students to reflect deeply on themselves. You should focus on just the points of emphasis that will help the student grow. Broad reflections are not always effective. Students could be reflecting on something with little importance. Reflecting can help you improve your deep level thinking and keep you interested for what is next.

            Many schools’ identities are tied to their traditions. For example, many schools are known as sports’ powerhouses. What these schools share is a sense of tradition and an expectation of excellence. When teachers see students reach their goals its important to be excited about it for them and to keep pushing them to their limits. Students should never be satisfied. They need to reach as far as they can.

            It’s important to celebrate project achievements. They should be recognized for all the hard work they put in. The classroom is a team atmosphere. When someone on your team reaches their goals its important to celebrate!

            This chapter directly relates to what we are doing in our class. We are working in teams to reach a goal. Each and every one of us is finding out what we are good at and bad at. It’s important that we reflect on what we are learning so that it sticks with us.