Project Based Learning...

I tried to be a great teacher- in a lot of ways, I thought I was.  I know that I could have been better, though.  Although I tried to embrace and implement the ideas of constructivism in my classroom, I wasn't always successful because most of my methods were still traditional.  I wish I had known more about PBL when I was in the classroom- I would have enjoyed teaching more- and I'm sure my students would have enjoyed the class more.

Since our move to Cobb County, I've done a lot of research on the schools to figure out where we want to live- the schools I want my son to go to, etc... A couple of the high schools here do a senior project that all of their classes scaffold.  When they are freshmen, the students choose their own project to work toward for the next 3 years.  They take classes to help with the project.  Within their required classes, teachers differentiate the lessons to help the students use what they are learning to inform their project work.  They actually use the first three years of high school to learn about the project.  Their junior year is spent doing the lion's share of the work on the project, and the senior year is the time to go public with the project.  There are tons of categories for the projects and some of them are judged. 

For example, one kid made- by hand- a classical guitar with a variation on the design that amplified the sound.  As a freshman, his math teacher let him find lessons on the geometry of sound (and I didn't actually understand all of this, but he did).  As a sophomore, he took an apprenticehip class and worked for a local craftsman who made musical instruments.  Junior year, he actually made the guitar.  Senior year, he showcased it, won a contest with it, and visited several local businesses interested in selling it.  Throughout this experience, the high schooler learned that he definitely wanted to pursue a career in this advanced craftmanship/musicianship.  I talked to other students who said their project made them change their ideas about what they planned to major in when they go to college.

This was such a great way for me to view project based learning in a K-12 setting... I got so many ideas from it.  I hope, if I am ever able to go back to the K-12 classroom, that I can plan curriculum that spans the academic subject areas to reach students on this same level.  I'm not sure how many other approaches to instruction reach students in such a dramatic and real way.  The articles linked on the Google Site mention all the reasons why teachers should consider the implementation of PBL... But, seeing it in action was far more convincing than any of the articles!  If you get a chance to visit a school or judge these types of projects- do it!

LoTi and PBL

After completing the LoTi quiz for last week's class, I was a little surprised about my LoTi level (the personal computer use level and current instructional practices level was fine- both were 7). I guess I can attribute the 4a LoTi level to being out of the actual K-12 classroom (and I have been for 6 years now). But, I thought I was answering the questions as I would have when I was teaching high school. It made me wonder- Do most teachers THINK they integrate technology to a much greater degree than they actually DO integrate technology? Once I looked at the LoTi site more thoroughly, I realized that they probably do. As a teacher 6 years ago, I had never heard of LoTi levels. I would venture to guess that most teachers have not (unless they are getting a degree in instructional technology). So, if knowledge is power, administrators need to ask their faculty to be more aware of their actual practices- not just what they think they are doing. Administrators should ask their faculty to complete this type of survey- in lieu of some other type of meaningless professional learning. I think it would open a lot of eyes.

On a similar note, pushing PBL would not be a bad move either. It would be much easier for teachers to make that transition from a LoTi level 3 teacher to a level 5 teacher if they were to implement PBL into their curriculum. We all know that students learn from real world, problem based learning... So much of PBL can be technology based- it really seems to be a no-brainer- implement PBL in your classroom and the integration of technology level should go up!

Integration Project Website Examples

When I was an English teacher, I used the web often to find lesson plans or ideas. Now, as someone who works with faculty, I very often have to come up with all of my own plans and materials for workshops or classes I am teaching. At Dr. Kim's suggestion, I am going to work on a plan for teaching about copyright issues in higher ed to KSU BCOE faculty (this is the plan right now).

I've had a hard time finding any lesson plans for working with folks in high ed (I'm sure they are out there-). Right now, I am having to look at generic lesson plans on copyright (even very elementary ones used to teach middle schoolers). Most of what I have found so far doesn't integrate technology at the level that is required in this course. Most of them only use the internet as a resource... One that I've found requires a simulator. I guess any of the lesson plans that I will find will definitely have to be tweaked.... especially since most faculty members know a good bit of copyright already. My workshop will be more about raising awareness and finding resources on campus that they can turn to if they have questions about copyright and how it pertains to what they are doing.

The page of 10 example websites will be difficult for me because of who my audience is... I hope it won't mind that I am going to use sites geared toward high school kids or college students.

Ideas for Integration Project

So, how will I do this Integration Project....

This is somewhat of a mystery for me because I am currently not a part of the k-12 community. However, I do work with teacher preparation at a university in Georgia, so I do have some ideas.

I think I'd like to go back to my roots as a high school English teacher and explore the possibilities of creating a lesson that could be used in an American Literature course... I could design the plan so that students read Miller's The Crucible, do research and relate the panic/hysteria to modern events, and create podcasts over the course of 2 weeks relating the information in the play to what they are observing about modern life and the lessons learned by reading Miller's brilliant work. If I were still in the classroom, this is the kind of project I would LOVE to assign.

Also, I could create a model plan- I am currently teaching a course to faculty members here at KSU. The semester-long class is about developing courses for online. I could create a project that models the integration of technology. Which, when you consider it, would be very helpful. Sometimes, the teaching faculty at larger universities don't employ the use of technology the way they should. As a result, some of our first year teachers, who should be the leaders in technology integration on their respective k-12 campuses, are often unprepared to do what needs to be done as it relates to technology integration.

Just some thoughts...