These videos were all very informative and helped to better understand Project Based Learning. The first video, Project Based Learning Part 1: Experiences of a 3rd Grade Teacher, introduces Anthony Capps. He is a former student and lab professional in EDM310. He currently teaches 3rd grade at Gulf Shores Elementary School. In this video, Capps emphasizes that projects do not just demonstrate a learned ability, but also as a way to put a sense of ownership on that ability. This way of learning allows students to seek out answers, mastering sets of skills, and then demonstrating them. Capps also stressed the reflection period after sharing, which allows for peer editing and for mistakes to be corrected. During this period both the students and the teacher are learning from each other.
The second video, Project Based Learning Part 2: Experiences of a 3rd Grade Teacher, begins with the reminder that not everything is going to go well. Anthony told a story about a parent that was uncomfortable with a certain subject and he had to honor belief. He also explains that you are going to get a lot more than you expect from your students. Do not hinder their creativity with strict guidelines. “PBL is not only a means for evaluating, but also a powerful method by which students learn” (Dr. Strange). Capps also praised student choice because it led to more pride and ownership of ideas.
iCurio was introduced in the third video. It is essentially a curated search engine that allows students to safely search the web for criteria that has been filtered strictly for educational use. Students can use it as a search engine but it also has storage capacity where they can work on projects together and save their work. This allows for the development of virtual, or online, organization. This is critical for both the students and teachers.
The fourth video was dedicated to Discovery Education and it is provided to all Baldwin County teachers. It basically brings experts into the classroom through videos to help bring texts and other subjects to life. Capps stressed the importance of engaging students both through audio and video.
Video #5 was a Strange List of Tips for Teachers. It was a combined effort between Dr. Strange and Anthony to compile a few tips for teachers. A few that stood out were: to be interested in learning as well, that teaching is hard, but it can be fun and rewarding if you allow it to be, and to always allow room to share and reflect.
The sixth video encouraged educators: Don’t Teach Tech – Use It. This video encourages us to avoid putting too much time into teaching technology. Instead, we should scaffold what technology we are using to eventually allow the desired results to happen. Focus on one type of tech at a time and gradually combine various tools until a desired goal is reached. Allow time for reflection and corrections of mistakes and eventually these skills will begin to be mastered. Asking questions and problem solving are essential to Project Based Learning.
The final video was a quick introduction into a lesson and how there were for levels to each lesson. The biggest level is how it fits into the year. Big picture stuff here, like state and federal standards. Next level is how it fits into a unit. This is where the scaffolding takes place. On the next level, how it fits into a week, is where the individual steps of the scaffolding are being built. Finally, the smallest level is how that lesson fits in a day. It is just as important as all of the other levels. This is how you deliver content and material to your students. It also must be measurable in some way in order to know where to begin the next day.
Great blog post. These videos were very helpful and they give a very exclusive inside look from a teachers perspective. It also digs a little deeper into how much technology is taking over the world of education and also shows us just how smart this younger generation of kids is. As you know we, as children, came nowhere close to where these kids are at in terms of technology use in the classroom. Again, great blog post. Keep up the good work.
ReplyDelete"Capps also praised student choice because it led to more pride and ownership of ideas." This also motivates students to have a greater desire to learn and to figure things out on their own. Great point.
ReplyDeleteOverall, great job.