Problem-Based Learning Lesson Part OneLandon HarrisonWalden UniversityJudith Orith, Ph.D., InstructorEDUC-6713D-1Integrating Technology Across the Content AreasOctober 10, 2010 Problem-Based Learning Lesson Part One Education when I was growing up consisted of: opening a book, listening to a teacher lecture, taking notes, writing a research paper, taking a test, and doing all activities on your own. Education is still about learning the required content, but in an interactive, collaborative setting where the student is engaged. Education is having students solving real life problems while using the tools, resources and technology available to create an authentic learning experience for the students. By implementing PBL into my classroom, I hope to engage my students and create “flexible thinkers and effective problem solvers” (Ertmer & Simmons, 2006, p. 51). Grade Level and Subject Area This lesson will be geared toward my junior English class. Lesson Description This first lesson is going to focus on internet research and becoming comfortable with the Web 2.0 skills. The following lessons will require the students to do a great deal of research and using the following tools: blog, social bookmarking, wiki, screen casting, and podcasting. My first lesson is to demonstrate to the students how to do effective internet searches. Utilizing the computer lab (so the students can learn by doing) and the Smart Board I will review and introduce students on how to do the following: Boolean searches, keyword searches, how to read URL’s and Domain Names, how to do searches with extensions, how to use the Wayback Machine, how to examine the page content, and how to use easyWhois.com (November, 2008). I will then review how to use the blog, diigo.com (social bookmarking site), the wiki, pod cast machine (podcasting site), and screen toaster (screen casting site). Next, I will have the students utilize all skills we have learned and reviewed in a practice research lesson. Standards The unit will cover the following standards from the Golden Triangle Consortium: analyze and evaluate credibility in sources; evaluate validity and reliability in a variety of sources; organize and present information effectively; use a variety of media to enhance presentations; recognize and apply from usage, spelling, capitalization, and mechanics to support effective communication; generate ideas, limit topics, research and organize information; write, edit, revise, seek feedback from others, use technology for researching; writing, revising, and editing, and publishing information; use technology to communicate effectively and creatively; use technology to develop learning and workplace skills; and analyze and evaluate information in the creation of a portfolio of original work using various technologies. The Steps and Technology The problem I give the students is: If you had one million dollars and had to spend it all in four weeks how would you spend the money—with the following stipulations: you can only give twenty thousand to charity, you cannot have any assets after the four weeks (cannot buy a car and give it away), you cannot give money to family or strangers—in order to make your life richer?
This is an interesting prompt. Does it have some kind of connection with your content? A theme in a book or poem? How does this fit into the scope of your overall curriculum?
The steps for this lesson are to help the students become familiar with the Web 2.0 tools and with Internet Research. 1. The students will go to the classroom blog where they will find the directions to the first lesson. 2. The students will have to conduct a Boolean search, keyword search, and a search with extensions on the topics I have listed on the blog—in groups. 3. The students will copy and paste their results into the classroom blog and then post results. This is so I can check to make sure each group understands how to do each search. 4. The groups will then create a screen cast of two websites. The idea is to decide if the websites are credible sites or not. The students would explore the sites’ content checking for accuracy, they could also utilize easyWhois.com and the Wayback Machine to check for credibility.
Do all of your school computers have screencasting software loaded? What program are you using?
If students are going to be spending money, they certainly wait to make sure that they are spending it at legit sites.
5. The students would then post their screen cast links to the class blog. I would be watching and listening to see the students understand how to check for validity in a site. 6. With their group, I would have the students create a podcast of their initial plan for the million dollar adventure. 7. I would have the students post their podcast on their wiki page. Again, I want to make sure the students know how to use the technology. This will also allow me help students adjust their plan. 8. Finally, I would have the students find sites they would be using for their million dollar adventure and book mark it using diigo.com. The students would then highlight and use sticky notes on diigo.com for information they think could be important for their project. The idea is they can find information outside of school, save it, and have their group members look at what they found. The problem is relevant to the students as this will allow students to learn about the different cultures and places they would want to visit. Also the students will learn how to use Web 2.0 tools and the Internet effectively. Diverse Learners To accommodate the diverse learners, I will have Word Talk installed on each computer. The purpose of this is to help my students who are struggling readers. They can copy and paste the information into Word and the computer will read back the information to them. The students will also be working in groups so they can help one another. I will give extra time for those students that require it on their IEPs. The students that have IEPs are also allowed to go to a resource room where they receive one on one help. I will remind students of this option, but will not require them to use it. For students with extended absences, they will be given a school laptop so they can continue on with their work—as everything will be placed on the wiki. Assessment I plan to hold conferences with the students to check their progress, and help adjust their plans as needed. I will also have them posting on the blog and wiki to check their progress-this will be done on weekly basis. I want to have weekly checks to keep students on track and to correct any problems early. I will also assess their writing using the University of Montana Writing rubric. I will assess the students using a presentation rubric.
Problem-Based Learning Lesson Part Two Landon Harrison Walden University Judith Orith, Ph.D., Instructor EDUC-6713D-1Integrating Technology Across the Content Areas October 17, 2010
Online Collaboration In the first lesson, the students were learning how to do Internet searches. In this lesson, the students will utilize the research skills they learned in lesson one. The students will be working with a partner to answer the Million Dollar Adventure question. In this lesson, the students will be using a Blog, Wiki and Diigo.com for the collaborative portion of this unit plan. Grade Level and Subject Area This lesson will be geared toward my junior English class. Lesson Description In this lesson, the students will be working on their collaborative research project for the Million Dollar Adventure. The students must spend one million dollars within a four week period and not have any assets (property, clothes or any other material items) at the end of the four weeks. The students will be able to travel by trains, planes, automobiles, and any other source of transportation necessary to meet their destination. All food and sleeping accommodations must be accounted for along with any other costs occurred on their excursions. The adventure will be written as a narrative/expository paper, the students will create an excel account for all expenditures, and will give a ten minute presentation. All of this will be placed on their wiki page so the students can work on the project when they are not at school. Standards I will be using the same standards as I did in lesson one. I created the list with the unit plan in mind not just the lessons one, two, or three. The unit will cover the following standards from the Golden Triangle Consortium: analyze and evaluate credibility in sources; evaluate validity and reliability in a variety of sources; organize and present information effectively; use a variety of media to enhance presentations; recognize and apply from usage, spelling, capitalization, and mechanics to support effective communication; generate ideas, limit topics, research and organize information; write, edit, revise, seek feedback from others, use technology for researching; writing, revising, and editing, and publishing information; use technology to communicate effectively and creatively; use technology to develop learning and workplace skills; and analyze and evaluate information in the creation of a portfolio of original work using various technologies. Steps I am using the language I would use for my students in the following steps. Must do: 1. Search internet for travel locations, restaurants, hotels, and any special activities related to the trip. 2. Write a complete description of your trip or adventure using complete sentences. This will include the description of your hotel and its location, types of restaurants and food, and any and all other activities. Remember you must keep track of all costs even if you buy a soda or a hot dog on the beach. 3. You must keep a 24 hour log. 4. You must devote at least 6 hours straight to sleep, but no more than 10 hours. 5. You must abide by all local, state, provincial, and national laws. Look them up. 6. You must choose a destination and explain why you have chosen this particular destination. You may choose more than one destination. 7. You need to research the history of the place(s) you choose. You need to visit several historical sites, museums, theatres, or art galleries. You will include pictures when available and give a short description of what you would learn at these locations. 8. You are allowed to buy ten thousand dollars in clothes, luggage, and any other item you deem essential, but you must give them away to The Salvation Army, Goodwill, or any other community organization. Explain why you have chosen that particular organization. Writing “I like” the organization is not an explanation. You must obtain a sample receipt for all donated items. 9. Your paper must be typed a. Times New Roman b. 12 point font c. Double spaced 10. You will be scored using the University of Montana’s Holistic Writing Rubric 11. You must get the most out of your trip—this means spending your money wisely. At 12:01 a.m., at the end of the four weeks, all of your money must be spent—your bank account must read $0.00. 12. You can take 1 to 2 people with you on this trip. Remember you have to keep track of all of their purchases as well. 13. If you go outside of the country you need to obtain a passport and any and all legal documents. This means you need to find out how long it takes to obtain these items and what the cost will be. 14. Use Excel to document all costs.
Cannot do: 1. You cannot give all your money to charity. You may give ten thousand dollars each to your favorite charity. Again explain why you have decided to donate to your particular charity. 2. You cannot give your money to family and friends. 3. You are not allowed to gamble any of your money away. 4. You cannot buy a car, house, or any other major purchase and give it away at the end of the month. If you buy it—it is an asset and you cannot have any assets. 5. You cannot borrow money at any point. 6. The person or persons you take cannot have assets at the end of the trip. 7. You cannot have a negative balance at the end of the month. 8. You are not allowed to purchase alcohol or any other illegal substance. This is a school project and you must keep the content school appropriate. Collaboration The students will be using the classroom wiki I have set up. I am using the following wiki site: http://www.wikispaces.com/ . I am allowing students to pick their partners for this project. I did not want to assign groups because I wanted students who had similar interests to partner up. I think this will make the process run smoother. I will have created pages for each group. Since the students will be using the wiki as a place where they will keep all of their information, I am allowing students in one class period to work with students from another class period. The students will use the discussion board on the wiki to discuss their project. The creation of their project will be done on their group wiki page. I plan on using the wiki because it will “teach students how to work with each other, creates community, and how to operate in a world where the creation of knowledge and information is becoming more and more a group effort” (Richardson, 2009, p. 69). To help the research process along, I will have the students use diigo.com. I think this tool will be helpful as they will be able to bookmark sites, highlight information, destinations, or activities they would like to do. They will also be able to leave “sticky notes” explaining why the highlighted material is important. This tool will be particularly helpful for the students that are working with students in another section or if they are working at home. This tool will allow the group members to share information easily, and it allows them to go back and find the sites they used so they can add their citation information. Diverse Learners For my diverse learners, I will continue to employ the same accommodations that I listed for lesson one for this unit plan. I will have Word Talk installed on each computer. The purpose of this tool is to help my students who are struggling readers. They can copy and paste the information into Word and the computer will read back the information to them. The students will also be working in groups so they can help one another. I will give extra time for those students that require it on their IEPs. The students that have IEPs are also allowed to go to a resource room where they receive one on one help. I will remind students of this option, but will not require them to use it. For students with extended absences, they will be given a school laptop so they can continue on with their work—as everything will be placed on the wiki. I will also have all the resources such as: the link to the wiki page, and diigo.com linked to the classroom website. Also on the website, I will have a page of equations the students can copy and paste into excel for their accounts. Along with the equations, I will have a brief description of what each is for and how to use it. For the students who have difficulty with written directions, I am going to create a screencast explaining how each equation works. I will use screentoaster.com to set-up my screencast. Then on my wiki page, which is linked to my website, I will post a link to each screencast. Assessment/Management I will hold formal and informal assessments. My informal assessments will be to hold conferences with the students. These conferences will be to discuss their research project, their progress, their concerns, and ideas. My formal assessment will be to grade their final written project using the University of Montana Writing rubric. On the wiki homepage, I will have a calendar of due dates. I will check their diigo.com accounts to assess their research progress. I will check each wiki page to check for progress on the project. I will also be looking into the history of the wiki every couple of days to check to see if all students are participating in the process. I will have the students keep a journal of their projects. The journal will have their concerns, questions, ideas, and comments concerning the project. I would like to have the students post their journals on the classroom blog. This way I can check on them and answer any questions or correct any misconceptions. I would also like it to be on the blog so other students can get ideas or give ideas to each group. I will also be moving around the lab to ensure the students are on task and answering any questions they may have. I will also be logged on to the wiki to post questions and suggestions to each group.
Conclusion I have recently started a PBL activity in my room. This has been and continues to be a learning experience for me. I have had to give control over to the students. I am no longer the source of information for the students, but have taken the role as a guide. I have had to let the students explore and discover on their own while I am on the side helping and directing their search. This activity is taking more time than I have planned, but I have found the students are engaged, helping each other, and enjoying themselves, but most importantly, they are learning. The students have surpassed my expectations so far on what they have created, and how they are holding each member accountable for their part in the project.
References Ertmer, P., & Simons, K. (Spring 2006).Jumping the PBL implementation hurdle: Supporting the efforts of K-12 teachers. The Interdisciplinary Journal of Problem-Based Learning, 1(1), 40-54. Retrieved from http://docs.lib.purdue.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1005&context=ijpbl November, A. (2008).Web literacy for educators.Thousands Oaks: Corwin Press.
Richardson, W. (2006). Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other powerful web tools for classrooms (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press
Landon, This is an amazing project! I'm sure your students will be very eager to begin! What a great way to incorporate writing skills, history, math, etc in one project. I can see this flowing right into a digital story. I think it's wise to have students work on a wiki as well. It gives them access to there research and findings at all times. I also think this a tru authentic assignment that will help them develop many 21st century skills. Kathryn
Landon, I enjoyed your conclusion and am able to relate to your role as a guide. When helping one student I notice others students are pushing ahead and creating new concepts that I have yet to explore. I have found it necessary, at times, to ask a student to show me how they accomplished some of their techniques. Monty Harrison
Problem-Based Learning Lesson Part One
Education when I was growing up consisted of: opening a book, listening to a teacher lecture, taking notes, writing a research paper, taking a test, and doing all activities on your own. Education is still about learning the required content, but in an interactive, collaborative setting where the student is engaged. Education is having students solving real life problems while using the tools, resources and technology available to create an authentic learning experience for the students. By implementing PBL into my classroom, I hope to engage my students and create “flexible thinkers and effective problem solvers” (Ertmer & Simmons, 2006, p. 51).
Grade Level and Subject Area
This lesson will be geared toward my junior English class.
Lesson Description
This first lesson is going to focus on internet research and becoming comfortable with the Web 2.0 skills. The following lessons will require the students to do a great deal of research and using the following tools: blog, social bookmarking, wiki, screen casting, and podcasting. My first lesson is to demonstrate to the students how to do effective internet searches. Utilizing the computer lab (so the students can learn by doing) and the Smart Board I will review and introduce students on how to do the following: Boolean searches, keyword searches, how to read URL’s and Domain Names, how to do searches with extensions, how to use the Wayback Machine, how to examine the page content, and how to use easyWhois.com (November, 2008).
I will then review how to use the blog, diigo.com (social bookmarking site), the wiki, pod cast machine (podcasting site), and screen toaster (screen casting site). Next, I will have the students utilize all skills we have learned and reviewed in a practice research lesson.
Standards
The unit will cover the following standards from the Golden Triangle Consortium: analyze and evaluate credibility in sources; evaluate validity and reliability in a variety of sources; organize and present information effectively; use a variety of media to enhance presentations; recognize and apply from usage, spelling, capitalization, and mechanics to support effective communication; generate ideas, limit topics, research and organize information; write, edit, revise, seek feedback from others, use technology for researching; writing, revising, and editing, and publishing information; use technology to communicate effectively and creatively; use technology to develop learning and workplace skills; and analyze and evaluate information in the creation of a portfolio of original work using various technologies.
The Steps and Technology
The problem I give the students is: If you had one million dollars and had to spend it all in four weeks how would you spend the money—with the following stipulations: you can only give twenty thousand to charity, you cannot have any assets after the four weeks (cannot buy a car and give it away), you cannot give money to family or strangers—in order to make your life richer?
This is an interesting prompt. Does it have some kind of connection with your content? A theme in a book or poem? How does this fit into the scope of your overall curriculum?
The steps for this lesson are to help the students become familiar with the Web 2.0 tools and with Internet Research.
1. The students will go to the classroom blog where they will find the directions to the first lesson.
2. The students will have to conduct a Boolean search, keyword search, and a search with extensions on the topics I have listed on the blog—in groups.
3. The students will copy and paste their results into the classroom blog and then post results. This is so I can check to make sure each group understands how to do each search.
4. The groups will then create a screen cast of two websites. The idea is to decide if the websites are credible sites or not. The students would explore the sites’ content checking for accuracy, they could also utilize easyWhois.com and the Wayback Machine to check for credibility.
Do all of your school computers have screencasting software loaded? What program are you using?
If students are going to be spending money, they certainly wait to make sure that they are spending it at legit sites.
5. The students would then post their screen cast links to the class blog. I would be watching and listening to see the students understand how to check for validity in a site.
6. With their group, I would have the students create a podcast of their initial plan for the million dollar adventure.
7. I would have the students post their podcast on their wiki page. Again, I want to make sure the students know how to use the technology. This will also allow me help students adjust their plan.
8. Finally, I would have the students find sites they would be using for their million dollar adventure and book mark it using diigo.com. The students would then highlight and use sticky notes on diigo.com for information they think could be important for their project. The idea is they can find information outside of school, save it, and have their group members look at what they found.
The problem is relevant to the students as this will allow students to learn about the different cultures and places they would want to visit. Also the students will learn how to use Web 2.0 tools and the Internet effectively.
Diverse Learners
To accommodate the diverse learners, I will have Word Talk installed on each computer. The purpose of this is to help my students who are struggling readers. They can copy and paste the information into Word and the computer will read back the information to them. The students will also be working in groups so they can help one another. I will give extra time for those students that require it on their IEPs. The students that have IEPs are also allowed to go to a resource room where they receive one on one help. I will remind students of this option, but will not require them to use it. For students with extended absences, they will be given a school laptop so they can continue on with their work—as everything will be placed on the wiki.
Assessment
I plan to hold conferences with the students to check their progress, and help adjust their plans as needed. I will also have them posting on the blog and wiki to check their progress-this will be done on weekly basis. I want to have weekly checks to keep students on track and to correct any problems early. I will also assess their writing using the University of Montana Writing rubric. I will assess the students using a presentation rubric.
Problem-Based Learning Lesson Part Two
Landon Harrison
Walden University
Judith Orith, Ph.D., Instructor
EDUC-6713D-1Integrating Technology Across the Content Areas
October 17, 2010
Online Collaboration
In the first lesson, the students were learning how to do Internet searches. In this lesson, the students will utilize the research skills they learned in lesson one. The students will be working with a partner to answer the Million Dollar Adventure question. In this lesson, the students will be using a Blog, Wiki and Diigo.com for the collaborative portion of this unit plan.
Grade Level and Subject Area
This lesson will be geared toward my junior English class.
Lesson Description
In this lesson, the students will be working on their collaborative research project for the Million Dollar Adventure. The students must spend one million dollars within a four week period and not have any assets (property, clothes or any other material items) at the end of the four weeks. The students will be able to travel by trains, planes, automobiles, and any other source of transportation necessary to meet their destination. All food and sleeping accommodations must be accounted for along with any other costs occurred on their excursions. The adventure will be written as a narrative/expository paper, the students will create an excel account for all expenditures, and will give a ten minute presentation. All of this will be placed on their wiki page so the students can work on the project when they are not at school.
Standards
I will be using the same standards as I did in lesson one. I created the list with the unit plan in mind not just the lessons one, two, or three. The unit will cover the following standards from the Golden Triangle Consortium: analyze and evaluate credibility in sources; evaluate validity and reliability in a variety of sources; organize and present information effectively; use a variety of media to enhance presentations; recognize and apply from usage, spelling, capitalization, and mechanics to support effective communication; generate ideas, limit topics, research and organize information; write, edit, revise, seek feedback from others, use technology for researching; writing, revising, and editing, and publishing information; use technology to communicate effectively and creatively; use technology to develop learning and workplace skills; and analyze and evaluate information in the creation of a portfolio of original work using various technologies.
Steps
I am using the language I would use for my students in the following steps.
Must do:
1. Search internet for travel locations, restaurants, hotels, and any special activities related to the trip.
2. Write a complete description of your trip or adventure using complete sentences. This will include the description of your hotel and its location, types of restaurants and food, and any and all other activities. Remember you must keep track of all costs even if you buy a soda or a hot dog on the beach.
3. You must keep a 24 hour log.
4. You must devote at least 6 hours straight to sleep, but no more than 10 hours.
5. You must abide by all local, state, provincial, and national laws. Look them up.
6. You must choose a destination and explain why you have chosen this particular destination. You may choose more than one destination.
7. You need to research the history of the place(s) you choose. You need to visit several historical sites, museums, theatres, or art galleries. You will include pictures when available and give a short description of what you would learn at these locations.
8. You are allowed to buy ten thousand dollars in clothes, luggage, and any other item you deem essential, but you must give them away to The Salvation Army, Goodwill, or any other community organization. Explain why you have chosen that particular organization. Writing “I like” the organization is not an explanation. You must obtain a sample receipt for all donated items.
9. Your paper must be typed
a. Times New Roman
b. 12 point font
c. Double spaced
10. You will be scored using the University of Montana’s Holistic Writing Rubric
11. You must get the most out of your trip—this means spending your money wisely. At 12:01 a.m., at the end of the four weeks, all of your money must be spent—your bank account must read $0.00.
12. You can take 1 to 2 people with you on this trip. Remember you have to keep track of all of their purchases as well.
13. If you go outside of the country you need to obtain a passport and any and all legal documents. This means you need to find out how long it takes to obtain these items and what the cost will be.
14. Use Excel to document all costs.
Cannot do:
1. You cannot give all your money to charity. You may give ten thousand dollars each to your favorite charity. Again explain why you have decided to donate to your particular charity.
2. You cannot give your money to family and friends.
3. You are not allowed to gamble any of your money away.
4. You cannot buy a car, house, or any other major purchase and give it away at the end of the month. If you buy it—it is an asset and you cannot have any assets.
5. You cannot borrow money at any point.
6. The person or persons you take cannot have assets at the end of the trip.
7. You cannot have a negative balance at the end of the month.
8. You are not allowed to purchase alcohol or any other illegal substance. This is a school project and you must keep the content school appropriate.
Collaboration
The students will be using the classroom wiki I have set up. I am using the following wiki site: http://www.wikispaces.com/ . I am allowing students to pick their partners for this project. I did not want to assign groups because I wanted students who had similar interests to partner up. I think this will make the process run smoother. I will have created pages for each group. Since the students will be using the wiki as a place where they will keep all of their information, I am allowing students in one class period to work with students from another class period. The students will use the discussion board on the wiki to discuss their project. The creation of their project will be done on their group wiki page. I plan on using the wiki because it will “teach students how to work with each other, creates community, and how to operate in a world where the creation of knowledge and information is becoming more and more a group effort” (Richardson, 2009, p. 69).
To help the research process along, I will have the students use diigo.com. I think this tool will be helpful as they will be able to bookmark sites, highlight information, destinations, or activities they would like to do. They will also be able to leave “sticky notes” explaining why the highlighted material is important. This tool will be particularly helpful for the students that are working with students in another section or if they are working at home. This tool will allow the group members to share information easily, and it allows them to go back and find the sites they used so they can add their citation information.
Diverse Learners
For my diverse learners, I will continue to employ the same accommodations that I listed for lesson one for this unit plan. I will have Word Talk installed on each computer. The purpose of this tool is to help my students who are struggling readers. They can copy and paste the information into Word and the computer will read back the information to them. The students will also be working in groups so they can help one another. I will give extra time for those students that require it on their IEPs. The students that have IEPs are also allowed to go to a resource room where they receive one on one help. I will remind students of this option, but will not require them to use it. For students with extended absences, they will be given a school laptop so they can continue on with their work—as everything will be placed on the wiki. I will also have all the resources such as: the link to the wiki page, and diigo.com linked to the classroom website. Also on the website, I will have a page of equations the students can copy and paste into excel for their accounts. Along with the equations, I will have a brief description of what each is for and how to use it. For the students who have difficulty with written directions, I am going to create a screencast explaining how each equation works. I will use screentoaster.com to set-up my screencast. Then on my wiki page, which is linked to my website, I will post a link to each screencast.
Assessment/Management
I will hold formal and informal assessments. My informal assessments will be to hold conferences with the students. These conferences will be to discuss their research project, their progress, their concerns, and ideas. My formal assessment will be to grade their final written project using the University of Montana Writing rubric. On the wiki homepage, I will have a calendar of due dates. I will check their diigo.com accounts to assess their research progress. I will check each wiki page to check for progress on the project. I will also be looking into the history of the wiki every couple of days to check to see if all students are participating in the process. I will have the students keep a journal of their projects. The journal will have their concerns, questions, ideas, and comments concerning the project. I would like to have the students post their journals on the classroom blog. This way I can check on them and answer any questions or correct any misconceptions. I would also like it to be on the blog so other students can get ideas or give ideas to each group. I will also be moving around the lab to ensure the students are on task and answering any questions they may have. I will also be logged on to the wiki to post questions and suggestions to each group.
Conclusion
I have recently started a PBL activity in my room. This has been and continues to be a learning experience for me. I have had to give control over to the students. I am no longer the source of information for the students, but have taken the role as a guide. I have had to let the students explore and discover on their own while I am on the side helping and directing their search. This activity is taking more time than I have planned, but I have found the students are engaged, helping each other, and enjoying themselves, but most importantly, they are learning. The students have surpassed my expectations so far on what they have created, and how they are holding each member accountable for their part in the project.
References
Ertmer, P., & Simons, K. (Spring 2006).Jumping the PBL implementation hurdle: Supporting the efforts of K-12 teachers. The Interdisciplinary Journal of Problem-Based Learning, 1(1), 40-54. Retrieved from http://docs.lib.purdue.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1005&context=ijpbl
November, A. (2008).Web literacy for educators.Thousands Oaks: Corwin Press.
Richardson, W. (2006). Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other powerful web tools for classrooms
(2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press
Landon,
This is an amazing project! I'm sure your students will be very eager to begin! What a great way to incorporate writing skills, history, math, etc in one project. I can see this flowing right into a digital story. I think it's wise to have students work on a wiki as well. It gives them access to there research and findings at all times. I also think this a tru authentic assignment that will help them develop many 21st century skills.
Kathryn
Landon,
I enjoyed your conclusion and am able to relate to your role as a guide. When helping one student I notice others students are pushing ahead and creating new concepts that I have yet to explore. I have found it necessary, at times, to ask a student to show me how they accomplished some of their techniques.
Monty Harrison