Session+5

=5.1 Introduction to Project Based Learning= media type="custom" key="10014169" []

1. What opportunities for project based learning currently exist within your department?

The English Department's research paper seems similar to the project based learning in that students make use of information online and produce a project which is shared with an audience. The research is often done individually, so the collaborative element is missing. Some assessments involve group projects to help students better appreciate assigned texts; projects may be related to pre-reading activities about historical time periods or author information, during reading research activities about important details or questions text gives rise to, or post-reading products using internet accessed information and technology based presentation options from PowerPoint to Publisher. Books often are tied to contemporary situations and students have used the internet to provide images of the setting where the story took place, to share important details of a text through photos and videos, and to embed actual videos that have been the catalyst of for example the memoir //Infidel//.

2. What opportunities does project based learning provide for our students?

Project based learning seems to bring fun and technology into the classroom. Assessments can easily be formative and summative at different stages, and students should be invested and thus willing to go the extra mile for a great grade. Students certainly should enjoy the freedom and engagement discovery and creativity result in. The group aspect should help students help each other in expanding ways. The use of pairing English texts and technology will definitely help students see the connections between stories from the past or around the world and human needs and concerns within their own reality. The fact that these projects are presented and shared just magnifies the breadth and depth of how much students can learn. The hands-on and real-life tangents which should be included with project design also should win over students and help them see much more than a lecture based, top-down method.

Project based learning seems to hold the promise of really broadening a student's appreciating for non-fiction such as autobiographies, biographies, and memoires as well as certain types of fiction such as historical fiction, but maybe all genres. The benefits of collaborative project based learning would allow each student to dig deeper into topics and to benefit from the skills and talents within the group rather than being left alone as an individual with limited technological experience. Students, I find now, have as diverse levels of technology savvy and ability as in other academic areas; some are talented and some deficient.

The element of creating a finished product and the idea of presenting this product to an audience also enhances the benefits of project based learning. There are so many novels that could be better appreciated if project based learning assignments focused on different aspects of a text such as an author's life, the setting, critical reaction, and more. Shakespeare’s plays could be the source for projects about the theater, contemporary versions, the actors,Englandat the time, and the inspiration for the play in order to bring to the play to life for students ready to turn off.

3. What potential weaknesses exist in this approach to education?

Time, resources, opportunity, and curriculum would be issues to solve. Also, it seems that teachers would benefit working in pairs or small groups, so scheduling time for planning, discovery, and presentations would need to be factored in.

5.2 Teaching Strategy: Students as Presenters Resource

There are multiple opportunities for our students to present their knowledge. It can be the culmination of a project based learning project, an after reading activity or an assessment. Either way, technology can be used to enhance a student's ability to present their knowledge.

5.3 Introduction to Glogster Resource

The chapter 2 sample was impressive. It was thoughtfully created; it is easy to see how this would be a good tool for sharing information, student's perspective, and aid in review.

5.4 Use of Glogging Resource

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Glog about Chief Joseph's speech "I Will Fight No More Forever." I think the tool has tremendous potential for the teacher to hit important points, present before, during and after reading assistance, and motivate students. I found creating my Glog fun up until I tried to embed the YouTube video. It took me multiple tries, but the video finally plays. I believe the Glog as a teacher presentation tool is absolutely helpful, but the potential for using the Glogs explodes knowing that all students can create and share work with classmates and teacher simultaneously.

I ended up finding two ways to embed my Glog. I finished repeating the use of Widget with the corrected Glog about the 8th try which shows the Glog on the notebook page; below, I discovered I could also post the Glog by linking to its web address.

The possibilities for students are infinite, and I would think that the satisfaction with this type of creative project will be high for all students.

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