Reflection on My PBL Course Experience

Project Based Learning - Final Reflection

Backyard Nature

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Project Based Learning (PBL) involves a very complex and time intensive planning process on the teacher's part. Having said that, the benefits of learning in an authentic environment and having students learn using real world problems will create a more exciting and meaningful experience for them. In order for teachers to be able to implement PBL in their classroom, support is needed from administration in the form of professional development, adequate planning time, and community backing. Without administrative support PBLs will probably not become the norm in a school.

Teacher planning, preparation, and organization prior to beginning the PBL project is key to the success of the project. The BIE Project Planner that was available throughout the course provided a good platform for designing my own PBL. Following the steps in the planner helped to make sense of the project design and made it possible to create my own PBL. Having such a thorough guide to work with, was a great example of how to use templates to guide inquiry. Without it I would have had no clue how to proceed.

Teachers need to be able to step back and give up some of their control in order to let the students learn independently and direct their own learning path. Because teachers are used to being in the role of leaders and information suppliers, it is a real challenge to do more coaching and observing. In PBLs, the majority of traditional teaching will be done when training students in the PBL process prior to beginning the project, which is extremely important to the success of the project. Mini-lessons in things such as Internet safety, research techniques, and other skills necessary to help the students be successful in the PBL will also require some teaching moments. Students will be in control of their own learning for most of the project, with the teacher taking on the role as consultant and adviser. 

In order for Project Based Learning to be effective, it needs to be done across the curriculum and vertically throughout the grade levels. Students will not develop the skills necessary to be successful in a PBL environment unless they are immersed in the process throughout their education. Whole school participation would provide the greatest benefit to the students. This is why it is so important for administrations to be supportive and willing to provide the necessary professional development for all teachers.

What I understand least is how Project Based Learning will fit into the standardized testing environment of public education. Teachers are going to be hesitant to stray away from the traditional classroom teaching methods for fear of test scores going down. Another thing that I haven't quite figured out is how teaching with PBLs will prepare students for High School and College. Will they be prepared when they are put back into an environment where PBLs may not be used? How will SPED support have to change in order to ensure students reach their educational goals? Project Based Learning is going to require many changes throughout the the school. It needs to become the teaching norm in the school so that there is consistency in educational practices and expectations.

In this course I expected to learn about teaching through projects. I had no idea how involved Project Based Learning really was. This course helped me to understand how to make PBL a success in the classroom and the knowledge that I've gained has made me more comfortable in talking to people about integrating their curriculum into projects and pushing more toward a Project Based Learning environment. I also learned the steps in designing and organizing a PBL. This will help me to coach others in the process. As the Technology Integrator, I'm hoping that someone will team teach with me and that we can put together projects in each grade. Showcasing the projects, involving other teachers,  and showing how engaged and excited the students are will help to bring other teachers on board with the concept of Project Based Learning.

Work Cited:

1. Retrieved from http://www.publicdomainpictures.net/pictures/30000/nahled/a-reflection-of-nature.jpg.

PBL Debrief

Debriefing the PBL

Post-project debriefing is important to students, teachers and the PBL as a whole. Students, teachers, administration, parents, and community members would all be involved in the debrief. Reflecting on the project after it is complete will help the students to look back on the entire process and recognize aspects of the process that could have been done in a different way. Involving other teachers, administration and community members will help gain support and generate excitement for the use of PBLs in the classroom. As stated in an Edutopia article titled Why Teach with Project-Based Learning?: Providing Students With a Well-Rounded Classroom Experience, "Project-based learning helps students apply what they learn to real-life experiences and provides an all-around enriching education." (1)

Students
Students will fill out a debrief form (2) after the culminating event. The information gained from the student debrief will give insight into what students had learned, whether they liked the format of the PBL, and any improvements that they'd like to see. This information can help the teacher assess the success of the PBL in meeting the curricular goals and supply ideas for updating and improving the PBL.

Teachers
Feedback from co-workers about the process and the final product would help to refine and improve the curricular aspect of the project and provide suggestions for improvement. Getting the other teachers in the building involved would also increase the school's interest in PBLs and motivate them to become more involved in the next one. Teacher debrief would be done through a Google Form or Google Doc and through discussion groups.

Administrators
Involving administrators in the PBL process will help to familiarize them with the process and the benefits of teaching through real-life projects. Having administrators participate in the debrief will give the teacher an idea as to whether the administrators felt the PBL project was successful and if they are likely to support future projects. Their input and suggestions will help teachers to understand where they stand and what more needs to be done in order to gain the support necessary to continue to incorporate PBL projects into the curriculum.

Community Members
Incorporating PBLs into the curriculum is such a drastic change from traditional classroom teaching, that involving the community in the process as much as possible will be help the community to understand the benefits to the childrens' learning. It will help them to understand the benefits of using PBLs in order to build life-long learning skills, skills that will be necessary for the 21st century world that the students are entering into. Including the community in the debrief will provide teachers with insight into how the community feels about the students' work.

Including these key players in the PBL debriefing process will provide a lot of important information to the teachers and students. If the debrief was meant to be a one-time assessment it wouldn't be worth doing. The information obtained from each of the groups will be presented to and discussed with the students in order to determine what the next steps will be. In the Backyard Nature PBL, if there are ways that the students can improve the work that they did on the trail, the changes will be made. If there are changes that need to be made to the PBL design, those changes will also be made in order to improve the project. There are so many aspects involved in a PBL, from the planning, preparing, briefing, and actually doing the work, that any input and ideas should be used to improve the process and products.

Work Cited: 

1. (2008). Why Teach with Project-Based Learning?: Providing Students - Edutopia. Retrieved June 8, 2016, from http://www.edutopia.org/project-learning-introduction.
2. Debrief form -Adapted from PAKEYS.org 

Implications of Incorporating PBL

Implications of Incorporating PBL

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Teachers will face many challenges when incorporating PBL into their classroom teaching repertoire. Tradition is difficult to break, and people tend to want to cling onto what they are comfortable with and techniques that they know work. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it!" Unless exposed to PBL, everyone from the top down, will go on thinking that current practices are working. After all, standardized tests show that students are meeting standards. But, are they meeting the needs of the sudents' future, the requirements necessary to be successful in the 21st Century world? Probably not!

Potential criticisms that I might receive from administrators, parents, and colleagues are:

• How can you be sure students will perform well on the tests?
• By basing my planning and design on the standards that I need to meet and constantly monitoring the students work through conferences and formative testing, I can ensure that the students are learning what they need to know. I will design some of the formative assessments and a summative assessment in a manner similar to what they will experience on a standardized test, so that they get traditional testing experience.
• You can't possibly meet standards like this.
• When I plan the PBL I base my design on my curricular goals. So, as long as I monitor, conference, and re-direct as we go, students will meet the standards by completing the goals of the project.
• All they do is play in her classroom.
• Children learn best through play, something that has been forgotten in the race to "pass the test"! When a project is designed based on real-life problems and situations and the students are able to do hands-on projects, they will be more connected and dedicated to the work. What looks like play to some is really deep learning based on exploration, experimentation, problem solving, designing, and creating. 
• She's just showing off.
• I'm trying to teach in a way that I feel will best suit the needs of my students. Why don't you join me. I'd love to have a partner.
• You're making the rest us look bad.
• It's not about "us", it's about what's best for the kids. Learning through PBLs are the best way to develop the skills necessary for the future environments that students are going to be working in.
• The way I teach is just fine.
• Is it? How do the kids do? Are you seeing more restlessness, movement, and distraction in your classes? It's not a reflection on your teaching, after all, you've always been a great teacher. Kids are different now. There's so much information that they have available to them now that book learning is just not fulfilling any more. Until we catch up as teachers, we're going to continue to see more and more "problem children".
• I don't have the time for that.
• I won't lie, planning for PBL is a ton of work. But, what if we worked on them as a grade level team. We could divide the work up. Like our other planning, it would become second nature and we would get better at it as we do it more and more.

Incorporating PBL into my repertoire for effective instructional strategies will prepare students for the 21st Century by reinforcing the skills that will be required by the students, which include critical thinking, communicating, collaborating, and creating.  "The term 21st century skills refers to a broad set of knowledge, skills, work habits, and character traits that are believed—by educators, school reformers, college professors, employers, and others—to be critically important to success in today’s world, particularly in collegiate programs and contemporary careers and workplaces." (2) Reading, memorizing, and regurgitation information is no longer a sufficient set of skills for students. Students need to know how to take information and analyze it, interpret it, and create and present a final product. Incorporating PBL into my curriculum will help to build those skills and to lead the minds of students toward the 21st Century thinking process.

Work Cited:

1. Retrieved from http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2813/12079594693_aee01d902a.jpg. 
2. (2013). 21st Century Skills Definition - The Glossary of Education Reform. Retrieved June 6, 2016, from http://edglossary.org/21st-century-skills/.

Adaptation to the Role as Facilitator

Adaptation Takes a Community

As an educator, my role will definitely change when embarking upon a PBL unit. Instead of being up in front of the class lecturing and presenting material, I'm going to have to step back and lead students toward their own discoveries. Even though "traditional teaching" will still be necessary in order to present some concepts, I will need to keep this style of teaching to the minimum and focus on letting go of the reins a bit and empowering students to take charge of their own learning. Part of this process will involve helping students to be more independent in their learning and to not look to the teacher for all the answers. Extensive regrouping of techniques and practices will be involved on the part of the teacher and the students.

According to an article in Edutopia titled "5 PBL Practices for Redefining the Teacher's Role", there are five practices that the teacher needs to consider when teaching in a PBL environment. (1)

The above 5 practices, thorough planning of a unit, providing organization, clear goals, and resources, will lead students toward success and reaching the intended goals. Using essential questions that are based on real life problems will increase learning because students will be more invested in their learning. The use of models, videos, and real examples in teaching the unit's concepts will help guide students toward their own ideas and learning. Conferencing throughout the PBL, through individuals or groups, will assist teachers in revising before it's too late. By allowing students to change and revise as they go helps to ensure success. By evaluating themselves and peers, students will develop a sense of independence and control of their learning. Self-evaluation will take practice and training on the student's part, in order to gain the skills necessary to give constructive input to peers and to objectively evaluate themselves. I adapted a form from the Edutopia article (1) mentioned above, that I felt would be helpful to use with my PBL, Backyard Nature. Success in a PBL is largely dependent on the pre-planning and organization on the part of the teacher.

Will the students develop the competencies and skills needed to be successful?  That's the question of the day! Any "new method" will raise questions and the teacher will have to answer to administration, parents, and community members. Students will develop the skills that they need to be successful in their 21st Century world.  I really like this visual, taken from the Zulama Cloud blog. (2)

The skills displayed in this image will be developed in a well planned, designed, and monitored PBL. Through constant monitoring and conferencing, teachers will ensure that the curricular goals are being met. But, the question is, will this model prepare students for the standardized tests. When students become used to developing, designing, and collaborating, will they still be able to function in a multiple choice testing environment. Those are questions that can't be answered until a school dives in and begins to prepare students for the 21st Century. Are administrators willing to take the risk and support the teachers, and is the government ready to release their control on how schools operate by trusting teachers to do their job and getting rid of the one-size-fits-all standardized tests? So, I do believe that students will develop the skills necessary to be successful in their future endeavors, but teachers require the support to feel comfortable "jumping in" and making the change in their teaching methods.

Numerous changes will have to be made in my current teaching methods in order to incorporate PBL into my classroom. Since I am the Technology Integrator, first and foremost I will have to find teachers to partner with. A positive aspect to this is that we would team teach, lending two sets of eyes and hands to the entire process. My current schedule would have to be changed so that I am not on the Unified Arts (UA) schedule and am free to schedule my own time, allowing me to be where I am needed, when I am needed by a class. Currently I am confined to a schedule dictated by my 1st - 4th grade UA classes, making it very difficult to schedule open times with 5th - 8th grade. I would have to "let go" of some of the control and allow students to be more independent in their discovery and learning. I don't think that this would be difficult for me because I like to have students discover things on their own. I would need to totally change my planning and preparation methods and the first year of using PBLs would be similar to being a first year teacher again. Although I change and update my curriculum every year, PBLs require a totally different approach. Planning and preparation are within my control, but other things, such as scheduling and administration support are our of my hands. Gaining support at all levels, along with changing teaching and learning methods would be critical to the success of a PBL.

Work Cited

1. (2015). 5 PBL Best Practices for Redefining the Teacher's Role | Edutopia. Retrieved June 5, 2016, from http://www.edutopia.org/blog/pbl-practices-redefining-teachers-role-josh-block.
2. The Four Cs of 21st Century Skills - Zulama. Retrieved June 5, 2016, from http://zulama.com/education-trends/four-cs-21st-century-skills/.

Scaffolding in PBL

Scaffolding in PBL

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Project Based Learning presents many unique challenges in teaching. When using PBL, ensuring that students stay on task and reach the learning goals of the curriculum is not as straight forward as in the traditional classroom setting. Scaffolding is important in order for a PBL to be successful because it will provide structure and organization to the students' work. According to an article titled Scaffolding in PBL,

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Clearly stated expectations will help to guide and keep students on track and heading toward the final goal of the PBL. Without establishing a set of clear expectations, students will wander and lose sight of their task. One way that I like to do this is to always provide rubrics prior to the start of a project and encourage students to refer to them frequently in order to help them stay focused. If expectations are clearly stated students will be able to guide themselves and do most of the work independently, with the teacher acting as a consultant and adviser. It's a difficult task to let go of some of the control and find a balance between enough structure to assure learning goals are met and enough freedom to allow students to be creative and learn through doing. Scaffolding will help teachers to find that learning/teaching balance.

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According to Scaffolding in PBL, the eight characteristics of educational scaffolding are:

1. Provides clear directions
2. Clarifies purpose
3. Keeps students on task
4. Offers assessment to clarify expectations
5. Points students to worthy sources
6. Reduces uncertainty, surprise and disappointment
7. Delivers efficiency
8. Creates momentum

Scaffolding is important with PBL because there are no textbooks or workbooks to guide the teachers and students. Traditional educational environments that teachers are accustomed to, which include teaching through textbooks and scripted readings, practicing, and then testing to assess learning, will not be used when students are involved in a PBL. Student learning will be judged based on the understanding that is gained through "real-world" exploration and experiences. Scaffolding will provide students with a clear path to follow, keeping them focused and on task. Formative assessments throughout the project, such as journals, will demonstrate the level of understanding of individual students and provide teachers with the opportunity to redirect students who are not meeting the expectations of the project. Unlike final tests, formative assessments, which are done throughout the PBL, keep students and teachers informed on how they are doing, allowing for intervention immediately and not after it's too late and the unit is over. Students are given the opportunity to be successful.

In my project, Backyard Nature, students' journals, blog entries, team participation, and project progress will be monitored daily. This will allow me to discover problem areas, with students or my design of the project, right away. The sooner I am able to address a learning or design issue, the quicker I will be able to get the students back on task and headed toward the PBL goal.

The main concern that teachers in public schools will experience is, "How will the students perform on the mandated standardized tests?" It's a shame that even though teachers familiar with the benefits of using PBL with their students agree that this style of learning works best for deep understanding, teachers' hands are still tied by the constraints of government mandated standardized tests. Like students, teachers also fear failure...failure in the eyes of administration, parents, the community, and the government. Public schools are not judged on the ability off students to be creative, independent, successful explorers, designers, and learners. They are publicly judged, ranked and rated on how well they perform on "the tests". Using scaffolding, formative assessments, and summative assessments, to align the PBL to standards and curricular goals will help to ensure that students will be prepared to "pass the tests", while still attaining a deeper level of knowledge. 

Work Cited

1. Retrieved from https://pixabay.com/static/uploads/photo/2016/03/26/09/41/road-sign-1280254_960_720.jpg.
2. Taken From: Scaffolding in PBL

Key Requirements for Effective Assessments

Requirements for Effective Assessments

Backyard Nature PBL Alignment of PBL Outcomes and Assessment Criteria

Assessment in the traditional classroom consists of regurgitating information that has either been presented in class or obtained through reading a textbook or other information presented to the students. In Backyard Nature, most of the formative assessments will be based on the evaluation of the ongoing work of the students' own reflections on discoveries and findings during their exploration of  the nature trail. Using the students' journals, lab notebooks, and teacher observations will allow for an evaluation of the knowledge that the students' are gaining and their ability to apply that knowledge to real world situations.

One statement in the EdTech542 "Authentic Assessment" section of the Moodle site, pretty much sums it up as far as the goal of PBL assessment.

Taken from: (EdTech542, Authentic Assessment, 5/3-6/5/16)

In order to be a meaningful part of learning, assessments should done as part of the learning process, incorporated into the learning, instead of as a separate entity. In Backyard Nature, students will be using Blogger in order to keep a journal of their discoveries, as much as technology availability will permit. They will also keep a handwritten and illustrated journal as a back-up. The journals will be evaluated for understanding of key concepts throughout the process to ensure that the students are gaining an understanding of key plant concepts and learning goals.

In an article titled "Assessment Through the Student's Eyes", the author states that "Assessment for learning provides both students and teachers with understandable information in a form they can use immediately to improve performance." "When we use assessment for learning, assessment becomes far more than merely a one-time event stuck onto the end of an instructional unit. It becomes a series of interlaced experiences that enhance the learning process by keeping students confident and focused on their progress, even in the face of occasional setbacks." (1) 

By using ongoing authentic assessment it will become apparent immediately if a student is struggling, providing the opportunity to intervene and assist the student right away. I find that this generation of students has difficulty staying on track, even when presented with rubrics. By monitoring their progress throughout the investigation of the plants on the nature trail, I will be able to detect students losing sight of the project goals and re-direct them so that they can experience success.

On the BIE site, the article titled "Hangout Recap: Assessment in Project Based Learning",  had a great outline of the questions addressed during their Hangout. "At the end of our Hangout, Erika reminded us of our take on Project Based Learning in, “Main Course Not Dessert.” Assessment is part of the main course and not something that happens after. As educators we should use both formative and summative assessments throughout the project and not just at the very end." (2) 

Assessing students throughout the learning process is the only way to lead them on a successful journey of discovery. Testing at the end of a unit or project only, does not aide in the learning process because at that point the student who has been lost throughout the unit is already behind and now feels like a failure. Testing at the end does not aide in the learning process, which is our goal as educators.

Key requirements for successful PBL assessment include the constant monitoring of student progress and achievements, assessing authentic work, immediate feedback to students on their work, the use of rubrics that students have had input in creating, and ongoing teacher coaching, assisting, and redirecting when necessary. Teacher planning and design of authentic assessments, based on standards and goals is imperative. The initial training of the students in the understanding of their goals, end products, and overall expectations is crucial. The success of a project will be the product of the whole team, students, teachers, parents, administration, and the community, understanding and embracing the PBL learning process.

Work Cited:

1. (2010). Assessment Through the Student's Eyes - ASCD. Retrieved May 30, 2016, from http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/may07/vol64/num08/Assessment-Through-the-Student's-Eyes.aspx. 
2. (2014). Hangout Recap: Assessment in Project Based Learning | Blog - BIE. Retrieved May 30, 2016, from http://bie.org/blog/hangout_recap_assessment_in_project_based_learning.

Reflection - Project Ideas, Tools, and Resources

Project Thoughts, Tools, and Resources

As I work on developing my PBL, Backyard Nature, I realize more and more how the process will constantly be changed, tweaked, and improved, and that I will never know exactly how the project will work until the students are actually progressing through it. I can imagine that each time a PBL is used, it would be changed and improved. Having said that, it has also become apparent that even though the steps that I am taking to develop the PBL are numerous,  using the planning and development process developed by BIE will clearly help the project to run more smoothly. I have to wonder though, will public school teachers have the time to do this type of design and planning and still meet the needs of the standardized tests on which schools are judged?

For plant identification, the Resources that I have found interesting are NH Wildflowers, The Appalachian Mountain Club's Guide and Habitats of NH. These three websites will help students to identify the plants and trees along the trail. The "NH Wildflowers" guide has an easy to use search function, images, detailed information about the flower, and a guide to wildflower leaves. The "AMC Guide" is a colorful guide for tree identification. "Habitats of NH" has useful information that will assist students in identifying trees. Although the images are black and white, they will be useful in helping students to identify the leaves and fruits of various species.
Technology tools that will be required are tablets or phones for Internet access while on the trail. An interesting app that I found is "Garden Answers Plant Identifier". This Android app can instantly identify 20,000 plants by taking a picture. The "Google Map Pedometer" is a tool that will allow the students to create a map of the trail to use in the Trail Guide that they will produce. Endomondo or a similar walking app will help to mark distances on the trail. Digital cameras, laptops and printers will also be necessary tools for research, design, and creation of the plant labels and the trail guide.

Rockingham County-UNH Coop. Extension and the Division of Forests and Lands are both resources that will be used to reach out for a professional connection and a potential mentor or guest speaker. UNH advised the school on prior garden projects and they were extremely helpful to the students. The inclusion of professionals from the field will increase the authenticity of the project and reinforce the local connection.

Work Cited:
1. (2014). Resources | Project Based Learning | BIE. Retrieved May 24, 2016, from http://bie.org/resources.

Driving Question - Characteristics

Backyard Nature PBL Driving Question

The Backyard Nature PBL is based on an authentic problem, the loss of the plant identification labels, and by replacing them,  the walking experience of everyone using the nature trail will be enhanced. According to the concepts that we were asked to keep in mind in this week's course reading, this driving question fits all of the criteria of a quality driving question. It is open-ended, provocative, gets to the heart of the subject, is challenging, interesting, and meets the standards. 

Open-Ended

The driving question allows students to discuss ways that they can create an understanding of the natural beauty that exists on the nature trail. 

Provocative

Students will see themselves as teachers and designers and feel pride and ownership in a part of the school that everyone enjoys using.

Get to the Heart of the Subject

The question addresses the need to create an understanding of the native plants on the nature trail, which is the end product of the PBL.

Is Challenging

Students will have decide on the best course for locating and labeling the plants, the most suitable materials for creating the labels, and design techniques for the labels and plant guide, and coordinating a community walk. All of these skills will involve prior knowledge, research skills, artistic talent, engineering and math knowledge, and lots of teamwork.

Is Interesting

Students will be working on a project that will enhance the quality of a part of the school grounds that they use and enjoy. This will make the project authentic to the students and increase their interest in completing it and in doing their best work.

Meets the Standards

The PBL driving question will meet the standards for the 3rd grade plant unit and the 4th grade NH studies.

Sub-Questions

1. What is a native plant?
2. What is an endangered plant?
3. What technology tools will your group need?
4. What features will we use to identify the trees and plants?
5. How will we record our findings?
6. What materials would be best to label the plants?
7. How will we create the labels?
8. Where will the labels be placed?
9. What is needed to showcase the marked trail?
10. How can we organize a community walk to showcase your work?

The sub-questions can be used by the groups to create the entire unit. They will be used as a guide to lead the groups through their research, planning and design process.

PBL Discoveries

Project Based Learning Idea Search

To say that the amount of material available regarding PBL is overwhelming would be an understatement. Individuals have put an unbelievable amount of work into developing their projects and thankfully have been willing to share them. I was able to find many projects that interested me and would fit into the curriculum that the various grade levels currently teach at my school.

There were many project based learning sites and projects that I found that contained similar ideas to what I plan on developing in my PBL. I've listed some of my favorites here with a brief description of what their content. Eco-Friendly Landscaping Project is a high school level project in which students teamed up with a company called WestEd in order to help them create environmentally friendly landscaping.  PBL Learning Science Lesson Plans is on the HubPages site and is a great site that has a variety of PBL science projects, neatly organized by the branches of science. Schoolyard Habitat Project is an example of a project that I was able to locate on the HubPages site and is the PBL that I am going to use as a guide for my PBL. A Home for Everyone is a PBL in which the students explore living things in their local environment. Ideas from each of the above projects will assist me in developing my own project.

PBL would fit perfectly into my teaching style as I am a very visual and hands-on learner and teacher. I'm hoping that as the Tech Integrator I can inspire other teachers to share in my excitement and co-develop and teach some PBL projects. With all the curricular demands placed on classroom teachers, anything "extra" is very often avoided, understandably. My goal will be to target a couple of teachers who I know are comfortable trying new ideas and begin there. I really liked the article, "Why PBL Hasn't Gone Mainstream (And What We Can Do About It)" which highlights four ideas to help bring PBL into mainstream education. (2) These ideas include:

1. More efficient ways to introduce PBLs.
2. Establishing PBL communities for idea sharing. 
3. Schools "creating that environment, providing a roadmap, and nurturing the PBL experience" (2) 
4. The adoption of 21st century tools in teaching.

Beginning Ideas For My PBL - Backyard Nature

(1)

Nottingham School's nature and cross country trail used to have all of the flora clearly marked so that walkers could explore and learn about the various native plants along the way. Over the years, the signs have disappeared. In NH, 3rd graders study the town's history and plant science and 4th grade studies state history. As either a combined 3-4 project or a 3rd grade project (I haven't figured out exactly how that will work yet.), the students will work to beautify the trail, identify the plants, and recreate the plant species labels along the trail. My initial thought is that the 3rd grade will do the initial identifying and marking and the 4th grade, in conjunction with their art curriculum, create the trail markers and the maps. This project would involve integrating science, mapping, technology, engineering and art.

Work cited:

1. Retrieved from https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5263/5617460238_2d1a4ea549_o_d.jpg.

2. (2016). Why Project Based Learning Hasn't Gone Mainstream (And ... - EdSurge. Retrieved May 16, 2016, from https://www.edsurge.com/news/2016-04-23-why-project-based-learning-hasn-t-gone-mainstream-and-what-we-can-do-about-it.

Overview of Project Based Learning

Reflections & Questions About PBL Resources

Resource 1: Buck Institute for Education (BIE) 
Gold Standard PBL (1)

2 Separate related components:
   1. Essential Project Design Elements
   2. Project Based Teaching Practice

Image taken from: bie.org








BIE states that PBL:

• Makes school more engaging
• Improves learning
• Builds success skills for college, career, and life
• Helps address standards
• Provides opportunities for students to use technology
• Makes teaching more enjoyable and rewarding
• Connects students and schools with communities and the real world

I agree, that this would be an amazing way for the students to learn, but are public schools ready to transition to this? My questions/comments to these statements would be:

• With all the focus on standardized testing, will this prepare students to perform well?          PBL and Standardized Tests? It Can Work! (2) - According to an article in Edutopia, "...PBL projects can not only serve as a scaffold for these tests, but also prepare our students for college, career, and life!" As in current classroom work, skills that the students need in order to be successful on the standardized tests can be embedded into the PBL lessons.
• How do teachers ensure that students are learning what they need to know?                          How Do I Get High-Quality Student Work in PBL? (3) John Larmer lists some things that will help to ensure successful PBL: 

1. Use of rubrics and exemplars
2. Effective formative assessment
3. Enough time
4. Authentic subject matter
5. Classroom/school cultivated a culture of quality

• Will this model of learning prepare students for college or will they arrive at colleges with the expectation that they learn/test under the "old school" model?                                                  
• What will it take to get schools to support the change and will they be ready to support the challenges it will involve?                                                                                                        

Resource 2: Edutopia - 5 Keys to Rigorous PBL (4)

Series of 6 Videos

1. Real World Connections - Use a driving question to address a real world problem. Students choose the path that they want to take in order to explore the problem. They decide who outside of the school would be good to connect with in order to work on the problem, and by bringing in an outside expert will make the project more real and personal for the students. Taking students out into the community, having people visit the classroom and using the Internet are all feasible options for making connections. 
2. Building Rigorous Projects - Use PBL for the "meat" of the assignment, not as an extra. Design the projects with the standards in mind. Also, the final exam requirements need to be kept in mind when designing the PBL. Accountability for the meeting the standards is still important. Students will learn to use critical thinking and collaboration skills,  and to be creative, while they are learning. Students will not only obtain the knowledge that they need, but learn to apply that knowledge at the same time.
3. Structuring Collaboration for Student Success - Teacher needs to plan ahead by properly grouping the students, teach them about teamwork (language used, roles, responsibilities, processes), supply outlines, how to use each other, respect for each other, teacher is a facilitator, create agendas so that the students are able to be more independent and guide themselves.
4. Facilitating Learning in a Student-Centered Environment - Scaffold all of the lessong so that the students know exactly what to do. Supply clues, ideas, guidance, but the students do the work. Introduce a topic in a way that the students will want to discover more about it. Students need to work together to find answers. Build in opportunities for the students to reflect and have conversations with their piers in order to build knowledge and understanding. Have learning goals for every day so that students can track their progress so that they know that they are learning. 
5. Embedding Assessment Throughout the Project - Keep track of where students are as they work through the project to be sure that they are on track. Perform a lot of small formative assessments, such as: checking in to see how the students feel about reaching their daily target; checking for understanding; opportunities to assess themselves and their teammates. The culminating event, product, idea, or solution is the true test of understanding and knowledge.

One of my concerns that I mentioned after the first resource was if this approach would prepare students for their future educational experiences. I was glad to hear in the second video that exams are still required, because I think that this is still a skill that students will need in high school and college. 

PBL does require a lot of planning and preparation of a different type than what classroom teachers are used to. It would seem that if a school was going to change over to this model, administration should commit to a lot of professional development for the teachers to ensure that it is implemented properly. Unfortunately, many times schools "jump" into new methods without supplying the needed training for teachers.

Work Cited

1. (2015). Why We Changed Our Model of the “8 Essential Elements of PBL” - BIE. Retrieved May 10, 2016, from http://bie.org/object/document/why_we_changed_our_model_of_the_8_essential_elements_of_pbl.
2. 
   
   (2012). PBL and Standardized Tests? It Can Work! | Edutopia. Retrieved May 11, 2016, from http://www.edutopia.org/blog/PBL-and-standardized-tests-andrew-miller.
3. (2013). How to Get High-Quality Student Work in PBL | Edutopia. Retrieved May 11, 2016, from http://www.edutopia.org/blog/high-quality-student-work-pbl-john-larmer.
4. (2015). 5 Keys to Rigorous Project-Based Learning | Edutopia. Retrieved May 10, 2016, from http://www.edutopia.org/video/5-keys-rigorous-project-based-learning.

EdTech542-Project Based Learning

Project Based Learning

(2014). Five Keys to Rigorous Project-Based Learning - YouTube. Retrieved May 9, 2016, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnzCGNnU_WM.

Final Course Reflection
EDTECH 541-4202

Every day, 

teaching with technology, 

I feel like I've "Only Just Begun"!

Part 1:

My Beginnings
In any field involving technology, which I guess would be all fields these days, the learning never ends. I began teaching Technology Integration in 1998 and the big push was for the integration of Microsoft's basic suite and introduction of instructional software into the curriculum. The younger students came to the computer lab to work on CCC in order to practice their math and reading skills, and the older students worked on integrated projects using Word, Publisher, PowerPoint and Excel. What a breakthrough for the time and the students loved it. Of course, Zoombinis was also a favorite! Back then, software purchases came on floppy discs (even some of the 5 1/4, but mostly 3 1/2 inch), one per license, a far cry from the cloud based licences and availability of the free choices in today's cyber world.

What I've Learned in This Course
In the instructional software unit, I learned the importance of understanding the different types of instructional software and some key things to look for when evaluating the effectiveness it. Through my exploration, I came across quite a few great resources and tools that I will use in the future.

Students love creating presentations or books, and I was introduced to many tools that I had never used before, such as Voicethread, Story Jumper, Screencastify and Camtasia, for example. I came to realize that not only were these tools great for the students to use to present their work, but for teachers to use to "Flip" their classroom. Presentation and recording software is also a great way to provide course content in a form that can be reviewed as many times as a student needs to in order to absorb the information.

Students love playing on the computer, but I never realized how many educational games and simulations were available online, free. In the weather unit that I created, I was able to find plenty of games that fit in well with the curriculum. What a fantastic way to engage students, hold their attention, increase their knowledge, and still meet the goals of the unit.

Social Media in the Classroom is generally considered "taboo" in our school, but I think that's because everyone automatically thinks of the negatives that they've heard in regard to social networking sites. There is so much more to social media than Facebook and Twitter, not saying that these are bad, but things tools where students are able to interact with others, such as Skype or Facetime, the sharing features of Google's productivity suite, and the many other opportunities enabling students to connect and learn in environments that books can't provide.

How Theory Guided Me
Howard Gardner's Theory of Multiple Intelligences will always be my guide.  I know that there are many educational theories out there, and they all play a part in how our educational system has developed and changed, but I feel like having an understanding of  the different ways that my students think, understand, and get excited about learning is key to being successful in reaching the greatest number of students. I am able to apply his theories every day, in a very practical way. As an individual who learns best through visual and auditory media, through sound, music, and videos, I can relate to the need for providing students with choice and options in education. Including a variety of teaching media will help students of all learning styles to be more successful and engaged.

How I've Grown Professionally
Professionally, I have gained so much knowledge. Even though I've been working in Technology Integration for almost 18 years, the changes that occur in the field are impossible to keep up with. Immersing myself in courses, seminars, and conferences is the only way that I can even come close to keeping up with the new and innovative opportunities available for use in the classroom.

How My Teaching Practice Has Been Impacted
Resources, resources, resources! My teaching will be impacted by all of the resources that I found while doing my projects. I never realized how many free simulations there are available for use in the classroom. Science educational games are also plentiful. Integration of these resources will take my teaching to a whole new level, being able to engage so many more students, do more "flipping" of my curriculum, and cover much more material because students will be truly engaged because they are going to be in a 21st century learning environment, using tools that are most familiar with.

What Will I Do Differently
As the Technology Integrator, I now have a whole new set resources to offer to the classroom teachers. Working together, we can develop new curriculum around new ebook tools, presentation tools, recording tools, simulations, and games. Even though the students still love using Google Presentation, changing it up a bit by adding a new tool, will strengthen their technology skill set. In my teaching, which is mostly with 1st-4th grade classes, I'm excited to use some of the ebook software, specifically StoryJumper, instead of Google Presentation, which they currently use. As science is my true passion, and most of my integration is into that curriculum, I will definitely be adding more science games and simulations to my lessons.

Conclusion
Overall, I found this course very useful and practical. Finding time to just "surf" the Internet and explore all of the amazing tools out there just doesn't usually happen. Through this course I have many new resources that I can now integrate into my curriculum. I love it when I am able to do projects that can be put to use in my teaching. Doing "fluff" research, in an already crazy teaching schedule, is not something that I'm a fan of. So, thank you for designing this course in the way that you did!

Accessibility on My Computer

Accessibility Features On My Computer

Windows 7

Computers with Microsoft Windows 7 as the platform have many built-in accessibility features. Microsoft does a great job of describing them, so in addition to discussing all of them, I'm going to use some screen shots that show how to get to them. All of the accessibility features can be accessed by going to: All Programs - Accessories - Ease of Access. 

Ease of Access Center-In the Ease of Access Center there are descriptions of all of the accessibility tools, the ability to choose the options that would best suit the user's needs, and the ability to turn options on and off.

1. Optimize for Blindness-Use the computer without the display. This feature includes options to turn on a narrator which reads text and an option to hear descriptions about what's happening in a video.
2. Optimize Visual Display-Make the computer easier to see. The display settings can be changed in order to meet the individual visual needs of the user.
3. Set up Alternative Input Devices-Use the computer without a mouse or keyboard. Use the onscreen keyboard with a pointing device or mouse. Avoid using the mouse or keyboard by using speech recognition. Physical difficulties can be overcome by using input devices other than the mouse and keyboard.
4. Make the Mouse Easier to Use-The mouse settings can be adjusted, changing the mouse or other pointing device. The color and size of the mouse pointer can be changed. The numeric keyboard can be used to move the mouse. These settings will help out people with visual and physical difficulties.
5. Make the Keyboard Easier to Use-The following features can be adjusted on the keyboard in order to assist someone who has a physical difficulty that makes the normal functioning of a keyboard a challenge.
1. Make it Easier to Type
1. Sticky Keys
2. Toggle Keys
3. Filter Keys
2. Make it Easier to Use Keyboard Shortcuts
3. Make it Easier to Manage Windows

 Make the Keyboard Easier to Use (1)

Taken Directly From Microsoft

Fingerprint Reader

A feature that I have never used, which is available on my computer (a Lenovo ThinkPad), is a fingerprint reader. This feature, although not specifically included as an accessibility feature, would be useful for someone who has difficulty using a keyboard. One swipe of a finger would log them in to the computer.

Chrome Browser
Chrome has a whole help section referring to accessibility options that work and don't work on the browser. This is helpful to look at because some of the programs will not work on certain browsers.

The Chrome Web Store has many accessibility extensions to choose from. Read & Write for Google is fantastic and provides many accessibility features in one program. Read & Write has word prediction, text to speech, highlighting capabilities, and much more. It can help students struggling with reading, writing, comprehension and organization.

1.  (2013). Make the keyboard easier to use - Windows - Microsoft. Retrieved April 12, 2016, from http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/make-keyboard-easier-to-use.
2. (2014). All Products and Features – Google Accessibility. Retrieved April 17, 2016, from https://www.google.com/accessibility/all-products-features.html.
3. (2011). Chrome Web Store - Accessibility - chrome.google.com. Retrieved April 17, 2016, from https://chrome.google.com/webstore/category/ext/22-accessibility.