Reflection #9

1. Description of a method of understanding of prior knowledge of students.

Different assessment strategies work very well to understand students' background knowledge. Comprehension assessments are also a tool that you can use to see if students are understanding what you are teaching them. 

2. Discussion on the importance of establishing anchors for a project.

When establishing anchors for a project, you are able to see where the a students academic standing. This also helps you understand where the student will need some extra support and what areas they are strong in. As a teacher, you need to understand that not all students are in the same learning zone as one another. You need to be flexible and help each student individually rather than as a whole group.

3. Description of several ways to assess what students learned during the project.

There are many ways to asses your students' learning progress. A journal is a great way to keep track of what the student is learning and what the student needs to work on, have the students turn in their journal every day or every week in order for you to keep track on each individual student. A neat way and more of a competitive way to assess students is to have a panel of judges to asses final work. This will help students take work more seriously and possibly help them be more competitive which will help them work harder. 

4. Discussion on how concepts in this chapter relate to your topic/project.

When comparing this chapter to our project, as teachers, we need to know where students stand at all times. Knowing all of these different assessment tools are a great way to for us to keep on track with each student as an individual. Giving students a final goal will help them achieve more goals along the way to that final goal. When I have my own classroom, I want to be able to treat each child as an individual. Using prior/background knowledge and different assessments will help with this understanding as a teacher. 

Reflection #9

1. Description of a method of understanding of prior knowledge of students.

 Something that you can do to understand what the prior knowledge of your students is to use an activity with them and using different assessment strategies. Some type of assessment will allow you to see what they really learned and what you need to work on. Relying on assessment strategies is a good way to understand prior knowledge.

2. Discussion on the importance of establishing anchors for a project.

By establishing anchors for a project you can see where the student stands and what area they need extra support in. You need to remember that not all students will start at the same spot, so the work and help for each student throughout the project will be different. 

3.  Description of several ways to assess what students learned during the project.

Several ways where you can assess your students work and learning progress in a project would be creating a lesson of their own and actually using and summarizing the information they learned. You can also just ask the students what they have learned and have them write it down in a journal and then talk together as a class. You may be surprised with some of the answers and information that students tell you and you can also ask more challenging questions if they seemed confident in the material learned.

4. Discussion on how concepts in this chapter relate to your topic/project.

This correlates well with our project because we always need to know where students stand and we need to be able to help them along the way if they are struggling with different material than other students. Having that end goal in mind will help everyone in the class work hard, be helpful and supportive, and eventually reach that goal.

Reflection #9

1. Description of a method of understanding of prior knowledge of students.

Something that you can do to get the prior knowledge of your student is to use an activity. Make it fun and interesting, because your students have already learned this material and hopefully they are well versed on it to do your activity. Another method is establishing anchors. By this you can gain an understanding of where your students are starting from and how far they go, as they work to meet learning goals.

2. Discussion on the importance of establishing anchors for a project.

The importance of establishing anchors is like I said before, to find where your students knowledge begins about a certain topic. This is also important because not all your students are starting in the same place, when it comes to all the different lessons they have learned. Also where each students goes in there journey through the project will be different for each student.

3.  Description of several ways to assess what students learned during the project.

A simple but sometimes overlooked method of assessing students is to ask them what they learned. You might be surprised at the answers you will get and how in depth they might be. At the end of  project you can have your students create something new that asks them to tell you about the project. If your students can take what they have learned and apply it in a different context can be a way to assess them. Another way to assess students work, which i thought was really cool was, a teacher brought in a panel of experts to judge her students final work. I thought this was an fun and interesting way to get students to really take their work seriously.


4. Discussion on how concepts in this chapter relate to your topic/project.

This chapter is really informational about how to assess our students work in PBL. This is especially helpful to our group because we are having our students present their work to parents and other classes, so this gives us a few better ideas on how to grade them. I really like the idea of creating something new, to show what you have learned, I also like the idea of having your students enter a contest or submit their work for publication. I think having them be recognized for their own work is inspiring to them.

Reflection #8

1. Description of some ways to build connections and branch out beyond the classroom.

Technology is a big part of our culture and is becoming an even bigger part in our education. Digital tools make it much easier for students to branch out and share and exchange their work with diverse audiences, peers, local community, and even the much wider world. There are so many other ways that technology allows students to branch and build connections outside the classroom by creating blogs, websites, and many other technology based communicating tools.   

2. Description of the EAST Initiative Model.

The EAST Initiative Model stands for Environmental and Spatial Technologies. These students in EAST have been demonstrating the benefits of using technology for a real purpose and make improvements in their communities. These projects make use of geospatial technologies and multimedia tools that are more commonly found in professional laboratories or studios. Students are working hard to make technology more useful outside the classroom and they master using these tools and applications in context while solving community problems that interest them. The EAST Initiative started in Arkansas in 1996 and now has grown to include more than 260 schools in seven states, which is a huge progression!

3. Discussion on some reasons to let students “lead” their projects.

When students are leading other student projects it allows them to develop greater leadership and communication skills. Everyone learns at different paces and in different ways so it really lets each student find their place when working on a project and interacting with others. For example, when Sarah’s teacher Elise Mueller told Sarah she should try communicating through a blog because of her dyslexia, she got the courage to reach out and communicate with others and shared her own strategies.

4. Discussion on how concepts in this chapter relate to your topic/project

Concepts in this chapter can relate to our topic and project because we really want the students to reach out and share their interests and new ideas they found with the class. We want them to become comfortable with technology and realize all of the amazing tools you can use through technology. Having the students take lead in their projects is another big focus we have in our classroom.

Reflection #8

1. Description of some ways to build connections and branch out beyond the classroom.

Its really important for students to feel and be connected with a real audience, and digital-aged projects offer that to our students. Knowing that others will be reading, or watching your work can be a powerful motivator. Using these technologies students can branch out and consult with experts in the topic they are researching. Connecting students with experts may require some effort on your part, but if you make this a regular part of your process then it will become effortless. A great resource is your students parents, don't be afraid to ask them for access to their world of expertise or if they know anyone whom you are looking for. Technology is so unlimited you can design a project so that your students have to communicate with a class down the hall or half way around the world.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 
2. Description of the EAST initiative Model.

EAST stands for Environmental And Spatial Technologies, they are a network of schools that have been demonstrating the benefits of using technology to solve problems and make improvements in their communities for a dozen years. These students master tools that are commonly found in professional labs and design studios, to help solve community problems that interest them. For example, a team of students recorded oral histories of World War II veterans and then used software to develop architectural plans for a museum in their honor. I think that is pretty inventive and a lot more impressive that anything I have ever done. The EAST initiative started in Arkansas in 1996 and has grown to have more than 260 schools in seven states. It started out as a high school program but has come to include students from second grade to post-secondary levels.

3. Discussion on some reasons to let students "lead" their projects.

I know it sounds kind of scary but once you are more comfortable with PBL then you can start to see that students are very capable of leading their own projects. Letting the students pick their topic for their projects can be so beneficial to their learning, we know that if students are more interested in a topic than they most likely work harder or go more in depth with it. This way students can really find their own path in learning and it can become more memorable in the long run, because they pick something they liked, not just the teacher giving them a topic they have no interest in. This way you, the teacher, are not micromanaging every project.


4. Discussion on how concepts in this chapter relate to your topic/project. 

Our overarching topic is Hurricane Sandy, and from the way we have formatted our project, its as if the students came up with the topic because the hurricane affected them in some way. I think this is comparable to the EAST initiative model because the students took it upon themselves to research a topic that involves their community and those around them. From this chapter I think a great idea would be to maybe ask someone whose life was affected by Hurricane Sandy to maybe talk with the students. Another idea would be that we could set up an open blog so that anyone who was affected by Hurricane Sandy could post and help answer our students questions.

Reflection #8

1. Description of some ways to build connections and branch out beyond the classroom
Technology surprises me everyday! There's so many ways that technology can build connections and branch out beyond the classroom by blogs, personal or community websites, and any other communication tool associated with technology. Everyone around the world uses technology to learn or express themselves, this allows students to take full advantage of learning through technology by communicating and researching beyond their community and even their country. Blogs are a good way to communicate, it allows students to communicate with teachers about what they are learning without talking face-to-face. It provides students with the opportunity to invite more people into the project and it also allows them to reflect on their own learning.

2. Description of the EAST Initiative Model
The EAST Initiative Model was a student-driven learning project where students were responsible for their own learning. This also involved an authentic project based learning by students being engaged in solving real world problems in their communities. Which in this case was the fact that a Japanese-American internment camp disappeared from their community's collective memory. This project also involved technology tools where they needed to acces relevant technologies that professionals use to solve real world problems. Along with all of these tasks, students were required for collaboration. When learning is student-based it is important to remind students that they need to work together as a team to help one another get the most out of what they are doing. It is important as a teacher in this situation to keep it student-based. To help guide students along rather than "telling" them what to do and hope they do it. The EAST Initiative Model began in Arkansas (1996) and expanded to over 260 schools in seven states. At the end of each school year an annual conference is held where students showcase their projects. 
This is such an amazing idea! I would love to get involved with something like this. Real world problems is the best way to learn about the world and to help the understanding of more complex problems.

3. Discussion on some reasons to let students "lead" their projects
When students are encouraged to engage in technology based learning, they are able to express themselves in a more positive and accepting way. It allows students who are less confident to interact and communicate with students or other people with similar interests (or in the textbooks case, disabilities). After Sarah was encouraged to communicate through a blog, Sarah got the courage to begin a resource for other children who have dyslexia. She wanted to share her experiences with other people so others can relate and feel more comfortable and gain tips on something they care deeply about. As a teacher, it is important to remember that you don't have to micromanage every project. "They can take on their own learning, and I can be there to support them." (pg. 136)

4. Discussion on how concepts in this chapter relate to your topic/project
When we came up with the Topic of Hurricane Sandy, we pictured this as if the students were the ones who wanted to learn about Hurricane Sandy and what it had done to harm the US and what they could do to help those in need. If this was a real life classroom, I would encourage our students to continue to ask questions and build inquiry about what they want to learn and how they want to learn. Having students take lead in projects is extremely important to me because when students take initiative it shows them that they have confidence and they can count on themselves for learning instead of just listening to a teacher talk all day about something they aren't interested in. We've all said before, communication is key. I think it is important to continue to have students communicate in various ways. Blogs are something that I want to encourage in the future of our project because it helps keep things organized and helps us set goals together and continue that need of communication.

Reflection #7

1. Description of the levels of classroom discussions.

There are three main levels of classroom discussion, they are teacher to teacher, student to student, and teacher to student. In teacher to teacher, these conversations will likely touch on everything from the procedures to the assessments. If teachers don't have time for face-to-face collaboration, or if their colleges are far away, they can use a blog or a wiki to keep in touch and share ideas. In student to student discussions, its best for them to be talking about what their learning as they learn it, to their group members as well as across the different teams. Its important to remind them that good communication skills are part of an effective and successful team, and will help keep them organized and on track. Model how to give effective feedback as you listen to your students. In teacher to student discussions the lecture format is probably not going to be effective, especially in PBL classrooms. A whole class discussion is a great way to to check in on student understanding or wrap up a certain phase of the project.

2. Discussion on the questions for "checking in" on students during a project.

When your class is in the middle of a project, it is most likely that the different groups are in different directions and are going at different speeds. So here are some questions that might help in finding out where they are or if they need any assistance.
Procedural: Are we staying on schedule? Do we have the right materials available? Be sure to remind students of the project calendar if they need help keeping on track.
Teamwork: How are the team members getting along? Is one student carrying too much of the load for the whole team? Its good to ask questions about how they are solving their problems and this helps you asses their team dynamic. Its important to give them a safe place to raise concerns or ask for help if they are experiencing team trouble.
Understanding: You want to spend time observing teams as they work, listen to student conversations, and ask probing questions. Like Have you though about...? or Have you considered this research? If you see opportunities for students to go beyond expectations, make sure to encourage them.
Self-assessment: When you want to find out what the students are thinking about the project, give self assessment questions for them to reflect on. Project journals or blogs can be great facilitators of this to let students get out frustrations and share their excitement about the project.

3. Discussion on the benefits to students when optimizing the use of technology.

With the technology now a days you want to make sure that the certain tools you have chosen for the project are a distraction to your students, rather than a helpful tool. you need to ask yourself, is the technology helping students stay organized? Do the students have acceptable access to the technology? When technology is used to its fullest potential, you may find students gaining benefits you did not envision at the beginning of the project.

4. Discussion on the 21st century skills that can make or break a project.

Troubleshooting is a major 21st century skill that makes a student an effective project manager. this can help them earn from setbacks and fine-tune their strategies for getting a project back on track. I like what one of the teachers said in this chapter that "PBL is more like real life. you can mess up, but then you have the opportunity to learn from that and make adjustments" I couldn't agree more with this statement. There is so much value and learning in this experience.  Teamwork is another 21st century skill that is make or break for a project. Its really important to helps students learn to manage their own team conflicts. Its a real-life skill that will serve them well for years to come.

5. Discussion on how concepts in this chapter relate to your topic/project.

This chapter is very helpful to our project, especially in the category of 21st century skills. My group has had to deal with troubleshooting when we weren't sure how to do some things. We worked well together and ask the appropriate questions to help our team along.

Reflection #7

Chapter 7:

1.            Description of the levels of classroom discussions.

Classroom discussions take place on three different levels. The first level of classroom discussion is teacher to teacher, the next is student to student, and the last is teacher to student. These three levels of classroom discussion are all very important and each grasp different ideas. Here are the three different types of classroom discussion:

-Teacher to Teacher: These conversations will likely touch on everything from the procedural to a formative assessment. If teachers do not have time for face-to-face collaboration, be sure you are using a blog, wiki, or any other collaborative tool to keep your teacher to teacher conversation going.

-Student to Student: These conversations should help each student become comfortable with other students in discussing materials or being open with different ideas. Students learn from each other all the time and the more they are collaborating and sharing ideas then the more they will learn.

- Teacher to Student: This level of classroom discussion is important for both the teacher and students. The teacher is there to guide each student and it is important that each student is comfortable with opening up and sharing any thoughts or concerns with the teacher. This method is also ideal for the teacher because it allows them to practice their own listening skills and push the students toward higher-order thinking.

2.            Discussion on the questions for “checking in” on students during a project.

There are four types of questions that teachers should be asking students or “checking in” with students about throughout a project.

-Procedural: Are we staying on schedule? Do we have the right materials available?

To track progress toward milestones and deadlines, remind students of the project calendar and monitor students' project logs and checklists.

-Teamwork: How are team members getting along? Is one student doing most of the work? How are their time management skills?

Circulate and ask questions to help assess team dynamics. If you have students using a project blog or journal, ask them to write an entry specifically about their team's progress. Give them a safe place to raise concerns or to ask for help if they are experiencing team trouble. If you see that some students are consistently contributing less than others, use this observation to open dialogue about teamwork.

-Understanding: Have you thought about...? Have you considered this research?

Spend time observing teams at work, listening to student conversations, and asking probing questions. Review online workspaces where you can see student work in progress. If you see students going way off task or basing their decisions on faulty information, ask questions or suggest resources to redirect them. 

-Self-assessment: To find out what students are thinking about the project, ask questions that encourage self-assessment and reflection. Project journals or blogs offer space for students to describe challenges or frustrations, to ask questions that they may not feel comfortable asking in class, or to share their excitement about the project. 

3.            Discussion on the benefits to students when optimizing the use of technology.

Students will gain new ideas and ways to communicate with a different type of audience. Students enjoyed this way of learning and thought that it actually helped them to learn more and really review their own ideas. If technology does become a huge distraction on their learning then there may be certain rules and restrictions for the students, but as of now it is a huge advantage and the students are gaining many new insights through technology.

4.            Discussion on the 21st-century skills that can make or break a project.

During a project and in the classroom make sure you pay close attention to the way that each team works with each other. If you detect that there are conflicts, allow the students in that team to try to work out their conflicts on their own. This is a real-life skill that every one needs to have and is very beneficial while working in teams.

5.            Discussion on how concepts in this chapter relate to your topic/project.

Concepts in this chapter relates to our own team topic because my team  is also learning to work together and strengthen our own ideas about our project. We are all trying to understand where each of us are coming from with our thoughts and we have learned that student to student discussion is a very important level for us throughout this project.