Reflection 3, Chapter 3

Reflection 3, Chapter 3. 1. Some things to consider in finding "the Big Idea" for are project are to identify the concepts and process you want students to understand and reflect on why they are important. Think about the real-world contexts to see the many disciplines of the project that will help your students in many ways. Think of projects that may help the community. Students may have ideas of their own on what to do for a project for the community. 2. "A well designed project causes students to stretch their intellectual muscles in ways traditional learning activities may not." pg. 47. Using Bloom's Taxonomy of Educational Objectives will help with this. The objectives are: Remember (Knowledge), Understand (Comprehension), Apply, Analyze (examine, explain, investigate, ect..), Evaluate (judge, select, decide, justify, ect...), and create (adapt, anticipate, combine, invent, ect..). Doing all of these will help students with their projects as well as with anything else they are doing. In the real-world we do some parts, if not all parts of these in everything we do. 3. Digital Age literacy, Inventive Thinking, Effective Communication, and High Productivity are all important literacies. "Literacy boils down to learning to be independent, aware, and productive citizens." pg. 49. We must teach our students how to use technology, be independent with their thinking, be able to communicate well with others, and be able to produce masterful pieces in whatever they do. 4. The essential learning functions are 1)Ubiquity: Learning inside and outside the classroom, and at all times. Teachers must look for and utilize any and all tools that will help students learn where ever they are and with whom they want to. 2)Deep Learning. "Higher-order thinking is engaged when students have to navigate and sort, organize, analyze, and make graphical representations in order to learn and express learning." pg. 54. We all need this in order to do our best in anything we do. 3)Making things visible and discussable. Making our thoughts and ideas visible is a good step in getting a conversation going. 4)Expressing ourselves, sharing ideas, building community. Using Myspace, Facebook, or Twitter helps students express themselves without having to write a long, boring paper about themselves. Papers are for school, the other avenues are more open and interesting for students. 5)Collaboration--teaching and learning with others. Collaboration is the major part of projects. We must teach our students how to work well with others because in most jobs they will have to work with others in some way. 6)Research. In order to get information right, we must research what we want to know and make sure it is from a trusted site or trusted individual. 7)Project Management:Planning and organization. Students must learn to manage time, work, play, and others. Doing projects with others helps with all of these. 8)Reflection and Iteration. Examining all aspects of and hearing others reacttions to your projects or information makes it possible to see and hear what you might need to or want to change in the work. 5. Collaboration, organize, analyze, evaluate, create, and research all play a part in the topic my partner and I have choosen. We must engage our students to do all of them in order to get the best possible information out of them. Janice Alff