Project Based Learning PBL

Yesterday I attended #edcampsv (http://www.edcampsv.org/) at Palo Alto High School. There was an incredible energy in the library the moment I walked in.  Participants were anxious to get to their discussion sessions and with lots of interesting options I decided to attend the PBL discussion in room 204.  I'd guess there were about 20 people or so in the room to start.  I decided to attend this session because I've tried PBL like projects in my classroom in the past and have been astounded by the increased student engagement over traditional lesson delivery.  As much as I would have liked to have had the whole day follow a more PBL like format, it didn't seem possible with such a huge emphasis on test prep and improved test scores mainly due to NCLB.  Specific curriculum was required to be taught and presented with the supporting materials that accompanied it.  Even though there is still debate over how effectively the new common core standards can be implemented it seems like a PBL structure would naturally support standards emphasizing cultivating 21st century learners.  All of the teachers in the room who use PBL were passionate about the process and those who spoke eluded to the notion that there are some challenges to facilitating a PBL classroom, but the effort involved is worth the outcomes.  One of the main pluses I heard repeated many times was the lack of discipline problems in the classroom.  When students are engaged in an inquiry process that they have a voice in designing they are motivated to collaborate and work with a team to experience and celebrate success.  Two other ideals key to effective PBL implementation mentioned were reflection (often via blog) and motivation.  The book Drive by Daniel Pink was mentioned a few times and I ordered a copy http://www.amazon.com/Drive-Surprising-Truth-About-Motivates/dp/1594484805.  It was awesome to spend a Saturday with teachers passionate about improving teaching and learning practices.  I'm looking forward to attending another event soon and I'm inspired to apply some of the ideas I heard to my teaching day.

Smarter Balanced and insufficient infrastructure...

At this week's staff meeting we looked at the Smarter Balanced training tests and scheduling for the field tests 3rd through 5th graders will be taking at our site this spring.  Some teachers who had not spent much time looking at the new assessments were surprised at the rigor of tasks students will be expected to complete.  Especially the lengthy compositions requiring students to construct two to three paragraphs or more.  The shift from multiple choice scantron testing to computer based testing requiring students to navigate multiple types of questions and tasks is going to be interesting for sure...if students are actually able to access the tests.  During our hour long staff meeting, using the Smarter Balanced secure browser, not all of the teachers in attendance could get logged in at the same time.  There were only about 10 teachers present.  I'm not sure if it was a bandwidth issue or what, but if 10 teachers can't have access at the same time, what's going to happen when 60 students are trying to access the system at the same time!?

Weaving with the CCSS

This past week I've continued reading about various Ed Tech topics and am looking forward to participating in the dlt3 MOOC https://courses.mooc-ed.org/dlt3/preview that is starting.  With such a boom in educational technology I hope it gives some insight into how to figure out what direction is best.    I also created another activity for the student I tutor using the Frolyc app https://www.frolyc.com/   For this activity I used the topic of photosynthesis and tried to incorporate a couple of different common core standards (CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.5.7 & CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.5.9).  One thing I really liked about the activity was seeing the student go back to the two different passages about photosynthesis to compose a short answer to a comprehension question and to create and label a diagram showcasing what he learned about photosynthesis.  As a precursor to the activity he watched a short YouTube clip about photosynthesis.  The activity took 20 - 30 minutes to create and the student was engaged throughout the activity.  When he was finished we went back through the activity and he reviewed his answers and explained his diagram to me.  I really like being able to create high interest activities quickly.  Next I'm going to put together an activity about skateboarding.  Having personalized activities keeps the student a lot more interested during our tutoring sessions.

Looking forward to a short but productive week!

2nd Post...Moving Forward

I thought I'd follow up on last week's post and try to keep the momentum going!  As part of of my aspiration to become more involved with a global ed tech community I signed up for a MOOC https://courses.mooc-ed.org/dlt3/preview

I've also been reflecting on some of the successes I've had integrating technology this year.
 One app I was introduced to and have used with success both with a summer school class and a student I have been tutoring is called Frolyc.  https://www.frolyc.com/  This app allows me to differentiate instruction and easily design a mini lesson to use with a small group or individual student.  Recently I used the app with a 5th grade student I've been tutoring.  Using the umbrella of reading comprehension I broke the activity into three parts.  First, the student had to read a passage about Cross-Training.  Next, he answered a couple of open ended comprehension questions.  To end the activity he drew and labeled activities he'd include in a cross-training program for himself.

 What was really awesome to see was how engaged he was with the activity.  When I asked him how he felt about the activity he gave me a thumbs up, a big smile and asked if we could do another one next week.  One of the tools he really liked was the text to speech recognition so he could listen and follow along with what was being read.

Well that's two posts!  Here's to a 3rd!

Aspirations

After teaching 4th and 5th grades for 15 years I had the good fortune of becoming a Technology Resource Teacher at a K- 5 school this year.  So far the position has been both exciting and challenging.  Designing computer skills lessons for upper grades has been one of the most interesting parts of the job.  It is inspiring to see how engaged and motivated students are by web based tech tools and educational programs.  One of the biggest challenges has been equity or equal access to technology.  The computers and devices that students have access varies some from classroom to classroom and vastly across the district.  As a classroom teacher with limited access to technology I had to find resources that I could use whole class such as projecting the daily free BrainPop animation if it was at all relevant to anything we were learning about in class.  Now I find it exciting to research and integrate technology that can help develop tech skills and compliment the lessons students are working on in their classrooms.  Even though the technology varies from classroom to classroom all students are able to visit the Computer Lab on a weekly basis, the computers are connected to the internet and in decent working shape.

I've been reading a lot about educational technology, following a lot of educators on social media like Twitter, attending some online courses and webinars and attended a CUE and Launch conference.  Beyond trying to soak in as much inspiring knowledge as I can  I haven't been as active as I could in connecting with other educators.  As the remainder of the school year dips towards June I want to continue to stay current on developments and best practices in Educational Technology and become more active participating in online ed tech chats, blogging and connecting with other educators to gain and share ideas.

Here's to 2014 Aspirations!