Group items tagged

Awesome on authentic learning.

Love the global collaborations with learning. The authentic audience really helps with purpose for learning it, and increases the quality and intrinsic motivation of learning. There are several Common Core projects to join.

I love this idea of having the PBL measurable -- not only a PSA, and an action step, but MEASURING the changes in behaviors/beliefs through tangible measurements. (Makes me think about Kirkpatrick)... It also makes me think about how this is a great CommonCore unit too! I would love to see an authentic school-wide (or grade level) PBL. How innovative would that be? While also causing us to behave as a PLC.

Publish online "flyers"-easy and fun way to share work with an authentic audience.

The student blogging challenge starts next week. Here's the page to register your class. Remember, you can choose which challenges to participate in. It's a great way to build an authentic audience for your students!

Lots of possibilities for PBL lessons. There is a place you can sign up to connect with a Peace Corps volunteer in another country so they would have an authentic audience.

Grade/Subject: 9-12 Language Arts Description: Students will research the American Dream, what it means to different people and cultures, how it changes, and how it manifests itself in politics, religion, education or entertainment. In addition, students will define their own American Dreams and explore obstacles and adjustments they might need to make. Benefits: The student will apply pre-reading skills and comprehension strategies, while extending independent reading, and will organize and synthesize information that will be used to plan, create, organize and present an age appropriate media product. Students will also become more aware of the way culture changes across the decades. Possible Pitfalls: Finding an authentic audience could be an issue. However, some front work could solve that problem.

Project FeederWatch is a winter-long survey of birds that visit feeders at backyards, nature centers, schools, community areas, and other locales in North America. FeederWatchers periodically count the birds they see at their feeders from November through early April and send their counts to Project FeederWatch. FeederWatch data help scientists track broadscale movements of winter bird populations and long-term trends in bird distribution and abundance. This project gives an authentic reason to learn how to record data using graphs and charts, research, and writing. All of this can be done using technology. Since areas all around North America are involved, it ties into the global community. Teachers within a school or district could work together to promote collaboration. The biggest pitfall would be finding a location that would be appropriate to place the feeder.

"Help your kids submit their idea and work to Quest to matter. This is a great way to showcase what your students are doing. It will also open up opportunities for mentoring. If you know a kid who is doing something cool to change the world - SUBMIT IT. The end date is June 7th. Why not have your class create a quest to matter. If you haven't had a chance to do a genius project or some creative teacherpreneurship with passion projects - USE THIS opportunity. My friend Angela Maiers had this idea and many have joined in (like me) to help create a website showcasing and promoting all the great work that students are doing as social entrepreneurs to change the world. There will be a winning project that is showcased and mentored. " Vicki Davis

Great opportunities here for authentic learning...

"All students and educators participating in the challenge will have their name flown on the Exploration Flight Test-I mission as a member of the virtual crew. This mission will be unmanned and will launch in late 2014. So, kids can be a "virtual explorer." There are 4 challenges, age appropriate, to help design protective radiation protection for astronauts. We need to get students interest in space travel for a variety of reasons. This is a lovely real world project for students to join. "The goal of the Exploration Design Challenge is for students to research and design ways to protect astronauts from space radiation. NASA and Lockheed Martin are developing the Orion spacecraft that will carry astronauts beyond low Earth orbit and on to an asteroid or Mars. Protecting astronauts from radiation on these distant travels is an important -- and very real -- problem that needs solving. NASA would like your help!"

20 Ideas for Engaging Projects via @edutopia http://t.co/YXTP9kdk

Description: "Join us for our journey through the project-based learning experience using the proven strategies in the Cemetery Scene Investigators (CSI) module -- one of the many successful journeys students, teachers, and community members collaboratively take in their lifelong pursuit of authentic learning. " Pitfalls: Cultural and religious beliefs about death and burial grounds.

Students observe night sky and compare their observations with others from around the world to investigate the problem of light pollution. There are lots of ideas for extension activities on this site, each of which could be the basis of a PBL experience. Teachers would have to do some work to plan activities and create rubrics, but there is an authentic purpose and audience already built in.

I love the real world connections your students will be making and the authentic audience. They are going to love it and learn so much about Thanksgiving! I am wondering how you plan to have the kindergarteners reflect on their learning? I'd love to know so I have a better understanding for how to help Kinder with this.