Collaboration Coaches

To incorporate authentic literacy, be sure to answer these questions when you design and implement a project:Does the project include an authentic written product that someone outside the school context would create?Does the project include a written product that meets a real need?Does the project set students up to generate their own questions to frame their investigation into the Driving Question?Does the project enable students to find answers to their questions?Does the project include critique, ideally by an expert or the product recipient?Does the project allow students to present their work to the intended recipient?If you can answer “yes” to these questions, you’ve got it: a fully authentic literary experience for your students.

For example, in the Small Acts of Courage project at King Middle School in Portland, Maine, students researched and wrote about local stories of the Civil Rights Movement. In response to the Driving Question, “What was Maine’s contribution the Civil Rights Movement?“, they created a book for a public audience which included people who participated locally in the struggle for civil rights.

Learn more about this topic in BIE’s “Webinar Wednesday” on Authentic Literacy, which may be found on BIE's YouTube Channel.

The next PBL Chat happens Tuesday, Jan. 31, 6 p.m. PST/9 p.m. EST. Join (or follow) the conversation by following the hashtag #pblchat.

Here at ISB we do a couple of different things. We first have a mandatory meeting that at least one parent has to attend we run the same training three to four times at different time periods for parents. Of course the kids make them go as they want their laptops.

Remember That You Are The Parent

Create Family Rules

Knowing how to organise, filter, research, evaluate and bookmark resources online is a valuable skill for students to gain. However, we can’t assume giving students access to a social bookmark tool means they’ll know what’s expected or will gain the necessary skills.

Students need explicit instructions and instructions to get the most out of social bookmarking. Students must see the point of aggregating bookmarks that they can return to for further use. Don’t expect them to initially appreciate the value of why they should bookmark. Students need to be aware of the types of bookmarks they can save. I teach history, so a bookmark could be a link to maps, photos, documents, quotes and so on –it’s like collecting different artifacts online. Students need to understand bookmarking is about finding quality links and not quantity.

We’re always interested in programs that help teachers and their students connect with each other.

We set out to help teachers improve their classroom practice, through collaborating and sharing expertise with teachers around the world … We set out to create a community which fosters global dialogue and discussion between teachers and students … We wanted our students to have regular opportunities to share, learn and collaborate with children around the world, helping them to discover our common humanity …

The legal jargon with respect to digital copyrights can be confusing – especially since different countries have their own laws and regulations. With this post, we hope to dispel a few myths and pull together a complete list of resources for teachers and students to use when blogging and working with content online.

Rule #1: You Can’t Use Everything You Find On the Web

Rule #2: There Are Resources You CAN Use