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iBook with ideas for primary students to share student learning with an iPad

The best small town in America experiments with self-directed learning at its public high school. A group of students gets to create their own school-within-a-school and they learn only what they want to learn. Does it work? Charles Tsai finds out by spending a week with the Independent Project.

"The Technology Integration Matrix (TIM) illustrates how teachers can use technology to enhance learning for K-12 students. The TIM incorporates five interdependent characteristics of meaningful learning environments: active, constructive, goal directed (i.e., reflective), authentic, and collaborative (Jonassen, Howland, Moore, & Marra, 2003). The TIM associates five levels of technology integration (i.e., entry, adoption, adaptation, infusion, and transformation) with each of the five characteristics of meaningful learning environments. Together, the five levels of technology integration and the five characteristics of meaningful learning environments create a matrix of 25 cells as illustrated below. "

Another Student-Involved Assessment Experiment...Students assess their own learning

"The Muppets is actually a movie designed around PBL! The Muppets were given a project - to save Muppet Studios from its impending destruction. They had to work both cooperatively and independently to accomplish this. Just like my students bring different talents to the table, so do the Muppets. Like Walter (a new character introduced in the film), my students need to develop skills in order to be successful. When viewed through the six steps for implementing PBL as depicted by Edutopia (Thank you for being an amazing resource!), it is apparent that Jason Segel, Muppet movie star and screenwriter, has an appreciation for PBL."

The five Cs below will empower educators to discover how they and their students can begin building personal learning networks specific to the learner's needs extending relevant learning connections to like-interested people around the globe.

"With assessment and content standards at the forefront of learning, teachers use project approaches to engage students in authentic work and develop 21st- century skills of collaboration, problem solving and critical thinking. When well-designed, project-based curriculum can yield high quality results for students and a rewarding experience for teachers."

"The iSchool Initiative is a student-led, non-profit organization that is dedicated to revolutionizing our education system through innovative technology. Our mission is to inspire and educate students on how to become life long digital learners in the information age. We accomplish this by raising awareness for the technological needs of the classroom, providing collaborative research on the use of technology in the classroom, and guiding schools in the implementation of this technology."

"The project-based methods used in the Digiteen Project are teaching students about digital citizenship by immersing then in authentic research and student-designed action projects. The DigiTeacher workshop is modeled after the principles used in the Digiteen Project and will use a wide variety of Web 2.0 research and collaborative tools in conjunction with project-based methods. Understand why this method works by experiencing it!"

"The Internet has made the world smaller. Of particular significance is the ability for students, teachers and researchers to use the web as a tool for interaction, collaboration, distance education, cultural understanding and cooperative research -- with peers around the globe. Whether you're just starting out, or ready for advanced levels -- this tutorial will help you to implement collaborative, project-based learning on the Internet."

"Thankfully, the public understanding of science is part of the core mission for many science centers, zoos and aquaria, botanical gardens, and natural history museums. These institutions, collectively known as informal science centers, are taking a leadership role in ensuring that students get quality instruction in the sciences. Perhaps the most exciting programs coming out of these institutions are initiatives related to the professional development of new teachers (or teachers new to teaching science). These programs mentor novice science teachers in inquiry-based approaches to science learning. They also provide ongoing support and access to experts in various scientific disciplines."

"For those of you intent on employing this flipped learning model in their instruction, I have curated a set of important web tools to help you create the appropriate flipped classroom environment for your students."

"My seven-year-old daughter Ruby was getting ready for bed when I pressed play on Chapter 3 of A Year at Mission Hill. After hearing the students' voices, the sounds of hammers and drills, and the talk of regularly watching bees, she snuggled up with me to watch. I told her I was learning about an elementary school in Boston. Within 30 seconds of watching, her jaw dropped. "That's really a school?" she asked. "Those kids are so lucky!""

"If you are a student or a teacher you are probably looking to connect with experts and enhance your learning experience. To do so, your first step is to register as a member of the site. To register, scroll down to the bottom left under the Site Login area and choose "Register" beside "No account yet?" Once you register you can login to the site and access VROC's programming - located under the Programs menu. Specifically, we hope you participate in our "On The Fly" program, which connects classrooms with a live expert through videoconferencing technology. Don't forget to subscibe to the podcast by clicking on "Full Feed" under the T-WiSE Podcast menu on the right hand side of the website!"

Along with teaching students the required content, PBL teaches them skills such as critical thinking, collaboration, and accountability, self-regulation, and reflection.