This project is an awesome example of how far students can go with real-world challenges. And it all started because a teacher was wise enough to take a student's question seriously.

Here's a short-term project idea: Stop Bullying: Speak Up Comic Challenge takes on the subject of bullying with student-created comic strips. The challenge runs throughout October, using Bitstrips for Schools as a platform for comic creation. There's a gallery for publishing student work online, and best pieces will be published in a stop-bullying anthology.

Resources for projects relating to 9/11 anniversary in which students examine artifacts, conduct oral histories, and think critically about media.

I recently spent three days with about 25 educators gathered for a Foundations of Innovation workshop in Detroit. This post describes a few take-aways. The experience has me thinking about differences/distinctions between PBL and design thinking.

Project-based learning offers a host of benefits to youth during the academic day, but active learning doesn't have to stop when school's out. A new movement is underway to encourage PBL during summer vacations and after-school hours. Making PBL part of out-of-school time gives youth new opportunities to become leaders, thinkers, and problem-solvers.

First in a two-part series for Edutopia, this post looks at entry events in PBL (check out the video from Manor New Tech HS to see a good one in action). Part 2 looks at the other bookend: culminating events.

Newest classroom guide from Edutopia focuses on assessment strategies and tools for PBL. "Tips" are organized to follow the arc of a project.

New online tutorial on PBL basics from Buck Institute. You can also submit a project plan and ask for critical feedback.

Edutopia post about sticking with PBL, even when it's hard, with hat tip to Bianca's Blog.

Thoughtful response by Don Tapscott to NYT story on tech-distracted teens

In this Edutopia post, I share ideas from teachers who are using today's headlines to design relevant projects. The challenges: maintaining student attention once the news cycle ends, and going deep into content areas. Pls share more ideas in comments.

Highlights from PBL Camp, including webinar archives at Edutopia and project-planning wiki. Projects connect in some way to Gulf disaster, and plans are available to join, borrow, adapt. Dig in!

Edutopia is offering a free month-long PBL camp (I'm facilitating). We're going to use the oil spill as the starting place for designing collaborative projects that get students thinking as problem-solvers. Great opportunities here for finding classroom partners and like-minded collaborators. Please join us!

3 examples of teachers bringing gaming into classroom, reflecting on what works. Near end of this post, there's info about setting up free trial of SimCEO. Would like to hear your reactions/reviews if you give it a try.

Edutopia post includes highlights from recent webinar series featuring some outstanding PBL teachers

Here's a new Edutopia post where I use Tim Brown's strategies from his book, Change by Design, as guidelines for project-based learning. Feedback welcome.

Classroom 2.0 group is launching pad for a three-part webinar series on PBL implementation. Add to discussion, post questions and strategies, and we'll incorporate your perspective into this "un-conference-y" conversation series.

Troubles in the Flatlands! Cautionary tale re: global, collaborative, hugely popular project and potential for copyright issues.

Brewing legal battle over a popular, collaborative online project