I liked all the presentations and seeing the way you are all using the iPads in different ways with kids. I am especially interested in Animoto and am excited to experiment with this myself; a new format for announcing science trivia, perhaps?

In lower school science, many current activities could be viewed as "projects"; but, do they use the attributes of PBL? Must they? I think that it is valid to adjust some projects so that they become more in line with the concept of project-based learning, but it is still reasonable to want to avoid sacrificing lessons that give students foundational skills and information they will need when they work through science at higher grade levels.

For example, a project about solar energy could turn into "do research about and design the most effective solar cooker possible". By letting students find their own information about different solar cooker designs, decide how they will use those designs to develop their own model, and then assess their models themselves, they would not only learn about solar energy but also about researching, assessing different ideas, and analyzing how well their end product met their goals. This would produce a longer, but more engaging and valuable, experience for the students.

While this type of project is probably not valid for every science lesson, I think that looking at how what I do now could be enhanced by using some of the goals of PBL could definitely improve some of my science activities.