Group items tagged

3. Start with a sophisticated student-centered culture.

4. Make collaboration as powerful in school as it is in life.

5. Understand that PBL cannot be done alone.

Big Idea #4: I create conditions in which students can learn how to persevere.

Big Idea #5: I integrate content and create relevance.

Big Idea #6: I facilitate meaningful conversations.

Working with mentor teachers, we found that they had an assumption that young student teachers would naturally know the latest and greatest. The truth is that some do but many don’t, so training is essential!

They became models for the classroom teachers

All classes in our research site were inclusive with a diverse community of learners at every grade level including students with IEPs, 504 plans, autism spectrum disorders, and English language learners.

made the mistake of assuming the kids would immediately know how to use the technology in an appropriate way.

Success was more attributable to the fact that teachers who integrated iPads into their lessons tended to do more Project Based Learning (PBL), which has been found to improve student learning across grade levels (Cheu-Jay, 2015)

the hard-to-reach, reluctant, oppositional Edwards all became engaged when introduced to opportunities that the iPad gave them.

students enjoy learning and stay more focused when using iPads

with a little hands-on support, created technology-rich lessons with a minimum of training or professional development. The bottom line was that when we mixed training with support we created a successful and innovative learning experience for teachers and their students.

In terms of making a project feel meaningful to students, the more voice and choice, the better.

A project should give students opportunities to build such 21st century skills as collaboration, communication, critical thinking, and the use of technology, which will serve them well in the workplace and life. This exposure to authentic skills meets the second criterion for meaningful work—an important purpose. A teacher in a project-based learning environment explicitly teaches and assesses these skills and provides frequent opportunities for students to assess themselves.

Formalizing a process for feedback and revision during a project makes learning meaningful because it emphasizes that creating high-quality products and performances is an important purpose of the endeavor. Students need to learn that most people's first attempts don't result in high quality and that revision is a frequent feature of real-world work.

In addition to providing direct feedback, the teacher should coach students in using rubrics or other sets of criteria to critique one another's work. Teachers can arrange for experts or adult mentors to provide feedback, which is especially meaningful to students because of the source.

When students present their work to a real audience, they care more about its quality. Once again, it's "the more, the better" when it comes to authenticity. Students might replicate the kinds of tasks done by professionals—but even better, they might create real products that people outside school use.

She’s legendary for remembering the names of current and former students, recalling family members and interests. She writes notes to board members, students, and colleagues thanking them, praising them, recognizing their accomplishments.

we have extraordinary talent

connect project-based learning to the community

remember to avoid being overly restrictive. Create a culture of care and learning

Ask three before me” to encourage students to become reliant on each other

Use consistent key phrases to control usage

Make posters that summarize guidelines

Clarify behaviors

“Avoid focusing on apps…focus on what students can create using iPads

Instead, focus on projects that deepen reading and writing using blended media (e.g. video/audio)

One way to accomplish that includes changing the way you teach to present students with projects and problems that require collaboration, communication, and problem-solving.

These are simple, powerful ways to engage students. Use them for everything to get students thinking and making their thinking visible. Looking for more ideas? When you are ready, explore Dr. Wesley Fryer’s iPad Media Camp, Playing with Media video collection, Greg Kulowiec’s app smashing concept, and Lisa Johnson’s (@techchef4u) website. Kathy Schrock has a few resources for you, too. When you’re ready to buy apps, let me know. Green screen is one area you need to investigate more.

Seesaw (Free):

This is the TOP, must-have app to have in your classroom.