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"A project-based approach to science and math activities is enjoyable for every student and teacher involved. Fun activities, supported by making connections with concepts promote learning. Over the past decade an increasing number of studies have shown the positive impact of project-based learning on student achievement."

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.

"Welcome to PBL-Online, a one stop solution for Project Based Learning! You'll find all the resources you need to design and manage high quality projects for middle and high school students"

True Project Based Learning is a process that puts the student at the center of their learning. In this post I wish to share with you some of the top sites I found on the internet that promote true PBL. Since my research I have bookmarked a few more and will be sharing those in a later post. Please share this post with others and as you find other outstanding sites on the internet that refer to PBL, please share with me. Your comments are always appreciated!

Project-based approaches engage students in deeper content area knowledge and develop 21st century skills such as collaboration, problem-solving, and critical thinking.

tudents need to know what they are expected to accomplish when they are working within a project based unit. When they know where they are headed and what you expect from them, they will always do their best plus a little bit more. At the same time the teacher should understand how to manage the unit's progression from the beginning through the end.

Driving questions (DQ) can be a beast. When I train teachers, they say the same thing, "Writing the Driving question is one of the hardest parts of an effective PBL." I agree. When I am constructing a DQ for a PBL project, I go through many drafts. It's only now, after implementing many projects and having coached countless teachers that I consider myself adept.

These days teams can be dispersed all over the globe. With outsourcing, telecommuting, distance learning and complex project collaboration, it's often helpful to have tools that can assist with the various collaborative tasks need to be done by dispersed teams. I've put together a great list of 27 free web based tools that will help you and your teammates do nearly all the things you need to do to work together from different locations. There are virtual workspaces, customer service applications, project management tools, mindmapping and even online conferencing tools - all FREE! Have a look and see if you can use any of these to connect with others and collaborate!

Many teachers and administrators -- not to mention the general public -- might have the wrong impression of PBL. Maybe they have stereotypical views of what a "project" is, or they've seen poor examples of it in the past. Or they can't imagine how it could fit in today's landscape of standards and testing ("Oh yeah, we did that in the 90's, but things were different then.") Here are some common misconceptions and how you could respond with a "fact check" if you're trying to explain or defend PBL.

Problem and Project Based Learning Activities

Molecular Workbench offers interactive, visual simulations and activities that have been widely used in science teaching for students of all ages. Our database is designed to provide teachers and students with easy access to our model-based activities. The activities are derived largely, but not entirely, from projects of the Concord Consortium sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF). The models are primarily of interactions of atoms and molecules, or rule-based genetics.

Problem Based Learning website with great ideas and projects.

"Office Remote turns your Windows Phone into a smart remote for Microsoft Office, providing convenient touch-based control of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint documents projected from your PC. It lets you show what you want, when you want, with all the freedom you need to walk around and connect with your audience."

STEM Unit Plans Explore technology rich units that use project-based approaches to support the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math Curriculum. Intel believes that young people are the key to solving global challenges. A solid math and science foundation coupled with skills such as critical thinking, collaboration and problem solving are crucial for their success.

iCivics is a web-based education project designed to teach students civics and inspire them to be active participants in our democracy. iCivics is the vision of Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, who is concerned that students are not getting the information and tools they need for civic participation, and that civics teachers need better materials and support.

This website is designed for educators who wish to extend the concepts of the math curriculum beyond the pages of the text. Google Earth is the dynamic tool that will be used to accomplish this. Google Earth provides startling clear satellite views of the globe in an interactive 3D environment. Beyond the visual, users can add placemarks, annotations, photos, and models, as well as measure distances and draw paths. Within this site you will find lesson ideas, examples, and downloads for mathematics that embrace active learning, constructivism, and project-based learning while remaining true to the standards. The initial focus will be for grades 5 and up, but teachers of younger students may be able to find some uses or inspiration from the site. Higher level thinking skills, such as analysis, synthesis, and creativity are encouraged as well as technology skills and social learning. The scope of this site is mathematics, but many lessons lend themselves to interdisciplinary activities also.

Teaching English with Technology is dedicated to helping English & Language Arts teachers incorporate technology effectively into their classrooms and is presented by EdTechTeacher. EdTechTeacher and TEWT are led by Tom Daccord and Justin Reich, academic technology trainers, speakers, and authors. Explore TEWT.org and find inquiry-based lessons, activities, and projects. Learn about new and emerging technologies such as blogs, podcasts, wikis, and online social networks, and explore innnovative ways of integrating them into the curriculum!

Fun, interactive, research-based simulations of physical phenomena from the PhET project at the University of Colorado.

Video Production is more than a new toy for students. It helps students create work in a new and exciting way. This is a place for serious fun. Kids'Vid is an instructional website to help teachers and students use video production in class to support project-based learning.