Blog Post # 11

Embed of My TEDx Talk 

In this video Brian Crosby tells us all about the projects he uses in his class and how he incorporates project based learning. A really exciting project he did that I could see myself using in the future was with balloons. His students attached a GPS to a balloon and they were able to track its progress using Google Maps. I think children will find projects like this exciting and intriguing and be more interested in the outcome. Using things like this keeps students more engaged. 

Blended Learning Cycle

Paul Anderson uses something called the blended learning cycle for his students. This uses online, mobile, and classroom learning to teach students. The learning cycle has five main components called the five E's. They are explore, expand, explain, engage, and evaluate. Paul Anderson also came up with an acronym for this cycle called Q.U.I.V.E.R.S. This stands for Question, Investigate/Inquiry, Video, Elaboration, Review, Summary quiz. I believe that if we used things like this in the classroom our students would not only learn more, but do better in school overall. 

Making Thinking Visible

In this video we watched about him he tells us about a project he had his sixth graders complete. This project was about early human beginnings. He had the students watch a video on this and they had to make a headline that summarized what they had learned. This is a much better idea than having students watch a video and then write an essay which is what a lot of my teachers throughout the years made me do. This type of assignment makes the students critical think and in the process they are really getting to know the material. 

Super Digital Citizen 

The teacher Sam Pane talks to his fifth grade class about how to be a good digital citizen and the correct way to use the internet. For the most part this was to tell the students how to act responsibly on the internet. They got to make digital superheros and then put them in real life situations. This kind of project not only teaches a good point, but also shows the students how to relate this to their lives right now. I think students would learn a good deal from this. 

Project Based Learning

This video is between three different teachers and how they changed things to make their classroom more Project Based Learning friendly. They gave students a project, and allowed them to complete it. After this they showed them how to make the project even better and the students were able to take pride in their work. More class time was allotted to allow students to work on their projects. The majority of the students liked how this project was done and were interested in doing more like it in the future. 

Roosevelt Elementary's PBL Program

Here we see how teachers are changing some things so they can teach their students things that they will be able to use in real life. I think this will help prepare the students for their futures and help them in the long run. Being able to relate topics in school to their daily lives will help the children later.