Reading Reflection #4

      1. One potential pitfall in project design is having a project that takes a long time to finish, but doesn’t really meet a lot of learning aims. Another pitfall is not just using technology to make a research report type of project, but to actually use the technology to bring people together, connect students to rich data and to be able to create unique learning products. Another pitfall projects can fall into is trivial thematic units. These types of units can get away from using multiple disciplines, having collaboration, and being rigorous, which are all areas of PBL that need to be present in order for it to be successful. A final pitfall that projects can fall into is having a lot of steps to get through; the best PBL projects have students make critical decisions in their learning path.

   

      2. One feature of a good project is letting the students’ interests and curiosity drive the learning experience. Another feature is to have students develop inquiry skills. Another is to teach the students how to do internet research to answer their own questions. Another feature is to have the students keep asking questions and wanting to ask questions about the material surrounding their project. Another good feature is to teach the students something that they do not already know, and to keep them wanting to learn more.

     3.  Good projects come from anywhere. Tried and true projects from the past, projects made by and for other teachers, news stories, contemporary issues, student questions/interests, and/or a classroom irritant name a few places where ideas can come from.

  

     4. One step to designing a project is to make a list of the learning objectives you want your project to hit. Another step is to decide what 21^st century skills you want your students to learn during the project, such as critical thinking and collaboration). Another step is to identify learning dispositions you want to foster, such as persistence and reflection. Another step is to imagine what you would want the students to be able to do after completing the project. A final step is thinking of a project that will captivate your students’ attention and get them excited to learn.

  

      5. I feel like there could be many pitfalls in the project design that my group has so far. We need to determine what we really want our learning aims to be, and not just let the project be really long with no real learning involved. We also need to make sure we are using technology in a good way and figure out when and where to use it within the project. I think we really need to sit down and write out a project sketch like the book suggested and try and identify what our goals and objectives and overall project is going to look like.