Reading Discussion #5

   1.  Many things should be considered before starting a project with students. The teacher will need to gather resources. They can do this by taking an inventory and seeing what supplies, tools, and other materials at the school or offered by parents and/or the community have available. Teachers also need to make sure their students will have access to technology that will be easy for them to use and that will be able to be accessed frequently. Teachers also want to keep in mind the type of experts that could come into the classroom in which students could learn from. Teachers also might want to consider videoconferencing or virtual field trips that could take place for the students if actual traveling is not available. Teachers also want to make sure they have a project calendar that is posted online or in the classroom that highlights when deadlines with tasks are due. Teachers also want to make sure that they plan their teams well, making sure each team has a good mix of skills. Teachers also want to plan what assessments to do throughout the project and create opportunities to know what your students are thinking and understanding throughout the project, not just at the end.  There are many things to think about before starting a project. It can kind of be overwhelming to think of it all, but front-loading at the beginning of the project is totally worth it in the end to have a successful project that the students enjoy.

 

    2. Teachers’ management needs include: tools for communicating throughout the project, a tools for making milestones for the students (like a school calendar), ways to get students access to resources, systems for managing work products, structures that support a productive learning environment, and assessment tools and strategies.

Students’ management needs include: systems and tools to help them manage their time, tools to help them manage materials and drafts along the way, collaboration tools, method for seeking assistance, ways to get and receive feedback on their work, a way to see how parts will add up to the whole project.

   3.       The book presents 4 technology applications that should be considered for use in a project. First, a wiki can be created to share content and to be able to write and edit from anywhere. Second, a blog is more of a one-to-many delivery system, one primary author controls the contents. Viewers can comment on posts. Blogs can be great for communicating about progress or milestones. Third and fourth, Drupal and Textpattern are more sophisticated spaces that combine content management and blogging. These have plugins such as discussion forums and surveys.

  

   4.      There is so much to think about for finalizing our project idea. We will need to think about how we can gather resources for our students. We will also need to think about what types of technology our students can use for the project. We need to discuss experts that could come into our classroom that could talk about their own work in our project area. We also need to think about possible virtual field trips that we could take our students on to deepen the project experience. We need to get organized and figure out a project calendar on what students should be doing when and when things should be due. Finally, we need to think about the ways in which we are going to assess for this project.