Reading Reflection #6

Technology tools can encourage students to be reflective and evaluate their own strengths in many various ways. First of all, rubrics and checklists in general can offer an opportunity for students to build awareness of the skills and attitudes of their accomplished outcome of the project. Tools that are specifically used include blogs, which offer students space to reflect over time about the learning that takes place throughout their project. Also, ProfilerPro allows students to identify learning characteristics of not only themselves but also among other members of a group. It is an online survey tool where strengths, weaknesses, and interests can be identifies to guide learning. With this, students can also reassess their profile over time and see how their "badge" develops as they gain new skills and information. SurveyMonkey and Zoomerang are two additional online surveys that students can benefit from. The results can aid students in tracking trends to help them see how their assessment compares to other members of the group.

There are numerous ways in which students' minds can be prepared for a new project. The first and most important way is through activating their prior knowledge. A KWL chart is a great way to see what students already know and want to know, while getting them excited about the project. It is important for the teacher to express the passion that should go into this project and give students time to settle in their imaginations. They should be invited to open their eyes to the possibilities that can come from a project they will be working on. At the start of a project, it is important to keep in mind that it's all about possibilities because all learning is yet to come. Teachers and students should be optimistic when starting a project and explore a variety of ideas for the project.

When the book talks about teaching fundamentals first, it means to think about the skills and knowledge that students need in order to work independent and with a group throughout the project. Students first need a basic understanding of what it is they will be investigating. Once they have background knowledge on the subject, they can then investigate details within the subject and further plan their investigation. By teaching the fundamentals first, students can be headed in the right direction as the project starts. Two crucial components of teaching the fundamentals first include setting the stage for independent inquiry and sharing the assessment rubric. This will help students to become aware of what they already know and what they will need to know. Also, it will help them imagine where their learning can go through the involvement in the project.

There are also important steps to take when preparing students for working with technology within the project. In some cases, this means preparing students in advance to the start of the project so that they will be more familiar when it comes time to use it for investigation purposes. The first step is to set up a technology playground. This means giving students the opportunity to teach each other about certain tools to see where help is needed, such as a brief demonstration or more in depth lesson. Secondly, teachers should tap student expertise, where some students act as trainers to help demonstrate certain tools. Before the project is actually started, the tools should be discussed to talk about their purpose as well as the expectations for its use. The third step is to introduce project-management tools, such as a project log or journal. These tools offer a way for students to help keep track of their progress by giving them a checklist or having them write about their own progress. Another important component is to demonstrate the tools. If the teacher is not familiar with a certain tool, he/she should consult a technology specialist.

To promote inquiry and deep learning within a project, certain outcomes should be understood by all students. All subjects should be thought of before the actual project takes place. The students should explore for a week or so before getting started on the project. It should always be kept in mind to explore students own interests and not just the concepts the teacher decides to investigate. The project can take many directions and the teacher should allow it to so that students can learn many concepts together at once. Asking questions is a great way to gets students to think more about an idea or concept as well as to deeper their understanding.

These ideas in this chapter related to the project that my group is working on because they talked about exploring the different subjects that could be incorporated before the project actually gets going. This is exactly what my group did with the use of the bubbl concept map. We went through every subject and thought of lessons and concepts that would fall within each subject. This was a great way to keep our thoughts organized and make sure that a wide variety of learning takes place during our project. Also, the chapter talked a lot about rubrics and after working with them in class, I can see how they can be used. I now understand that they can benefit both the teacher and student, by acting as a checklist as the project takes place. Students could even make their own rubrics to determine what learning outcomes should be gained at the end of the project.