Reflection #6

1.        Discuss how technology tools can encourage students to be reflective and evaluate their own strengths.
Technology tools can encourage students to be reflective and evaluate their own strengths through a few simple ways. First off, blogs present students a place where they can reflect about what they have learned and what they continue to learn. Secondly, online websites, such as ProfilerPro, give you an option to take a survey that in return will recognize traits like strengths, flaws, understandings, and interests. Another website that was mentioned was SurveyMonkey, which gives you an option to set up your own surveys. This way a student can assess their own findings compared to the rest of a specific group.
2.        Describe several ways in which you can get students’ minds ready for a project.
The best way to get a student ready for a project is to spark interest, in other words engage the student and get them excited about the work that is ahead of them. Give them plenty of notice about the project so the information as time to settle in and flourish. Once you have their attention, support the students to think about the topic and come up with ideas. When they have come up with their own proposals encourage them to share with others, this not only will get them thinking more about the project but can give them insight to more possibilities concerning the task. When it comes time for the project to actually take place the students will have many ideas to run off from and the excitement will continue to thrive.
3.        Discuss the elements of teaching fundamentals first.
By teaching the fundamentals you are ensuring that your students will go off in the right direction. By getting students off on the right foot they will have a solid and accurate basis to go off from. This way they can build their knowledge from what they already know and it will make the information more relatable. Teaching fundaments first is like building blocks, and can be used as a great step when launching a new project.
4.        Describe the important steps in preparing students for using technology in project.
The book states, “Technology is not the project, but rather how the project gets done.” I think this is a good statement in the fact that it shows that we are using technology to aid us in getting a task done. It is also pointed out that all students will learn technology differently, some it will be natural and others may need a little extra help. The book suggests setting up a starting point, a “play ground”, I feel this is a good idea because it gives students a chance to explore and test their own knowledge. It also gives you a chance to see where the students are at as a whole and on an individual level.
5.        Discuss ways to promote inquiry and deep learning.
To promote deep learning once again it is important to engage the students and spark their interest. Once they are curious and gain excitement about an assignment that is when they begin to think deeper and come up with more imaginative and creative ideas. You can use questions and activities that help students learn things together along with their individual interests too. Encourage them to come up with new ideas that are different yet relevant to themselves.




6.        Discussion on how concepts in this chapter relate to your topic/project.
The concepts in this chapter will help us with the fundamentals of the project. I now know also how to get students' minds ready for the project!