Reading Reflection #10

1.) Discussion on the importance of setting aside time for reflection.
Taking time to reflect helps students feel good about their accomplishments, but more importantly, reflection can be the thing that makes learning really stick. Setting aside time for reflection helps students reveal things they might not otherwise think about: what they learned, their growth as learners, and what they want to learn in projects ahead

2.) Discussion on the reason students need to reflect and elaborate.
As students complete more and more projects, they will be able to handle more tasks as they go. As a teacher you need to ask your students to reflect and elaborate. Ask: What does this get you wondering about next? What do you want to learn now, and how do you want to go about it?

3.) Discussion on how schools build tradition and identity.
Many schools' identities are tied to their traditions. Once you have established a tradition of excellence, students will feel it's a privilege to honor the tradition with their hard work. In order to build a tradition, you have to get the community involved so that the school can form an identity.

4.) Discussion on the importance celebrating a project.
Anyway that you can celebrate the experience of learning by a student, do it. Students worked really hard on their projects and it's important to show the students how good of a job they did and how much you appreciate their hard work.

5.) Discussion on how concepts in this chapter relate to your topic/project.
In this section, it is important to understand how much reflection is important to a students learning. At the end of our garden fundraiser, students will be able to look back and reflect on everything they have learned.

Reflection # 9

   1.   Description of a method of understanding prior-knowledge of students.

Quizzes and surveys can be taken ahead of time to determine the capabilities of the students.  These determined capabilities will in hand be used to develop the ways in which lessons with be taught, projects will be conducted and grading rubrics will also be based on them

    2.  Discussion on the importance of establishing anchors for a project.

Anchors are important to establish before assessing a student’s work.  Not every student starts their learning process in the same location, so it is unfair to grade them by the same finishing standard.  They should be graded by level of progression and effort.

    3.  Description of several ways to assess what students learned during the project.

It is important to asses a student’s progress in more ways than just evaluating a written paper.  It is important to also evaluate their understanding, presentation, knowledge of content, work ethic and so on.  All of these areas are important to learn while in school and therefore they should be assessed.

   4.   Discussion on how concepts in this chapter relate to your topic/project.

Anchors are a great concept to use while determining how the project will be graded.  Expectations for each student will remain equally demanding, but also equal within the starting point.  That way students with more experience do not excel above the others in their classes, just because of their advantage before even beginning the project.

Reflection #9

Description of a method of understanding prior-knowledge of students.
Relying on assessment strategies is a good way to understand prior knowledge. Knowing what kids understand about the project beforehand will then give a really good outline of what the teacher will need to know in order to create a lesson plan.

Discussion on the importance of establishing anchors for a project.
By establishing anchors, you gain a sense of where students are starting and how far they are  going as they work to meet learning goals. The distance they travel during a project will not be the same for each learner.

Description of several ways to assess what students learned during the project.
A really good example to see what students understand something is by having them read a book and then showing the movie, the students should then be able to tell you the differences between each and how the movie strayed from the book. You can ask the students to summarize what they have learned as well, in a paragraph or several paragraphs. Tests are always the choices of checking of learning after a unit or project, but sometimes tests aren't always the best way to check for understanding.

Discussion on how concepts in this chapter relate to your topic/project.
This topic would help teachers check for understanding on the project as well as give us ideas on how see that the children are actually learning something from the project.

Reflection #9

1. Description of a method of understanding prior knowledge of students:
Before beginning a project it is best to know what your students already know about the topic. A good way to do this is to have your students fill out a KWL chart or other graphic organizers that may go along with the project or topic. These methods will help you as a teacher to determine what students already understand.


2.  Discussion on the importance of establishing anchors for a project:
By establishing what your students know and don't know before you begin will determine how far your students come along in meeting their learning goals. If you don't know what your students already know, you won't know if they learned anything in the end.


3. Description of several ways to assess what students learned during the project:
A big way to assess students would be to have them create something new. By this, I mean we could have our students create something that overall asks them to summarize and utilize what they learned in the project. Another way to assess them would be to ask the students what they learned. This will give us a straight forward answer of where they have come and what they learned overall. Another way would be having them demonstrate their understanding through real world assessment. By this I mean have your students give feedback through a profession. For example, having students have a debate or describing what they know through journalism.


4. Discussion on how concepts in this chapter relate to your project or topic:
This correlates well with our project because we need to know where our students stand on the basis of gardening. We need to know where to begin and what things we need to touch base on. This chapter demonstrates how we can measure our students progress toward the goal we plan to achieve.

Reflection #8

1.  Description of some ways to build connections and branch out beyond the classroom.

Building connections is a process.  The first steps should be small, such as keeping a data base of parents and their expertise.  Then checking out forums and conferences where experts would be available to communicate and interact with students.  After all that it would be possible to move on to reaching people worldwide through blogs and to communicate with them through video chats, wikis and podcasts.

2.  Description of the EAST Initiative Model.

EAST Initiative is amazing.  It is nationwide and covers learners from elementary school all the way up to post-secondary. It takes students who typically are uninvolved and teaches them in an interactive setting.  They learn to use new technology and how to apply it to projects.  They often work in groups and branch out into projects that involve their community.  It is exactly what project based learning should be.  The students are excited about learning and can be proud of their accomplishments.

3.  Discussion on some reasons to let students “lead” their projects.

By letting the students take the lead in their own individual projects, you are giving them wings.  Each student has their own passion, and their work will be at its best, when they are working on something they care about.  It gives the student the opportunity to deepen their knowledge, while really being able to show off their talents.  Teachers don’t always have to be there for the leadership, but they will still need to provide support.

4.  Discussion on how concepts in this chapter relate to your topic/project.

Branching out will really affect our project.  Communicating with the classroom in France will be very important.  I am glad that other forms of communication were brought up.  Video chats are great, but with different time zones, they may be difficult to achieve on a regular basis.  To supplement that, wikis and podcasts will be very helpful, along with the blog.

Reading Reflection #8

1. Description of some ways to build connections and branch out beyond the classroom:
Technology in itself allows our students to reach out in the community and to reach a broader audience. Motivation is a big connector when it comes to technology because our students will know that others are reading, writing, and listening to what they have to say. Creating digital stories is something students can do to get their research or topic out in the community and this is all done through technology.


2. Discussion of the EAST initiative model:
EAST stands for Environmental and Spacial Technologies. This model has students working to demonstrate the benefits of technology in order to solve problems and make improvements in their communities. The students get the community involved to show them the significance of their projects and getting them to support their projects as well.


3.  Discussion of some reasons to let students lead their projects:
As students become more familiar with technology and project based learning, it becomes well aware that the students are in fact capable of leading their own projects starting with the basics. Asking students what they are passionate about and having them be responsible for their own project gives them a sense of ownership and responsibility. Having students share their ideas and come up with their own plan is a great way to expand critical thinking skills as well.


4. Discussion of how concepts in this chapter relate to your topic/project:
This chapter relates to our project through the talk about building connections. By creating a podcast and reaching out in the community through a fundraiser, we have to know how to get the word out and we do this through technology too.

Reading Reflection 8

1.) Description of some ways to build connections and branch out beyond the classroom.
Teachers can arrange for their students to meet with politicians, academics and experts as well as have a pen pal system so children can talk to other people their age all around the world. By conversing with experts, children are able to see what some people do and the experts can answer any questions that the children might have.

2.) Description of the EAST Initiative Model.
East stands for Environmental and Spatial Technologies. It's a network of schools that have been demonstrating the benefits of technology for a real purpose to solve problems and make improvements in their communities. EAST students master the tools that they need to, to solve community problems that interest them.

3.) Discussion on some reasons to let students “lead” their projects.
Students can take on their own learning and we as teachers can be there to support them. Students have their own path and they can tackle it themselves. Students need to eventually be able to think for themselves and go about things in their own directions.

4.) Discussion on how concepts in this chapter relate to your topic/project?
The topics discussed in this chapter can help our students be able to understand that they need to take their own lead for the projects that they do. Our students also need to know that we will be there for support.

Reflection #7

1.  Description of the levels of classroom discussions.

• Teacher to Teacher- These kinds of discussions are necessary for teachers who are collaborating together as project facilitators.  Communication is needed in order to figure out who is covering each responsibility and to keep track of student progress and needs.

• Student to Student – It is important for the students to develop strong communication skills.  It helps them work together effectively.  Discussion time is needed for them to bounce ideas off each other and develop their projects.

• Teacher to Student- While lectures may not take place as often as they would with non-project based learning, it is still important to have regular interaction between students and instructors.  The teacher can have small discussions with individual students and groups and have larger discussions while instructing the class on the basics, such as how to use certain digital devices.

2.  Discussion on the questions for “checking in” on students during a project.

There are four types of questions in this criteria, Procedural, Teamwork, Understanding, and Self-assessment.  Procedural and Teamwork questions are focused towards the instructor.  Many questions can be posed to see if the projects are on task and to keep track of where all the students are at.  It is also important to keep track of how the teams are working together, so no one is doing more or less than the rest of the group.  Understanding and Self-assessment are directed towards the student.  It is important to make sure every student understands what is going on and to make sure they are headed in the right direction with their project.  It is also important to ask careful questions to help them look critically at their work, and an online journal would be useful for reflection.

3.  Discussion on the benefits to students when optimizing the use of technology.

Using the technology that students normally use in a recreational setting, in an educational manner, makes learning interesting.  It grabs the student’s attention and takes away from the negativity of always having to confiscate the items.  When students learn how to use the items in an educational manner, it increases their capacity to learn in and out of the school setting.  It also keeps their interest and they are more likely to actively participate.

4.  Discussion on the 21st-century skills that can make or break a project.

Technology is a great tool, but it can also become very distracting.  Care should be taken to keep students on task.  It is also important for the students to know the direct requirements with the technology, so they don’t get hung up on making something look cool and yet it doesn’t achieve the goals that were intended.

5.  Discussion on how concepts in this chapter relate to your topic/project.

It is important to let the students have discussions among themselves.  They can figure out a lot on their own.  It is also important not to lead the conversations too much and when asking questions it is important to ask them carefully, to keep the conversation in the right direction.

Reflection #7

1.) Description of the levels of classroom discussions.

Teacher to Teacher: This is when you and your colleagues will get together and touch base on anything and everything. You will constantly be asking each other questions and communicating. If no face to face communication can be had, then make sure that you and your colleagues are conversing via technology such as blogs or wiki.

Student to Student: Students should be talking about their learning experiences as they unfold within their teams as well with other teams. As a teacher, remind them that good teamwork will help them be organized and stay on track.

Teacher to Student: Teachers will be able to talk to the whole class at once, such as you have an announcement that they need to hear. Whatever you decide to do, the whole class needs to be involved whether you are demonstrating or just going to explain how something is to be done.

2.) Discussion on the questions for “checking in” on students during a project.

There are four different ways to check in on your students while they are doing their project. There is procedural, understanding, teamwork and self assessment. With these questions you just simply as and just walk away. Through the use of your questions, you may find something that you just didn't expect.

3.) Discussion on the benefits to students when optimizing the use of technology.

Students gain new insights into how to communicate with a culturally diverse audience. Rather than limiting students to use a particular technology, it is good to let your students follow their interests. For example, some students may be really good at making movies or animations or graphics, so therefore the students can make what they are the best at. Not every student is going to be good at the same thing, therefore they would enjoy the project more if they were making something they were good at.

4.) Discussion on the 21st-century skills that can make or break a project.

Teamwork is a skill that can make or break the project. Conversation within the groups can also make or break a project. By not having teamwork or being able to communicate with your classmates and teacher, your project is going to face some hard times.

5.) Discussion on how concepts in this chapter relate to your topic/project.

This section will help us with our project because our students will be in groups of 5 and they will need to be able to communicate and use teamwork with one another. Also, we know what questions to ask our students when we are just checking in.

Reflection #7

1. Description of the levels of classroom discussions:

Teacher to Teacher- collaborate with other teachers to get ideas and work together to solve project planning. If there is no time for face to face talk then be sure to post a blog or wiki to keep your teacher conversations going!
Student to student- students need to collaborate together and talking about their learning experiences with their teams and across teams. Good communication is all part of effective teamwork.
Teacher to student- lead the classroom whole group by making small announcements or leading the class through something they need to work on or to check up on how students are doing. Circulating, talking to small groups, and observing are all a big part of teacher to student discussions.

2. Discussion on the questions for "checking in" on students during a project:

Some of the questions that come up while checking in on students during their project include: Are we staying on schedule? Do we have the right materials available? How are team members getting along? Is everyone doing their part in the project?
All of these questions consist of checking in on the procedural and teamwork part of the project. It is important to ask these questions to make sure all the students are doing their part and understanding the project. This brings back teacher to student discussions by circulating and observing your students as they work in their teams. It is also very important to be checking in through understanding and self-assessment. Ask questions that encourage reflection so you keep them engaged and focused.

3. Discussion on the benefits to students when optimizing the use of technology:

From email to online collaborative tools, technology offers a wide range of ways to connect students with the broader community. Another benefit is that students can access their work from any computer and makes it easier to answer questions that students might have outside of school through technology. Technology helps them keep track of important milestones and also keeps them organized.

4. Discussion on the 21st century skills that make or break a project:

Teamwork is something in the 21st century that can make or break a project. This can be solved by letting students learm to manage their own team conflicts because this will teach them real-life skills. By making teamwork a focus for formal assessment, we can help emphasize the importance of this 21st century skill. Troubleshooting is also another 21st century skill that can make or break a project. This isn't something that can always be prevented so we have to let our students learn to fine tune strategies and setbacks that go along with troubleshooting.

5. Discussion on how concepts in this chapter relate to your topic/project:

This chapter will be very beneficial for our project. One thing that really stuck out to me was the student to student collaboration. It is important for everyone in our group to work together effectively through communication and by each doing our fair share. Teamwork can really be a difficult concept if there are team member that doesnt cooperate or do their task.