I tried to post this on the wiki for EDL 719, but every time I go back, it is deleted. So here it is...
To first answer Keith’s question, I believe that any person can walk to any classroom at any time and day and see the answer. Student engagement is down and teachers are not only expected to teach but to ‘entertain’ the students so they are engaged in the lesson. Technologies such as iPods, cell phones, social networking sites, etc. have caused some people to rethink their values. For instance, instead of listening to teachers, students will text each other because they don’t and cannot see the value of the education. Some students think they don’t need to know this stuff in the real-world and if they do, they can always Google it. Technology has made some lazier. Why learn the information when one can research it and in a matter of seconds and have the answer? I believe that the innovation of technology and social networking sites have created students who cannot learn and think like we did; that is why project based learning is needed. In times past, education was primarily focused on learning the important content for each subject area, then assessing this content knowledge with quizzes and tests at the end of a lesson” (45). Well, due to change, technology, and social networking, the old days and style of learning is gone. If students cannot connect lessons to their life, forget about teaching them. We need to start including, adapting, and integrating 21st skills such as financial, health, and environmental literacy to core subjects.
To help myself better understand what project based learning would look like in my classroom, I need to first include and engage the students. I like the phrase “Learning is Earning” found on page eight in the book. I think I can link this to engagement. So many students tune school out because they are not getting paid like a regular job. Students cannot link that an education will later pay them. I think that is the first battle with students is to teach and show them how learning is in fact earning.
Project based learning “involves projects focused on solving complex, real-world problems using a case study approach. Students work in small groups to investigate, research, and create solutions to problems that could have multiple solutions and methods for reaching them” (111). This description has helped me focus on my project for this class. I like having mini investigative groups to solve problems in many different ways. The only problem I have with this is will the students get sick of this? Will students become overwhelmed with multiple projects and become bored with school?
I do see problems with project based learning in our district. The book points out that in order “To create a 21st century school system, these interlinked support systems must all work together:” (118). How will we get EVERYONE on the same page including every school, teacher, staff member, students, parents, and administrator? This is the biggest challenge and hurdle that I see for us. The best answer I have is to try it out and compare and contrast data from a project based class to a more traditional class. Facts cannot be proven wrong.
If anyone wants to see more examples of project based schools, Catalina Foothills in Arizona is a great example. Here is a link to the YouTube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4UndA8HIiwc
Hollie, I found your opening paragraph interesting because it reminds me so much of the book I read in EDL 755, The Shallows. One of the statements the author uses is that we are being, "distracted from distraction, by distraction." He also mentions that we are training ourselves to have a "staccato" way that we thinking. As we see the impact of the impact on adults, we can only assume that the internet and the gaming are changing the way our brains, and more importantly the student's brains, are processing information. I think you made some good points.
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