Friday, February 24, 2012

Reflection #5

There should be some things to take into consideration before starting a project with students. Teachers will have to make sure that they know what materials they will need throughout the project. It will be important to get materials if the teacher cannot find them within the school or community. A good way to acquire materials is to send out a letter or include it in a newsletter to parents. Teachers will also need to take into account if any technology will need to be used. The teacher should be familiar with any sites and if the students need login names or passwords. Experts are also something to take into consideration. Experts may have jobs and will need to be contacted ahead of time which will give the teacher time to prepare students. Some experts may not have time to visit a classroom but the use of technology can help. Video chatting or audio chat with the class can include an expert and involve the students. Also if a teacher is using technology the staff in charge of the technology can be a great resource to the students and the teachers.
Teachers can teach students to become great managers of their own time. This is a great skill that students should be learning throughout the project because it is a skill that they will use throughout their life. Creating a project calendar that serves as a way for students to check where they are is a great tool. Putting different milestones on the calendar and sharing it with the students will help the teacher check to see if the students are on task as well as the students managing whether they are on schedule. This will allow the teacher to stay organized as well as the students as they reach certain deadlines.
The technology applications that can be used in a project is personalized web pages. Students can make their own space on the internet to collect their ideas, research, and publish their work. By doing this the students can figure out tools to use and organizational styles that will suit their page or blog the best. This is a great 21st century skill in that they are using deeper thinking and applying themselves.
I think the use of technology can be a good tool in our project. I really like the idea of giving the students freedom to make their own blogs or web pages. In our unit we could give the students the opportunity to create their own blog when we have them create their own workout plan. This could be a great way for students to conduct research and take data while at the same time giving them the space to organize their thoughts in their own way.

3 comments:

  1. Having students make their own web pages makes me a little nervous. I would have to learn a lot beforehand and try hard to be prepared. Did you ever experience having a web page of your own when you were in school?

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  2. I really like where you talked about using technology in your project. That's such a cool idea to have the students create their own workout plan within a blog! I think that it will help students to keep track of their health and their data along the way of staying fit. I like that they would have the opportunity to record along the way how they are doing on the project and if they have any problems or suggestions. By having an online blog, they can keep all of their information and data in one place instead of risking losing any papers or information. Since there are a lot of parts to a project, having all of your progress in one spot that all students can access is a great way to stay organized and plan for a successful outcome of the project!

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  3. I really enjoyed what you are doing with the students technology wise. I think it is a cool idea that the students will be making their own blog and be making their own workout schedule! This will help the students stay on track with their own work out plan and not have to worry about losing anything or even having to worry about other students seeing their workout plans.

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