EdTech 542 - Debrief

A Nuclear World

I understand that PBL is very student-centered compared to traditional classroom instruction. It is definitely more in-depth in terms of questioning and higher order thinking skills. I feel that I best understand how educational technology can prove an invaluable tool for PBL. Edtech allow students to delve farther into a topic than traditional classroom lessons. Students can virtually travel the world to investigate their driving questions. Want to know how the financial crisis in Greece is affecting the ordinary Greek? Get into a hangout with a Greek classroom and ask firsthand! The real world relevance component of PBL is probably the most important as it gives the student a sense of “Hey, this affects my world right now!”

What I understand least about PBL is why it has not been pushed as much into our schools. I’m guessing the time factor is problematic as it would be difficult to conduct PBL lessons for 100+ standards throughout the school year. But is it such a great way for students to learn a topic in-depth and they are unlikely to forget the experience as they have tangible products to show for their hard work. I personally can’t wait to put my PBL into action next semester.

When I first signed up for the course, I expected to learn about how to incorporate project-based lessons into the classroom. But I learned that PBL is so much more than that. Collaboration, creativity, research, problem-solving – so much goes into and comes out of PBL. I also gained great insights from my peers, which is another great aspect of PBL.

I will take what I have learned about PBL and begin designing a variety of PBL lessons for my Social Studies Department. I will also share the knowledge and teach my colleagues about PBL and how to build a PBL lesson. I have actually shown my PBL as it has progressed to my department and they really want to try it out this year. It seems there is going to be a new beginning for our students as they experience learning in a way they may never have before.

EdTech 542: From Teacher to Facilitator

In PBL my role as a teacher will change to that of a facilitator. I will still introduce material to students, but rather than simply spoon feed them all of the information, much of the learning experience will come down to students interacting with the material and their peers - a constructivist approach. This is in order to create products that will reflect the use of higher level thinking skills.

 To facilitate effectively the teacher needs to make every step of the PBL clear and concise since the students will be doing the bulk of the project on their own. The teacher must also motivate the student from the very beginning to promote personal interest and ownership in the project. Teachers must also take into account differentiated learning so that students don't disengage from a project.

The students should be given the resources necessary for them to be successful. If the project involves a digital story, then students should be given the steps involved in creating a digital story. Tutorials are a good way to ensure students can acquire skills necessary for project completion.

To become an effective facilitator would be to step back from the front of the classroom a little bit. I have been the "sage on the stage" for much of my teaching career but recently, since I began my EdTech journey, I have started to motivate my students to learn on their own and draw their own conclusions about topics in history. I have found that this has made them better able to support their arguments over the course of the year. This is what I want my students to be able to do for the rest of their lives - think for themselves.