Communication, Collaboration & Publishing

To help teachers better prepare their students for the future workforce, the International Society for Technology created standards. I like to refer to them as the ISTE Standards. Their purpose is to "describe the skills and knowledge [students] need to learn effectively and live productively in an increasingly global and digital society" (ISTE, 2015).
ISTE also made a sampling of learning activities, divided by grade levels, to help teachers have an idea of how to specifically meet the standards in class. These can be found on the same website and are located under the title of "ISTE Standards Student Profiles."

In my Project Based Learning (PBL) class from Wilkes University, I have learned how to facilitate a successful PBL experience in my classroom and the learning benefits it brings to the students. PBL relies heavily on communication, collaboration and publishing. These three components are also essential pieces of the ISTE Standards. Let me first state the 6 parts of the Standards:

1. Creativity and innovation
2. Communication and collaboration
3. Research and information fluency
4. Critical thinking, problem solving and decision making
5. Digital citizenship
6. Technology operations and concepts

It's easy to see that #2 specifically addresses the importance of communication and collaboration. ISTE specifically states that this involves "using digital media and environments to communicate and work collaboratively, including at a distance, to support individual learning and contribute to the learning of others" (ISTE 2015). PBL is a great way to bridge the gap between schools and develop streams of communication using web 2.0 tools such as email, Skype (video chat), Google+ Hangouts (video & typed chat). The purpose of communicating in this case is to collaborate on a project with distant peers and/or professionals. Collaborative platforms like Google Apps for Education, Edmodo, and Wikispaces then provide a medium to work on the same document, presentation or product together...in real time! Those same platforms can then publish the students' work with a simple click of the button, whether it is just for their class, school or the whole world to see and benefit from.

PBL doesn't just accomplish the #2 ISTE Standard though. Creativity and innovation is a given when producing a new document, presentation or product. Students develop research and information fluency by finding and using appropriate digital tools and information to accomplish the project's goals. Students use critical thinking, problem solving and decision making to overcome challenges during PBL, individually and with their distant collaborator. Under the teacher's guidance, students will also learn to be global digital citizens simply by working with a student or professional in another country. Lastly, with enough support from the teacher and the school's administration & IT, students in PBL activities will build their technology operations and concepts skills as they learn, use,  and troubleshoot their hardware and software. 

Given the benefits of PBL and how it taps into all parts of the ISTE Standards, teachers should attempt to incorporate PBL in the classroom if they haven't already.

Resources

ISTE Standards for Students. (2015). Retrieved July 23, 2015, from 

http://www.iste.org/standards/iste-standards/standards-for-students

Project Based Learning Examples

This summer I enrolled in another technology master's class (my 5th) from Wilkes University called "Project Based Learning." After the first week I am already very excited to utilize this type of learning in my classroom! Below are stories and videos from 3 different schools that have successfully used Project Based Learning (PBL) in the classroom.

"More Fun Than a Barrel of . . . Worms?!" - Diane Curtis, Edutopia

http://www.edutopia.org/more-fun-barrel-worms

"Geometry Students Angle into Architecture Through Project Learning" - Sara Armstrong, Edutopia

http://www.edutopia.org/geometry-real-world-students-architects

"March of the Monarchs: Students Follow the Butterflies' Migration"

- Diane Curtis, Edutopia

http://www.edutopia.org/march-monarchs

If you have the time, I definitely recommend watching the videos, which are very inspiring as a teacher to watch! If you don't have time, however, you can see what I have gleaned to be the factors that made these schools and their projects so successful at engaging kids and increasing tests scores.

Circumstances and environment that enabled the teachers and students to do successful PBL: 

• A school that embraces PBL from the principal down, and teachers willing to experiment and learn with PBL as well
• The school strives to “meet students’ academic, emotional & creative needs!” (Curtis, 2001)
• Morning meetings
• Looping (teachers stay with 1 class for 2 years)
• Community service
• State-of-the-art technology
• Professional development
• Teachers accomplish multiple standards in 1 project, focus on applying the students’ learning through projects
• Time, space & creativity to do PBL

Design of a successful, enriching PBL:

1. Teacher researches what standards can be met first
2. Brainstorm for interests, big ideas & essential questions
3. Field work
1. research
2. go on field trips
3. meet with experts
4. perform experiments
5. use graphic organizers
4. Share findings (oral presentations, digital slideshows, display boards) with authentic audiences & their feedback

Teacher Role: facilitator, encourager, student & project advocate, not a lecturer, feedback giver, inspirational spark, keen observer

Student Role: scientist, mathematician, designer, businessperson, researcher, problem-solver, team member, presenter

"If you find it yourself, it stays in your brain," sums up a third student.” http://www.edutopia.org/more-fun-barrel-worms

With the above circumstances, design principles & roles, students are more engaged because they are able to explore and solve real-world problems that are relevant to them. Higher engagement and interest naturally lead to more learning and critical thinking because when something matters to a student, they will do whatever they can to find a solution (or solutions) to a problem. Plus, when they see how their project findings are critiqued and used by professionals (authentic audience) in their community, they are motivated to do their best.

To summarize the effectiveness of PBL, I'll let a 3rd grader have the last word: "If you find it yourself, it stays in your brain" (Curtis, 2001). 

Resources

Curtis, D. (2001, October 1). More Fun Than a Barrel of . . . Worms?! Retrieved June 29, 2015, from http://www.edutopia.org/more-fun-barrel-worms