Reading Reflection 5

1. Discussion on the items that should be considered before starting a project with students.

• Before starting a project with students it is important that a teacher plans for what resources they will need. In-depth projects may depend on many resources-computers, computer software, Internet access, etc. Projects also may depend on help from experts in the community. It is important that teachers plan ahead of time what they will need for the project and also provide a back-up plan in case something does not work.

2. Discussion on teachers’ and students’ management needs.

• During the project it is important that both teachers and students stay organized. Without an organized classroom management plan the project may not be as successful as it could be. Teachers need to plan for how they will communicate with their students about deadlines and changes. They also need to plan how they will structure the learning environment so that students are engaged. In order for students to be successful during the project, they also have to have their own management plans. Students should be prepared to know how to ask for help when help is needed, learn how to manage their time and work flow and also how to reflect back on their work through constructive feedback from peers and instructors.

3. Discuss some of the technology applications that should be considered for use in a project.

• The most important thing to consider in project-based learning is communication. For a project to be successful there must be open and active communication between students and instructors and students and their group members. One way that teachers can incorporate technology into their projects to make communication easier is by creating a blog. Blogs are a great tool for communicating progress throughout the project and allows group members and instructors to discuss project ideas.

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

• In this class, we use a blog to communicate ideas about our project and submit assigned work. I like this idea because it makes it easy to communicate outside of the classroom. I think that incorporating a blog into our project would be beneficial for students. They would be able to reflect on project ideas and communicate new ideas to group members both in and outside the classroom.