Reflection #4

1. Long on activity, short on learning outcomes: this means that activities need to be time appropriate and teach the students what they need to be taught. Adding time to a project just to add busy work, doesn't accomplish anything.
Technology layered over traditional practice: Doing the traditional set up to technology doesn't accomplish goals. Students have done multiple slide shows and need to be able to step out of the box.
Trivial thematic units: Work needs to be interdisciplinary.
Overly scripted with many, many steps: Students need a chance to do what they want with a project. Giving them a step by step all the time doesn't give the students creativity.

2. Good projects have the following qualities:

• are loosely designed
• are genitive
• centered on a driving question
• captures students interest
• realistic
• involves others
• taps rich data
• structured so students learn from each other
• get 21st skills and literacies
• get an important learning disposition
• have students learn by doing

Basically what it means to have a good project, its well rounded. Students are able to gain an understanding on many different levels. They are able to make connections to other people, places, or things. They are able to go above and beyond what is expected of them, and they enjoy doing it.

3. Project ideas come from:

• Expressive learning
• Project plans developed by other teachers
• news stories
• contemporary issues
• students questions and interest

There are a couple more that I did not include. Project ideas can stem from anywhere. Once you find an idea you then have to apply the steps from question #2. Does this project meet these standards. Can you explain this project to someone and convince them that it meets these standards.

4. When designing your project you need to revisit your framework over, and over again. Go over it and make sure there are no mistakes. You need to keep in mind to establish evidence from understanding. This means you need to be able to convince someone the project is worth a students time and understanding. You need to plan your project, put some thought into what you are doing. Make sure your meeting the requirements. The last thing you need to do is make sure the students are excited. Make sure this is something they are interested in doing.

5. This chapter relates to our topic because I want to make sure my lesson plans are exactly what they need to be. I want to make sure the students will enjoy themselves. I want to make sure they gain knowledge that will stick with them. I should feel confident in pointing out the standard I am covering and making sure I have evidence to back it up. Knowledge is power, and this article is knowledge for writing lesson plans and coming up with projects. The things this chapter taught me is making sure my materials have a purpose. If they don't want to be that teacher that assigns busy work. I want students to want to listen to me, and want to come to my class. I want my classroom to be an experience they have never had before. In order to accomplish this my projects have to have purpose.