Chapter 4 Reading Reflection

Discuss the potential pitfalls in project design.
Some of the pitfalls include that the project is long on activity but short on learning outcomes, that technology is layered over traditional project, that thematic units are trivial, and that the project is over scripted with many, many steps.

Discuss the features of a good project.
A good project is loosely designed and lets many paths of learning be explored. They are generative and let students construct their own meaning instead of handing it to them. They center on a driving question and the question (or Big Idea) is obvious. The project relates to real life and students can personally relate to it. Bla bla bla. The project is realistic, reaches beyond the school to involve others, such as other students or parents, it taps rich data or primary sources, it is structured so students learn with and from each other, students work like how experts might work, it uses technology, and students learn by doing. I find it extremely strange that this book is all about project based learning, but we're learning about it by traditional methods. (ie: reading chapters and writing these silly reflections.) It seems odd.

Discuss where project ideas come from.
Good project ideas come from the imagination. The book talk about a whole lot of boring examples, but this is a pretty straightforward question that can be answered much better without the dry, boring text of this book. Where do good ideas come from? So many places. Look at what your students are interested in, look at their background, look at their age, their friends, and then make an educated decision about what would be fun if you were in their position. Make this stuff fun, yo.

Discuss the steps to design a project.
1.) Revisit the framework
2.) Establish evidence of understanding
3.) Plan the vehicle.
4.) Plan entree into the project experience.

Now, that's what the book says. Here's what I think should happen, because I got nothing out of what the book said:
1.) WHAT: Brainstorm your goal. What do you ultimately want students to learn?
2.) WHO: Look at your students lives. What do they like? How old are they? What kind of personalities do they have?
3.) HOW: Come up with a super sick idea for a project. Figure out the details (Who is doing what?)
4.) UH OH: Make a list of everything that could possibly go wrong and plan accordingly. For example, if you're doing a section about cooking, kids could cut themselves or catch on fire, so be smart.)
5.) ACTION: Do it. Put your sweet plan into action and provide assistance wherever necessary without babying the kids.

Discussion on how concepts in this chapter relate to your topic/project.
This chapter relates to life. All too often, we find ourselves surrounded by texts which make no sense or are too wordy or are poorly written. So this means we have to create things for ourselves and think outside of the poorly constructed box.