Week 10 Reflection

This week we assessed the tool we created for Givercraft and to see how effective it was. I created a survey for my team. We heard from two teachers out of 5 from the experience. Both of the teachers said the tool was easy to access and find and their students appreciated being given memories during scenario 2. One teacher wrote out of 3 classes 75% of their students received memories from them. The other teacher explained how they changed the scenario and had their students create their own memory. The teachers used the tool and it shows through the students building structures. I couldn't find any evidence on the wiki page, except the quote I heard from Thomas. When reading my peers blogs this week, I noticed on Andrea's page she had a screenshot of the memory being used. She found the book, which appeared to be in the same voice as the ones we created and noticed the structure that went along with it. So, in our minds I think our tool was used and effective for Scenario 2. Thomas mentioned about assessments and how some teachers "have a bad taste in their mouth" after hearing this word. I think assessment is key to making sure your students are successful. I wrote to Thomas on his blog, that if a teacher doesn't know where their students are at, their strengths and weaknesses, they shouldn't be teaching. That's the whole point of teaching is to give students knowledge and teach them content, but make sure that they understood what they were taught. It doesn't mean to grade an excessive amount of papers after every activity. With our tool, we are assessing to make sure our tool was used and was effective and useful to the students. Some of my peers thought their tool was useful, but some of them didn't know if it was even used. One of the discussions was on badges. I'm wondering if students even like badges. I haven't really seen them use. They are fun to receive I think after a challenge, but not sure what the students think. Also do the teachers know how to distribute them to their students? Maybe for our upcoming teacher training, if this tool is going to be used in Survivalcraft we need to explain and show how to give the students a badge. For survivalcraft we were asked to create another tool or tweak the one we created for the next two books. We met on Wednesday for a twitter session and completely change our idea. We are now in teams and only creating a tool for one book instead of two. I think team work is important. I am on the team of Lord of the Flies. During our virtual training meeting we decided to change the scenarios for LOTF so it wouldn't be (school )inappropriate use (killing each other) during the scenarios. Thankfully the tool I created, will be helpful with the changed scenarios as well. I plan on creating chests with tools in them again for teachers to use and to give students who are having a difficult time to survive. I have been in survival mode. It's difficult and very frustrating at the same time, when you're dying all the time. I think with these chests the "non gamer" type will also enjoy being involved with the game and not get frustrated and want to quit. It will be interesting to see how Survivalcraft compares to Givercraft.

Week 10

Essential question: What was the impact of my diffi-tool on Givercraft students & teachers; what should I change for Survivorcraft to ensure the my intervention is effective?

Givercraft has finally come to an end. I really wasn't sure how much of an impact the diffi-tool my team and I created would be for the students and teachers when we first started. I now understand after being in the world and noticing the tool being used, it was a huge impact. Here are some screen shots I took of the chests from the memories released station. 

I'm using the assessment of observation to notice that the diffi-tool was a success. I also noticed that we didn't need to build three houses full of memories. One chest was never even used. I looked through the student wiki page, but couldn't tell which memories were given to them. I know that  I made a wedding memory, so maybe this student that Thomas found wrote about their wedding memory on the wiki page " Yesterday the memory of a wedding popped into my head and it filled me with so much warmth and joy I knew I had to recreate one for myself. Today, I built my own wedding isle, and got married to BarboElla. It was wonderful! It was in the perfect location; by the auditorium. The entire community came which made it feel just like the memory. I don't understand why the community never had weddings. There is no harm in it and it fills everyone who attends with joy.
   A wedding is the celebration of when two people decide to spend the rest of their life together with the promise of a ring. Typically, a woman, the bride, dresses up in a fancy dress and walks down the isle to the gazebo or alter. The man, the groom, waits until the bride reaches the alter/gazebo. Then a person called the priest reads the vows and the couple says, "I do". Also a tradition is that the bride and groom choose their best friends to stand by their side when they say their vows. These people are called Bridesmaids and Groomsmen . Finally when they are finished saying their vows, they put their rings on each other and the priest says, "You may kiss the Bride." and they kiss" was given to them by their teacher, or they thought of creating a wedding memory. I did notice in the chest, that the wedding memory is gone, so it was used by the students. Where the diffi-tool can be assessed the best by observation and how well it was used. I also will send out a survey to the teachers and see how easy it was to access the tool. Did students appreciate having the tool? Also, how many students in their class were given a memory from the teacher and how often did the teachers have to use the tool.  Here is the link to the survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/8YQ6PWH My only hesitation  with a survey is from my other class, we sent a survey to the teachers before creating our training... and only heard from two teachers. We sent another survey out at the end to assess our training and only heard back from one. So i'm not sure how this assessment will actually be a good tool to use. 

Assessment is key to a successful PBL. If you don't assess your students, you will never know if they understood the content, learned from the unit and retained the information.  Keeping data throughout a unit is important as well. The "use of data affects the work of all professionals involved in education" (Ontario). If the data collected provides a positive outcome for student learning, guaranteed others will want to do the same project. It's important during any project to observe and keep data on your students success. "In effective schools, teachers monitor student progress on a regular and ongoing basis in order to provide both differentiated learning experiences and appropriate support to meet the needs of students" (Lian and Chan). One best way to assess students is by self reflection. Self reflection "reports the students daily progress and development of the project" (Lian and Chan). When you read the students wiki pages that were completed during each scenario, students are reflecting on their learning and what they created. The wiki page is a great tool to use for assessments. "Assessments can take place wherever the student is learning" (Macdonald) and also be done  as a "group or individually" (Macdonald). It's mentioned in the Google Hangout Video that assessment can be completed by observing the whole group product as well as individual student goals. It's important for students to write out their goals and reflect on how they achieved those goals. Students can use wiki pages "blogs and online communities to reflect on their practice" (Boss) and show what they learned. If you have thirty minutes, the google hangout video is a very eye opening discussion on assessment with PBL. Throughout out Givercraft while I was in the world and giving Mr. William's class support, I was constantly assessing the students learning. I observed them directly talking with each other in the chat, reading the tasks and objectives over again until they understood, worked in groups to build structures, observed the buildings and read their reflections on the wiki pages. I know the diffi-tool was used. For survival craft, memories are not required. I would like to keep using the houses I built with the chests. My idea for survival craft, is to take the books out of the chest and replace them with building and survival tools. Students who have a difficult time staying alive can have the option of asking their teacher for support. Teachers will be able to give them supplies from the chest. For the maze runner, creative mode is enabled so, I think supplies are not going to be necessary. Another idea is to put hints on how to build the "escape" of their maze, if they can't think of one or need extra support. Teachers can give the students a hint from the "chest" and help them create their maze. If you have any other ideas, i'm open to suggestion. 

Here's the link to access the results from the survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/results/SM-YKQSJGH7/

Resources

Using Data: Transforming Potential into Practice. (2013, December 1). Retrieved March 24, 2015, from http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/policyfunding/leadership/IdeasIntoActionBulletin5.pdf

Gillian Xiao - Lian, T., & May - Chan, Y. (207, January 1). Authentic assessment strategies in problem based learning. Retrieved March 24, 2015, from http://www.ascilite.org.au/conferences/singapore07/procs/tai.pdf

Macdonald, R. (n.d.). Retrieved March 24, 2015, from http://www.nuigalway.ie/celt/pblbook/chapter9.pdf

Larmer, J., Stevenson, I., & Jordan, E. (2014, April 2). Assessment in Project Based Learning. Retrieved March 24, 2015, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYRNWumyy4w#t=335

Boss, S. (n.d.). TEN TIPS FOR ASSESSING PROJECT-BASED LEARNING. Retrieved March 25, 2015, from http://www.edutopia.org/pdfs/guides/edutopia-10tips-assessing-project-based-learning.pdf

Reflection

This reflection is quite late, due to being stuck out of state for four days (cancelled flight) and not having access to internet.... As I recall the thoughts from this week, I keep thinking about my project that I am going to do for my students. Mia mentioned it's important for students to know deadlines and activities in advance. I think it's important students understand the expectations of their activity and can plan ahead. Thomas mentioned in his blog that, we need to step away from the "traditional" teaching strategies and think outside the box. Where this is a fantastic idea, it's also the idea that usually gets pushed to the side or looked down upon by other colleagues. To get everyone on board, their needs to be evidence of growth with students completing the activity in PBL design. I think students are going to be interested in anything we have them do, if we can find things they can relate too, reflect on how they can use it in an every day life situation and give them quick feedback. Students can do the work, but don't get the recognition if we don't tell them how they did or what they could do to improve.

With the insect project I do with my students. I always tell them way in advance what the project goal is, why were doing it and most of the activities we will be doing. The largest part of the project is comparing the different species of insects found in a certain area of Ecuador compared to Alaska in the month of May. It usually turns out that there's a huge difference, but due to the climate changing and our seasons becoming more warmer, the results have changed dramatically. The first time I did the project, my student only found maybe 2-3 different species of insects. Last year, we found over 20. It's still a small amount compared to Ecuador, but I can show my students this information through the PBL design. They can't get this information from a textbook. I think it's important to design PBL in the classroom, when it can be integrated into what the students are learning about. Not every content material taught will be done in a PBL based design. It's not necessary. Students will be able to work with groups and socialize. They will also work independently for completing a class goal. I think to have a successful PBL students should be given immediate feedback, objectives should be stated in advance, activities and deadlines should be available for students to look at before and students should have the opportunity to reflect on their own learning.

Week 9

Essential question: What practical structures could we use to implement PBL in our classrooms?

         As I read through the reading this week and did my own research, I thought of the project based learning unit I plan on creating. I want to create a program that will help my students with reading comprehension. It’s difficult content to actually teach to a student. I think through a project based learning unit, it will be more efficient. The first item I wanted to find was a tool to use in my classroom. I have actually already started to use this online tool, to see if my students would be able to use this on their own, in small groups and give me the opportunity to observe student learning or work with students individually. With project based learning, the “teacher monitors and guides students’ progress by overseeing the management of small student groups, keeping students focused on important content, and providing ongoing formative feedback” (Ertmer and Simons). I think this is the most important part to PBL. Ongoing assessments are very important. Teachers need to know if their students are understanding the content, before moving on to the next part of the project. In Project Based Learning the teacher’s role is to “guide and advise, rather than to direct and manage, student work”( Solomon).

         With my unit, students will have different leveled of books to read with their group. Students will read their books and then take a quick assessment (questions) on the text they read. The online tool we will use, will give them quick feedback on their understanding. Students will record their score and allow them to “observe their ongoing progress” (Ertmer and Simons). Students will also be able to apply their “new knowledge to the problem and reflect on what they learned and the effectiveness of the strategies employed” (Hmelo-Silver). I will observe their fluency and scores on a daily basis and work with students individually. I will also have a certain group of students who work with me each day of the week. I will assess their understanding of a higher level text by asking them essential questions of the book we are reading together.

         My goal is to make sure the project runs smooth and students stay engaged. Students “particularly can become disoriented or frustrated if they do not receive the support or guidance needed to be successful” (Ertmer and Simons). I think one challenge I will have is making sure students understand the process and being able to complete the online tool on their own. The other part is working together in a group. While students “typically enjoy group work,

group time is not always used productively, and teachers need to enlist strategies to ensure that relevant content is being addressed” (Ertmer and Simons). It depends on the students, but if I see that the small reading groups are not working correctly, then I will be flexible and change the groups or make it into a whole group discussion. I think being flexible throughout this process is important to having a successful Project Based Learning experience for your students.

            This week I watched a video on Edutopia, it explained the five important parts to having a successful PBL. After watching this video I was able to think of how I was going to set up my classroom and what on going assessments and activities I would have with my students. The five important parts to PBL from Edutopia is;

1. Real - World Connection

2. Core to Learning

3. Structured Collaboration

4. Student Driven

5. Multifaceted Assessment

         It’s also important when thinking of designing a PBL unit for your students to think of these parts too “begin with the end in mind and plan for the end result. Craft the driving question; select and refine a central question. Plan the assessment and define outcomes and assessment criteria. Map the project and decide how to structure the project and manage the process: Find tools and strategies for successful projects” Coffey).  The video from Edutopia showed students taking assessments, teachers observing their work and also having the students give their own assessment on their project. One classroom showed students putting colored stickers underneath the part they felt they did the best. With my unit, I will use an exit ticket to assess how the students thought they did and how well they worked with their group. I think having the teacher assessment is one, but also having the time for the students to reflect on their own learning is a key part into having a successful unit.

Resources

Ertmer, P. A., & Simons, K. D. (2006). Jumping the PBL implementation hurdle: Supporting the efforts of K–12 teachers. Interdisciplinary Journal of Problem-based Learning, 1(1), 5. Retrieved from: http://docs.lib.purdue.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1005&context=ijpbl&seiredir=1&referer=https%3A%2F%2Fscholar.google.com%2Fscholar%3Fstart%3D10%26q%3Dimplementing%2BPBL%26hl%3Den%26as_sdt%3D0%2C2#search=%22implementing%20PBL%22 on March 10, 2015.

Hmelo-Silver, Cindy E. “Problem-based learning: What and how do students learn?.”Educational psychology review 16.3 (2004): 235-266. Retrieved from: http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=13682403&site=ehost-live on March 10, 2015

Solomon, G. (2003). Project-based learning: A primer. TECHNOLOGY AND LEARNING-DAYTON-, 23(6), 20-20. Retrieved from: http://pennstate.swsd.wikispaces.net/file/view/pbl-primer-www_techlearning_com.pdf on March 10, 2015.

Coffey, H. (2008, November 12). Project-based learning. Retrieved March 10, 2015, from http://www.learnnc.org/lp/pages/4753

Edutopia. (2014, June 26). Five Keys to Rigorous Project-Based Learning. Retrieved March 10, 2015, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnzCGNnU_WM&t=290

Week 8 Reflection

This week we discussed Project Based Learning and how it lends itself to differentiation. Through the readings this week, twitter session and reading other peers blogs, PBL is a type of differentiation. With our twitter session, Tyler asked which intelligence do you find yourself? I found my self as inter/intra personal, musical and audio/visual. With PBL, all intelligences can be used when completing the project. It is a way for students to work on an individual goal, but also work as a team to complete it. Thomas mentioned in his blog and from his findings this week, PBL is not the "magic tool for all student learning types and lessons" he also mentioned how he has many topics to cover in the school year and PBL is not the answer for all of the subjects. We can't do a project for each topic discussed in the classroom, we can use it when we feel necessary, but it's too time consuming to use for everything. Time is the major essence in making sure the project is successful. It takes a lot of planning time to create a project. One of our colleagues mentioned on twitter, how she found a spider at her house, brought it into her classroom and designed a project around that. To have a successful Project, it needs to be over a topic students can relate to and what they will find engaging. Using the Understanding by Design format is key to a successful project. Mia found a guide to use when designing a project. I plan on using this guide for my future PBL units. The whole time I was reading about PBL, I thought about Givercraft/Survival Craft and how it engages the students to the core. It's important when creating a project we find a tool that students will know how to use, or some so they can help others (another differentiation part!) and also a tool that will engage them, help them set goals and work together to achieve them.

Week 8

How does project-based-learning lend itself to differentiation in the classroom?

When designing a project, it’s important to remember where your students are. What’s their previous knowledge to the topic? What kind of skills do they know how to do? Will there need to be any introduction before the project starts? How will you differentiate to meet the needs for all students? How will you assess the students learning based on the goals that have been created and finally what ways do your students learn? These are important questions to ask before designing a project for your students.

As I think of this question after the reading this week, I kept thinking of Givercraft/Survival Craft. It’s so engaging to the students. As I have been observing and helping a colleague of mine this week while his students are in Givercraft, I have heard many times “this is awesome!” “I can’t wait to do this tomorrow!” O.K. When was the last time you heard those comments from a regular math worksheet lesson or after reading a story from the required grade level text? Personally, I have never heard my students say this, unless I have found a way to relate it to an “real life connection” (Zouganeli), or find something they enjoy doing. The “focus is not so much on what we are learning but on how we are learning” (Brown and Alder) this is spot on.

The requirement was to read the “Giver” students could have read the text, and then answered questions the teacher had made up or wrote a book report on the text. BORING!! Instead, they are engaged and using a differentiating tool MinecraftEdu. Students are working independently, as they engage in inquiry. This allows the teacher to provide differentiated support to teams and individuals (McCarthy). Many times during this week, I have seen my colleague use “Minecraft experts” students who know Minecraft really well in the classroom to assist other students. If students have a question, they ask the “expert” if the expert can’t help them, then they ask the teacher. The students are working on an independent goal, but working together to complete the goal. They are also assisting each other. This is differentiation in itself.

The other part of differentiation that goes with project –based – learning is a “driving question for a project is open-ended, so it offers multiple ways for students to come up with their own solution or formulate an answer” (McCarthy). With Givercraft students can choose what to build, but have to explain their reasoning for it in their wiki.

“Blogs, wikis, social networks, tagging systems, mashups and content - sharing sites emphasize participation over presentation” (Brown and Alder).

While observing my colleagues classroom, there are goals posted on the wall and the names for each building students are working on to create is posted.  Students are learning the content remembering the text extremely well and staying engaged.

         When “engaging students in ‘real-world activities seems to be effective” (Tawflik). Students can understand what they’re learning, why they’re learning it and how they can use it for future use. Times are changing. We are moving away, from the traditional classroom setting. Teachers are not lecturing to their students the whole time and having them recite what they learned on a multiple-choice assessment. Students are interacting with each other and problem solving with each other. It is “student-centered, student-driven and gives space for teachers to meet the needs of students in a variety of ways” (Miller). While students are working together on creating their buildings, the teacher and I are able to walk around and give 1-1 support to other students. I found that students would differentiate their own instruction and seek me out to ask a question. Some didn’t know how to build or move.

         Miller explains six strategies for differentiation while in a project based learning environment.

1.Differentiate through teams

2.Reflection and Goal Setting

3.Mini-Lessons

4.Voice and Choice in Products

5.Differentiate Through Formative Assessments

6.Balance Teamwork and Individual Work

         The strategies explain how it’s important to put your students into small groups. During my math lesson I always have a lesson plan formed as “I do it, we do it, and you do it.” I explain the strategy, students are asked to work with their group in solving the next practice problem, while I walk around and observe. I take note at which students could need extra support. I make sure students are understanding the concept, if they don’t I then re-teach using a different method. Once students understand the concept, I let them work independently and observe. Any student that doesn’t understand the concept, I bring to the back table and work with them 1-1. This could be one student or a few students depending on the topic.

         What I have noticed too is even though students are working independently, if they’re not understanding the concept, they will reflect on their own learning, set a goal and come to the back table for support. While working with the small group, I also have the other students bring me their completed work to assess. If they understand it, then I give them an enrichment activity to complete. If they need support, I have them join the small group. This continues until all students understand the content. This doesn’t mean they finish the whole assignment, only get enough practice to understand what they’re doing. After all students understand, we meet as a whole group again. I have students work with groups and problem solve the rest of the problems, which are usually word problems. Even with my math lesson, I use these six strategies and have students work in groups.

         I think it’s important for students to learn from each other and be guided in the right direction by the teacher. Differentiation is project-based-learning. It is a way for students to work together, set goals, reflect on their own learning, connect what their learning to every day life “real life situations” (Zouganeli) and be engaged. It also gives teachers time to assess and give support to students individually and as a group.  I will leave you with my favorite quote from the reading this week, by Brown and Alder “Focus is not on what we are learning but on how are learning.”

Resources

Seely Brown & Adler. (2008). Minds on Fire: Open Education, the Long Tail, and Learning 2.0. Retrieved from: http://ngw.cs.colorado.edu/bin/download/DCNM2009/Relevant+Resources/Brown-minds-of-fire.pdf

Tawfik, A., Trueman, R. J., & Lorz, M. M. (2014). Engaging non-scientists in STEM through problem-based learning and service learning. Interdisciplinary Journal of Problem-Based Learning, 8(2), 4. Retrieved from: http://tinyurl.com/oq4wkwc

Zouganeli, E., Tyssø, V., Feng, B., Arnesen, K., & Kapetanovic, N. (2014). Project-based learning in programming classes the effect of open project scope on student motivation and learning outcome. Retrieved from: https://oda.hio.no/jspui/bitstream/10642/2318/1/1152690.pdf

McCarthy, J. (2012, January 9). Experts & NewBIEs | Bloggers on Project Based Learning: How does PBL support Differentiated Instruction? Retrieved March 3, 2015, from http://biepbl.blogspot.com/2012/01/how-does-pbl-support-differentiated.html

Miller, A. (2012, February 8). Six Strategies for Differentiated Instruction in Project-Based Learning. Retrieved March 2, 2015, from http://www.edutopia.org/blog/differentiated-instruction-strategies-pbl-andrew-miller

Week 7 Reflection

This week was a very busy week. My other class, Virtual Teaching and Learning (OLTAK) had trainings for the teachers enrolled in Givercraft. This made it difficult to make the twitter session. I tried to multi-task during the training and be logged into twitter, but to focus on the training was difficult when trying to process the topics that were occurring on twitter.  I told my teammates I was in a training and wouldn't be able to join them for Twitter.

During this week I finished adding books into the chests and made sure the houses were not broken and ready to go for Givercraft's first week. I noticed there was a house in the teleport station I made and none of my teammates had made it... so I'm not sure why it is there...?

I made a tutorial video for the teachers to watch. The video shows how to teleport to the station my team made. I gave a tour of the station and showed each house. I explained that it was built with disallow blocks so if students did happen to find this station, they wouldn't be able to break the house. I showed the teachers where to find the memories. While I was showing them the different houses, I noticed that the chests and books that I had created were different from when I left it. After reading my teams blogs it all came clear as to what happened. One of my teammates, had accidentally destroyed the chest while checking to make sure there were enough books for scenario 2. My teammate spent many hours fixing the problem and re-creating the books that were broken. I read this part on my partners blog and informed her, everything was ok. I went into the world to make sure everything was fine and built correctly. We are good to go for Scenario 2.

I also emailed Ali back to her question and explained how we should send the document she made directly to the teachers signed up in the course. We talked about if there were enough books... I explained in the tutorial video I had made, I showed the teachers how to make a memory book if they came to a chest that was empty.

My team and I plan on observing the chests to see if any of the books were used or are missing. We also plan on sending a survey to teachers, to ask if this tool was useful to them. We thought of observing the students wiki pages, but found it might be impossible to tell which memory the students made and which memory our team made. Ali has written some good questions to start thinking about on her blog for our evaluation survey.

I also saw this week that our other colleagues in the course are creating a link for teachers to go to if they need extra support during Givercraft and a place they can debrief afterwards. I think this is a great tool for teachers to have during the experience. Thomas has also created badges for students who are not the gamer type. One that is my favorite is the grammar badge. Which student has the best grammar on their wiki for that week. Genious! I'm excited for Givercraft to start again. Last semester was full of excitement new things to tweak and change for the nex time. I'm looking forward to seeing how the students build this time around.