Chapter 3, Imagining the Possibilities

     What should be considered the "Big Idea" For a project? Many thoughts come into play. First, what should students learn especially from being in your class? We as teachers have to think about the main foci of what we're teaching and what we want our students to leave our class knowing at the end of the day and the end of the school year. Overarching concepts need to be considered and decided upon, whether it's what will be able to be applied in the real world, how many subjects will be integrated, or whether or not students will really become interested in the topic(s). There are multiple ways to cover these thoughts and ideas, like doing research or collaborating with other teachers.
     Twenty-first century skills are growing exponentially in importance. Looking at a big idea also means looking at the big picture: where will my students be as adults? Will what they learn now benefit them in their future careers? Creating a full-formed and full-bodied project for students involves using Bloom's Taxonomy of Educational Objectives. The objectives range from more traditional instruction all the way to personalized and thoughtful projects:

•  Remember
• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create

     By official definitions, "literacy is the ability to identify, understand, interpret, create, communicate, and compute, using printed and written materials associated with varying contexts" (UNESCO 2004). In other words, literacy is a full understanding of a subject or an idea. For students, this can be a struggle with traditional teaching methods. Textbooks supply a pre-chosen amount of information, and usually one means to teach it. Using project-based learning gives more students a chance to make learning their own, become self-sufficient and self-starting - all of which are important characteristics for their futures.
     There are eight learning functions essential to project-based learning. The first, ubiquity, utilizes today's technology that students love to get their hands on in such a way that they can learn about anything, anywhere. When learning and gadgets such as Ipads and cell phones are integrated, students no longer see education as something that must be fulfilled.
     The second essential learning function is deep learning. This means going beyond the minimum, the bare bones, the first website they stumble across that gives them a definition; deep learning means creating one's own definition, and understanding what it all means.
     Making things visible and discussable is the next essential learning function. While some students will do well with taking notes and reading, other students need to see a concept, or see it in action, in order to make sense of it. Simply using pictures in a power point or using physical examples to explain a concept can make all the difference.
     Expressing ourselves, sharing ideas, and building community are all vital to becoming united - both online, and in day-to-day interactions. Tools like blogs, video chat, and social media are all ways to connect via technology.
     Collaborating (teaching and learning with others) is an important learning function to model and encourage in students. From the start in integrating projects, a sense of collaboration ensues, and students (and teachers) need to learn to work together. Using video chat and wikis are great ways of collaborating.
     Research is at the heart of all projects. With the Web, knowing what's truth and what's made up can be difficult. Search engines that provide filtering, online libraries, and citation engines are all ways to clarify and weed out all the excess and the falsehoods.
     Project management, including planning and organization, are number seven on the essential learning functions list. Especially when beginning project-styled learning, students need help defining and refining time management, their group (and individual) work, how to sort through sources for facts, drafting their writing, even managing feedback from their peers and teachers. Sites like Desire2Learn and Moodle are great resources for organization for students.
    Lastly, reflection and iteration are the wrap-up. This gives students a chance to deepen their learning, looking at their final products from all sides and reflecting on what they learned. Tools such as blogs or journals can help outline struggles and learning experiences throughout the project and give the student a chance to see what hurdles they faced, what they enjoyed, and what they can put into their next project.
     This chapter really put into focus the kind of mindset needed for our own group and our projects. The essential learning functions are a great tool to have to make sure we're getting the most out of our work. The focus on our 'big idea' also made me think about what we want to learn as we lengthen this blog, what we can take from this course into our future classrooms, and what questions to ask ourselves as we get stuck or start to veer in the wrong directions.