Eclectic Technology
224.7K views | +0 today
Follow
Eclectic Technology
Tech tools that assist all students to be independent learners & teachers to become better teachers
Curated by Beth Dichter
Your new post is loading...
Your new post is loading...
Scooped by Beth Dichter
Scoop.it!

Super Practical Project-Based Learning Ideas

Super Practical Project-Based Learning Ideas | Eclectic Technology | Scoop.it

"Project-based learning is one aspect of the Common Core’s with extra buzz. PBL engages students in purposeful ways by providing opportunities to develop a laundry list of 21st century skills in areas including critical thinking, research strategies, collaboration, communication, and literacy. If your head is spinning and you are wondering how you are going to make time for and create appropriate PBL opportunities for your elementary students, don’t worry! The good news is there are many ways to incorporate practical project-based learning into your elementary classroom. "

Beth Dichter's insight:

If you are considering project-based learning, but have questions about just what to do, this post may assist you. There are many suggestions about practical PBL projects that are appropriate for students in grades K - 5.

The post also includes a quick overview of the stops in PBL as well as a list of read-aloud books that may inspire students to ways they might create a project that will help their community. You will also find a list of ten ideas for projects and three other sections:

* Inspire Projects with Hand to Heart/Paw/Earth

* Teach Students to Ask Questions/Research Across Texts

* Try Ready-Made Books and Projects with Heifer

Project-based learning provides authentic learning opportunities for students to be highly engaged and to focus on the four C's that the Partnership for 21st Century and Common Core would like us to address: Communication, Collaboration, Critical Thinking and Creativity.

No comment yet.
Scooped by Beth Dichter
Scoop.it!

Creativity In The Digital Classroom-Over 40 Resources-Are They in Your School?

Creativity In The Digital Classroom-Over 40 Resources-Are They in Your School? | Eclectic Technology | Scoop.it

"I believe that creativity is necessary in today’s classroom. In fact, creativity is one of the important 4 C’s (Critical Thinking, Collaboration, Communication, Creativity) that make up part of the foundation of a 21st century education. The remaining foundation is of course another C (Significant Content). I believe that when you put all of these C’s together you get two more C’s which make up the 'Common Core'."

Beth Dichter's insight:

This post is the first in series and discusses free resources that may be stored on a local computer or a network. The list includes Scratch, Sketc-Up, Gimp, 3 free office suites, Alice, a variety of tools that will help you make movies and more. Most are described in some  detail and there are links to additional resources to help you learn the tool.

Additional posts will discuss Web 2.0 apps that may be used on the Internet (and across platforms), web apps and sites that promote literacy and student publication and web sites that promote student creativity.

Randy D. Nichols's curator insight, January 15, 2013 9:30 AM

A good list to help you start (or continue) bulding a "digital toolbox" for multimodal compositions. (I will steal some of these ideas for my delicious links!)

 

Scooped by Beth Dichter
Scoop.it!

Quandary - A Free Online Game for Students 8 - 14

Quandary - A Free Online Game for Students 8 - 14 | Eclectic Technology | Scoop.it
Beth Dichter's insight:

Quandary, a free online game for players ages 8 - 14, won the Game of the Year Honors at the 2013 Games for Change Confernce. This game provides players an opportunity to help shape a new society "while learning how to recognize ethical issues and deal with challenging situations in their own lives."

The websites goes on to state "Players develop skills such as critical thinking, perspective-taking and decision-making. Quandary provides a framework for how to approach ethical decision-making without telling players what to think."

Why use Quandary with your students? This game is designed to help students learn skills in:

* Problem solving

* Communication

* Information literacy

* Global awarenes

* Collaboration

* Creative thinking

There is a teachers page available which provides additional resources including a Game Guide, a sample lesson plan, an opinion tracker as well information on how the learning outcomes match to standards in both the Common Core and the Partnership for the 21st Century.

Yasemin Allsop's curator insight, August 29, 2013 2:45 PM

Oh, this is really interesting!

davidconover's curator insight, August 30, 2013 8:04 AM

I look forward to sharing this game with my students. I wonder what their comments will be.

Amélie Silvert's curator insight, August 30, 2013 11:10 AM

Defining moral dilemnas, finding solutions and discussing. Collaborative work. Why not give it a try?