Eclectic Technology

This is the final post of three (from Tony Vincent) where it shares tools that allow students to become the teacher as they create and present the final project (as in project-based learning). The first two posts are Crafting Questions That Drive Projects  and  Investigating Authentic Questions.

The post is divided into the sections listed below.

* Audience is the Key, where he shares why knowing your audience is important.

* Samples Really Help. He discussed why samples help, and reminds us that we can find samples online which the students may learn from. There are also links to quite a few resources in this section.

* See These Samples. Yes, he has included samples within the post. You will find six examples of projects for elementary school, middle school and high school! He also has requested that folks share samples from their students so he can share them online.

* Cool Tools. This is a very robust section where he provides a lengthy list of tools, and divides it into three sections: Slideshows & Visuals, Audio & Video, and Books & Comics. Many of the tools listed here are free and many run on a variety of platforms. For each tool he lists there is a short description and a list of platforms it runs on. He also provides a link to an infographic he designed called  Show What You Know Using Web and Mobile Apps. This shares iPad apps and is a great resource.

* Make it Sticky. In this section he discusses what makes a project "sticky" (and the research that supports this). What is a sticky idea? "One that an audience can understand, remember, and retell." This section also includes a video that shares resources for images (as well as a transcript with links).

* So Refined. This sections explores how we can set our students up for success.

one that an audience can understand, remember, and retell

*Assessing It.  This section discusses assessment and provides links to websites that provide rubrics and checklists. There is also a video from Edutopia, that looks at how to embed assessments throughout the project.

* Getting the Word Out. Students are proud of their product and need to share it. This sections shares resources that allow you to share the work of your students, or better yet, allow students to share their work online. Some examples are provided

* Reflect On It. As educators we are often asked to reflect on your work. Provide time for students to do this also.

* You Know Better Than Anyone. Remember Project-Based Learning takes time, and lots of juggling. There is some great advice on this here.

This post, along with the two earlier posts, provide so many resources for those who may be new to Project-Based Learning, or for those who have been using it and would like additional resources. Have fun exploring all three and share those final projects online for others to view.

How can we get our students more engaged in the classroom? Teaching them to investigate authentic problems provides them with opportunities to ask questions that will lead to solutions (and failures) but that will also engage them. In this post Tony Vincent shares steps in how to have your students engage in investigating authentic questions.

Vincent starts with a section called Driven to Investigate. In this section he discusses driving questions and references a previous article, Crafting Questions that Drive Projects.

Additional sections (and there are a total of thirteen) include:

* Thinking is Critical

* Stick Together or Divide and Conquer

* Provide Focus

* Provide Staring Points

* Can You  Believe It?

* Experiments, Trial and Error, Data Collection

* You Know Better Than Anyone

Each section is chock full of resources. This is a great resource to help you launch students into investigating authentic problems. He also notes that he will publish Part 3, Creating Products to Show and Share in the future. I will be looking forward to reading (and in all likelihood sharing) that post once it is published.