Technology tools can encourage students to be reflective and evaluate their own strength because they will evaluate the success of their efforts, change direction and persist as they overcome obstacles. This will make them more experienced and they will be more capable learners
There are several ways that you can get students minds ready for a project, one of these ways is a K.W.L. activity. Before you get to KWL you need to establish interest and excitement. Some ways to establish interest and excitement are to get the students attention and give them ideas that will excite their imagination. Also, you should encourage the students to explore topics with friends, at dinner, etc. It is also that the students have great optimism. Before you do the project, bring it up in intervals a few days prior, to generate more excitement. The most important aspect is to get the students really excited to start the project and spark their interest.
The main element of teaching fundamentals first is making sure the students have the prior knowledge that is required to complete the project. Before launching a project, make sure you are aware of background knowledge students may need and spend time going over them so they will be successful in their project. Be sure to set the stage for independent inquiry and share the assessment rubric. The example that the text gives is that of a traveler. When you are traveling you need to know your starting point and have some idea of your destination. This is also true with projects. Students need to be comfortable knowing how to start the project as well as what is expected for their final outcome.
Preparing students for projects involving technology requires advanced planning. Prior to starting the project it is important to think about what tools will be necessary and imagining these tools in the students hands. You should also think about what the students might already know and what the students will need to know. Some good ideas for preparing students are to set up a technology playground where students can explore, let technically able student teach others, introduce project-managing tools such as a project journal, and demonstrate the use of the tools to the students. It is important that you feel comfortable with the technology before trying to teach it to your students.
In order to promote inquiry and deep learning it is important to guide students toward skilled questioning. “What if” questions ask students to use their knowledge that they have to consider options and develop a hypothesis. “Which one” questions ask students to collect information and make decisions. “How” questions ask students to understand problems, possibly from different points of view.
Concepts in this chapter relate to my project topic because I will need to prepare students for working with technology as well as promote deep learning and inquiry. I learned a lot from this chapter about teaching the fundamentals prior to beginning a project and I feel more comfortable with preparing students for working with technology. I really liked the idea in the chapter about creating a technology playground where students can explore and become comfortable with the tools they will use in their project.
I liked how you talked a lot about getting ready for the project with your students but also have them work independently. It will be important that we promote these elements when we are educators one day. We should provide them appropriate background information, like you stated, but also encourage them to work alone and figuring out new and useful information relevant to their project. I liked how you included the things teachers have to think about before starting a project with their students, the project would be a disaster if the teacher was not fully prepared. With that, the teacher should have all of the necessary tools available, and introduce them to the technology that will be used to get them comfortable before pilling on a project.
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