Reading Reflection #6

1. How technology tools can encourage students to be reflective and evaluate their own strengths:

• Blogs offer students space where than reflect over time about what they are learning.
• ProfilerPRO (an online survey tool) allows students to identify the learning characteristics of individuals and also among members of a group.
• SurveyMonkey and Zoomerang allow you to set up online surveys, which students can use to gather information from their peers, their school population, or even from the general public.

2. Several ways in which you can get students' minds ready for a project:

The first step in getting students' minds ready for a project is to tap into their prior knowledge. Relating a project to something that is familiar to them will make it much easier for them to grasp the concept and become interested. The introduction of the project to the students is crucial. Invite them to open their eyes to the possibilities before digging in to the project content. Building anticipation (especially for younger students) is an excellent way to get them excited to dive into a project.

3. The elements of teaching fundamentals first:

• Set the stage for independent inquiry: when students are aware of what they know and don't know, they can establish a point of departure and a sense of purpose. Let the students differentiate between what they know and they wonder about a topic - this helps them generate what they want to learn. KWL is especially effective when students are already inspired and have had time to think and explore the topic.
• Share the assessment rubric - this can serve as a roadmap for students of the project, leading them toward great achievement. A good rubric shows students what performance looks like through qualitative description of each rating. Be sure to leave room for unanticipated findings from students.

4. The important steps in preparing students for using technology in a project:

• Set up a technology playground - this can be an environment where students are encouraged to learn technological devices on their own, as well as teach each other. Most students learn best by "doing," and providing them an opportunity to work through these process with their peers can be one of the best learning experiences you can provide.
• Tap student expertise - let technically able students teach other. Students who are already familiar with these devices, or have enough background knowledge to easily maneuver the devices, can be excellent "tutors" to their peers.
• Introduce project-management tools - students can use tools such as keeping a log, or a project journal, to keep track of their progress. This offers a place for them to reflect back and gain an insight to where and why they might be struggling or falling behind. By tracking students' progress and possible errors, this opens the door for conversations about possible course corrections.
• Demonstrate - for any of the tools that you introduce to your students, be sure to demonstrate the use of these tools so that students know how to use them most effectively. If you, as the teacher, are unfamiliar with any of the tools, allow a student or even a technology specialist demonstrate for the class.

5. Ways to promote inquiry and deep learning:

• "Which one" questions ask students to collect information and make informed decisions.
• "How" questions ask students to understand problems, to weigh options, perhaps from various points of view, and to propose solutions.
• "What if," or hypothetical, questions ask students to use the knowledge they have to pose a hypothesis and consider options.
• "Should" questions ask students to make moral or practical decisions based on evidence.
• "Why" questions ask students to understand cause and effect.

6. How concepts in this chapter relate to our project:

One of the most important concepts that stands out to me is sharing our rubric with the students. Our project involves a lot of different steps, which can feel overwhelming at first. By providing our students with our rubric right away, they can know what is expected of them and how we wish to see their planning process progress. Background knowledge is also key for our project. We are requiring multiple different types of opportunities for assessment (reports, presentations, and performance [at the dinner]). It is expected that the students will already know what elements are involved in a report, as well as how to gather information from their country for their presentation.