Starting with the end

It is always useful to know where you want to get before you set out to get there.  Last time we looked at the Learning Outcomes for Primary Schools and the idea was to go away and attempt to trial one of the activities.

The reality is that we really should identify the outcomes or curricular areas we want addressed, look at the main areas of understanding and knowledge we want students to get from the sessions, think about the assessments that relate and finally look at the learning activities that need to take place.

There is a template that we can use to help us with that and over the next sessions, we will look at how this template applies to the ICT learning outcomes.

ICT Learning Outcomes for Primary Schools in the Caribbean

Last time we looked at projects and project-based learning.  The CARICOM Secretariat has produced an ICT Learning Outcomes document for primary schools in the Caribbean.  The document can be downloaded here, and provides a good starting point for activities related to ICT outcomes.

Module 2 Session 1- Project Approaches to Learning with ICT

All activities will be based on the Intel^® Teach Elements: Project-based Approaches courseware.

Activity 1a: What you know

1. Open the Intel^® Teach Elements: Project-based Approaches course and go to
Module 1 Lesson 1 A1: Your Knowledge of Project-Based Learning.

2.   Read the page headed "What You Know” and look at one or both of the example K-W-L-H charts.

3.   Click Next On the Action Plan Activity page, save the Word document version of the Action Plan.

4.   Make entries in the K-W-L-H on Page 3 of your Action Plan document.

o   In the Know column, write down what you know about project based learning – write this in the form of statements.

o   In the Wonder column, write down what you wonder about project based learning  – write this in the form of questions 

5.   Share your second (Wonder) column with your group by posting it to your blog.

Activity 1b: Projects in Action

1.   Either click on Next from the previous activity or re-open the Elements Course and go to   Module 1 Lesson 1 A2: Project-Based Learning Overview.

2.   Follow the directions on that page and read the descriptions of Projects in Action.

3.   Consider each example and clarify what, in your mind, makes these examples project-based approaches.

Activity 1c: Conventional and project-based classrooms

1.   Either click on Next from the previous activity or re-open the Elements Course and go to Module 1 Lesson 1 A3: Project-Based vs Conventional Instruction.

2.    Consider this question:

o   Is this typically what your class is like? 

3.   Click Next. Follow directions and read about the Project-Based Classroom Scenario.

4.   Click Next. Follow directions and complete the Conventional or Project? activity.

5.   Click Next. Follow directions and complete the Comparison Chart activity.

Activity 1d: Action Plan

1.   Open your Action Plan.

2.   Consider your own teaching. Record goals and current or expected challenges with using projects in the section labelled Module 1 Lesson 1 Activity 3 of your Action Plan.

3.   Click Next until you come to the Project Summaries activity. Assess your understanding by completing the activity.

4.   Click Next  and read the descriptions of the terms “constructivism”, “project-based learning”, “inquiry-based learning” and “problem-based learning”. 

5.   Conduct an online group discussion (using Todaysmeet.com) called Benefits of project-based learning in which you discuss the question “What benefits could there be for project-based learning in my teaching?”

Powerful lessons learnt

During this lesson I learnt about using online software to create an online group brainstorming activity. I found this activity to be very interesting and found that the website we used was very impressive allowing a lot of actions to be made using many different tools.  Having the ability to edit each others work, send individual and group chats ca we a powerful learning, and assessment tool. That website was http://www.mindmeister.com/

I think this would be an excellent recourse in the classroom with the Year 5's or 6's.

Brainstorming/ Mindmapping

In today's lesson, it was interesting to learn about and work with a brainstorming /mind mapping tool.  We used Mind Meister and discovered how it worked and what is possible in using the tool.   I see it as a powerful tool that would enable students to create, share and collaboratively work on mind maps.  
At the end, our facilitator, Mr Ray placed the information we had contributed and shared into smartnotebook and had us further interact with the smartboard to place the information from the mind map into different categories.  This allowed us the additional opportunity to evaluate the information that was shared on the map.

ICT as an information resource is fantastic.  

It would be great and greatly beneficial for teachers to collaborate online.  We can share information that would mutually assist us in our teaching and get ideas for students' learning.

The brainstorming activity we did was successful.  We learnt how this can be done and shared ideas on how this can be used in teaching and learning.

Module 1, Session 3 - ICT as an information and collaboration tool

In Session 3, we looked at ICT as an information and collaboration tool.  We had a healthy discussion about ICT and the definition, which evolved into a broader discussion about the information side of ICT, reliability of data/information, helping students to discern reliable information, and loads of other things.

Then, using Mindmeister (www.mindmeister.com) we created a collaborative document about information you can get from ICT sources.  Then, we sorted the information based on its reliability in a Smartboard Notebook file.

The thoughts and reflections from the group can be found on their various blogs or on this blog.  You can link to their blogs from the section on the right that looks like this...

Fun and interesting stuff!

The most powerful lesson captured today was the ability to access and collaborate information posted by colleagues.

ICT is definately a powerful 'vehicle', resource that can take you places, a useful for teachers and students.

The brainstorming went very well.