Waking up students with technology-infused, project-based learning
Pedagogy Tagged education_reform, inquiry, project-based, technology August 22, 2008
In the essay “At School, Technology Starts to Turn a Corner” (New York Times, Aug. 16, 2008), author Steve Lohr describes a contemporary model for 21st century education that embeds technology into project-based learning. The “New Technology” teaching method is gaining momentum and is currently deployed in nine U.S. states.
The New Technology method transforms classrooms from lecture-and-textbook models into active, inquiry-based learning centers. Students conduct research to tackle real issues and answer complicated questions. They meet state standards and benchmarks by getting out of their seats and completing practical tasks. According to the article, students in active, project-based classrooms perform better in class and on standardized tests. They own the information because they had to discover it themselves through guided activities.
An excellent video from the New Technology Foundation website documents a math teacher at New Technology High School in Napa, California who starts her teaching units by looking at the state standards and then brainstorming how she can create real-world, hands-on applications for her students. It would be a seriously fun math class where students get out of their seats, conduct experiements and work collaboratively. Quite different from the textbook-and-lecture math classes I received in high school, from which most of the information sits in a dusty region of my brain known as the medulla iforgotta.
January 8th, 2009 at 11:35 pm
This was certainly a great article to see! If more schools, districts, teachers, and parents were aware of the type of change this could foster in motivation and success rates in school and in society, I don’t think that Ms. Nichols’s school would be in the minority. The wonderful thing about this model is that it exemplifies all of the pedagogical research from recent years: student directed projects, collaboritve learning, and ownership and connection to learning material. Additionally, these technologically savvy students are highly engaged and excited about their learning. 21st century skills are crucial for students, since many of the career choices they will have have not even been thought of yet! Global communication and cooperative skills will be crucial for these students as they enter society.
I absolutely agree that the proper use of technology – “to change how [teachers] teach and how kids learn” is crucial to making this a profound and meaningful change in how classrooms look and function in America. Now the key is, how do we get lawmakers, tax payers, districts, teachers, and parents to understand that this is not just “playing with computers?”
March 3rd, 2009 at 5:47 pm
This article was a great read for teachers interested in integrating technology into classrooms! There are many schools in the U.S. that need programs like this to improve the education of the students. The project-based classes will engage students at a different level than text books and basic novels.
I am currently taking a class about integrating technology into the classroom and have found that Wiki’s seem to be the new way to incorporate technology into research projects/papers. Teachers and students can create these to use as textbooks and resource sites. The book Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms by Will Richardson has some excellent recommendations for setting up Wikis and other tools for a technology based classroom.
I agree that we need to convince districts, tax-payers, and lawmakers to understand how important technology is in teaching today. Maybe one way that we can do that is to begin to use the tools that are available to us and create results, like Wikis, which show why technology is necessary.
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April 5th, 2010 at 1:28 pm
I am very excited about pedagogy embracing PBL and technology and networking as web 2.0. While OLPC has done wonders to children I am sure iPad will make it’s own contribution.
June 14th, 2010 at 8:57 am
Great post. I found a great non-profit that has been helping disadvantaged school districts and has had many success stories improving student achievement in Math, SAT and ACT including Collier County, FL and St. Landry Parish, LA. Their site is http://www.cyberlearning.org. CyberLearning also offers Technology courses that many schools could find useful.
August 5th, 2010 at 2:04 am
We are indeed moving closer to technology aiding learning. We are now spearheading as a knowledge economy.
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April 2nd, 2011 at 7:32 am
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September 14th, 2011 at 9:09 pm
The wonderful thing about this model is that it exemplifies all of the pedagogical research from recent years: student directed projects, collaboritve learning, and ownership and connection to learning material.Anyway, thanks for sharing this.
September 14th, 2011 at 9:20 pm
I absolutely agree that the proper use of technology to change how teachers teach and how kids learn is crucial to making this a profound and meaningful change in how classrooms look and function in America. Now the key is, how do we get lawmakers, tax payers, districts, teachers, and parents to understand that this is not just playing with computers?