EDTECH 542—Technology-Supported Project-Based Learning

Bradley Drewyor

Discussion Board Posts

Week 1

Introduction

Happy summer, everyone! My name is Bradley Drewyor, and this course marks the halfway point in my journey to completing my Masters of Ed. Tech. degree at Boise State. It also will allow me to wrap up my certificate in Technology Integration, which will be nice. I can add that to my collection of degrees and certificates (BA in Spanish, BA in International Business, MBA, Project Management Professional Certification) that I use to paper over the fact that I have no actual skills or abilities! As you can tell from my degree list, I am not a teacher, but I do sometimes pretend to be one for my kids. I only mention my kids because when you have two small children, you pretty much no longer have hobbies or activities of your own, unless you happen to like what your kids like at any given moment. I used to exercise a great deal (I have completed a couple marathons and failed spectacularly at an ultra-marathon), and still try to find time to sneak in as many video games as my life allows these days.

Anyway, I am working on an M.E.T. as part of my effort to become better at my job (and, hopefully, slightly more indispensible) as a developer of educational materials for McGraw-Hill Education’s intervention, special needs, supplemental products, and assessment learning solutions center in the great state of Ohio. That’s a mouthful, no doubt, but basically means that I get to create educational content that helps some of the neediest students in the world achieve learning success. And that is why I keep going back to the office. I suppose that is enough about me for now. Any questions, just let me know.

Here is a link to my advertisement.

Week 1—Part 2, Group 3

1. How many K-12 teachers/students/schools/programs are involved in the move toward PBL?

As my discussion-board mates have already posted, finding research for this “number” is a challenge. This is very likely the case because PBL is really just now coming into vogue, to some degree. It is true that teachers and businesses have often used the basics of PBL in instruction and training; however, it has taken the incorporation of technology in the classroom to truly bring PBL to the fore in the classroom. John Thomas, on page 36 in his review of research ( provides some insight into why PBL may be so slow to be adopted in this age of “what works” in classrooms. Research is really just starting to come out now, but still not widely available for teachers. More importantly, the research has not led to a generally accepted framework for incorporating PBL in the classroom. Finally, the research has not been focused directly on teachers’ needs. While this can be seen as detrimental, it does lead to an interesting potential for PBL. As corporations move toward PBL in their training models, colleges and high schools will necessarily start to look more at PBL to prepare their students for the work world. This will only enhance the growth of PBL as an instructional approach.

2. Are at-risk students served by programs that incorporate PBL? How?

The success of at-risk students is very near to my day-to-day job, so I take this question seriously. My short answer is, in my opinion, yes, absolutely, at-risk students can benefit and complete projects. The onus is on the teacher to ensure students receive appropriate models and access to background knowledge to set them up for success in the projects. On page 6 of the PBL Handbook from the Buck Institute for Education ( there is discussion about the importance of the teacher knowing when students are ready. There is a general feeling that at-risk and Special Education students are less capable of completing projects. In my experience, it does require more direct instruction and planning for differentiation than maybe the general education classroom, but they are very appropriate for at-risk students.

What is great about PBL for at-risk students is the fact that it provides multiple modalities for instruction and learning for students to approach topics, within a safe environment that builds background knowledge and application of this knowledge through disciplined inquiry, as was shown in a University of Wisconsin-Madison study ( If we keep the needs of individual students in mind when designing and implementing PBL, these students can benefit from projects by approaching learning in a different way. Much of what is good about gaming and instructional technology comes out in PBL, as well. PBL, very similar to games in the classroom, allows learners the (Klopfer, Osterweil, & Salen, 2009)

  • freedom to fail;
  • freedom to experiment;
  • freedom to fashion identities;
  • freedom of effort; and
  • freedom of interpretation.

3. What role does NCLB play in encouraging/inhibiting the use of PBL in traditional classrooms?

Thinking that PBL is excluded from classrooms under NCLB is somewhat misguided. While the focus on testing, testing, testing often leads people away from projects as a learning tool, there is no reason to believe that standards and PBL are incompatible. Page 4 in the PBL Handbook ( states very clearly projects should be standards based and start with the end in mind. This is an important clarification for many educators. Additionally, the project-development process opens itself to the concept of Understanding by Design ( Backward design allows for standards to be incorporated from the start.

Most encouraging, however, has been the approach of Arne Duncan and the Obama administration toward interpreting the NCLB Act. Following approval of NCLB, there was a significant investment in standards-based assessment and a pure skills focus with scientifically proven curriculum. There is a potential shift from “what works” to “whatever works.” Additionally, there is some pressure to move from a comparative to a growth model for assessment. The growth model works very well with PBL units. Arne Duncan stated, “ Student growth and gain, not absolute test scores, are what we are most interested in – how much students are improving each year, and what are teachers, schools, school districts and states doing the most to accelerate student achievement?” (American Educator. Winter 2009-2010.) Despite NCLB having done no favors for PBL in the past, there are hopeful signs there will be a change in focus, supporting the implementation of PBL and project-based assessment in the curriculum.

Week 2

Project Search

Based on the readings for this week, it is clear that true projects should have a variety of commonalities. My goal for the task of identifying and listing these common aspects was to try and identify which pieces were really essential to students having success in the projects.

  • Significant planning—Videos and discussions around the products on the BIE site and on Edutopia make it clear successful projects have significant planning
  • Clear expectations and standards—Pre-set learning expectations, communicated to students early in the project, almost always tied to learning standards
  • Building background—Instructional programs for intervention students often lack background building activities needed to prepare them for success; these projects specifically lay out activities or resources that build background
  • Thoughtful questions—Projects included thoughtful driving questions that helped dictate the project tasks that followed
  • Assessment—Not just research and discussion, but assessment for the key learning goals was present for each project
  • Student engagement—Variety of ways to engage students in the learning process to give them ownership
  • Realism—Questions and tasks clearly focused on concepts in students’ world.
  • Technology—Technology was present in each, but more as a means to an end

I struggled to find a project and to identify how I could modify it for my class, as I am not, and never have been, a classroom teacher. Once I picked a group of students (fifth graders significantly behind in reading ability), that made the task easier. The project that struck my fancy is not a true PBL project, but is similar in many ways. It is a habitat project focused on pets from ePals and National Geographic:

What I like about this project for my target students is the fact that they have a good bit of background knowledge in pets and knowing that pets take time and responsibility to handle. I also really liked the focus on science and social studies, as well as the idea that the technology was important, but not the driver of the project. I likely would not use ePals, but focus students finding local experts through email, phone calls, or even try to bring an animal expert into the classroom myself. There are many opportunities to work in whole class activities, small groups, and on individual teams. Another change I would make is to refocus the driving question, a little bit. I ran across a Web site for writing grants to purchase classroom pets: For the project, I would focus on student teams picking an animal of their choice and creating a persuasive letter to convince an administrator, the teacher, and or classmates of why their animal is the pet the classroom should work toward. This letter would be based on writing frames, but be an individual product informed by small-group research. There would also be a persuasive presentation delivered by each group, with a vote in the end for which animal to choose, or something along those lines. For this group of students, it is all about support and differentiated products, and the nature of the project, I believe, would allow for that.

Week 3

Craft the Driving Questions

Gliffy Link

DrivingQuestion

Why is it important to have different habitats in the world, and how does that help you choose a classroom pet?

Sub Questions

A. What are the different habitats in the world?

1. What animals are commonly found in each habitat?

--What are common characteristics of animals that live in each habitat?

--How do animals adapt to their habitats?

2. What plants are commonly found in each habitat?

3. Where in the world can each habitat be found?

B. What animal would you choose for a classroom pet?

1. What general characteristics of your animal make it a greatclassroom pet?

--Size? Length of life? Human friendly? Cause allergies?

2. What would you have to do to build a habitat for yourpet in the classroom?

--Is there an expert you can consult?

--How much would it cost to create the habitat in the classroom?

--Can you find enough information about your pet on the Internet? Food? Space it needs? Can your pet be left alone?

C.What would you tell classmates or administrators to convince them to choose your pet?

--What value could a pet add to the classroom?

--What would you learn from having a pet in the classroom?

--How would you pay for the pet and for the habitat in the classroom?

Characteristics of a Quality Driving Question

  • Challenge learners--Learners need to be encouraged to thinkin directions thatwill challenge their ideas andmotivate learning.
  • Provide a relevant learning experience--Motivation can also be found in making sure the question makes them work toward something that will fit their life, not just abstract ideas that have nothing to do with their day-to-day lives.
  • Require research from a variety of sources--Part of the PBL learning process is learning totake advantage of the resourcesavailable to them; books, people, technology, everything around them.
  • Connect easily and drive learning effectively to meet standards and content goals--In this dayand age of standards,athree-week or longer project must tie back to standards and district learningobjectives to be considered successful.
  • Focused enough for a short time frame, but offer opportunities to extend to longer units of study--One-off projects are okay, but students are better served by projects that can become part of a longer learning experience.

How Does My Question Meet Criteria

I found this a challenging activity, in that I struggled to develop a driving question that felt directional for the three-week project I want students working on, but not so narrow that the question could not be extended to a longer unit of study. In the end, my question meets the criteria above by first presenting a challenge. In order to effectively identify and promote their choice for classroom pet, students will have to understand the science content around habitats. They will also need to employ a variety of resources to evaluate the differences between their animal’s natural habitat and the habitat in their school building. Students will need to search the Web, review books, and, when possible, contact experts about their animals, what the animals eat, what accommodations might be necessary for the animals in their classroom, if the animals are appropriate to have around children, and so on. By putting environments into action, students will build on science standards, technology standards, listening and speaking standards, and writing standards. All activities in the project will definitely tie to core learning goals and standards for this population of students. Finally, I definitely see this driving question as having both an inquiry-based, open-ended component (Why is it important to have different types of habitats in the world) and a very project-specific, focused piece (and how does that help you choose a classroom pet).

Creating an Entire Unit

The first step in creating a unit is making sure the driving question is open-ended and challenging enough to allow for an entire unit of study. As I said in the previous section, I think this is true of the first half of my driving question. This project targets long-term learning activities and short-term project tasks. In this project, students will only begin to touch on the concepts of habitats and environment, adaptation, interactions between plant and animal species within and between environments, and the effects of disrupting a habitat. Students will explicitly and unknowingly touch on some of this content, but specific work around intra- and inter-workings of habitats is a clear take-away from this project over the long term. One way to extend the project over a full unit would be to first assign groups to research specific habitats. Each group would report on the salient details of each habitat, and detail the animals and plants that thrive in their habitat(s). From there, students could be asked to go through this project to find the right classroom pet, focusing more on how to get their pet to acclimate to its new habitat. Following the competition to select a pet, if the students are able to truly bring the pet into the classroom, they could study the pet’s reaction to its new surroundings and detail how the change in habitat might be affecting their chosen pet. Another option for extending the activity is to follow the ePals plan that originally inspired my project topic. Students could pair with experts or students from the habitat from which they chose their animal to discuss if the animal can survive in the classroom setting, what they need to do to ensure the animal’s survival, and so on. Additionally, if there is a conservatory or garden facility in the local vicinity, teachers could take students on a field trip to explore first hand some of the facets of the different habitats they are learning about. There are any number of opportunities to extend student learning over a longer period, limited only by the amount of time teachers have to approach the content with students.

Week 4

Plan the Assessment

Below I will answer the question as to how my project meets the Key Principles of Effective Assessments and what I might do differently for my project to allow more students involvement.

  • Assessment is for students: The project plan will present information to students early in the project, provides opportunities for both group and individual scores to encourage each student to take ownership of their work, and allows students to choose pet they want to push for their classroom.
  • Assessment is faithful to the work students actually do: Daily checkouts, the Project Action Plan, and the Persuasive Letter are products developed throughout the project, allowing students to see how they work through the products for the project. Reflection is built in throughout the work on each day. Students review, discuss, and evaluate their progress throughout the project, leading to a greater understanding of the goals of the project.
  • Assessment is public: The Project Action Plan, Project Rubric, and other materials are presented to students early in the project. The winning class pet is selected by the whole class, and a presentation to administrators allows an additional audience to evaluate learning.
  • Assessment promotes ongoing self-reflection and critical inquiry: This is the area where I feel my assessments are likely weakest. I one connection as the fact that students can choose whatever animal they like, and they have the opportunity to make their case for the animal of their choice; however, this is not expressly open ended for students. Teachers and students have the opportunity to meet frequently throughout the project to discuss progress and evaluate where to go next. Finally, students are required to think about the consequences and needs of their potential pet in the classroom from a scientific/feasibility standpoint.
  • How might I adjust teaching the project to allow more student involvement: I would allow students to complete a project making the case for NOT having a class pet. I would also allow them to choose the type of presentation to make to the class and a set of criteria for evaluating the project presentation. There could also be opportunities for the daily writing checkouts and persuasive letters to have a peer evaluation as well as a teacher evaluation. Students could also very easily assist in identifying how team participation and time on task should be evaluated during the project.
  • Dr. Bontz, I will work on updating that rubric. I was having trouble converting to PDF, for whatever reason. Also, I do feel that I neglected to fully meet the deliverables for week four by not expressly providing information about two formative and one summative assessment. I have included that work in this post.
  • Plan the Assessment—Samples of Formative and Summative Assessments
  • In my previous post, I presented the general plan and a link to several assessment instruments. While I talked around the assessments in those documents, I did not specifically address the task of showing samples of formative and summative assessments with a description of the instruments and links to the elements described previously.

Formative Assessment Samples