Reflection 1

1. One thing that I'll need to keep in mind as I begin my journey through Project Based Learning is that simply using technology is not enough to have it be considered "Project Based Learning." For example, Adam Kinory talks about how she began integrating technology in the classroom by having her students use the internet to research topics or writing papers using word processing instead of pencil and paper, "None of that was a leap,' he admits. 'I didn't really change what I was doing in the classroom'" (1). Although he was integrating technology into his lessons it wasn't Project Based Learning because the students were still doing the same tasks but through a different medium. It wasn't until Kinory began incorporating digital media into his lessons so that students could use blogs, create videos, edit videos, etc. to expand their horizons on how and what they learned in his lessons.

2. Overall benefits of the PBL approach (17).:

• Projects form the centerpiece of the curriculum- they are not an add-on or extra at the end of a "real" unit of instruction.
• Students engage in real-world activities and practice the strategies used in authentic disciplines.
• Students work collaboratively-and sometimes globally- to solve problems that atter to them and to real-world audiences. In many cases, students are involve early in the project design, contributing their ideas at the problem-finding stage.
• Technology is integrated as a tool for discovery, collaboration, and communication, taking learners places they couldn't otherwise go and helping teachers achieve essential learning goals in new ways.
• Increasingly, teachers collaborate to design and implement projects that cross geographic boundaries or even jump time zones. They exchange ideas and improve their PBL practice through networking.
• The energy generated by one good project may create a spiraling effect that extends far beyond the original classroom. Projects that "go big" may also attract media attention, helping the public appreciate the value of the project approach.

3. The biggest benefit for students who participate in the Project Based Approach is getting the hands-on and real world experience. Something that we are continuously taught in our classes and that I'm sure we all remember going through is how often a teacher just hands the class a work sheet and considers that to be good enough for a lesson. Not only is the teacher only giving the student busy work but they aren't going to be as concerned with learning the material as they are going to be with completing the worksheet. Project Based Learning will teach and prepare students much more than previous teaching methods.