Education, Technology, and Fun

Through my Project Based Learning class offered at Wilkes University and developed by Discovery Education my group has designed a project that deals with citizenship. The video/collection of images below are but one of the components that was built. I am sharing it now because it is timely to our situation as a nation dealing with an economic recession, increasing violence and troop escalation in Afghanistan, and a historical presidency that stands poised to make great strides in all areas. So, consider, what is citizenship — and are you a good citizen? Answers will vary…..

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After years of doing and engaging in Project Based Learning with my students it is finally time – in part due to the evolution of the projects and in part because my grad. class has opened my eyes to the fact that the world is now at our feet – that we enter the global arena with our projects. Since we’ve acknowledged that the doors to the world are but just before us, we merely need to push in, find the right foray, and engage with students and teachers around the world. But how do we do this effectively, efficiently, and with regard to the learning and cultural principles that need to be addressed.

Naturally the fear surrounding PBL is whether or not the students are engaged in effective and clear learning. The worry amongst educators is: will my students pass the standardized test that is looming later in the year? How can I justify spending so much time on projects when my kids need to be ready for the test? Research and studies have shown that PBL is, in fact, effective learning for our students. Done right, PBL is engaging, enlightening, and authentic. Projects allow our students to participate in their learning in the same or similar ways as professionals in our fields. Having the opportunity to work on global projects not only increases the authentic nature, but adds an empathy component as well. As educators, we must encourage our colleagues and our policy makers to accept that standardized tests are not a measure of learning, they are only a tool of policy. We should measure learning through authentic and real modes of learning and that results in PBL.

Working in PBL also brings on time constraints, especially when we are concerned with “covering” content for the end game (aka – standardized test). Projects, by nature of their design and for what they are intended to accomplish in student discovery, take longer than traditional, 20th century teaching tended to take. Going global with our projects in a way that connects us around the world is only going to add to the time concern for teachers. It is not just a matter of how long the actual project will take, but how intense the planning aspect promises to be as well. Where will teachers find the time to plan these joint events? The good news is: teachers do not need to plan “events” as it were. They merely need to allow for collaboration and this can be done through any number of sites, including NetGenEd, Taking It Global, and iEARN. The collaboration does not need to happen at a common time between students of various countries, with Web 2.0 tools like wikis and ning students can communicate when it is convenient with them and not the middle of the night. The collaboration possibilities online allow for more immediate feedback and discussion to occur than traditional snail mail.

Global PBL also provides challenges and opportunities for language and culture development for our students. Because they will be immersed in their learning with people from around the globe, there is no room for slang and abbreviations that our students use with ease. Formal writing standards must be adhered to if we expect our partners to be fully able to engage with us. Our students must also develop writing styles that embrace the simple uses grammar and language in order to enable full understanding. Students must also take the time to learn about the cultures from which their cohorts are from so that they can build an appreciation, understanding, and empathy for their peers around the world. This challenge provides teachers with an amazing opportunity to further their students’ learning and truly connect their students in ways that previously didn’t exist.

In sum, challenges to PBL certainly exist, but they are also very manageable. It is our duty to our students’ futures to teach them in ways that embrace people from all over the world. If business, government, trade, and every other enterprise that exists is to be global in the 21st century, why would we exempt education from that model? Education is blessed with the ability to take young students and shape their thinking about engaging and empathizing with others and truly change the future of the world and the relationships we can foster as a result of global PBL.

What If There Was No News? What’s News? from RJ Stangherlin on Vimeo.

After 13 years as a classroom teacher I have come to realize that there are certain truths that I hold on to in my pedagogy. I came into this profession as a history/political science major and the thrilling part of history to me is the story. I have a love for telling the story and doing it in an expressive way that kids enjoy and often times remember. This works with some kids – I talk, they listen, they absorb, I’m happy. But the reality is that most kids do not learn or appreciate history if it comes from the “sage on the stage” it is much better for the majority of kids to immerse themselves in history and learn from research, discovery, and formulating their own conclusions. How do we do this in an effective manner? Project Based Learning is the answer.

Pedagogy consists of the way an educator teaches. In the 21st century most educators accept that teaching effectively requires planning, management, learning outcomes, engagement, authentic teaching and learning, academic rigor, multiple platforms, and student directed learning. In a traditional 20th century classroom that list was too much to handle and accomplish, but in the world of project based learning it is manageable and doable. Well planned projects with authentic learning and assessment practically guarantee learning outcomes, engagement, academic rigor, multiple platforms, and student directed learning.

Recently I assigned my Modern European History class a project that was grounded in their knowledge of the causes of World War I. Their task was to break into groups representing the major players from WWI and research why each of their countries would want to go to war. What was the motive (long and short term)? They also had to consider and write what each of their enemies had to submit to in order to avoid a declaration of war. After they presented their rationales and demands we split each country up and three groups were formed with representatives from each country in each group. Their job was to come up with a written compromise that the members of each country could live with in order to avoid the war. Currently we are united as a whole class and dissecting each of the peace proposals in order to come up with one final offer. Each country has to address each point of the proposal, propose alternate solutions, and eventually each country will agree to the proposal on the board.

During the research component the kids work as a cohesive unit to research and create their presentations. This was true during the first compromise sessions where they had to engage in informal debate and represent their given country. Finally each student has to work with their original team again in the final discussion in order to fairly represent their assigned countries during the last round of talks. It was my experience that the kids were wholly engaged – in large part because of the mixing of groups a couple of times. This was student directed in that their peace proposals did not have a given formula or recipe to follow as far as points or format. The debate and discussion periods were thoughtful and rigorous. Finally, the learning was clear and authentic because each of my students has a very clear understanding of the causes of not only World War I, but of war in general, regardless of the time period. The kids can discuss the causes and desires of each country without referring to notes or resources because it was engaging, full of discovery, application of their knowledge to a larger discussion. It was wonderful to see students walk in daily get immediately in their groups, grab laptops if they needed them and engage in discussions that most adults could not muster.

The pedagogical justification for project based learning is that done correctly, PBL encompasses all that we, as educators, desire for our 21st century students. We are teaching them to think with real-life application and problems. We are stimulating substantive conversation amongst our kids. We are providing them with multiple platforms and differentiated modes of learning so that all of our kids can succeed. Ultimately, what we provide the students with is the ability to think, apply, evaluate, understand, and create which in turn will transfer to success on not only the very 20th century standardized assessments that they are required to take, but more importantly success in the 21st century in which they are required to live.

Effective Project Based Learning has some fundamental commonalities in its structure, implementation and results. After reading and viewing information about the worm project, geometry and architecture, and the migration of monarch butterflies there are clear and obvious similarities that each project contains regardless of the age or education level of the kids involved.

Each project was designed with an intensive agenda that is multi-faceted in both preparation and presentation. Projects that enjoy the most success, student engagement, and overall true learning for our students are those that are well-planned. Planning quality projects involves not only the teacher, but the students as well. Students should have a role in determining the components of the project, with the teacher acting as a guide to ensure the quality and academic rigor is intact. For example, in the worm project the kids determined that they would study an animal, but the teacher used guiding questions to help them arrive at the conclusion that the worm would be the subject of their study. The student voice provides them with ownership over the project and hopefully their level of engagement is heightened as a result as well. Successful project also should be planned with the end result in mind which is why providing students with a rubric of what their assessment will be based on is crucial. Students should certainly be given some creative freedom in the look and feel of the final product, but some guidance on the fundamental learning and presentation principles is important. The structure of each project, be it worms, architecture, or monarchs was time intensive, guided by open-ended essential questions, and a well-thought out end result with some creative licensing considered.

The implementation of each project included quality research, student engagement, and interdisciplinary connections. All of the projects required students to complete research in order to gain the necessary background information about the subject. Students had to know about soil, landscape, climate, and apply that research to each of these projects. Students had to read for understanding, synthesize, and apply all of their knowledge to the project. Each project engaged students fully not only because of the demands of the project, but because the kids had a hand in the design of the project and knew they were applying their knowledge to a tangible outcome. Whether it was the worms, monarchs, or building design, the kids had a vested interest in the success of the project. Each project also contained a vast array of interdisciplinary connections within it. Everything from reading, writing, math, science, speaking, listening, geography and more was involved in each of the projects. PBL certainly lends itself to all of the 21st century skills that our students need to possess and master.

The results and assessment of each of the projects were clear and open ended so that the kids had some creative flexibility and still fulfill the requirements and beyond. Each of the projects also used and relied on external experts to not only give insight into the subject, but to serve as evaluators during the presentation phase of the project as well. It is impressive how multi-faceted the presentations were including digital, posters, dimensional, written and verbal. One of the major objectives in the project was to initiate real world connections with their projects. The projects were assessed via a rubric and generally by multiple people allowing for various perspectives on the work that was completed.

Overall each of the projects was very impressive in design, implementation and assessment. Perhaps the most telling results address the concerns some educators have about PBL – do the kids actually learn? Yes, yes, yes! All one has to do is check their standardized tests and most importantly and telling – listen to the kids. All of the kids can speak to the content and learning goals of their projects without the need of reference materials and notes. They know their stuff!

I headed to the North American Invitational Model United Nations with 16 kids and my friend and colleague Katie Stehly over President’s Weekend and while the kids had a blast despite fighting illness, they did not technically win awards from Georgetown. However, in my heart and head they won all the awards they need. These kids think, care, nurture, have fun, and make good in any situation. We arrived on Thursday and checked into the Washington Hilton, which was remarkably smooth for a change. We then jumped on the GUT bus and headed to the Georgetown campus and M Street for some shopping. Upon our return to the hotel the kids got changed into their WBA (western business attire) and we headed off to Opening Ceremonies with over 3000 other students and moderators. Dr. Arend was the keynote and in his flurry of hand gestures and animated movements he made the point that America has been lacking good leadership for the past 16 years. Both G. W. Bush and W. J. Clinton failed to lead in a way that created coalitions and forged good relationships with other countries. His hope and his faith are that President Obama will change that culture. The days are over where America can play the heavy and expect other countries to just accept it as the norm. After opening ceremonies it was off to Session 1 for all the kids.

Thirty hours of committee work later the kids had eaten, sang, danced, and argued their way to Closing Ceremonies where despite great performances by my delegates they did not compete with the private and prep schools who have United Nations classes and practice and compete all year long with one another. Unlimited funding and unbinding schedules will do that for a Model UN team — that is, put them in a position where they can win many, many awards. Se’ La Vie — it is what it is. As long as my kids are learning, thinking, and improving – I’m okay with that result.

Next stop: Johns Hopkins where we will likely see the same private and prep schools and we will still have fun and learn, and think, and grow.

Today my friend and colleague RJ Stangherlin and I attended the DEN pre-conference at PETE&C and we learned some very cool things from some very cool people. Today’s activities centered around digital storytelling featuring Jason Ohler, Joe Brennan, Matt Monjan, Steve Dembo, and more. I learned greenscreen technology from Matt and Steve offered a whole list of new great stuff for my classroom. One of the resources Steve introduced me to was xtranormal.com and there is nothing normal about the possibilities of telling stories with this web 2.0 applications. It is truly awesome. Check out my 30 minutes of “play” below.

I was fortunate to have the opportunity this past weekend to attend EduCon 2.1 in Philadelphia. It is an innovative conference that brings together educational gurus, technology implementation, and forward thinking professionals who hope to combine the two to better prepare our students for the 21st century demands of the world. This conference experience coupled with the readings of Pink, Blinder, Friedman, and Bloom for this unit made a deep connection with me as to how we need to look at education and technology through a new light. At my final session of the conference there was an analogy made by technology coach Kristin Hokanson that said that educators in the 21st century are standing on the edge of a cliff. We are either ready to jump off, be pushed off, or soar. This is a true assessment of educators as we enter into unchartered territory.

How do we help the educators, who have phenomenal potential to back away from their urge to jump off the cliff, to reassess 21st century education including the conceptual age? Educators across the United States are breathing deeply and praying that they can make it to retirement before they have to reconfigure their curriculum and teaching according to the demands of the right-brained student and the flat world. These teachers are very left-brained in their design and implementation. They cannot seem to wrap their brains around the idea that what worked in the past is not necessarily going to work today or tomorrow. The age of linear process and assembly line mechanization is in the past. The age of setting the pace just because we are the United States is over. The age of embracing globalization, synthesis, and context is upon us. It is no longer enough that we simply learn to read, it is necessary that we learn to understand, conceptualize and employ forward-thinking practices that will keep our students on par or ahead of the rest of the world. We must, as Friedman points out, set the pace on creation and discovery. Clearly, the push toward technology implementation and infusion in education and the globalization of our classrooms is a very uncomfortable place for some of our colleagues to be at this juncture. The choice to jump off the cliff is clearly theirs, but rescue is still in the cards.

There are also those educators who are feeling as if they are being pushed off the cliff by those of us who are entering the 21st century and age of globalization with gusto and anticipation. We need to be cognizant of the needs and fears of our colleagues and embrace them and help them to make the shift to preparing the “whole mind” of our students. These are educators who may well have excellent intentions, but are overwhelmed by the 79 websites or applications that are cited on any given day in the faculty room. These are educators who truly want what is best for our children and our future, but they are unsure as to where or how to begin. This is where gentle coaxing, reassurance, and peer coaching come into play. Educators who truly want to make the leap into the 21st century and globalization, but stand behind a shield of hesitation mean no harm to our children. They truly care about kids, but are unsure as to exactly what steps they can take to implement a new standard of education in their classrooms. Certainly, the potential or perceived threat of offshoring teachers’ jobs is not going to win them over, but a look into how a foray into globalization and the possibilities this forward thinking holds is the bridge to keep them safe on the cliff while still giving them the option to fly.

The last group of educators are the ones who have unbridled excitement about the direction and future of education. These are the people standing on the edge of the cliff ready to just soar into the wind and glide their wings into the changes upon us. We are excited about forming our personal learning networks, getting our professional development from all over the world, and truly embracing the role as a facilitator to learning for our students. We are exploring ways to interact with other educational communities around the globe and providing our students with ways to truly get a hands on experience with changing they way that they learn. Teaching our students how to engage that conceptual mind where they not only understand the surface of an issue, but they can conceptualize and formulate solutions for the future. The flat world demands that in order for countries to maintain their edge they must compete in the realm of creation, not just implementation. This is where Pink’s conceptual age and R-directed thinking will further advance the United States and the World. This global interaction is what is going to propel our country forward. The acceptance that we, as their teachers, are not the end all and be all of their factual learning, but we are their window into a greater, bigger, more engaging world community is what is going to keep the United States as a world leader as we move forward.

The trick to securing the future of our students, our nation, and our world is going to be finding a way to allow those who are ready to soar find and keep their wings, giving those who are ready to jump a place to hang on and ride with us until their own wings are developed, and those who are feeling as if they are being pushed a bridge to secure them. This does mean that we wait forever to embrace the 21st century and globalization. In order to assure that we keep the United States as a forerunner in the world, our economy intact, and a civilization that leads the world in the ethic of care we are obligated to make this leap as efficiently as possible. L-directed thinking in education will fail our students and our nation. We must embrace unique ways of educating our youth in order to create a beautiful future for them and ultimately our world. Clearly, Pink, Blinder, Friedman, and Bloom would have had much to offer at EduCon 2.1. They should rest fairly easy though as there are brilliant leaders in education who have found their wings and are leading the gliders through the valley. In a way very much like the animal world, Pink, Blinder, Friedman, and Bloom are providing educators with a bit of nudge off the cliff just to prove to many of us that we truly have developed our own wings.