TCC 4-4 Project Based Learning (PBL)

Intel Essentials Class has begun for Winter 2014, and I was reminded of all the amazing resources that Intel freely provides to teacher-members. Their emphasis on project based learning which adds 21st century tools to unit plans opens the classroom to a world of partners and real world projects. These projects are designed to encompass the standards you would teach but to integrate them into actual work on that over-arching essential question.
Teachers Engage is Intel’s site for teacher collaboration on PBL. We teach the Essentials face-to-face. The SC state department offers several other Intel courses on their elearningscpd.com site for graduate credit.(I believe there is now a rate for out of state.) The Intel site also offers these for re-certification credit. One of the other assets offered on this site is a set of tools for students’ use during the projects: the Visual Ranking Tool, the Seeing Reason Tool, and the Showing Evidence Tool. There is also an assessment library. All of these are available to the logged-in teacher. Intel also has a DLD page in their community. This is a specialized set of projects related to 21st century skills.

Another site with projects related to February 4. Digital Learning Day has 3 pages of project based learning links. Some best practice samples check out Australian site Digital School Solutions. 

Buck Institute for Education (BIE) also has many resources which teachers can use for PBL units. Another version of PBL is CBL or Challenge Based Learning. Their projects are challenges and the students are to find solutions Teachers are members with a support community.
The TCC 4-4 Tech Classroom Infusion post has three other sources for PBL.
One of the components of projects of this type is a real world connection. Google, NASA, NBC, and Skype provide a way to connect classes with others for collaboration, interviews, or field trips at minimal cost. Please see that article for details.
Another component is related to writing CCSS which ask that publishing be part of the product. The Essentials course provides ideas for publishing like: a wiki, a blog, Prezi, Glog, Sympaloo, Voki. or Google Drive as well as the more common Power Point or Publisher.
And don’t forget our own Teacher’s Toolbox. They have a newish Common Core Thinking item which is a PBL (week long) Project. This has supplied activities and plans.
PBL is an answer to the question, “what am I going to use this for” since the uses of the information are woven into the project. These are not your “grand-teacher’s” projects...begin with one. You’ll love the engagement.
Enjoy!