This project is a key assessment for the course and is a culmination of the concepts of problem-based learning, learning theory, technology adoption and integration, and other theories, models, etc from the readings and other materials used throughout the course.
About
For this project, I developed a Marlinespike Seamanship lesson. Marlinespike seamanship skills are essential to safely and efficiently working on boats. In the lesson, students are set up to learn about different types of line and how to tie and splice. Students are be encouraged to develop their own collection of resources via a Google Sheet with rows of URLs, Google Drive with folders for images and videos, etc. These resources can be used by the students as study materials. By the end of the lesson, they will record their own videos of how to tie knots and splice line. These videos will satisfy the formal assessment requirements for this part of the course. The following are different assignment components.
Key Project Components
- Planning materials:
- Concept Map
- TPACK/SAMR diagram
- Triple E lesson planning template
- Lesson Plan
- Assessment
- Sample Artifact
- Reflection
Concept Map
TPACK / SAMR Diagram
Triple E Planning Document
Lesson Plan
Sample Artifacts
An example of a student’s resource files can be found in this file share folder.
Two formal knot tying assessments can be found below:
Bowline Knot
Figure Eight Knot
Reflection
1. How does Inquiry Learning (The big 6 or Super 3) provide for students to have meaningful experiences? What is the value of Inquiry Learning for Digital Citizenship?
Models like The Big 6 or Super 3 help encourage problem-solving, research, and problem solving in all situations. Enabling students through these processing and encouraging them to play an active role in the development of their learning fosters interest, engagement, knowledge acquisition, and retention. Using the Big 6 is helpful when considering adult learners, who are the target audience in the work that I do, because it is designed for students of all ages. Beyond students, it is also a helpful model for teachers, librarians, and anyone, really to use. Integrating these processes into courses are beneficial for students and teachers alike.
2. Reflect on the creation of your PBL Inquiry and completion as a “student.” Where were you successful? Where did you struggle?
While completing this PBL inquiry project, I have also been reading Larry Cuban’s The Enduring Classroom. I definitely see myself in some of examples Cuban outlines throughout the book. Specifically, he explains the differences between teacher-centered learning and student-centered learning and how pre-service teachers bridge the gap between what they learn in university and college versus what they learn in their first school district. In many cases, a hybrid teaching strategy develops that exists somewhere between teaching-centered and student-centered.
Throughout the development of this project, I caught myself many times using my / society’s “good school” views to develop the project because it is what I am most familiar with. Integrating newly learned skills into the lesson was difficult. It felt like an afterthought, in some case, when I would prefer for it to be more at the forefront of the lesson development.
3. How does this project align with the ISTE Standards for Students and Teachers? Identify a few from each list and discuss.
Some of the ISTE Standards were intentionally chosen to incorporate into the project, and others were added to this reflection as I reviewed the completed project.
Students:
- 1.1.d Technology Fundamentals – Teaching students some basic skills: Google Search, saving resources, collaborating on documents.
- 1.3.a Effective Research Strategies – Utilizing different search techniques to find valuable resources.
- 1.3.c Curate Information – Save resources for future reference, either by saving bookmarks, developing Google Drive of saved documents, etc.
- 1.6.b Original and Remixed Works – Developing own material (i.e., recording video).
Teachers:
- 2.5.a Accommodate Learner Differences – Offer different types of learning paths for student to complete lesson. Incorporated lecture, individual lab work, group work, and assessment methods.
- 2.6.a Foster Student Ownership of Learning – Students can pick their own paths to accomplish the lesson. Students do their own research, save their own work, and provide their own assessment for completion.
- 2.7.a Offer Alternative Assessments – Various formative assessments throughout different sections of the lesson. For summative assessment, students can either submit video or do in person or virtual live presentation to complete.
4. How has the creation of a PBL Inquiry Project engaged your thinking about digital tools in the classroom? How has this influenced your philosophy of educational technology?
This project has definitely opened my eyes to how complicated it is to consider all factors when developing a lesson. There are so many moving parts and only so much time. I realize how much more I have to learn and try to be successful in a classroom. Success, to me, means to provide an inclusive environment where all students are supported and encouraged to learn, grow, and reach their full potential.
Conclusion
Overall, I am mostly pleased with how this turned out. I know that, given an opportunity to present this to a class for a trial, I would be able to see how the technology integrated into the class works for the students. Seeing firsthand where it might be beneficial versus where it might be more of a hinderance would help me make adjustments to the lesson.
I appreciate the opportunity to have gone through this thorough this exercise and know that it has shaped a lot of my views surrounding educational technology. Surely it will benefit me in my current position as well as in any future roles in education.
References
- Cuban, L. (2023). The enduring classroom. University of Chicago Press.
- International Society for Technology in Education. (n.d.). ISTE standards for educators. Retrieved November 28, 2024, from https://iste.org/standards/educators
- International Society for Technology in Education. (n.d.). ISTE standards for students. Retrieved November 28, 2024, from https://iste.org/standards/students
- Marino, J., & Eisenberg, M. (2018). Beyond the research project: Inquiry every day and every way. Knowledge Quest, 47(2), 56–60.