Project Based Learning fosters a deeper learning experience as evident in the videos I watched and posts I read in preparation for this post. According to Tony Vincent's video Project-Based Learning for Teachers, project-based learning requires deeper thinking and is based around the student, not the teacher. There are crucial aspects to project-based learning that include having a purpose, addressing an audience, crafting a driving question, identifying learning standards, creating a rubric, grouping students, brainstorming branching questions, meeting deadlines, and focusing on the process. All of these put the learning process in the hands of the students and allows them to "think outside the box"so to speak. In addition, it makes learning more interactive and more rewarding because instead of just listening to a lecture and "burping back information", the students get to create something thoughtful and meaningful.
A great post to point a teacher in the right direction for project-based learning is Ten Sites Supporting Digital Classroom Collaboration in Project Based Learning. It is just what the title says, pretty self explanatory! Hopefully by the time I start teaching I will still be able to utilize these tools, unless our ever expanding world of technology has surpassed this technology by then. The way in which a class must be taught is changing, these tools will help educators change with it.
I definitely agree with you that the teaching landscape is shifting more towards technology and that we must be able to use these new technologies effectively. I liked the way that you summed up the points pertaining to Project-Based Learning for Teachers. You seemed to grasp the ideas behind all of these videos and articles quite well. The idea of the work being more centered around the students is always great and will hopefully engage them even more. You're summaries were great and I believe we as future teachers have to learn new ways of teaching students.
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