Information & Communication Technology-Assisted Project-Based Learning 10/8/05 David Moursund College of Education University of Oregon Eugene, Oregon USA 97403

Map of Oregon

Costa Rica

Comparison Costa Rica Oregon Population 4,016,000 Land area 51,100 Sq km Coastline 1,290 km Oregon Population 3,450,000 Land area 251,868 Sq km Coastline 474 km

Project-Based Learning Students work individually or in teams over a period of time. Students produce a product, performance, or presentation. PBL is learner centered: Teacher is “guide on the side.” Teacher is not “sage on the stage.”

Information and Communication Technology ICT includes all forms of telecommunication systems such as telephones, the Internet, and the Web. ICT includes calculators, computers, digital cameras, digital music devices. ICT includes the field of Computer and Information Science.

ICT-Assisted PBL This is merely the integration of ICT into PBL. It includes ICT: As an aid to doing projects. As a source of projects. As one of the learning goals.

The world is getting smaller Improving transportation and communication. Increasing international trade. Increasing telecommuting to jobs.

Thomas Friedman’s newest book “The World is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-first Century.” Worldwide telecommuting to jobs and worldwide competition for some jobs. Worldwide competition in manufacturing and agriculture.

Examples Teams of researchers around the world working together on a project. US lost airline luggage center located in London, England. Telephone call centers located in India. Accounting and other financial services provided by workers in China and India.

Examples Individual people making their travel arrangements and purchasing tickets via the Web. The Web and delivery companies are a gigantic “store.” The Web as the world’s largest “library.”

“Flatter” world leads to Increased need for each country to compete globally. Need for students to be educated to become responsible and productive adult citizens of their community, country, and the world.

Goals of education (David Perkins) Acquisition and retention of knowledge and skills. Understanding of one's acquired knowledge and skills. Active use of one's acquired knowledge and skills. (Transfer of learning. Ability to apply one's learning to new settings. Ability to analyze and solve novel problems.)

Goals of Education

What is an academic discipline? It is defined by: Problems and activities it addresses. Accumulated accomplishments. History, culture, language. Methods of teaching and learning. Tools, methodologies, evidence and arguments. Nature and extent of its expertise.

Expertise in a Discipline

Problem Solving Includes: posing, clarifying, and answering questions posing, clarifying, and solving problems posing, clarifying, and accomplishing tasks posing, clarifying, and making decisions using higher-order, critical, and wise thinking to do all of the above

A “modern” educational system Increased focus on problem solving and higher-order thinking skills. Learning to live and work in a world that is becoming smaller and “flatter” because of improvements in transportation, ICT, and other science and technology. Empower students, prepare them to be flexible, self-sufficient, lifelong learners.

Looking at Education from an ICT-Assisted PBL Point of View

Process Writing as an Example of a Project Brainstorming and researching. Organizing the data, information, and ideas. Developing a first draft. Obtaining feedback from self and others. Revising and going back to earlier step(s). Publishing.

Key Ideas from Process Writing Use of a word processor helps in each step. Internet and Web are particularly useful in step 1. Use of a word processor is particularly helpful in steps 5 and 6. Computers make it easy to include graphics and pictures in writing. Computers can help with spelling and grammar. ICT adds to authenticity of a writing project.

Authentic Instruction and Authentic Assessment Instruction is authentic when it closely conforms to what we want students to learn to do. Assessment is authentic when it closely conforms to having students do what we are preparing them to do. ICT-Assisted PBL can be designed to have authentic content & assessment.

Authentic Instruction and Authentic Assessment for: Agricultural Age: Hands-on, informal, learn by doing. Industrial Age: Factory-like educational systems. Information Age Learning in and being assessed in an open computer, high connectivity environment. Learning to learn, to take responsibility for one’s own learning, and to become a lifelong learner.

Individualization of Instruction Students have widely varying interests, abilities, talents, and rates of learning. Constructivism—building on previous knowledge and skills. Advantages of individualization, tutoring, Computer-Assisted Learning, and intrinsic motivation.

Examples of Mass Production of Individualized Products Cars. Computers. Eye glasses. Question: How can we increase individualization in our process of “producing” educated students?

Expertise

Empowering the Learner: Consider Educational system that treats student all alike, as “products” to be “manufactured or produced” to fit specifications developed by people “at the top.” Versus Educational system designed to empower each individual student to develop his or her individual capabilities and interests.

Empowering the Teacher: Consider Curriculum content, instructional processes, and assessment are carefully prescribed, and it is the teacher’s job to follow all of the rules in implementation. Versus Teacher plays a major role in deciding curriculum content, instructional processes, and assessment that will be most effective for his or her students.

ICT-Based PBL Empowers Students and Teachers Teacher is immersed in an exciting learning environment designed to actively engage students. Teacher, as a “guide on the side,” is both a teacher and learner, learning from and sharing with students. Students engage in projects that they help to define, are intrinsically motivated, and do activities where they can see the results.

Like any Unit of Study, an ICT-Based PBL Lesson has: Goals and Objectives Teacher helping to organize and facilitate student learning activities. Formative and summative assessment.

Some Samples of Goals. Students Learn: Subject matter content. ICT as an integral component of the subject matter component. To budget resources (such as time). To assess one’s progress and quality of work.

Goals (continued) To work as a team member (cooperative learning and problem solving). To be a creative, higher-order thinker and problem solver. To transfer previous learning into new settings. To learn to learn and help others to learn.

Goals: Teacher learns How to learn from and learn with students. General content area. ICT, both in general and within the specific content area. How to be a “guide on the side.” How to facilitate cooperative learning. Student interests, what motivates students. New ways of assessment.

Assessment (Authentic Assessment) Formative Assessment providing feedback to help improve quality of a project. Summative assessment after project is completed. Long term “residual impact” assessment and use in one’s portfolio.

Assessment (continued) Use of rubrics. Intermediate goals: milestones. Self assessment. Peer assessment.

Final Remarks ICT-Based PBL helps to create a teaching and learning environment that empowers students and teachers. Intrinsic motivation, authentic content, and authentic assessment are important in helping students become independent lifelong learners.