Reading Reflection #8

It is important to build connections and branch out beyond the classroom. Connecting your students with experts may require some effort on your part. Teachers who make this a regular part of the learning experience often start by developing a list of willing experts. Use your class web site or blog to put out the word about areas where you are seeking expert help. Continue to expand and update your list of contacts, using a database or other tool to make the information easily accessible.

The Environmental and Spatial Technologies Initiative network of schools have been demonstrating the benefits of using technology for a real purpose to solve problems and make improvements in their communities. Tim Stephenson developed it at Greenbrier High School. It is built on four essential ideas.

1. Student-driven learning: Students need to be responsible for their own learning.
2. Authentic project-based learning: Students should be engaged in solving real problems in their communities.
3. Technology as tools: Students need access to the relevant technologies that professionals use to solve real problems.
4. Collaboration: When students collaborate in teams to pursue authentic projects, they accomplish more than any one person can do in isolation.

As teachers become more comfortable with the project approach, they sometimes find that students are quite capable of leading their own projects, starting with generating a project idea they care about. Letting students lead can beneficial to them for letting them development their own ideas. Students' minds can bring new and interesting to the table if you let them take lead in their projects and classroom.

These topics are crucial to our project because we have to take lead in our project in order for it to be successful. We need to use each other as a group to succeed and get done what we want to get done. We work together but we need to be assertive and helpful to each other. It is important for the rest of your life to build connections and branch out for jobs or anything else in todays society.