|
January 15, 2003
Project-Based Learning: a Primer (cont'd)
More@: PBL Information Online
The Web offers many places to investigate project-based learning or find projects that are applicable and/or adaptable to your classroom. Here we offer 20 sites will get you started.
PBL Design and Invention Center
WestEd's PBL Design and Invention Center provides exemplary projects, designs, and resources.
GLEF
The George Lucas Education Foundation provides an extensive set of articles about PBL, snapshots of schools that are implementing it, research information, and a video of Seymour Papert speaking about PBL.
The Challenge 2000 Multimedia Project
This site, developed for a grant-funded project in California, provides information on project-based learning that incorporates multimedia. It includes information, activities, and examples.
Project Approach in Early Childhood and Elementary Education
This site offers information about the project approach, foundation theory, planning, project development structure, examples, and professional development information and links.
The WEB Project
The WEB Project is a nonprofit organization that promotes arts, humanities, and social science project-based learning that supports collaboration, community engagement, and technology. The site provides explanations, online discussions for teachers and students, and examples.
Education World's Collaborative Projects
This site offers a database of collaborative online projects, plus tips, project reviews, and Education World articles on the topic. Teachers can also add their own projects.
Global Schoolhouse
The Global Schoolhouse provides articles, advice, and a database of networked-based projects, including such offerings as GeoGame, field trips, teacher-initiated projects, and its own International Schools CyberFair. In CyberFair, students research an aspect of their local community and share the first-hand findings by producing a educational Web-based project. Students act as researchers, content creators, evaluators, and spokespersons.
www4teachers
This site at the High Plains Regional Technology Education Consortium offers definitions and checklists for project-based learning as well as information on multiple intelligences and rubrics.
Bob Pearlman's Archives
This site contains the archives of the Autodesk Foundation's work on PBL as well as links to recent articles and information. Discussion Group
Project Foundations
This site provides extensive information about PBL, as well as advice on exploring, joining, and starting your own projects.
I*EARN (The International Education and Resource Network)
iEARN is a nonprofit global network that enables young people to engage in collaborative educational projects that enhance learning and make a difference in the world. Teachers join or create iEARN projects to fit their curriculum and classroom needs and schedules. Students from around the world use these projects to collaborate to solve real-world problems that affect people and resources. Projects are available in Spanish and English.
Co-NECT
Co-NECT sponsors interdisciplinary projects that deal with issues that encourage students to solve problems. Co-nect is a company dedicated to whole-school reform and ongoing teacher professional development through the integration of technology and PBL into the curriculum.
WebQuests
WebQuests involve students in exploring Web-based information that they analyze, synthesize, and evaluate. This site has information and templates as well as lists of existing WebQuests. Teachers are welcome to adopt or adapt them.
ThinkQuest
ThinkQuest is a collection of programs that involve small groups of students around the world who use the Internet to research a topic in science, mathematics, literature, the social sciences, or the arts to create curricular resources and publish them as Web sites for peers to explore. This site has information about the various ThinkQuest projects and a library of past projects to use as classroom resources or as models for a current or future competition.
TrackStar
Similar to WebQuests, teachers can use TrackStar to create projects that include Web sites as resources. In this model, the list stays on the screen to help students stay on track. Templates and tutorials allow teachers to create their own, but they can also use or adapt the existing projects that are housed at this site.
Napa New Tech High
Napa New Technology High School is an example of a school that has developed a PBL culture for its students and staff. The curriculum and student digital portfolios are online.
The Grassroots Project Registry
Canada's SchoolNet Web connects teachers and classrooms to projects and planning resources.
European School's Project Database
The ESP Network is a grassroots network of schools throughout Europe that have collaborative projects.
Virtual Schoolhouse Projects Page
The projects at the Virtual Schoolhouse represent a variety of communities, grade levels, and types of classes from across the country. Visitors can choose from a list to link to a project, or search by sorting projects by specific characteristics.
Virtual Architecture
Judi Harris, professor of instructional technology at the College of William & Mary, provides a framework for designing and implementing curriculum-based telecomputing projects. She also has a collection of more than 200 network-based educational activities available online.
Weizmann Institute of Science
This Israeli institute provides teachers and administrators with information about PBL professional development.
< < < Return to Intro
Read other articles from the January Issue
Send a letter to the Editor in response to this article.
|
