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In the last issue, we talked about the importance of good project design. Helping students through the project building process so they can successfully complete a product is also important. As educators, we know that “it’s the process, not the product,” but showing and sharing their final product with the audience is often what engages students the most.
Completing successful projects with students follows several basic steps, many of which you probably already use. Implementing each of these steps with students helps to ensure successful student technology projects. You can use these guidelines to help you and your students through the process. Step 1: Create Foundations Technology project work does not replace classroom content; rather, it extends your curriculum by helping you assess student understanding as they apply knowledge in new situations. Students need to develop a strong foundation of knowledge about a topic so they are ready to explore themes and ideas through in-depth project work. Your district’s curriculum, or the scope and sequence from your course, will provide you with direction on the content and subject matter information you need to cover. While technology may be a useful tool for helping students learn some of the concepts, do not feel like you need to use technology during the entire project. More traditional teaching methods, such as lectures, worksheets, and graphic organizers, are great ways to introduce information and help build student comprehension. Step 2: Set Expectations Before students begin working, you need to articulate your expectations for student behavior, quality of information, and work during the entire process. Begin by sharing the project goals and the task the students will complete. Give the students a project timeline as you explain the steps in the process, and clarify how long students will be working on each step. Let students know what type of products they can create to meet the project goals. Showcase the tools you can provide to help them complete the project and define your standards for behavior during the project building process. Give students checklists and rubrics for the project to help them understand your expectations for their work during the project. Show your students examples of high-quality completed work to clarify product expectations and prompt new ideas. You may already have examples of previous projects your students have created, or you may be able to find examples online or on CDs showcasing the winners of various student contests.  Step 3: Form Teams
Remember trying collaborative group work in your classroom? It worked great one time and was a disaster the next. There is no perfect team and certainly no one way to group students. A team’s success in completing a project is not solely dependent upon the academic capability of its members. The key is to define your goals for the project and teach the students how to identify how they are interacting, enabling them to self-correct. Make it clear to the students that cooperation and teamwork are an essential part of their project assessment. Successful collaboration on a project involves free and direct communication, support for all team members, and recognition of the value of each member’s contribution to project success. Based on your knowledge of student strengths, weaknesses, and diversity, form teams of students that include varying levels of expertise, ability, and skills. This fosters positive interdependence and accountability, creates a richer pool of knowledge, and provides benefits for both low and high achievers. You might also want to choose specific roles for various team members. You can assign a role to each student or let the students assign roles within the group. Roles help solidify the value of each member’s contribution, and, in the case of large projects, help a team meet project requirements. Understanding each student’s work style will help also you facilitate a team’s formation, conflict resolution, and project completion. |
Biography
 Melinda Kolk
Melinda is the Director of Professional Development for Tech4Learning. She has been helping train teachers to effectively integrate technology for over 13 years.
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 Gene Bias
Gene has over 35 years of experience as an educator with many years concentrating on student-centered project work using computer technologies.
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