Volume 4, No.
4
17 September, 2004
[To view this newsletter on line:
http://www.emck.net/eline/04_09_17.htm] |
|
 The
Project-Based
Learning Web Ring
|
4teachers.org's PBL page
(see our review below) defines Project-Based
Learning as "...a comprehensive approach to
instruction. Your students participate in
projects and practice an interdisciplinary
array of skills from math, language arts, fine
arts, geography, science, and technology..." |
Web rings used to be quite
popular back in the days when there were few
commercial Web presences. It was a way in
which non-commercial sites could band
together to support each other and their
shared interests. Anyone finding one site
could cycle through them all by just clicking the
identical icon on each home page. There was usually a
review process by which someone could enter
the "ring," but it often wasn't tough!
In honor of three project-based
contests/grants featured in this edition of
The
E-Line, we're featuring the Project-Based Learning Web
Ring,
 and several of the sites included on this
ring., To use the ring, you click on the PBL Web Ring
icon (see right) from any of the
sites below, and you'll get the menu shown at left. We
featured the ring member (and excellent)
Project-Based Learning with Multimedia from the
San Mateo County Office of Education in our
September 13, 2002 edition. As is true of many Web
rings, this one has its dead spaces - one link no
longer works, and another (The Web Project) is too
old and has too many broken site links to be useful.
|
|
Project-Based
Learning Resources from the PBL Web Ring |
 The
Virtual Schoolhouse
http://virtualschoolhouse.visionlink.org/
Hosted by
commercial consultants VisionLink,
The Virtual Schoolhouse provides a
wide range of information and
projects aimed at high school,
including at-risk and ESL
projects.
|
 Project-Based
Learning with Technology
http://coe.ksu.edu/pbl/:
This collection of
project resource links is hosted
by Kansas State University's
College of Education in support of
Diane McGrath's column in ISTE's
Learning and Leading with
Technology.
|
 Project
Approach
http://www.project-approach.com/
From University of
Alberta's Sylvia C. Chard comes
this wide range of project
suggestions and resources,
covering Kindergarten through 6th
grade. There are also links to
project ideas and resources
off-site
|
 Project-Based
Learning from BIE
http://www.bie.org/pbl/index.php
This site is a
storefront for BIE's consulting
and workshop initiatives. However,
under its
Problem Based Social Studies
link are links to a wide range of
project resources off site (look
for "Resources" for each of the
project areas). Mostly high school
aimed.
|
|
|
Content Area
Resources |
|
Technology Education/ Science |
 Design
Challenge, from The Tech
http://www.thetech.org/learning/challenge/design/
This find is a
cluster of design project lessons
with excellent project-based
learning possibilities for science
and technology, as well as social
studies and language arts. Offered
by The Tech, a museum of
technology sited in San Jose,
California. |
|
Mathematics (and Science) |
 Center
for Problem-Based Learning
http://www2.imsa.edu/programs/pbl/cpbl.html
This site is a bit
different - problem-based learning
implies, but does not require,
projects and collaborations. There
are few fully-developed lesson
ideas, and those that are featured
are pretty old, but there are some
good helps on how to design
problem-based learning projects
and lessons. It's offered by the
Illinois Mathematics and Science
Academy.
(For a cluster of
high school [and above]
project-based learning
assignments, take a look at this
collection of PDF's -
http://www.uscupstate.edu/~mulmer/PBI_Index.shtml
- from the University of South
Carolina Upstate.) |
|
Social Studies |
 2004
Philosophy Video Festival - from
NAHSPA
http://www.nodogs.org/PhilVidFest.html
The North American
High School Philosophy Association
seems to be the sole invention of
Ken Knisely, the host of the
public television
show
No Dogs or Philosophers Allowed
and the chair of the
American Philosophical Association's
Committee on Pre-College
Instruction in Philosophy. This
video contest has a deadline of
December 6, 2004, and offers cash
prizes to students. |
|
Writing |
The Writing Bug - from
Education World
http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/writing_bug/writingbug004.shtml
Yes, it doesn't
qualify as "Project-based
learning" (see The E-Line's search
page and select Connections under
"Type of Resources" for several we
have reviewed), but this was too
nice a quick resource to leave out
of this issue! Education World
(see our
June 27, 2003 edition) puts
out regular printable writing
prompts for elementary school
writers...and they're pretty nice!
See the archives for lots - the
above is to the featured prompt. |
|
|
Grants |
 Youth
Leaders for Literacy - from NEA and YSA
http://www.nea.org/readacross/volunteer/youthleaders.html
This cluster of $500 awards
is for student groups, and has a deadline of
October 22, 2004. Sponsored by NEA and Youth
Service America (YSA), grant applicants are
asked to develop projects that begin on
NEA's Read Across America Day in March.
Projects should be designed to encourage
community support of reading. |
|
Professional
Sources |
 4teachers.org
http://4teachers.org/
4teachers.org is a project of
the University of Kansas'
High Plains
Regional Technology in Education Consortium
(HPR*TEC). Under the HPR*TEC umbrella are
dozens of wonderful initiatives and
Web-delivered capabilities,
 not
the least of which is the immensely popular
Rubistar - a development tool and
clearinghouse for assessment rubrics.
4teachers also offers the
Project Based Learning page, a resource
providing checklists and guidelines for
project lesson development. |
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