Blog Post #6

After watching Project Based Learning Part 1 and Project Based Learning Part 2 with Anthony Capps, I really got a feel for Project Based Learning. Dr. Strange asked Anthony Capps so give him an example of the things he got his students to do. Anthony said that the kids in his class were writing a letter to Joe Bonner about women being able to serve in open combat. They tied this in with their history, writing and reading lessons by looking up past women or minorities in history that showed success and had to compare it to the women currently being able to serve in combat. They then gave an explanation as to whether or not they agreed with this. What really stood out to me about this was that Anthony said his students were actually really excited and interested in this project and came back to school with tons of information regarding this project. They also critiqued each others letters and the students themselves picked out the top 8 letters to send in to Joe Bonner.

Another project they did was on Afghanistan. They students had been learning about cultures so they were looking at the different things that made up Afghanistan's culture which included the food, fashion, warfare, etc. Anthony said these projects were so good that they put on a show for the parents and it was a huge hit. Anthony also said that it's not always going to turn out the way you want it to and by that he meant that he actually had a parent who served in Afghanistan and didn't want his child exposed to that particular environment. To fix this issue that student did another project that was still amazing for the whole class. These kids seem to really enjoy the things done in class and know that it is meaningful and important. PBL seems to provide students with the tools needed to enjoy the way they learn and that can really help the way a classroom is run.

Discovery Ed was another video where Anthony caps helps make learning in the classroom come alive. Discovery Education helps take kids to places that will make the way they learn more interesting. Anthony said that his class had to learn about plants and Discovery Ed would take them way beyond the picture of a flower. There are videos with experts explaining in detail about all these types of plants that they are learning about.

Watching videos seems to engage students in what they are learning. We live in a world full of technology and kids are now surrounded by it. In Use Technology Don't Teach It, Anthony says that technology comes natural to kids which I completely agree with. My 3 year old niece walks around with my sisters iPad and knows exactly what apps to push to get to her favorite games. Kids love using technology and they are going to be more intrigued if the things they are learning are used through technology. When I was in grade school the only technology we had were the computers in the computer lab and once we finished our class assignments we could play learning games. That was my favorite part of the school day (other than recess of course). Currently there is so much out there that is it hard to teach younger kids how to use it so do you set aside time to teach them the technology or use it as a way for them to learn as they go? I personally think using it as they go is the easiest thing. Anthony said that he has his students use one thing at a time to use and look over before throwing another tool at them, but using these technological tools is a great way to keep their interest alive.

What I took from the conversations with Anthony Capps is that PBL is a very successful way to keep students engaged in the topics being discussed in class. It is a way to provoke thought and makes them want to be involved and participate. When you throw technology into the mix it just makes things easier and more fun. Kids are more involved and actually want to learn when they get to do projects such as these on their own.