Blog Assignment #6

   The video conversations between Dr. Strange and Anthony Capps were very insightful. Anthony Capps is a third grade teacher in Baldwin County and was a former student of Dr. Strange's, who was very active in EDM310 as a student. The first two videos, Project Based Learning Part 1: Experiences of a Third Grade Teacher and Project Based Learning Part 2: Experiences of a Third Grade Teacher, discuss project based learning and how Capps has implemented this learning style in his classroom. Capps states that most people believe that project based learning is a form of reinforcement of information, used to review what students know from being taught a lesson. He says that project based learning is really creating a project that requires the students learning the material you want them to know in order to complete the project. In other words, it is creating a project where in order for the students to complete the project, they have to go and learn specific materials and use those skills within the project. Capps also stated four criteria to look for when creating a project based learning project. Those are create a project with an authentic audience so that the students are rewarded for their accomplishments, that peaks the students' interests, that involves community interaction to express real life situations and applications, and create a project that is driven by content. He goes on to share several examples where project based learning was not only a beneficial, but an exciting learning experience for the students who participated.

   iCurio and Discovery Education were two sources discussed by Capps and Dr. Strange. In the the video iCurio, we discover what iCurio is. iCurio is a search engine designed to search topics and filter out the unnecessary and off topic sources that typically pop up using regular search engine, making it better for students to research on. iCurio is not only a search engine, but it is a form of the cloud. Students can save and organize information they find on the internet. They simply log in to their account and get to searching. The video Discovery Education goes in depth on the benefits of Discovery Education. It is a website that provides videos for most science and social studies topics. Capps states that students often learn better from seeing and hearing, along with reading. This is another great source to use within project based learning.

From the videos of Dr. Strange and Anthony Capps, I have learned how beneficial project based learning is for students. It is proven that elementary school students are benefitting leaps and bounds by this learning method. For more of the videos of Capps and Dr. Strange, click the links below.

The Anthony-Strange List of Tips for Teachers Part 1

Don't Teach Tech-Use It

Additional Thought About Lessons