Reflection 6

1. Different technology tools that can encourage students to be reflective and evaluate their own strengths are...
- blogs: blogs offer students space where they can reflect over time about what they are learning
- profilerPRO: this is an online survey tool that allows you to identify the learning characteristics of an individual and also among members of a group. You are able to identify interests, strengths, and weaknesses and use this information to guide learning. Students are able to create their own survey and use a template that meets their needs. Students can also assess their profile and compare it to what they started with in the begging of the year.
- SurveyMonkey and Zoomerang: these sites allow you to set up online surveys. You can use the survey results to track trends and help students see how their self assessment compares to the larger group.

2. A great activity that most teachers use before starting a project is a K-W-L chart. Start projects by getting students attention and giving the idea time to settle in their imaginations. Students need to envision what they want to do for a project before they actually start something. Teachers need to encourage their students to explore and think about the topic they are doing their project on and sharing their ideas with classmates and friends. When starting a project, it is all about possibilities.

3. Before starting a project, teachers need to think about teaching prerequisite knowledge or skills students need in order to work independently on their project. Before starting, teachers should teach a few mini-lessons to get the class interested and intrigued in the topic they are about to be doing a project about. Teachers need to set the stage for independent inquiry. When students are aware of what they know and don't know they can establish a point of departure and a sense of purpose. The K-W-L activity allows the student to explore and will give them a sense of their prior knowledge and help them imagine what they will be learning. Teachers also need to share the assessment rubric. This will help students achieve exactly what you what them to do. A discussion on an in depth description of the rubric must take place so students understand what they need to do to be successful in the project.

4. Steps to preparing students to use technology:
- Set up a technology playground: allow students to explore with the technology you will be using.
- Tap student expertise: let technically able students teach each other.
- Introduce project management tools: a project log or journal offers another tool to help students track their progress toward goals. Allowing them to write about their progress will benefit the teacher in seeing where they are struggling and what they might need help with
- demonstrate: if comfortable, demonstrate. If not familiar ask a tech. specialist to demonstrate. Discuss use of toold within the context of the project and make expectations clear.

5. Ways to promote inquiry and deep learning:
- guide students as they choose questions, plan investigations, and begin to put their plan into action
- "Which one" questions asks students to collect information and make informed decisions
- "How" questions ask students to understand problems, to weigh options, and to propose solutions
- "What if" questions ask students to use the knowledge they have to pose a hypothesis and consider options.
- "Should" questions ask students to make moral and practical decisions based on evidence.
- "Why" questions ask students to understand cause and effect.

6. This chapter relates to what we are doing in class greatly. We use blogs to put all of our ideas out on the table and we also put new information on what we are learning in them as well. When doing our project we need to think about what the students may or may not know already about the topic. All that we have read so far relates to everything we are doing in the class with our big projects.