EDUC-6713I-2 Integrating Technology Across the Content Areas

Why Authentic Instruction?
I was amazed when I came across the following quote: “From the standpoint of the child, the great waste in school comes from his inability to utilize the experience he gets outside while on the other hand he is unable to apply in daily life what he is learning in school. That is the isolation of the school--its isolation from life.” --John Dewey, 1916. To think that the lack of authentic learning has been identified for years and still the problem is prevalent in educational systems.
I can remember thinking during Junior High, High School and College education “Why do we need to know this? When will I have to use this?” Howard Gardner states, “For many students, education has become nothing more than drill and response; there is no relevance for the materials the students are expected to learn” (Gardner, 1991). When students can make connections not only to their prior knowledge but also to the real world they will be motivated, engaged and will be able to recall and use the information.
I am fortunate to be able to do projects with my students that that are relevant, motivating and engaging. Every school year I spend the first three months preparing my new eighth grade students for cooperative, and project based learning. I have learned that students need to practice how to work together and be responsible for their tasks in a group setting. Once my students have a firm understanding of the skills need to be successful working with a group, they are assigned a simple small group Treasure Hunt on the internet. The Treasure Hunt is to help students to practice and fine tune internet research and navigation skills.
My students have e-pals from Maui. They communicate daily, have created Power Points about themselves and are finishing the construction of a postcard about Arizona attractions. My students have asked if we could take a fieldtrip to visit their Hawaii e-pals. Because of this, for the next project my students will be involved in a WebQuest called “Aloha, Maui E-Pals”. WebQuest’s promotes communication, collaboration, creative and critical thinking and problem solving skills. “Aloha, Maui E-Pals.” is designed for my students to understand financial situations in preparing for a trip to Maui to meet their e-pals. Students will be collaborating with their e-pals deciding where they will visit, eat and the hotel they will stay in. Students will work in groups of three. The trip will be seven days long. The group will need to investigate the cost of airfare from Phoenix or Albuquerque to Maui. The project will include at least one activity planned for each day. What will the daily transportation costs be? Your group needs to eat three meals a day. How much will this cost? Students will be seeking help from their e-pals as to location and perhaps costs of activities and meals. The final product will be students created VoiceThread. The Maui E-Pals will leave comments. Through-out this project the students will use problem solving, math, critical and higher level of thinking skills.
Some of the benefits of the WebQuest (Project Based Learning) include but is not limited to: The learning is centered on authentic tasks that are of interest to the learners. The students are engaged in exploration and inquiry. The learning is closely connected to the world beyond the walls of the classroom. The Students become engaged in complex tasks and higher-order thinking skills, such as analyzing, synthesizing, designing, manipulating and evaluating information. The students produce a product that can be shared with an audience outside the classroom. The learning is student driven with teachers as facilitators. (Donovan et al., 1999; Newman & Associates, 1996; Newmann et al., 1995; Nolan & Francis, 1992).
Through the use of project based learning my students will be engaged in the components of authentic learning; learning autonomy, active learning, holistic, complex and challenging activities. While the students are motivated, engaged and self-directed my role is one of a facilitator and a resource for the students. As students make connects to their knowledge and to the real world the spark of learning is kindled, promoting the growth of lifelong learners.