Making technology useful

High school students participated in a Problem- Based Learning scenario to create a town for the future that was based on good ecological principles to deal with future climate conditions. T... See More

High school students participated in a Problem- Based Learning scenario to create a town for the future that was based on good ecological principles to deal with future climate conditions. They used technology in a number of different ways to facilitate their own learning and to share what they had learned. While this was done in an outreach program, the basic structure of the PBL could be adapted to any secondary level classroom and the project ideas could certainly be applied as well.

PBL and Technology

The authors offer a variety of suggestions for meaningful integration of technology while encountering a real world problem based on a scenario. I appreciate the suggestion of using Skype o... See More

The authors offer a variety of suggestions for meaningful integration of technology while encountering a real world problem based on a scenario. I appreciate the suggestion of using Skype or Google Hangout to hook students up for face-to-face interviews and interaction. It appears local universities were instrumental in helping to coordinate the meetings. My question is, “How do we make connections when we are a small town and don’t have universities near close enough to coordinate with?” My favorite part of the article was step 5: Write and submit a solution. The addition of a student work sample shows how the conclusion does not have to be the dry old report format, but instead could be bright, colorful and engaging while providing evidence of learning. The references section provided a wealth of resources to further understanding of problem based learning and technology integration.