Reading Reflection #3

1. For finding the "Big Idea" of a project, a few things must be considered. A teacher must review the curriculum standards for the subjects, but also be able to consider the real world benefits of it. The project should be able to benefit the community in some way, because by doing that, the students have more of a purpose and are highly motivated to get involved. Brainstorming between teachers and teachers, and teachers and experts is very important. Collaborating on the different subjects and discipline possibilities for the project makes it come together.
2. The 21st century skills seem incredibly relevant to a student's future success. This allows them to report on a topic in many different ways using many forms of thinking and creativity. I like the Bloom's Taxonomy of Educational Objectives. Those verbs are a great guide on the ways you would like your students to think and report on their findings.
3. The 21st century literacies are the necessary thinking and learning skills that students need to be successful in the 21st century. It allows students to learn how to be independent, aware, and productive citizens; which are three skills needed to be successful. It teaches students to recognize when information is needed, what information is good, and how they can interpret and use that information.
   
4. The firsts essential learning function is ubiquity which allows students to understand how to learn any time or anywhere using devices that they already obtain. It's definitely an important life skill to have. The second is deep learning. Instead of reading and re-reporting on information that they have found, students must be bale to use other tools to organize and analyze the information they're given, which allows them to more deeply understand it. The third function is making things visible and discussable. Many times, showing a picture or visually seeing a concept as an image can help students to understand the concept. Using these tools will further develop their learning abilities. The fourth function is expressing ourselves, sharing ideas, building community. This concept is exactly how it's titled. It's using the available social media on the web to connect with others and develop learning. The fifth concept is collaboration. This involves using technology to find other experts or learners to collaborate with on certain topics. The sixth function is research. This involves using tools to filter and limit the information given on certain topics. Not all the information on a topic is necessary, so this allows students to be able to decipher the necessary information. The seventh function is project management. Using systems like this help students organize their information all in one place that they can easily access and further be successful in their learning. The eighth and final function is reflection and iteration. Using a blog can allow students to share their ideas with others effectively as well as be able to reflection their past thinking. It helps students to see information from all different sides instead of a one-sided view.
5. The concepts in this chapter allow me to see ways to help my students use technology and information in an organized way. It gives me a place to start when creating my project by giving ways to come up with the Big Idea. Overall, it's a good resource for seeing what the students should be gaining from this type of learning.