Reading Reflection Chapter 4

1. The potential pitfalls in project design:

• The first pitfall of project design discussed is the potential to create a project that is "long on activity, but short on learning outcomes." It's important that most of the activity be focused on the results of the activity, not just the activity itself. 

• The second intentional pitfall is technology layered over traditional practice. Technology should be integrated when natural and useful, not put into an activity because it "should be."

• The third pitfall is trivial thematic units. This states that a theme is a good thing to have, but to be effective it needs to be taken to another level. It can't just be frivolous things that don't require higher thinking, their must be other real world concepts along with it.

• The fourth pitfall is have a project that is overly scripted with many. many steps. The results of the student's projects should not be the same cookie cutter outcomes. If that is the case, then students are probably not getting enough freedom, and they aren't being allowed to make many decisions.

2. The features of a good project:

• loosely designed with the possibility of different learing paths. 
• generative, causing students to construct meaning. 
• center on a driving question or are otherwise structured for inquiry. 
• capture student interest through complex and compelling real-life or simulated experiences.
• realistic, and therefore cross multiple disciplines. 
• reach beyond school to involve others.
• tap rich data or primary sources. 
• structured so students learn with and from each other. 
• have students working as inquiring experts might.
• get at 21st-centure skills and literacies, including communication, project management, and technology use.
• get at important learning dispositions, including persistence, risk-taking, confidence, resilience, self-reflection, and cooperation.

Where project ideas come from:
Project ideas come from everywhere. Teachers can implement tried and true planned projects, project plans developed by other teachers, news stories, contemporary issues, students questions or interests, a classroom irritant put to educational use, a mash up of a great idea and a new tool. After completing one project, it's much easier to do another based on the results of the first; what worked and what didn't work.

The steps to design a project:
At the beginning, it's very important to keep in mind the school calendar, curriculum sequence, student readiness, and student interests. Then you must revisit the framework: make a list of the learning objectives, decide on the specific 21st century skills that you want to address, identify the learning dispositions that you want to foster, establish evidence of understanding, plan the project "vehicle" (theme or challenge), and plan the entree into the project experience (what will get them excited). All of these combined creatte a rough outline for designing the project.

Concepts in this chapter relate to your topic/project:
In this chapter, it's important to understand all of the things that contribute to creating a great project. As a group, we must keep in mind the potential pitfalls of a project to make our project more effective. Along with that, the features of a good project are what we need to focus on so that our student's can get the best experience and gain the most knowledge with our design. The steps to designing the project will give us a great start on how to create a productive project!