New School University
The New School
Department of Teacher Education
Spring 2001
Kevin Kanarek, Instructor
kanarek@rcn.com
Technology in the Classroom:
Project-Based
Learning
Syllabus
Course Description
What is project-based work? I would guess that each of you already brings some experience of it to this course. If you've ever worked with a class to produce a newsletter, magazine, website, diarama, video, drama production, mechanical device, etc., that's a project! In this course we'll build on that experience. We'll focus on using technology as a tool for producing and sharing projects, and having an ongoing discussion about the process.
Over the next 9 weeks, you will have a chance to:
The main 'content' is the project -- what you and your students learn from it, and what we're able to learn collectively from that experience. Online discussion and reflection are critical to this course.
To do the project, you can use any software package you're most familiar with. However, a web based project will be easiest for you to share with me and the other participants in this class. Also, I would recommend using either straight HTML or Dreamweaver, since this is the software package your instructors and fellow students can provide the most assistance with.
If you use an application such as MS Word, Powerpoint, etc. we'll go over the "save for web" options so that your project can be documented in a way that enables you to whare it with the class.
Instructor's Bio
Kevin Kanarek is an educational technology consultant who has worked with Taft High School (Bronx NY) James Madison (Brooklyn NY) PS 9 (District 3, Manhattan) and the Cathedral School. Kevin has a Master's Degree from the Interactive Telecommunications Program at NYU, and has worked as a freelance multimedia producer and web site designer for Scholastic, the American Museum of Natural History, Peachpit Press, and Time Warner. Kevin teaches workshops in web site design for high school students at Playing2Win, a Harlem community technology center.
Letter
Hi, my name is Kevin Kanarek. I look forward to meeting each of you online and finding out about your interests, goals for this course. In the meantime I'll tell you a little bit about my own background and perspective.
As a teacher and staff developer I've always been a believer in project based work, its potential to accommodate different learning styles, and provide a learning experience which is relevent to work practices in online content and software development. But I try to keep in mind that this 'organic, experience-based' learning requires a great deal of preparation, followup, troubleshooting and flexibility on the part of the teacher. Hopefully we'll all be able to support and help each other on this. The unexpected obstacles, and how you either overcome or work around them, are as much a part of the learning process as anything else.
Whenever possible, try to post messages under the appropriate discussion item on DIAL. If you want to contact me directly you can also email me at kanarek@rcn.com. I work in several different schools and community centers so I'm not really reachable by phone. Yet another reason why 'cyberspace' is where this class is taking place!
We'll be practicing a model of learning that can be called "prototype/demo", Rather than gradually build something from A - Z (the way you might read a novel) you first build a small-scale, complete project, then improve and expand on it, based on feedback from sharing (demoing) with others . One major advantage of this method is that you don't find yourself halfway through a large scale project bogged down in technical or logistical obstacles. The process also resembles the way projects are developed in the media and internet industry.
If I have one piece of advice I tend to repeat too often, it's 'keep it simple.' The more technically ambitious your project, the harder it is to work around the inevitable glitches. Learning goals wind up taking a back seat to technology. You can always add more content, features, etc. between the "prototype" and "final version" stages.
CourseTimeline
Readings will be discussed during first few weeks of class,
then focus will be on planning, prototyping,, sharing and developing
your class project.
Week 1.
Post introductions
Let us know:
Week 2.
Week 3.
Week 4
Week 5
Week 6,7
Week 8.
sharing/critique of prototypes
present your projects, specifying
Week 9.
Troubleshooting/ Clinic
students and instructor collaborate on solving technical, content and design questions
Week 10.
Students share and critique final versions.
Assignments
Discussion, Discussion, Discussion (weeks 1 - 10)
Critique 1 (week 2)
Project proposal, 1st draft (week 3)
Project proposal, 2nd draft (week 4)
Paper (500 word essay) on readings (week 5)
Critique 2 (week 6)
Class Project Prototype (week 8)
Class Project Revised Version (week 10)
Students take turns moderating discussion topics (weeks 3 - 10)
Assessment
We can discuss these in more detail online. Here is a proposed breakdown and weighting for the different aspect of the class:
30% online participation, including discussion and feedback on colleague's questions and projects
20% paper/critiques
10% project proposal
10% prototype 1
30% prototype revised
Readings:
Experience & Education, by John Dewey, published by Macmillan 1963 Reprint edition (August 1997) ISBN: 0684838281
Articles and Examples of work available online at:
http://fargo.itp.tsoa.nyu.edu/~kanarek/resources/resources.htm