Preparing for Project-Based Learning

PowerPoint for Preparing for Project-Based Learning

NOTE: Reflections will be posted each week to your group blog. Responses to other groups reflections on their blogs will be a comment post to those reflections. Please see rubric for Reading Reflections.

Covers Chapter 7, A Guiding Hand -- Keeping a Project Moving, of Reinventing Project-Based Learning, p. 113 to 124.

Your reflection should include:

1. Description of the levels of classroom discussions.
2. Discussion on the questions for “checking in” on students during a project.
3. Discussion on the benefits to students when optimizing the use of technology.
4. Discussion on the 21st-century skills that can make or break a project.
5. Discussion on how concepts in this chapter relate to your topic/project.

DUE DATE: Reflection is due by Friday, March 16, 2012. Responses to two other groups' reflections are due by Monday, March 19, 2012.

You will create an informational digital story, using MovieMaker. This movie MUST focus on a concept within your Project topic. You can make the movie non-fiction or fiction as long as it relates to your topic. This movie will be used as an introduction to a lesson plan for a specific concept within your Project topic. You will need to discuss in lab and post in Blog (as a comment) which team memeber will work on which digital story. If two members of the team use the same lesson, neither will receive points for this assignment.

Requirements:

1. A title slide
2. An ending credit slide
3. At least one minute and six sub units (six different slides/images) of information on your specific topic
4. Images and/or graphics for each of the six sub units
5. Recorded script that you will need to record in Movie Maker (we will provide headphones)
6. Sound track at least for the title slide and the credit slide
7. At least 3 different effects should be used throughout the movie 

Procedure:

You MUST save all slides, images, and music files in the same spot. If you do not, you will run into all kinds of problems. Once you have begin working on your movie, you need to save it in the same spot as your images and music files. Then when you go to work on again, BE SURE to go to your saved project and open it there. IMPORTANT: Save, Save, Save! The more you save, the less chance you have of losing your work.

1. Choose all images and sound files that you will use and save into same spot on your USB keydrive.
2. Import all files into MovieMaker -- both image files and sound files.
3. Once they are imported, place all image files on the Show Timeline in the order you want them to appear.
4. Add text slide by going to Tools and then to Titles and Credits. You will need to choose where you want the text to appear.
5. Add transitions between each slide by going to Tools and then Video Transitions.
6. Add video effects by going to Tools and then Video Effects.
7. You can test your movie by clicking on Play button on the Player on the right-hand side.
8. Add your music.
9. Click on Tools and then Narrate Timeline to record information.
10. Click on Tasks to get to the area in which you are working.
11. Once your movie is completed, you need to click on Finish Movie or Public Movie (depending on the version of MovieMaker that you have) and follow the directions. This will take several minutes so be patient.
12. You then need to go to YouTube and click on sign up. You will then click on Upload button. You will then browse for your MovieMaker file -- it will end in .wmv and upload to YouTube. You will receive an URL to link to your YouTube Movie. This link will be posted in Module #7 under Posting of Movie URL.

SUBMITTING ASSIGNMENT: Once you have finalized your movie and uploaded it into YouTube, the URL needs to be posted in Module #7 under Posting of Digital Story URL.

NOTE: All assignments have specific due dates. Late assignments will lose 10 points for each WEEK they are late. NO EXCEPTIONS!

DUE DATE: YouTube URL posted by 11:59 p.m., Friday, March 23, 2012.

Movie Rubric

Reading Reflection Rubric

Non-fictional Sample Movie

Fictional Sample Movie

Assistance for use of MovieMaker can be found at the Microsoft website at MovieMaker for Beginners.

Free Music Web Site

For more information on PBL, click here