Designing Worthwhile PBL Projects for High School Students

By Eeva Reeder

"A project-based-learning teacher and coach with nearly fifteen years of experience writes about "the most effective tool for organizing content and motivating students to think hard.""

CASE STUDY: Handhelds are Making for a Whole New Kind of Science Lesson

By Linda L. Briggs

"Kellie Doubek doesn't mince words: Full-size computers don't belong in the field. "You can get a handheld to do the same thing for a fraction of the cost," says Doubek, an educational consultant who advises Midwestern schools on implementing technology....The Palm-based devices with wireless probes are tremendous student motivators, according to teacher Pam Miller, who also serves as science department chair at Seaside. "We're able to get much more meaningful data, and we're better able to share access to the data." The sophistication of the data-gathering devices makes a real difference, she says. "Kids like to feel like they're doing real science, and this is real science."..."

National Endowment for the Arts Releases Study on The Arts and Civic Engagement

"People who participate in the arts are people who help make communities thrive, according to a study released today by the National Endowment for the Arts. The study, The Arts and Civic Engagement: Involved in Arts, Involved in Life, reveals that people who participate in the arts also engage in positive civic and individual activities -- such as volunteering, going to sporting events, and outdoor activities -- at significantly higher rates than non-arts participants. The report shatters the stereotype that art is an escapist or passive activity, showing instead that it is associated with a range of positive behaviors. The study also reveals that young adults (18-34) show a declining rate of arts participation and civic activities."

Pew Report: The Internet as a Resource for News and Information about Science

A new report finds that "fully 87% of online users have at one time used the internet to carry out research on a scientific topic or concept and 40 million adults use the internet as their primary source of news and information about science." This "national survey conducted by the Pew Internet & American Life Project in collaboration with the Exploratorium benchmarks how the internet fits into people’s habits for gathering news and information about science." According to the report, "Use of online science resources is linked to better attitudes about science." See the press release or full report for the details.

Improving Afterschool Neighborhood Improvement Efforts

"Ameriquest Mortgage Company Create Your Legacy grant program encourages young people to develop projects to improve their after-school program and neighborhood. Maximum Award: $15,000. Eligibility: after-school programs with 501(c)(3) status offering youth services that emphasize leadership training, mentoring, community service, academic enrichment, or the arts. Deadline: January 15, 2007." Now taking applications from afterschool programs in Arizona, California, and Illinois.

YouthLearn's Resources for Blog and Website Media Projects

The Web offers youth an array of publishing opportunities, many of which are continually emerging and evolving. The Youth & Media section of the YouthLearn website includes a list of organizations and youth media project examples as well as resources for supporting online collaboration and publishing by young people. Among the resources are a workshop for teens on creating a Blog and a toolkit by the Plugged In technology center with sample curricula. Browse through the rest of the Youth & Media section for additional curriculum, toolkits, and project examples and other resources around facilitating media making.

A Safe Place for Students to Collaborate Online

"More and more schools are eager to engage their students in online learning opportunities, but they worry about Internet safety. This site, developed by the Oracle Education Foundation, offers a free learning community environment to accredited elementary and secondary schools. Think.com is password-protected and provides a way for students to write and interact with a protected national and global audience. Check out the features at this site and compare them to IMBEE, another free and secure social networking service developed with classrooms in mind."

Lemelson-MIT InvenTeams Grants for High School Invention Projects

"Lemelson-MIT InvenTeams is a national grants initiative of the Lemelson-MIT Program that works to foster inventiveness among high school students. InvenTeams composed of high school students, teachers, and mentors are asked to collaboratively identify a problem that they want to solve, research the problem, and then develop a prototype invention as an in-class or extracurricular project. Up to twenty-three grants of up to $10,000 each will be awarded to selected teams. Applying for an InvenTeams grant is a two-tiered process: the initial application is available online" now and due April 27, 2007.

New Study Shows Students Lack Tech Literacy

"A report released by the Educational Testing Service (ETS) finds that high school and college students do not have many basic information literacy skills, including the ability to solve information problems using technology. Researchers observed 6,300 students who were asked to perform a variety of information-related tasks, such as locate reliable information online, and communicate information effectively. Over half of participants were unable to evaluate the quality of a Web site, and students demonstrated especially poor skills in being able to narrow search engine results. Experts hope the study will raise awareness about the importance of young people's mastering these skills. Alexius Macklin, Associate Professor of Library Science at Purdue University, said, 'It's important to help our students better evaluate, manage and communicate information so that they can succeed in school, at work and in life.'"