Webinar #3 - #GoOpenNC Tools to Engage on PBL Hub

by Joanna Schimizzi 4 years, 4 months ago

1) Please reply to this discussion prompt to leave your thoughts.

2) Then, please reply to at least one other person to further the discussion.

Given the work you have done on the GoOpenNC platform and your knowledge of high quality PBL, which tools of the platform (review, remix, create) will be most valuable to teachers?

 

What other resources (projects, rubrics, etc.) would you like to see added to the platform so that it is recognized as the “go to” resource for PBL teachers in North Carolina?

KIMBERLY CRANK 4 years, 4 months ago

Based on my knowledge and experience, I think that all three can be very valuable.  Creating is very important as I cannot find PBLs that deal with my subject, so review is crucial.  I wish it could be reviewed before making it public, that way I could get a better product out to start with.  Remix is important so that teacher's can personalize/adapt the material to fit their classroom and students.  There are no cookie cutter assignments that will work in all situations.  Most activities I find are way too in depth and take way too much time to be used in most NC classrooms, therefore, the remix feature will be very helpful.

I teach American History 2 at the high school level.  I have searched #GoOpenNC and cannot find any PBLs in my subject area.  I searched online as well to no avail.  I wish there were more PBLs in this subject area.  

Katherine Cartwright 4 years, 4 months ago

I agree that creating will be very important, especially in secondary content areas.  I feel like there are more resources in general for lower grades, but that it can be a struggle to find high quality resources for secondary that don't rely on lecturing.  

LINDY KIRKMAN 4 years, 4 months ago

I agree that all three platforms are very important for teachers.  I think they would like each aspect of them.  PBLs of high quality are hard to come by.  That's why I am thankful for the training I have had through the MAPSS program via Wake-UTD (Wake Forest and University of Texas).  I was part of the design team as well, so I am looking forward to creating PBLs.

LISA GODLEY 4 years, 4 months ago

Kimberely Crank, 

I have had the same problem (no rescoures for my content area). I was very hopfully when I sign up to do this training that I would have access to resources to help me in the classroom.

Jeremy Wright 4 years, 4 months ago

I would love for this to be the place to go to to find PBL for Social Studies as well as AP social studies classes.

Alicia Hamel 4 years, 4 months ago

I agree with you being a high school teacher myself. I would love to see this Hub grow to include content for all grade levels. I do apprciate the remix capabilities so we can take things we do find useful and remix them to our grade level. 

ELLA WISE 4 years, 4 months ago

The absence of PBLs is a great opportunity for you to be a trailblazer and create some.  I know it is a lot of work but it will be greatly appreciated. 

C CHAUNCEY 4 years, 3 months ago

I think it would be cool to see some PBLs in action in the form of videos from teachers who have implemented them in their classrooms.

Angelia Howard 4 years, 3 months ago

I am a EC Teacher and the REMIX is of most importance.  Lots of good ideas that with some tweaking we can us with our . Differental Instruction.

Marcia Tomkinson 4 years, 4 months ago

I totally believe all three are beneficial but I do believe the most important will be the remix. Teachers will be able to scaffold it to make it work for the group you are teaching. Remix is a way to make it your own from the resource(starter piece).

 

I would like to see more PBL for PreK. I think when this opens up there will be many more ideas that will be available in the different subject areas.

Tara Moyer 4 years, 4 months ago

Oh yesI agree that the remix tool is the most important.  I learned that in addition to ELL specialists also classroom teachers will want to scaffold given the group they are serving so the scaffolding idea is not just for ELL teachers but for classroom teachers as wel.

TAVIA CLEMENDOR 4 years, 4 months ago

I started to say the same thing. I agree. I think all three are valuable depending on what the teacher needs and wants at the time. 

Amber Blashaw 4 years, 4 months ago

I agree with you Marcia, I would like to see more PBL for Pre-K too.  Pre-K is growing in NC and needs resources as well, espeically ones that follow NC foundations standards.

MARQUIS GRANT 4 years, 4 months ago

Marcia, I definitely think areas that are not commonly represented need more resources--specifically preK and EC.

Tara Moyer 4 years, 4 months ago

Given my time spent teaching ELL in  North Carolina I appreciate the remix option as it allows me to use the expertise of the grade level teacher posting aligned standards but then partner that with my expertise on scaffolding the material to meet the needs of my ELL. I like that I still have access to the original document and that I can compare that side by side with my document.

In the future it would be great if more scaffolds and rubrics and things applicable to ELLS were to be added to this site instead of just standard lessons but it is encouraging to see some educators already allocating a designation for how to differentiate their lesson embedded in their lesson. I am excited to have early knowledge of this platform and to promote it within my school and school system. 

MARTHA GENSEMER-RAMIREZ 4 years, 4 months ago

I agree about the need to create and adapt materials for ELLs! Glad to see someone else making this point here.

MARQUIS GRANT 4 years, 4 months ago

Martha, another commonly forgotten student group is ELLs. I was just commenting to another user that EC and pre-K were often not represented either. 

MARYKATE HOLDEN 4 years, 4 months ago

I think the re-mix will be most valuable initially as teachers use their current resources, and find new ones, that do not fit the rubric exactly but can be tweaked to fit. This would keep teachers from having to "re-invent the wheel" but allow them to adapt lessons they already have and bring them to a higher level.

 

I would like to see other examples on the website. It would help to have a library of good PBLs to choose from. Copyright would be protected as teachers would know and could reference the source.

ERICA COVINGTON 4 years, 4 months ago

I totally agree that remixing will be very valuable, especially for teachers like me who are not completely confident in their ability to create an entire PBL unit for their students. I would also like to see a broader selection of resources for PBL on the platform and to have a space with the resource where the teacher included his/her reflection on how the project went with their students. I think it would be helpful for teachers to see the successes and pitfalls that others experience, and some encouragement to know that it is okay to "wobble" a little bit when implementing some this huge to the classroom. PBL can be very intimidate for students and teachers alike, so a little insight would be helpful. Come to think of it, that would be helpful for any resource on the platform. Whenever we PLC and discuss lesson plans amongst  ourselves, we always share that information so why not include that here.

MARYKATE HOLDEN 4 years, 4 months ago

Definitely! We need a place to contribute our PBLs and not only share pitfalls, etc. but get feedback when someone uses our lesson.

SANDERS BENKWITH JR 4 years, 4 months ago

I also think example projects would be very useful. Personally, I believe many teachers don't have a clear idea of how to properly implement PBL and just giving general ideas doesn't actually help teachers figure out how to actually implement the day to day needs of a PBL experience. 

KIMBERLY CRANK 4 years, 4 months ago

I agree with you!  Some activities are called PBLs but are not really that at all.  That is why I suggested in a post how I wish lessons/activities/PBLs be vetted before being uploaded for live use.

Jennifer Selfridge 4 years, 4 months ago

I think remixing will be the most useful as my team tends to adapt materials we find instead of using them exactly as we find them, When I think of resources I would like added, what's important to me is that the resources added be quality resources. If 9 out 10 items added seem not great, I could see my coworkers giving up on the resource because of the difficulty in wading through the not great items to find the ones we would use. This may be where robust reviewing of materials comes into play.

KIMBERLY CRANK 4 years, 4 months ago

I agree about the quality and amount of resources.  If there are too many to look through then people will give up on the site.  Which is why I would suggest before an item can be published on the site, it should be reviewed and feedback given to make sure it is a quality assignment.  I also find that when taking activities and lessons off of other sites, like Smithsonian, the lessons/activities take too much time to implement.  I think that could be another feature added to the description on #GoOpenNC.

Jen Presley 4 years, 4 months ago

I like the idea of a screening process to streamline and vet content before publishing!

Jen Presley 4 years, 4 months ago

I completely agree! Some deliberate design on the front end could really help when it comes to 'selling' teachers on using #GoOpenNC as their go-to resource.It would be such a shame to have teachers abandon it before they ever really scratch the surface.

If we build it well, they will come!

AMY COLLINS 4 years, 4 months ago

Jennifer,

I agree 100% with you about the quality of the resources.  I won't promote this platform unless I know that teachers can find the right resources here.

Jen Presley 4 years, 4 months ago

While I think all three features are valuable, I think the majority of teachers will initiallly benefit from remixing, especially as a new resource. I predict that over time more and more will contribute by creating!

I'm not quite sold on the UI as an intuitive interface for teachers, but that may just be my inexperience with the platform. I find it to be a bit clunky and cumbersonme... While that seems to be just cosmetic, if teachers can't quickly find and use resources on our platform, they'll simply go back to somewhere they're familiar with; this worries me a bit!

I'd love to see (and contribute to) more resources for Pre-K, alignment to Extended Standards for Exceptional Children, and for digital learning.

ERICA COVINGTON 4 years, 4 months ago

I think a combination of the review and remix tool will be the most valuable since PBL is such a huge undertaking. Teachers will have to review the resources to make that they are appropriate for the learnig goals they want for their classroom and the the remix tool is great so if there is something that they need to change, it can be easily done. I know that I will be more interested in remixing a PBL lesson/unit for my high school ELA students; I like that I have that foundation or a starting point. 

 

Other resources that I would like to see are rubrics because those are super important for PBL, but I would also like to see some resources for HQ PBL lessons that can be done solely online. This year, I have 3 homebound students and a bunch of students who have very poor attendance for a plethora of reasons. So I would like to have something that they can always go to complete the work and still get the same experience as the students who are in the classroom. I guess that we could use a Blackboard, Moodle, Canvas, etc .to complete the entire project, but what would that look like exactly? I've never seen it done. 

AMY COLLINS 4 years, 4 months ago

I think all 3 tools are valuable in their own rights.  Quality reviews help someone quickly decide if the resource is right for them.  It is important for reviewers to think about the information they would want when reading a review.  The ability to remix resources is so valuable because it is what we do all the time.  Many times, I take my own stuff and remix it!  However, without the create tool, there would be nothing to review or remix.  I don't think we can have one without the others.

I would like to see meaningful rubrics with each and every PBL. I would also like to see standards alignment that is real and authentic.  I want to be able to teach the standards using the PBL, not pick a PBL and make it try to fit the standards.

CHRISTINA RARY 4 years, 4 months ago

They all have their strenghts! I do think the reviews will help other teacher filter easily to determine if the material is a right fit for their class and their students. I wuold also like to see projects aligned to standards! I teach math 1 and there are so many standards to master so it would be beneficial to have strong PBLs that provide authentic learning opportunities. 

Cindel Chavers 4 years, 4 months ago

I agree totally that we need PBL aligned to standards with meaningful rubrics. I suggested that it might be nice to have some generic rubrics we could use for presentations, etc...(we could remix it to fit our PBL).

ROBBIN BRILEY 4 years, 3 months ago

I also agree that I would want to be able to teach standards using the PBL without having to tweak it all the time to fit the standards.  I remix my stuff all the time, but that's adjusting to the students that come through my classroom door each year to best meet their needs.

MARTHA GENSEMER-RAMIREZ 4 years, 4 months ago

I think the remix feature will be most useful, because teachers can adapt and modify resources to meet the specific needs of their students and specific teaching contexts. This in turn will create additional resources which will also be made available to other teachers for them to use and remix as they see fit.

I would like to see ESL resources, particularly targeting newcomers, for whom we often have insufficient or inappropriate resources. ESL teachers (and others serving these students) often search for instructional resources, and often come up short, with limited materials available in the marketplace. In addition, our financial resources are often lacking to be able to purchase those that are available, and some, such as digital resources, tend to be exorbitantly expensive.

STEPHANIE WALLACE 4 years, 4 months ago

I would LOVE to see ELL resources! I'd like some that can be used in an English classroom with the ELL students who have tested well enough to no longer receive services, but who still struggle with the analyzing language.

ELIZABETH CROSS 4 years, 4 months ago

We have many ELL students at our school who could also benefit from some of these great resources!  

Gwendolyn Ennis 4 years, 4 months ago

Yes, it would be so helpful to have rtesources at each level for ELL!  There is so little available...

Melina Helton 4 years, 4 months ago

I agree with Martha, the remix feature is cool.  It can be taylored to meet any need that students have.

STEPHANIE WALLACE 4 years, 4 months ago

I think that all three can be valuable, but I really like the idea of being able to remix resources. With so many platforms - Teachers Pay Teachers, Instagram, etc. - that teachers turn to for finding resources. Having a place where teachers can come to get ideas as springboards, then remix to make work for their individual classrooms will increase the chance that teachers will try PBL.

I would like to see PBL options specific to English II that can be used to break up the monotony of preparing for the EOC and return some creativity to classrooms. PBL can be used to teach the same standards that are tested without rote instruction.

SHELLY MALONEY 4 years, 4 months ago

I agree with both of your statements regarding remixing and having specific PBL options for specific subject areas. It seems to be quite limited at the moment and I am hoping that we will be able to contribute as will others before it is seen as a resource that doesn't have any resources. It is an amazing idea, but seems to be limited to certain subject areas.

CHRISTINA RARY 4 years, 4 months ago

I am excited for the ability to remix! I teach Math 1 and as I explore current material much of it is linked to another website do they do not have the capabiities to remix. I would like to see more authentic material that have been used in classroom. As I explore through and find resources for my beginner teachers I think they will find great value from being able to see how resources are aligned to standards. The alignment to standards will be most beneficial when reviewing, remixing and creating. I also hope to see true authentic materials that will keep students engaged in learning. 

TRISHA SMITH 4 years, 4 months ago

I agree with keeping students engaged. Students are so technology savvy and advanced that sometimes I feel like what I am teaching them is "boring." I also teach Math 1 and am looking forward to finding some new materials to keep up with engagement. 

KRISTI MILLER 4 years, 4 months ago

Maybe adding an area on student engagement on the rubric would help when reviewing the resources.  I agree that student engagement is a pretty big component when using already created resources.  

SHELLY MALONEY 4 years, 4 months ago

I believe that the remix tool will be the most valuable to teachers because we all currently use resources from somewhere and revise them to meet our classroom needs. This will enable us to find a large volume of information quickly and allow us to differientiate our teaching methods and information we give our students quickly and effectively.

 

I am an art and ceramics instructor, but the other day I was talking with my colleagues in theatre and band to get them excited about this platform. To my surprise there was very little available to show them. I would really like to see the platform populated with more information for specialty teachers.

MELISSA LORD 4 years, 3 months ago

Shelly, I think the platform is just very new and hence why there isn't much on it yet for certain subjects. I agree, though, that it would be awesome to have a varied and robust amount of information for all subjects - core or otherwise. It would give a great ability for integration - especially using the "remix" tool. :-)

MELISSA CHAPPELL 4 years, 3 months ago

I am an orchestra teacher and would definitely love to see more that is specific to my area versus just general music. 

TAVIA CLEMENDOR 4 years, 4 months ago

Based on my knowledge the most valuable will be remix and create to teachers. Remixing is good for teachers just starting out and haven't fully grasped how to build a PBL from scratch. Creating is good for the experienced PBL teacher who knows the ins and outs of creating a reliable High Quality PBL. 

I would like to see more PBL for my content area (Biology).

PAULA MCLAMB 4 years, 4 months ago

I agree that Remix is where many teachers will start out to become familiar with PBL. I know that's where I will be starting.

Katherine Cartwright 4 years, 4 months ago

I think that all three are important, but I think that Create is likely the most important one at the moment.  I say this because while I like the idea of being able to remix an available PBL, I just don't know that there are a lot of high-quality PBL resources out there right now.  

I'm not sure what specific resources we need added for PBL teachers at the moment, just that we do need more resources in general.  I would love for teachers who may be afraid of trying PBL to be able to locate things that they need easily so that we can remove barriers for them.  

PAULA MCLAMB 4 years, 4 months ago

Review, create and remix are all important. However, in the beginning stages, I think remix will be the most important. Teachers will be "getting their feet wet" with GoOpen NC platform and this will allow them to adjust lessons to match the needs of their students. Once teachers become familiar with the platform, I think reviews will become more important as teachers look for high quality resources to use.

 

I'd like to see a hub for teachers of English Learners where high quality resources can be shared to help the growing population of ELs in our state.

TRISHA SMITH 4 years, 4 months ago

Given my knowledge, my most valuable are going to be the review and remix. I cannot always come up with ways to create my own materials but I succeed in adapting other materials to fit my needs. I also think it is very important to get feedback from others that have review the material. 

I would love to see more projects geared toward Discrete Mathematics. This was a brand new class for me 3 years ago and I would love to add new ideas to keep it interesting. 

MARQUIS GRANT 4 years, 4 months ago

Given the work you have done on the GoOpenNC platform and your knowledge of high quality PBL, which tools of the platform (review, remix, create) will be most valuable to teachers?

I think all of the tools are great, honestly. I think creating is one of the best things professionals can do to contribute to the field. 

 

What other resources (projects, rubrics, etc.) would you like to see added to the platform so that it is recognized as the “go to” resource for PBL teachers in North Carolina?

It's hard to say without knowing what all is there. I would like to see more things for EC teachers so that project based learning can become part the the general education and special education learning environments.

Julie South 4 years, 4 months ago

I agree with you, I would love to see more resources for EC students. I mainly teach the inclusion math classes at my school and usually the EC teacher that is paired with their strong area is not math. 

Amber Blashaw 4 years, 4 months ago

The work that I have done on the GoOpenNC platform and my knowledge of high quality PBL's I think the tool that will be morst valuabel to teachers depneds on each individual teacher.  For some it is better to have quality reviews, where other will like that they can remix the info, and other will like to create the resources.  For me I would like the reviews the best because of time managment. 

The resources I would like to see added to the platform is more Pre-K resources that are aligned with NC foundations. 

KRISTI MILLER 4 years, 4 months ago

I believe that just using the resources will be a great access to our teachers and then once they get more comfortable with the platform I could see them getting interested in the remix part of it.  They might would want to create for the platform if there are CEU associated with it.  I’m not sure how much reviewing they will do either on the platform unless something was just awesome or something wasn’t to par.  So I’m under the assumption that they are all PBL resources but what about a Blue Ribbon for the ones that are the PBLs that are most successful in the classroom and the ones that teachers/admin really mark as a TRUE PBL. Maybe a getting started to PBL resource would be great. 

SANDERS BENKWITH JR 4 years, 4 months ago

Given the work you have done on the GoOpenNC platform and your knowledge of high quality PBL, which tools of the platform (review, remix, create) will be most valuable to teachers?

Honestly, I don't think you can really say one of these is more valuable than the others. The review function is valuable for all teachers because this gives people a meaningful way to decide whether a unit/lesson is high quality. The remix function is useful because rarely will a lesson be perfect for you specific situation. Finally, if GoOpenNC is going to work, teachers must take advantage of it and create and post units/lessons for others to use. (at the beginning, create is the most valuable because if teachers don't use the platform, it won't be relevant or useful).

What other resources (projects, rubrics, etc.) would you like to see added to the platform so that it is recognized as the “go to” resource for PBL teachers in North Carolina?

Both projects and rubrics would be very helpful. Often, I think teachers of all abilities and experience struggle when implementing new strategies (like PBL) because they don't know how to make it work in their classroom. Unfortunatly, when experts try and help teachers, they usually either speak in generals or just give a rough idea of how to implement PBL. Detailed projects with materials and lesson plans would help teachers know how to properly integrate PBL into their classes.

Julie South 4 years, 4 months ago

I think remix will be the most valuable tool to teachers. This will give teachers the opportunity to remix activities to match their student population. I work in a school where most of my students are 2 and 3 levels behind in math and reading, many of the acitivities that I find I have to modifiy or change them to fit my students population. 

I would love to see resources on how to implement project based learning. 

Melissa Larkin 4 years, 4 months ago

I also love the fact that there is a "version history" on the remixing so authors can follow the trail! Very helpful! 

I like your thought on resources for implementing project based learning - also wonder about the ways we have students interacting with the resources since some are Canvas/ Google classroom options and how we can help teachers feel comfortable with this. 

Gwendolyn Ennis 4 years, 4 months ago

I believe that the remix tool is invaluable.  This will save teachers so much time.  As a social studies teacher with students of many varying abilities, it is often hard to differentiate my lessons easily and quickly.  This platform will make it so  much easier.  I also feel that reviewing and creating is important as well.  With so many tasks to complete daily, havimng a bank of lesson plans that have been reviewed by other teachers will be so helpful.

 

Rubrics for all the levels and categories of writng would be helpful for many teachers who are not dually certified teachers.  Its often hard for those not ELA certified to determine appropriate criteria.

LINDY KIRKMAN 4 years, 4 months ago

I think that teacher will enjoy all three.  However, if I had to pick just one, I think teachers will like the remix platform.  Teachers will like the fact that if they find a resource, whether on grade level or not, they can remix it to meet the needs of their students in their classroom(s).  I would like to see more projects added across all grade levels added to the platform, otherwise, teachers will not use it, if not much is there.

Melina Helton 4 years, 4 months ago

I like the remix tool because you can taylor that to differentiate classes. Lessons can be adapted and made their own.

I know this may sound stupid but what about a tab for general templates to remix and revise resources that work with any curriculum.

KIMBERLY FERGUSON 4 years, 4 months ago

I agree!  A tab for just templates to remix and revise would be awesome!  Trying to find something similar and then remixing could take longer than if you just had a template and remixed the idea right then.

ALEXANDRIA SEYMOUR 4 years, 4 months ago

I think being able to remix resources will be very beneficial to most teachers. We will be able to make sure that the resource fits our classroom needs. We will also be able to differentiate a resource for individual students.

I do think the other two tools are important too! Reviewing a resource or being able to see how others reviewed a resource will be beneficial when deciding whether or not you will use the resource in your classroom. Creating resources is also great because you can share with others and hopefully help other teachers minimize the amount of time they spend searching or creating on their own.

I would love to see more resources or ways to scaffold for ELL and EC students. I teach third grade, so more resources for upper elementary would be great as well.

Cindel Chavers 4 years, 4 months ago

I love the remix tool and being able to use items that best fit my room and students. I think that a lot of my colleagues will love the review tool to give them an idea of what they are viewing. 

It would be nice to have a support person dedicated to PBL that could answers questions from time to time. It wlll be great once we start adding our own resources to it to get ideas. For PBLs, it would be nice to have generic rubrics we can edit for presentations, projects, etc...or even assess skills learned in a PBL, like collboartion, public speaking, etc...

LINDA NELSON 4 years, 4 months ago

I agree that the remix tool will be a great way to personalize the learning to fit the students we teach. Everyone is at a different comfort level with PBL - students and teachers! I know I like to be able to have a 'ready-made' project (why re-invent the wheel?) but like the ability to tailor it to fit my needs.

My school does utilize a general 'presentation' rubric. It does help to have a common language for students and teachers. My stumbling point is where to put the grade. Since PBL tends to be cross-curricular, which content area harbors the 'final product'? Or do we need to create a separate class?

KIMBERLY FERGUSON 4 years, 4 months ago

Given the work you have done on the GoOpenNC platform and your knowledge of high quality PBL, which tools of the platform (review, remix, create) will be most valuable to teachers?

I think the remix tool will be the most valuable.  All teachers find resources, but have to find a way to make them work in their classroom. The remix tool will allow this work to be done and to share it with others, so that it may work with their classroom too.

What other resources (projects, rubrics, etc.) would you like to see added to the platform so that it is recognized as the “go to” resource for PBL teachers in North Carolina?

I would like to see more examples and more PBL projects already on the platform.  It would be easy to look up a standard and see what projects are listed for that standard. I wish it were more user findly like Pinterest- maybe a picture of a final project so you can see before you read the entire project before knowing what you are looking at.

 

 

Amy Rickard 4 years, 4 months ago

I think this idea of providing work samples from students would be very helpful. Since PBL allows for so much variety in student proudct, we couldn't see all the options but a few examplars would be great!

Tanya Green-McPherson 4 years, 4 months ago

I think all 3 tools discussed here are and can be valuable to teachers because that way we can review other teachers' resources/materials to see if it fits the need of our learners and give quality feedback/comments about the strength or growth opportunity which will be helpful to the creator. Remixing is a great tool to differentiate to the need of our leaners. Creating will be very beneficial to especially the new educators who have no experience at all, so if we create lessons/materilas we'll be giving them a head start in the right direction which also reduces their anxiety level of being overwhelmed and lost.

Project and rubics are great but sometimes teachers want to found out just "How to get started"

MITCHELL OWENS 4 years, 4 months ago

I agree with your assessment that a lot of teachers need to see "how to get started".  Not everyone is a jumper or an early adopter and need to see how it is done first before they go diving into it.

LISA GODLEY 4 years, 4 months ago

I think all three will be valuable to teachers.  Depending on what you are looking for, it is alwasys great to have something to pull ideas or gather ideas from and then you can make it your own.

I wish PBL had resources for my subject area (7th grade ELA).  I have searched on-line (GoOpenNC) and was not able to find any resources.  

Jessica Minto 4 years, 4 months ago

The tools of the platform which will be most valuable to teacher, especially thinking about my own content, will be review/remixing. I teach secondary social studies and often times with elective courses, you are the only one teaching the content in your school. Having access to standards based lessons will be awesome!

I think more PBL for level 1 or 2 ELL students in a secondary setting would be great! Projects that help them not only learn the content, but the academic language of a social studies classroom as well.

NICOLE TELSON 4 years, 4 months ago

I agree with what others have been saying about seeing and creating more projects with their own standards. It is hard to implement PBL to go with standards needed to teach. A lot of resources I have seen in the past seem more of a stand alone project. 

AMY BURGER 4 years, 4 months ago

I think the ability to remix and create will be most helpful to teachers on the GoOpenNC platform. Sometimes you find a resources and you know some of your students would love it but you need to tweak it to work the best for them. I think it will be a game changer! I would definitely love to see rubrics for each resource on the platform. That way students know what the project and teacher is expecting them to do! 

LINDA NELSON 4 years, 4 months ago

Given the work you have done on the GoOpenNC platform and your knowledge of high-quality PBL, which tools of the platform (review, remix, create) will be most valuable to teachers?

Working at a school that uses PBL as its primary way of learning, I feel that all three - review, remix, create - are valuable tools to have access to. Since each school is unique and everyone is at various comfort levels of PBL, it is comforting to know that projects are going to be vetted for quality. As I become more adept at using PBL in the classroom, I want the ability to remix a project to fit the needs of my students. 

What other resources (projects, rubrics, etc.) would you like to see added to the platform so that it is recognized as the “go-to” resource for PBL teachers in North Carolina?

What I would like to see more of are rubrics and how to actually grade a PBL. Since many PBLs are cross-curricular, how do you determine what grade applies to where? This is something that I struggle with. Our school has developed a fairly detailed presentation rubric that is used across grade levels, but I still struggle with where does the grade 'go'. 

Some resources I have used in the past to help jump-start my project are: nextlesson.org, vivifystem.com, cpalms,org and gosh, I had a couple more and I cannot remember the web sites! 

I am looking forward to researching and strengthening my knowledge of PBL. 

Side Note: My team completed a PBL with 6th-graders (who had NEVER did a PBL before) called "Trash to Treasure." They had to research what their carbon footprint is, how to reduce it, and how it impacts our environment. They then did some service learning by collecting trash around the outside of our campus. They sorted the trash (actual trash vs reusable items), and then created artwork! The artwork was then displayed at the local community art gallery. It was amazing! 

Beth Hodges 4 years, 4 months ago

I agree with all of this! I am also in the PBL and would love to move my apparel classes to PBL classes in the correct way. 

Mary Evans 4 years, 4 months ago

In my experience I expect remix to be the most valuable! When teachers are searching for a new way to offer a concept/topic/standard, they are interested in being inspired by another teacher's tried and true plan.

So many teachers like to have hand outs and cutesy borders/characters... 

Maybe sorting resources in a variety of ways such as by topic or standard or grade - this way it lessens the amount of time a teacher needs to search.

Resources are readily available and complete for teacher for a minimal fee or possibly free - this may be difficult to "compete" with...

Melissa Larkin 4 years, 4 months ago

I think that all three (review, remix, and create) are really powerful when working together. Reviews are going to encourage teacher use as well as save them time. Creating and remixing allow for the learning process to be flexible, fluid, and available to all learners - qualities we definitely need for our resources! 

I would love to see ways that other resources that were uploaded as single things, could be compiled together as a pathway toward a larger PBL unit. I would also like to encourage "tagging" or "linking" in the comments section between resources. For example, "I used this resource for ____ in conjuncture with this resource (link) to teach this standard."

ASHLEY GRANT 4 years, 4 months ago

I love your idea about copiling things together to make a PBL unit; this would be extremely helpful for teachers who are new to project based learning. 

Beth Hodges 4 years, 4 months ago

I love the Idea of Remix and Create. I think review should be part of the remix. If you remix it, you should review it. Again I think that this is a platform that Teachers may now get true credit for the work they make and be able to share it in the proper way on the proper platform. 

A worksheet or rubric that Teachers can use to review their own project to see if they are truely PBL resources. Maybe also a step by step worksheet that can be filled in to guide Teachers on making PBL resources. PBL's that are more subject specific in the "non-core" subjects (CTE - specifically FCS)

Jeremy Wright 4 years, 4 months ago

I feel the remix will be the most valuable tool for teachers.  This will allow so many different variations, so now you will be able to find the right resource or project that fits your class.  Since we all have different classes, styles, and levels it allows us to be more student-specific.  It also allows us to use a project but tailor it towards our class needs.  

I would like to see AP PBL specifically for Social Studies.  Since AP requires a project it would be great to have a place to go to that has suggestions, ideas, and resources.  PBL is ideal for AP students.

GENAL WEST 4 years, 4 months ago

I agree with you, the remix will be a great tool. Not one size fits all, but the ability to take the size and tweak it to fit the students you teach right then.

Amy Rickard 4 years, 4 months ago

I think that rubric is going to be most powerful. There are so many "dessert" project masquerading as gold standard PBLs, that I think it's important to provide less-informed teachers a tool with which to vet resources. The rubric provides a nice framework for review and lays out what the key pieces are. It is both diagnostic and prescriptive. 

 

In terms of other resources, I'd love to see a planning guide for creating new PBLs. The C3 hub has an online generator that helps teachers create their own high-quality projects. Something similar would be great here. 

GENAL WEST 4 years, 4 months ago

Given the work you have done on the GoOpenNC platform and your knowledge of high quality PBL, which tools of the platform (review, remix, create) will be most valuable to teachers?

I think that for most teachers, especially at the beginning, the simple ability to read reviews will be the most helpful. The ability to see what others have done with it and how well it works (or not) for different teachers in different grades and areas of the state will be a huge deal for planning and help ease teachers into the true nature of PBL. As time goes on and they get used to the setup, the remix will be a massive game-changer for them. The create will be used by far fewer teachers, but for those that do, it will benefit an entire state of teachers.

 

What other resources (projects, rubrics, etc.) would you like to see added to the platform so that it is recognized as the “go to” resource for PBL teachers in North Carolina?

I think this will simply take time. If done correctly, it will become a project with expansive organic growth that will become fluid and change with the needs of the teachers that use it. The resources used heavily in 2020 will be the foundation for a completely different set of resources that will supersede them in the years to come. Having such an open resource will allow it to grow with the teachers and in the direction they need to take it and at the pace they desire. 

MITCHELL OWENS 4 years, 4 months ago

1.  The remix portion is probably the most beneficial because it allows teachers to edit for their own need in their own classroom while still using the proper copyrights, et al. 

2. There needs to be multiple lessons, and larger scale PBLs that are shown with exemplars to pull from so that teachers can see how it should look as well, especially for those that are not early adopters and need to be shown examples of how to do this type of work.

Christy Brown 4 years, 4 months ago

I agree with the need for multiple lessons and larger scale PBLs. I for one need the exposure to begin to better understand the process. It's a different level of thinking, especially as an ELA teacher. 

Christy Brown 4 years, 4 months ago

For elementary educators, I foresee more reviewing than remixing and creating, for the sake of time constraints if nothing else. Possibly more remixing and creating from middle grades and high school educators. I believe NC teachers who create high-quality PBL projects will be willing to share, once they too understand the process. The GoOpenNC platform is a wonderful thing. It will be interesting to see how long it takes to catch on. 

I would like to see many more projects added. Rubrics are great as well, especially for those of us who are still feeling a little intemediated by the characteristics of high-quality PBL. 

ASHLEY GRANT 4 years, 4 months ago

All three of these will be extremely valauble for educators.  I feel that remix could be very valuable for teachers in the context of PBL. Teachers could take the "good bones" of a lesson or project and add/expand it to be a true PBL resource. 

 

I believe projects and rubrics will be important, but I would also like to see pacing guides incorporated into the platform in order to address timing and help teachers gain a starting point for bringing PBL into their classroomss

Alicia Hamel 4 years, 4 months ago

Given the work you have done on the GoOpenNC platform and your knowledge of high quality PBL, which tools of the platform (review, remix, create) will be most valuable to teachers?

As a high school teacher, I feel I will utilize the review and remix tools the most. The review rubric that was presented to us is a great measurement for student learning to ensure quality, not quantity, project based learning. I feel that I can use this rubric in my own classroom and remix it to cater to the content that I teach. Additionally, I can use the Go Hub resources that other teachers upload and remix them to fit my students, as the Hub only includes elementary grade work thus far.

 

What other resources (projects, rubrics, etc.) would you like to see added to the platform so that it is recognized as the “go to” resource for PBL teachers in North Carolina?

As a high school teacher, I would like to see more high school level content. It is my hope that as the Hub grows in use and popularity, that there will eventually be more high school level content.

ELIZABETH CROSS 4 years, 4 months ago

I fell that all tools on the platflom will be valuable to teachers in different ways.  The review tool will allow teachers to quickly make decisions about whether or not recsources may work for them, the remix tool will allow you tailor item specifically for your own needs an the create tool will allow you to be creative and share your own ideas on the platform! 

 

Projects and rubrics of all types are always helpful - especially if they can be remixed!  

ELLA WISE 4 years, 4 months ago

I think the remix feature is going to be very valuable to educators.  Remixing will allow the educator to have a starting point that can be customized based on their teaching style, content covered, differentiation and more.  Rubrics are a important and necessary.

 

 

KAY CRICKMORE 4 years, 3 months ago

That is true, the review tool will help to make decisions about lessons. It also will help new teachers to learn about lessons and standards. It can be used in college to help train teachers.

C CHAUNCEY 4 years, 3 months ago

I would like to see videos of PBLs in action in a real classroom with some student input as to what they learned by doing the PBL and how it effected their learning.

Angelia Howard 4 years, 3 months ago

I love the remix.  As an EC Teacher this allows us to see the structure of standard lessons and revise for differention.  The Create is useful also in that I can save my remixes and new ideas to share with other EC Teachers. 

Emily Davidson 4 years, 3 months ago

As a new teacher, I find review to be most valuable. Since I'm just figuring everything out for the first time, having input from other teachers on resources saves me a lot of time and stress from trying to use resources that are half-baked.

I may have missed it, but some resources I've found link straight to a separate website, and I'd like there to be a repository for each resource where teachers could post their worksheets/plans/etc. involving that resource.

MELISSA LORD 4 years, 3 months ago

Given the work you have done on the GoOpenNC platform and your knowledge of high quality PBL, which tools of the platform (review, remix, create) will be most valuable to teachers?

I have had a limited amount of time on the platform, however, what I have seen is encouraging. I am a firm believer in not reinventing the wheel (good for you TPT peeps!), and so the lessons and activities on GoOpen make me excited. I want to see new ideas and connect with other educators from all over. In saying that, I love the groups and Hubs. It is nice to know I have a safe place to come and connect with others who are of the same mindset and that have common goals. In additon, I love the remix feature when creating lesson plans. We all want to "borrow" others ideas but also like to incorporate a little of ourselves into it some times. I also think the reviews will be a valuable resource for teachers when searching for the best way to incorporate specific lessons into our class. 

What other resources (projects, rubrics, etc.) would you like to see added to the platform so that it is recognized as the “go to” resource for PBL teachers in North Carolina?

I would like to see culminating projects for novels and ELA foundational standards. If there was a specific place for rubrics, exit tickets and assessments that would be awesome too...so they are not intertwined in many different lessons making the search harder.

KAY CRICKMORE 4 years, 3 months ago

I think remix is extremely important to EC teachers. We can add modifications and accommodations into the plans when we remix it. 

It would be cool if there was a place for teachers to look at grants to help fund PBL  as well as where to find training into intigrate PBL into the classroom.

Miranda Pierce 4 years, 3 months ago

I would love for their to grant information included.  PBL can get expenisive and sometimes I just don't have the resources.  It would be nice to have that easily their for teachers to be able to access quickely.

ROBBIN BRILEY 4 years, 3 months ago

I think the ability to remix is going to be the most valuable for teachers. I do have a concern the resources being posted aren't reviewed and vetted before being made public.  But due to the nature and premise of this HUB I don't see it as being a viable option.  Over the last 23 years I have taught 6th (Math, Science, SS), 7th (Math, Science) and 8th grade (Science, Social Studies) and finding authentic PBL's is hard, both through this hub and other search engines. 

MELISSA CHAPPELL 4 years, 3 months ago

I am loving the remix option! I think it is so important to be able to change projects to the needs of your students in each class you teach. I know not all of my classes in each grade are on the same page of learning so I can tweak project for each section. I do think the review option is important too so you can read what other teachers think about the project you are looking at, especially if the review is thorough and honest. 

 

For me, the music projects don't have grade levels attached. It would be nice to have on there what grade level it is greared toward so you have a starting point as to which projects would be appropriate for your class. 

Miranda Pierce 4 years, 3 months ago

I believe that the remix tool will be the most valuable.  It gives teachers a oppuritiunty to get a resource and make sure it matches their standards.  It takes some of the steps and time away from teachers that feel like they must make all their own resources.  I feel like the hardest part of PBL is the creation of the rubric.  Having those already created, and you might just have to remix, is very helpful at least in my eyes.  I'm less likely to use a resources if it doesn't already have a rubric.  They take a lot of time to think about and create to match the standard and cover everything in the project.

Amanda Powers 4 years, 3 months ago

I think remix and create will be most valuable to teachers looking for PBL resources because the resources originally on the platform did not cater to all areas of expertise. 

I would like to see more early elementary PBL resources that are fully-aligned and easy to facilitate.