2019 EDU: Project-based education could produce useful results for the learner and for society

Project-based education 
could produce useful results 
for the learner and for society

A paradigm is proposed for creating socially useful projects to be used in project-based education. This article is explicitly licensed as public domain: Use as you with no credit to the author.

The Empty Classroom

• The project can produce useful collections of information. 
• Any product that is useful for society gives credentials for the maker.
• Here is a general basis for one such product.
• How to use a blog to organize a developing themed collection of information

• MUVE update 2/21/2019 Sci-Fi EXPO, OpenSim Fest, G+ MeWe Importer

*************************

The challenge, general form

• Given a specific theme, develop a collection of relevant information.
• Each entry must have its source link 
• Entries may have supporting links and contrary links.
• Entries may include common misconceptions if sourced and clearly discredited.
• Entries must include the author's summary of the item and the author's evaluation.
• Each entry must be signed by the author. 
• Products of work-groups will have multiple authors.
• Student evaluation will be based on the products of the student (author).

Procedure

• Instructor develops a list of themes suitable for the course learning objectives.
• Themes may be assigned to students or to work-groups.
• Alternatively, students or work-groups may choose themes.
• Students may use a blog format to gather and save the collected information.
• How to use a blog to organize a developing themed collection of information.
• Student blogs would be private.  
• The instructor might move qualified items to a public course blog. 
• The authors of items in the public blog could cite those items as their work.

General learning objectives supported by this challenge

• Beyond leaning related to the theme, this paradigm practices general skills: 
• Skills in searching the web for theme-relevant items.
• Skills in evaluating items found.
• Skills in web research to evaluate items found.
• Skills in understanding items well enough to summarize them.
• For work-groups: skills used for work-group participation.

Articles about project-based learning in this blog

• Virtual worlds can host challenge-based learning
• Educator's challenge: Provide planning template(s) for project-based learning
• Challenge-based education and self-managed learning: on the same team!
• Learn by challenge in virtual worlds: Games, projects, Maker Model
• Massacre at Wounded Knee, an example of project-based learning in virtual worlds
• Challenge: Hero's Journey. Game. Learning. Schools. Can you connect these?
• Problems and the seven gates to solving them. Like a game. Coincidence? Or something else?
• The Maker Movement and the potential of virtual worlds
• Teacher's web assistant brings museums, aquariums, web cams virtual worlds, libraries, games, and challenges
• We are wired to innovate. Do Schools teach creativity?