Comment on Coursera forum (Week 3):

It is desirable that educational technologies support learners to become active knowledge makers. We are living a big shift from knowledge consumers (where content transmission prevails) to knowledge producers, where we participate in and build knowledge. The flow of knowledge looses the top-down trend (together with a hierarchical feature) to a flow of knowledge that is distributed by co-learners.
In an eLearning environment anybody can contribute and engage with others. The textbook and the content delivery lose the stage and learners become active researchers and producers.

Learning is highly anchored on «doing», participating with others, so more horizontal and lateral production of knowledge prevails.

Another fundamental shift has occurred from cognition (memorization) to knowledge representations (artifacts). At present, memory is less valued considering the access to massive information in the Internet, everything is registered electronically (telephone numbers, geographic locations, etc). The big disadvantage is that we become much more dependent on our e-devices and if we have no access to them we are much more vulnerable.

This has an impact on education, where the artifacts become more important learning outputs than a memory test. A good report produced by a student or group of students, based on extensive searches and articulation of concepts, is more relevant as a learning outcome.

At present, people are expected to work more in teams and be more active, creative, innovative and risk-taking than to obey a command. People are expected to be contributors.

Gamification shows a potential to develop strategic thinking. The game industry has surpassed the film industry and both narratives are different. Games make users to take decisions and choose paths, films deliver what an audience consumes. So, a different culture is brought by this interactivity and connectivity, and in schools the environment has to change to allow students a more active role on their learning.

Methodologies like problem-based learning and inquiry based learning are better suited to reality - (http://presentlygifted.weebly.com/problem-based-learning.html)

Project-based learning can be grounded in different contexts, such as role-playing, real-world scenarios, blended writing genres, multiple reading genres, authentic assessments, real-world expertise brought into classroom, units that assess multiple skills, units that require research and comprehension of multiple subjects, student choice, collaboration, multiple methods of communication (writing, oral speaking, visual presentations, publishing, etc.)

Five Keys to Rigorous Project-Based Learning http://youtu.be/hnzCGNnU_WM?list=PL10g2YT_ln2iMSdZgmrOMkvZ6xtSh8LBa

We had the opportunity to address progressive education in the first week and to connect learning to real life activities is not a pedagogical novelty. Dewey defended teaching and learning linked to experimentation and community based, Freinet also promoted peer study and self research to fulfill students’ learning objectives, field trips (class promenade) served to know about nature, and so on.

Recent learning trends also try to centre learning on student’s interests and autonomy (flipped classroom, maker movement, STEM projects, etc)

Some European projects examples:

Pupils at Spetalen School in Norway created an interactive walking trail as part of local history Project - http://youtu.be/PlU4EZn61PY

Students at Istituto Comprensivo di Cadeo in Italy engage in a project «Tell a Story», to create video biographies of famous personalities - http://youtu.be/kMvCPM1OmAk?list=PL15AC39FE46C8D779

Students at Cramlington Learning Village in England used a dance mat to learn Spanish & Nintendo Wii to learn French - http://youtu.be/uzGnmhqTzIE

• Ida Brandão

Comment on Coursera Admin Thread: https://class.coursera.org/elearning-002/forum/thread?thread_id=988
School projects need to be closely related to reality to make sense to the students. There are many examples that show that even in social disadvantaged areas, students can engage if proper contexts are provided.

The six A’s of designing projects is summarized in this table - http://www.gsn.org/web/pbl/sixa.htm - which includes Authenticity, Academic Rigor, Applied Learning, Active Exploration, Adult Relationships and Assessment .

Considering the huge advantages of technology for learning one must be aware of the human features of the brain as well: the human brain prefers to recognize rather than recall; the human brain prefers chunking the information, requiring learners to grasp too many concepts or attempt too many tasks at one time can cause them to drop that information; the human brain likes to organize the information; the human brain likes patterns.

Several approaches to make learning meaningful for students can be shown in the following videos:

Deeper Learning through Personalized Learning Plans

Illustrating Democracy through Art

Inquiry based teaching – Discussing Fiction

A school in New York offers a comprehensive college preparatory curriculum with a focus on interdisciplinary study of real-world problems, individualized learning, and on-line - http://youtu.be/-c4okPYD8rE

An environmental school project (Imagine) for primary school in Canada, where the theory and practice of the project is supported by Place-Based, Imaginative and Ecological Education. The project is based in principles of inquiry and inclusion. - https://vimeo.com/27469337

A set of environmental projects presented by Singapore pupils - http://youtu.be/IGfiwFPJ6b4

• Ida Brandão