PBL: Let's Get Deep With It

 A few years ago (I think it was before my third year of teaching), my district brought in a presenter who kicked off a PD day by talking about project-based learning and Genius Hour. It has stuck in my mind as one of (sadly) the few PD presentations that I actually felt applied in my classroom, and that year, after a few emails back and forth with the presenter, I took the leap into trying a Genius Hour unit with my students. On the end-of-year reflection form that I asked all of my classes to compete, Genius Hour was almost universally declared as the highlight of students' time in my class. From that point on, I made Genius Hour a consistent part of my curriculum plans, and it continued to be the most well-remembered part of students' years. 

In simplest terms, Genius Hour comes originally out of a practice at Google, where developers were allowed to spend 20% of their time working on 'passion projects' (I've also heard Genius H)our referred to as '20-time'). These passion projects would go on to become some of Google's greatest creations, including Gmail (this link goes more in-depth about Genius Hour). Genius Hour is a prime example of project-based learning, or PBL. PBLWorks is an excellent go-to for information and ideas related to PBL; the website defines PBL as "a teaching method in which students learn by actively engaging in real-world and personally meaningful projects". The same website posits that there are seven essential aspects of PBL, shown in this graphic: 

Image Source
Aspects of PBL Projects

Obviously, one of the great things about (and a major sticking point of) PBL is that students are given choice in their projects, and technology offers a great variety of tools, sites, apps, etc., with which to follow their inquiries, and compose and present products. There is no single tool (at least to my knowledge) that has been agreed-upon as the most fitting for all PBL inquiries, so instead I wanted to focus on a tool that is relevant to both new and seasoned practitioners of PBL, accessible, and speaks to multiple design elements included in the graphic above. That tool is Google Sites.

Google Sites is a free (for those with a free Google account) website-builder that seamlessly integrates with other Google appls, like Docs, Sheets, Slides, etc. For a more thorough explanation of the use, pros/cons, and application(s) of Google Sites within PBL, please check out my video below:

In reflecting on my own experience with Genius Hour/PBL, I felt that a major step forward was when I began to have students compose products with a public audience in mind. With the aim of providing a way for all students to have their creations shared beyond the walls of our classroom, without over-complication the means by which to do it, Google Sites was an excellent solution. Looking back to the earlier graphic on PBL, I feel Google Sites helps students achieve a number of the listed aspects:

• In terms of authenticity, Sites allows students to easily upload what they have to a real website, just as they would in the working world or as a business owner. 
• Sites allows students to choose what they create, while still harboring a place where a variety of projects can be stored and viewed
• Sites makes it easy for both students and their audience to reflect upon what has been created, and to receive critiques and make revisions
• Sites gives students a way for their products to become public

I know, I know, some of you may be thinking, "this is what passes for revolutionary?" Are you're right-this isn't some major, life-altering tech tool that reinvents PBL. But in terms of accessibility, and being something teachers could literally create today and use tomorrow for every student in their class to share their creations with a global audience, I have to stick with it. It may seem somewhat simplistic compared to other web-design services, but in terms of PBL 'bang for your buck', I think that Sites is a exceptional tool.

Other Tools that are helpful for PBL

These are some other tools I have used/seen students use (aligned with one of the seven aspects described above):

Challenging Problem/Inquiry: Mindmeister-collaborative mindmapping service that will allow students to fully plan out the scope of their problem/inquiry, with the potential for feedback from teachers/peers

Authenticity: GreenScreen (by DoInk)-greenscreen app opens up a number of creation possibilities for students, making their videos much more realistic

Reflection: Jamboard-Google's digital whiteboard app (there is an actual, 55' Jamboard that can be purchased as well), where students can draw, add links, sticky notes, etc. in a collaborative manner. Students could share their creations through Jamboard and receive feedback from their peers.

Critique/Revision: Flip-for students who want to create a video recording, using Flip (formerly Flipgrid) is an easy way for them to receive feedback from viewers

Public Product: Tract-for students who like YouTube or TikTok, Tract is a way for students to create and share their products with other students, making them educational influencers for their peers

Thanks for reading-if you have any other PBL tools, or have used Sites for PBL in the past as well, I would love to hear more ideas!