Unexpected Benefits to a Class Project
by Bonnie C. Smith, Multimedia Teacher
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| image courtesy of iwm-kmrc.de |
The objective of the project was for them to learn as many of the components of Microsoft PowerPoints while creating a autobiographical photo journey PPT. The students were given the end product task: to create the power point on their life journey thus far; a model was shown, and with some direct instruction on the harder parts (inserting videos, music, and hyperlinks) they set out on the creations.
I was so pleased to see students unfamiliar with one another helping their neighbors when problems were encountered. The motivation for completion was so high from the start (middle schooler can be egocentric) and the students enjoyed the appreciative comments from parents who received a copy for home.
The unforeseen benefit of this project was in the presentations of the PowerPoints with the class. The student gained an appreciation of the diverse backgrounds of classmates and developed a deeper understanding and tolerance of one another, something we have been covering in our Bullying Units in the middle school. The Project Based Learning / Assessment tool was a great experience for our students, and will be used again in other content area classes.
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