Project Based Learning Resources
For information about other PBL Resources, click on one of the items below:
PBL Links
Use Google or other search engines to search for specific PBL websites and projects. www.google.com
Free, self-paced Internet Tutorial that puts both basic and in-depth information about the World Wide Web at your fingertips. E-mail, video conferencing, chat rooms, Web page design, Internet safety, curriculum searches, etc. www.webteacher.org/macnet/indextc.html
PBL Sites
ThinkQuest is a global network of students, teachers, parents and technologists dedicated to exploring youth-centered learning on the Net. Through ThinkQuest, young people work together in teams, use the Internet to research a topic in science, mathematics, literature, the social sciences or the arts, and publish their research as an educational web site for peers and classrooms around the world. The site includes extraordinary (and juried) examples of student work in learning-rich projects. www.thinkquest.org.
San Diego State University WebQuests: A WebQuest is an inquiry-oriented project in which most or all of the information used by learners is drawn from the Web. WebQuests are designed to use learners' time well, to focus on using information rather than looking for it, and to support learners' thinking at the levels of analysis, synthesis and evaluation. webquest.sdsu.edu/webquest.html
Other WebQuests:
At PacBell, www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/wired.html
At Kathy Schrock's site, school.discovery.com/schrockguide/webquest/webquest.html
Overview of essential questions from The Educational Technology Journal. Includes helpful diagram and info, www.fno.org/nov97/toolkit.html
New from Brown University Lab & JFF. This site focuses on real world learning that students are doing. www.whatkidscando.org/intro.asp
Buck Institute:Includes lots of materials for middle and high school teachers to help plan and implement project based units in their classrooms. www.bie.org/pbl/
Blue Web'n:a searchable library of Blue Ribbon Web sites categorized by grade level, content area, and type; many PBL projects www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/bluewebn
PBL Net: The Problem-Based Learning Network (one of the American Society for Curriculum and Development networks): at the Center for Problem-Based Learning - www.imsa.edu/team/cpbl/cpbl.html
Integrated/Interdisciplinary Education www.mcrel.org/connect/integ.html
Project-Based Science (PBS), sponsored by U-Michigan School of Education is funded by the National Science foundation, and currently involves hundreds of K-12 science teachers in Michigan. The goal of the PBS group is to improve the way science classes are taught by involving students in finding solutions to authentic questions through extended inquiry, collaboration and use of technology. www.umich.edu/~pbsgroup
North Central Regional Educational Laboratory:specializes in educational applications of technology to improve student learning. www.ncrel.org/
Project Based Learning with Multimedia:provides teachers with resources and strategies for integrating multimedia into project-based learning. pblmm.k12.ca.us/index.html
top
Northwest Regional Education Lab's Toolkit98 is designed to assist classroom teachers to become better assessors of student learning. Includes information about and examples of rubrics, www.nwrel.org/assessment/toolkit98.php.
Scores of rubrics at Kathy Schrock's Guide for Educators, school.discovery.com/schrockguide/assess.html.
RubiStar:helps teachers develop and customize rubrics for project based learning activities rubistar.4teachers.org.
Another rubric-generator site: www.teach-nology.com/web_tools/rubrics
Other rubric generators:
teachers.teach-nology.com/web_tools/rubrics/general
pblchecklist.4teachers.org
www.rubrics4teachers.com/
top
Education Portals -
Non-Commercial
Blue Web'n: www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/bluewebn
Blue Web'n is a searchable database of over 1000 outstanding Internet learning sites categorized by subject area, audience, and type (lessons, activities, projects, resources, references, & tools). Blue Web'n does not attempt to catalog all educational sites, but only the most useful sites Ð esp. activities targeted at learners.
Annenberg/CBP: www.learner.org
The mandate of Annenberg/CPB is to use media and telecommunications to advance excellent teaching in American schools. Don't miss the Online Exhibits and Journey North.
PBS Teacher Source: www.pbs.org/teachersource For 30 years, teachers have trusted PBS's quality programming and educational services. Maintaining that trust is the foundation of PBS's mission to stimulate education, culture, and citizenship.
FREE - Federal Resources for Educational Excellence: www.ed.gov/free/index.html Hundreds of education resources supported by agencies across the U.S. Federal government are collected here. Don't miss this comprehensive resource.
Gateway to Educational Materials: www.thegateway.org Sponsored by US DOE and ERIC, this provides access to an array of lessons, activities, and ideas.
The Exploratorium: www.exploratorium.edu
The Exploratorium is a museum of science, art, and human perception located in San Francisco, California. Online since 1993, the Exploratorium was one of the first science museums to build a site on the World Wide Web. Included in the site are more than 10,000 Web pages and hundreds of sound and video files, exploring hundreds of different topics.
The NYTimes Learning Network: www.nytimes.com/learning
The New York Times Learning Network is a free service for students in grades 3-12, their teachers and parents. Students can read the day's top stories using Knowledge Tools, take a news quiz about today's world, and play special crossword puzzles. Students can also submit a letter to the editor, ask a reporter a question, or submit a science question and search through the Science Q&A archive.
ArtsEdNet Getty Museum: www.getty.edu/artsednet
ArtsEdNet, an online service developed by the J. Paul Getty Trust, supports the needs of the K-12 arts education community. It focuses on helping arts educators, general classroom teachers using the arts in their curriculum, museum educators, and university faculty involved in art education.
top
Education Portals
Commercial Education World: www.education-world.com
Education World is one of the best educator's guides to the Internet. It is designed especially for teachers, administrators, media specialists and everyone interested in integrating the Internet into education. With more than 100,000 links to education-specific Web sites, original lesson plans and weekly articles, Education World is among the most comprehensive education sites on the Net.
Scholastic Press: teacher.scholastic.com/index.htm
At Scholastic Press you will find hundreds of Standards-based Web units built around popular teaching themes. In addition, Scholastic presents ready-to-use activities, free reproducibles and lesson plans, and connections to experts and fellow educators.
AOL School: aolatschool.com
The AOL portal features age appropriate K-12 learning environments plus teacher and administrator resource centers. There is no cost for schools with Internet access to participate. AOL provides schools with FREE e-mail, reference tools and filtered Internet searches.
ProQuest K-12: www.proquestk12.com
bigchalk.com opens a world of information to teachers, students, and parents—enhancing learning, helping with homework, and offering limitless paths of exploration. bigchalk.com enables teachers to create their own interactive centers of involvement that encourage, inform, and excite students.
Classroom Connect: corporate.classroom.com/
Classroom Connect features global expeditions, weekly Web themes and online professional development at the Connected University. In addition, they provide a wide range of products and tools to help teachers integrate the Internet across the curriculum.
Discovery School: school.discovery.com
Find a wealth of lesson plans, Discovery videos, links and other resources to help you engage your students.
top
Standards-Based Learning Sites
The MiddleWeb Guide to Standards-Based Reform: www.middleweb.com/SBRGuide.html
A comprehensive collection of stories, research articles, databases and useful Web sites for schools committed to higher standards.
The McREL Standards Database: www.mcrel.org/standards-benchmarks
A Compendium of Standards and Benchmarks for K-12 Education, Second Edition.
Vermont Checklist - Standards-Based Units of Study: www.acsu.k12.vt.us/course/checklist.html
The checklist is designed to clarify the components for standards-based units of study. This checklist can be used for self-assessment when developing standards-based units and it will be used to jury units of study.
National Educational Technology Standards: cnets.iste.org
The primary goal of the NETS Project is to enable stake holders in Pre K-12 education to develop national standards for educational uses of technology that facilitate school improvement in the United States. The NETS Project will work to define standards for students, integrating curriculum & technology, technology support, and standards for student assessment and evaluation of technology use.
Connections+: www.mcrel.org/resources/links/hotlinks.asp
This consists of Internet resources--lesson plans, activities, curriculum resources--linked with corresponding subject-area content standards. The web sites and other resources chosen have been created, maintained, and/or recommended by educators.
NCEE New Standards Project: www.ncee.org
The National Center on Education and the Economy—a not-for-profit organization based in Washington, DC—believes it is possible for almost everyone to learn far more and develop far higher skills than most of us have thought possible. The hallmark of the National Center's work is standards-based reform.
Scholastic Press: teacher.scholastic.com/index.htm
Standards-based resources built around popular teaching themes.
Exemplars: www.exemplars.com
Exemplars offers classroom-tested standards-based assessment materials.
Center for Civic Education: www.civiced.org
We The People and other standards-based programs/materials.
The Regional Educational Laboratories Network: www.relnetwork.org
Links to the 10 US DOE-supported labs; site allows you to identify the one that serves your region, locate lab publications & services, find which lab has special expertise on challenges you face, locate contact information, & more.
top
