Wicked Problem Project

My final project is broken into 5 minute videos because the free version of Jing limits videos to 5 minutes or less.








The problem:
Students need to know how to collaborate with others to complete a group project. Collaboration is a skill that will be used for the rest of their lives, so we need to teach the skills and incorporate it into our classrooms on a regular basis. Technology is also an important component of the classroom, but many technologies do not require true collaborative group work to occur. Many technologies have an option for students to interact with each other using the technology, but collaboration is not required.

The solution:
Use technology as a medium for collaborative group work. By creating a project for students to do as a group that involves technology, students can see how the two directly relate to each other. Using technology is motivating to students, so this is another good strategy to help students engage in cooperative work. The project I thought of is for students to create a group video or TV show to show what they learned from a particular unit. This is great for end of unit assessment and needs to have explicit directions and expectations given multiple times.

TP:
Technology and pedagogy in this project occur as technology aides in presenting what was learned. As part of the group work, students know they need to ask each other their questions before asking the teacher. There will most likely be many questions about the video editing, but many of these questions can be answered by problem solving with each other. Students need to learn to use each other’s strengths while still contributing their own strengths to the group.

TC:
Technology and content overlap as the purpose of the project is to show the learning that occurred in the unit. This is done using video technology. Videos can also be saved and shown to multiple audiences. Learning can continue beyond the students in the classroom as they teach others about the content area. As with projects in real life, students can go back, edit, revise and improve their work until the final product is turned in. Using and learning video editing skills, students work together to show the content.

PC:
Pedagogy and content are shown as students collaborate together to create an accurate representation of the information. They are given creative license, as long as it represents the information accurately. Also, this project requires higher order thinking as students create a new way to show their learning. The level of rigor for this project is high and students are capable of meeting that expectation.