Final Project

People are by nature curious. Ancient fossils, funny foreign languages, exploding volcanos, gossiping friends, and even the blender in your kitchen may send your mind spinning with a thousand questions. If I put bananas, yogurt, raisins, and pop tarts in that blender would it be very tasty? What would it look like? What makes the blade turn so fast anyway? How long has is been around? How has it changed our lives?

The world, filled strange, fantastic, and even everyday happenings that never fall short in leaving us with something to wonder about. This web site is dedicated to encouraging students to exercise their curiosity and keep asking questions. Using self-directed projects as a method of learning a support system is created for students to develop critical thinking skills within a context they have ownership of.

Self-directed projects are just what they sound like, entirely designed by students. They may choose to work independently or with a group. They may choose to spend an afternoon on a project, or a month. They'll be responsible for creating a timeline, research plan, and presentation format so they can share their adventures with their peers.

A well thought out plan is key to guiding a student's success. The following pages offer a few tools and guidelines to help students explore a topic of their choice. An sample project has been used here for demonstration. We'll start by brainstorming areas of interest and then develop a few focused questions to steer our research. The possibilities are endless so you'll really have to listen to yourself. Follow the pull of curiosity and in the end you'll be so impressed

Self-Directed Projects

A Framework for the Independent Learner


Purpose of this Web site ......................... Demonstrate and apply the knowledge gained through class 387 "Computer Uses in Education." Provide a framework to help students plan a self-directed learning project. Offer ideas, resources, and tools to help student design a project from planning to presentation.	Introduction ........................................................................................................................................ People are by nature curious. Ancient fossils, funny foreign languages, exploding volcanos, gossiping friends, and even the blender in your kitchen may send your mind spinning with a thousand questions. If I put bananas, yogurt, raisins, and pop tarts in that blender would it be very tasty? What would it look like? What makes the blade turn so fast anyway? How long has is been around? How has it changed our lives? The world, filled strange, fantastic, and even everyday happenings that never fall short in leaving us with something to wonder about. This web site is dedicated to encouraging students to exercise their curiosity and keep asking questions. Using self-directed projects as a method of learning a support system is created for students to develop critical thinking skills within a context they have ownership of. Self-directed projects are just what they sound like, entirely designed by students. They may choose to work independently or with a group. They may choose to spend an afternoon on a project, or a month. They'll be responsible for creating a timeline, research plan, and presentation format so they can share their adventures with their peers. A well thought out plan is key to guiding a student's success. The following pages offer a few tools and guidelines to help students explore a topic of their choice. An sample project has been used here for demonstration. We'll start by brainstorming areas of interest and then develop a few focused questions to steer our research. The possibilities are endless so you'll really have to listen to yourself. Follow the pull of curiosity and in the end you'll be so impressed About CTER Next > Last updated Aug 2003 Copywrite 2003	Site Guide ......................................... The Brainstorm Target Practice Travel Plans Digging for Diamonds Grand Finale Coming Soon * Interactive features * Sample projects & presentations * Final project feedback rubric