Higher Thinking Skills Through IT-Based Projects

I. RESOURCE-BASED PROJECT
-               In these projects, the teacher steps out of the traditional role of being a content expert and information provider, and instead lets the students find their own facts and information. Only when necessary for the active learning process does the teacher step in to supply data or information. The general flow of events in resource-based projects are:

1.     The teacher determines the topic for the examination of the class ( e.g. the definition of “man”)

2.     The teacher presents the problem to the class.

3.    The students find information on the problem/questions.

4.    Students organize their information in response to the problem/questions.

Relating to finding information, the central principle is to make the students go beyond the textbook and curriculum materials. Students are also encouraged to go to the library, particularly to the modern extension of the modern library, the internet.

Furthermore, the inquiry-based or discovery approach is given importance in resource-based projects. This requires that the students, individually or cooperatively with members of his group, relate gathered information to the ‘real world’.

Finally, the process is given more importance than the project product. It doesn’t matter for example, if each group comes up with a different answer to the problem (e.g. definition of man). What matters are the varied sources of information, the line of thinking and the ability to argue in defense of their answers.

The table below can provide the difference between the traditional and resource-based learning approach to instruction.

Additional learning model	Resource –based learning model
Teacher is expert and information provider	Teacher is a guide and facilitator
Textbook is key source of information	Sources are varied (print, video, internet, etc.)
Focus in facts information is packaged in nest parcels	Focus on learning  inquiry/quest/discoveries
The product is the be-all and end-all of all learning	Emphasis on process
Assessment is quantitative	Assessment is quantitative and qualitative

II.SIMPLE CREATION
-Resource-Based Learning is a planned educational program that actively involves students in the effective use of a wide range of appropriate print, nonprint, and human resources.

-students can also be assigned to create their software materials to supplement the nerd for relevant and effective materials. Of course, there are available software materials such as Creative Writer (by Microsoft) on writing, KidWork Deluxe (by Davidson) on drawing and painting, and Media Weave (by Humanities software) on multimedia.

In developing software, creativity as an outcome should not be equated with ingenuity or high intelligence. Creating is more consonant with planning, making, assembling, designing, or building. Creativity is said to combine three kind of skills/abilities.

    Analyzing-distinguishing similarities and differences/ seeing the project as a problem to be solved.

    Synthesizing-making spontaneous connections among ideas, thus generating interesting or new ideas.

    Promoting-selling of new idea to allow the public to test the ideas themselves.

To develop creativity, the following five key task may be recommended:

1.             Define the task - clarify the goal of the completed project to the student

2.            Brainstorm - the students themselves will be allowed to generate their own ideas on the project. Rather than shoot down ideas, the teacher encourages idea exchange.

3.            Judge the ideas  - the students themselves make an appraisal for or against any idea. Only when students are completely off track should the teacher intervene

4.            Act - the students do their work with the teacher a facilitator

5.            Adopt flexibility - the students should be allowed to shift gears and not follow an action path rigidly.

IIIII.     GUIDED HYPERMEDIA PROJECTS

-The production of self-made multimedia projects can be approached in two different ways:

1.       As an instructive tool, such as in the production by students of a power-point presentation of a selected topic.

2.     As a communication tool, such as when students do a multimedia presentation (with text, graphs, photos, audio, narration, interviews, video clips, etc. to simulate a television news show.

Hypermedia is a computer-based information retrieval system that enables a user to gain or provide access to texts, audio and video recordings, photographs and computer graphics related to a particular subject. Hypermedia is a term created by Ted Nelson. Hypermedia is used as a logical extension of the term hypertext in which graphics, audio, video, plain text and hyperlinks intertwine to create a generally non-linear medium of information. This contrasts with the broader term multimedia, which may be used to describe non-interactive linear presentations as well as hypermedia. It is also related to the field of Electronic literature. The term was first used in a 1965 article by Ted Nelson.

IIIV.     WEB-BASED PROJECTS

-students can be made to create and post webpage on a given topic. But creating webpage, even single page webpage, may be too sophisticated and time consuming for the average student:

It should be said, however, that posting of webpage in the Internet allows the students (now the webpage creator) a wider audience. They can also be linked with other related sites in the Internet. But as of now, this creativity project may be too ambitious as a tool in the teaching-learning process.

Benefits of using Web-based Project Management Software

·         Mobility—With an intuitive dashboard, reporting and planner tools, web based project management software enables you to log in to your project work from anywhere in the world, thus offering a real-time view of your project.

·         Easy and effective collaboration—Collaboration is an inherent component of project management. For sharing your project plans with your global partners, for delegating tasks to your offshore colleagues or for managing contractors across the country, a reliable platform for collaboration is a must. This is where our web-based project management software helps. Web project management software helps you save your work or project plan in one central location thus giving authorized members real-time access to business-critical project information. Teams can be given real-time alerts to adjust work activities to adapt with project changes or updates.

REFERENCES:

     Educational Technology 2

     www.yahoo.com