Higher Thinking Skills through IT-Based Projects

       

I.                     Resource-based Projects

In these projects, the teacher steps out of the traditional role of being an content expert and information provider, instead let the students find their own facts and information. Only when necessary for the active learning process thus the teacher steps in to supply data or information.

          The general flows of events in resource-based projects are:

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

2.      The teacher presents the problem to the class.

3.      The students find information on the problem.

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

            The central principle is to make the students go beyond the text and  curriculum materials.

           Inquiry-based or discovery approach is given importance in resource-based projects. This requires that all the students gathered information to the ‘real world’; the process is given more importance than the project product. Though each group comes up with a different answer to the problem, what matters are the varied source of information, the line of the thinking and the ability to argue in defense of their answers.

II.                   Simple Creations

Students can also be assigned to create their software materials to supplement the need for relevant and effective materials and there are some available software materials that may help. In developing software, creativity should not be equated with high intelligence. Creating is more consonant with planning, making, assembling, designing, or building.

       

Creativity is said to combine three kinds of skills:

1. Analyzing

-distinguishing similarities and differences seeing the projects.

            2.  Synthesizing

-making spontaneous connections among ideas in generating new ideas.

3.  Promoting

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

 To develop creativity, the ff. five key tasks maybe recommended:

1.      Define the tasks

Clarify the goal of the completed project to the students.

2.      Brainstorm

 Students will be allowed to generate their own ideas to the project. The teacher encourages exchanging ideas.

3.      Judge the Ideas

 Students make an appraisal for or may against on the idea, only when the students are off track and the teacher intervene.

4.      Act

The students do their work with the teacher as facilitator.

5.      Adopt flexibility

Students should be allowed to shift gears and may not follow an action path rigidly.

      III.            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 and etc.).

   IV.            Web-Based Projects

      Posting of WebPages in the Internet allows the student a wider audience. They can also be linked with other related sites in the Internet, which they are more exposed on a wide range of in formations.