Forked!

I find myself at a fork in the road. Everything was going according to plan. I was planning. I was researching. I was learning new tools. I was creating professional development videos for my district on technology tools and ideas for implementation. And then...I got a phone call. That phone call led to a meeting with another teacher from my district who is involved with global communication, partnerships, and collaborative learning. 

Now, I find myself in an interesting position. I could go forward with what I had been planning. I could purchase a classroom with Taking It Global, make my own connections, and create my own plans from scratch. Or, I could learn how to use a Ning, take advantage of my district’s resources, and help roll out a program of social change that could be influential in the entire district. Of course, the details are a little sketchy about exactly what it would look like. It is interesting to note that Taking It Global is a partner in the program that my district is looking at rolling out though.

So where does that leave me? I feel like most teachers who implement PBL. I am a little worried about the planning and implementation (Ertmer & Simmons, 2006) of a program with such a public face and such large management issues. I am not sure if it would be better to continue down my own track or to take of advantage of resources that will be available (if the money comes through). If it doesn’t come through, then I am not sure what that means. Does that mean I am back at the point I am at right now? Or would the connections to the State Department be enough to assure some level of support regardless of district financing? 

I am not sure. I think I am going to change my plan though. I can still use the kinds of resources I have already been planning on rolling out a number of tools, and the assessments for those parts would not change. It is just the actual distance learning piece that might be different, but at the very least I have a connection with someone in my district who has actually been to some of the countries I would like to offer my students as collaborative partners. 

In the end though, it is about what I am willing to put out there for my students. If I am going to have to develop something from scratch, I would rather do it with someone than without someone. I need to be able to reach out and go through the same process I want my students to go through. I have identified my problem, I have begun to research the problem in order to clarify it, I have realized the need to be collaborative as I approach a solution to the problem,   and now I am beginning to formulate a solution to my problem with the help of others. These are the steps of PBL (Laureate, 2009). That is the crux of the matter, if we are to really engage our students in problem based learning, we have to be willing to put ourselves in the uncomfortable spot of defining a problem and attacking it in the same way we want our students to...even if that means we get forked sometimes. 

Resources

Ertmer, P., & Simons, K. (Spring 2006). Jumping the PBL implementation hurdle: Supporting the efforts of K-12 teachers. The Interdisciplinary Journal of Problem-Based Learning, 1(1), 40-54. Retrieved fromhttp://docs.lib.purdue.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1005&context=ijpbl.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009). Integrating Technology Across the Content Areas. Baltimore: Author.