From Monica Burns

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Project-Based Learning Activities with Project Pals

This month I had the chance to meet the awesome team behind Project Pals. If you’re looking for a way to bring project-based learning into your classroom, you'll definitely want to check out this dynamic platform for schools full of PBL activities for students. With pre-made content that's ready to use right away, as well as the opportunity to create your own project-based learning activities, Project Pals is a fantastic resource!

PBL Activities with Project Pals

I often have conversations around Project-Based Learning (PBL) with teachers, especially as it relates to using technology effectively to support students during these learning experiences. If you’re just getting started with PBL, it can often feel overwhelming when deciding how to launch a new unit or find resources for students. If you’ve integrated project-based learning into your curriculum in the past, leveraging digital tools and incorporating multimedia resources can still be a challenge.

One of the reasons I’m so excited about Project Pals is how teachers who are brand new to project-based learning, as well as those who have experience using PBL in the classroom, can use this platform to accomplish a wide range of goals. Project Pals can help students access quality content and collaborate with their peers while providing a space for their teachers to keep track of progress as they support students during PBL experiences. Teachers can use the Project Pals platform for free for up to 20 projects and 50 students - sign up here.

PBL Lesson Ideas

While I was at SXSWedu this month, I stopped by the Project Pals booth to host a Facebook Live broadcast. We spoke about their experience at the conference, and I was able to film a quick demo of the Project Pals platform, while other educators followed along too! Here is the video from our Facebook Live broadcast: click here.

The team at Project Pals has developed a platform full of ready-to-use project-based learning activities, as well as the flexibility to customize and create PBL experiences for students. Project Pals is an interactive platform that schools can use to facilitate student-centered inquiry as well as PBL. Project Pals integrates with Google Classroom, and students can work in collaborative teams as they dive into a subject area specific or cross-curricular activities.

One of the challenges with bringing these types of learning experiences into your classroom is keeping student work organized so teachers can check in and students can go to one place to access all of their group materials. The Project Pals platform is updated in real-time, so students can participate in a collaborative workspace as they view the progress of their project and participate in problem-solving activities. At the same time, teachers can access student work and provide feedback to students in a timely and actionable manner.

Project-Based Learning Activities

In this video (click here), you can take a tour of the Project Pals platform to get an idea of all of the resources ready for teachers and students. It shows how to navigate the Project Pals platform and what it looks like when you sign up and dive into this student-friendly space.

As you explore ways to support students as creators and collaborators, Project Pals is a fantastic platform that gives teachers a space to facilitate project-based learning and student-centered inquiry while keeping students on task and organized.

Here's the link to sign up for a free teacher account!

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