Genius Projects!

It is hard to believe that we are starting the second quarter of the 2013 school year!  Time is flying by, and today it was time to introduce the "Genius Project"!  I love the "Genius Project" as it is our class' version of the genius hour that many schools and businesses practice.  The idea behind the genius hour concept is to allow someone planned time to research and learn about something they are passionate about.  It is a great way for our students to practice their "21st Century Skills" as they identify a topic, ask questions, research the topic, and plan a way to share their learning with others.  Wow!  Students love "Genius Project" because they are motivated by having a choice in the topic and get to design what their project looks like.  Our plan this year is to have our weekly genius time on Thursday afternoons (as of right now).  My hope is that students will complete one "Genius Project" each quarter, so they will complete and share at least three projects throughout the rest of this school year.  As a teacher I love this time because I become a true guide or facilitator.  My role is to help students clarify their questions, learn how to use our technology tools to research, and celebrate their learning products with them.  I love seeing them become the teacher when they present their learning to the rest of the class through their projects!

Today we discussed what a "Genius Project" can be.  We also brainstormed topics that we are curious about and shared these with the class.  We then discussed types of projects they could create with their new learning.  Ideas included posters, models, writing and presenting puppet plays, digital slide shows, etc.   Students began filling in their "Genius Project" contract (see photo below) to help them focus their topic and questions and think about their final product.  Next week we will begin researching our questions and collecting those notes.  Throughout the projects we hope to learn more about searching on the web, finding valid sites, learning about copyrights, and more...  We will keep you posted!