Nuts & Volts - April 2007

NEWS BYTES

programs for Digital Kids ages seven to 17 at 50 prestigious universities in 23 states ( www.internaldrive.com).

Locations include Columbia University, Stanford University, Georgetown University, Brown University, UCLA, and Northwestern University.

Project-based learning shifts away from traditional classroom lectures. Instead, it actively engages students by promoting understanding, empowering kids, and motivating them with energetic, lifelong investigative learning.

According to the George Lucas Educational Foundation, with project-based learning in the classroom, there is a decline in absenteeism, an increase in cooperative learning skills, and improvement in student achievement. These benefits are heightened even further when technology is integrated into projects.

With this hands-on approach, learning becomes more relevant to kids and helps them to establish connections to the “real world.” When students are more attentive, they retain more knowledge. This knowledge can then be applied to students’ current and future schoolwork, hobbies, and eventually a career.

Each student has a different style of learning. What once was difficult to articulate in a written report can now be demonstrated powerfully through digital movies and other multimedia vehicles. Learning through hands-on projects allows students to delve into the content in a more direct and meaningful way.

Project-based learning is the core of the iD Tech Camps philosophy. “Our teaching philosophy is ‘ experience-based’ which means from the moment the students enter our lab, the experience is hands-on,” said Karen Thurm Safran, VP of Marketing. “We challenge and guide our students, encouraging each to experiment. Students work at their own pace and prepare for the grand debut of their projects at the end of the week using industry-standard products like Adobe® Photoshop®, Autodesk® 3ds max, and Apple® Final Cut Pro®.”

During the last 10 years, the Secretary of Labor selected a commission

to determine necessary 21st-Century Digital Age skills for competing in the working world. What may have worked in the past — simply focusing on the “3Rs” of reading, writing and arithmetic — doesn’t hold up for today’s kids. Instead, the following Digital Age skills have been identified: teamwork, planning, problem solving, critical thinking, researching, information synthesizing, using technology, and communicating.

A number of those Digital Age skills are developed through project-based learning, including knowing how to work well with others, making careful decisions, being proactive, and solving difficult problems. Thanks to hands-on learning, students are paving the way to future careers filled with independence, critical thinking, and lifelong learning.