Highlighting and reflecting upon the process associated with a project or task, such as writing an essay may perhaps be more important than the end result produced by its completion. Technological access in the classroom makes this process more efficient and concrete. Here are some examples of how this could be accomplished:
- While creating a work of art, students can take pictures of the different stages
along the way and plug the pictures into Garageband, iPhoto or other available software or web-based service allowing the quick creation of a podcast or photo album - While designing an item, such as one would in a Design & Technology class, students could photograph or scan the stages of the process, also to be plugged into a podcast or photo album for reflection
- While developing an essay, students can save each part of the process in a folder as a separate component (such as brainstorming) or draft
Due to the great amount of content teachers are expected to cover with students, setting up a reflective task in advance and discussing milestones along the way and directing students to use the archived project components for reflection upon completion allows for this to fit more naturally into the curriculum. In addition, it teaches student about process and gives them an element of autonomy due to the level of self-reflection required.
