Brain Overload #1: Menu of Assignments

I teach two of the Project Lead the Way courses: Principles of Engineering (POE), and Engineering Design and Development (EDD), and have decided to expand the types of assignments that I am making available to my students in the (POE) course this year.  It is definitely still a work in progress and I am sure I will be making adjustments and changes throughout the year(s).  The overall goal though is to give students the opportunity to make more collaborative use of their time, for me to mostly remove myself from the front of the room, and to encourage and facilitate the learning and curiosity and ingenuity of my students.

I have created a MENU list of 6 varying types of assignments, that my students will be able to choose from (completing 4 total projects this way this year).
So far the 6 menu items that I have are:
1) Create a "stand alone presentation" (presentation under 5 minutes that would run on loop without human interface---blending sound, pictures, graphics, and text)

2) Create a presentation to deliver (more traditional presentation with few words on slides, and verbal presentation accompaniment by students

3) Create artistic rendering(s)/cartoon/illustrated story (that illustrates the key skills from the unit)

4) Create a video (complete with script and/or storyboard) and post to my class YouTube channel

5) Create a PhotoGraphic Organizer (photographs taken by students accompanied by concise details of how the picture represents the objectives from the unit

6) Create a model and present it live (or through video).  Include a description from each student of the process of creating the model, parts list, and issues faced and how they overcame them.


The goal is to make these projects for pairs or small groups (not more than 3) of students, to give students a meaningful, in depth exploration and understanding of the material  that we are discussing in each unit.  Each of the MENU items has its own rubric (but nearly all  rubrics are identical, with just some slight modifications specific to each menu choice). Students will still have summative assessments, but each unit grade will be balanced by their process of delivering one of these menu items, and the assessment.

It should be an exciting year, with a lot of new learning for my students AND FOR ME.  Per Josh Stumpenhorst's @stumpteacher, I just completed THE HOMEOWRK MYTH by Alfie Kohn and will be trying to eliminate HW assigned as much as possible, with restructuring of daily lessons and teaching style.  Also with the help of Alice Keeler's @alicekeeler, website: www.alicekeeler.com, I am blending my Blackboard use with Google Apps for Education to further expand the collaboration in my classroom and beyond and to go even more paperless!

Busy Busy...stay tuned for updates on my successes and growing pains.