Home PublicationsL&LIssuesVolume 26 (1998-1999) March (No. 6)

As Apple Computer’s Steve Jobs pointed out a decade ago, the journey itself is the reward. This well summarizes the value of project-based learning, the underlying subject matter of this feature article. As the authors make clear, by planning and implementing their dream trip, students not only learn to understand and use various software applications but also solve real-world problems that truly interest them. And they can do it all with the sort of programs that are common now to most classrooms.

Download the full article (PDF, 484 KB, PDF Instructions)

Boarding Call

Classroom projects that require students to integrate knowledge from several applications in a real-world, problem-based learning situation are quite useful. Many national reports have stressed the importance of problem solving (see, for example, National Advisory Committee on Mathematics Education, 1975; National Commission on Excellence in Education, 1983; National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, 1980, 1981; National Research Council, 1989; Office of Technology Assessment, 1995). According to Cardelle-Elawar and Wetzel (1995), “the use of computers can bring excellence to education by facilitating the shift in learning from a product to process orientation that develops students’ problem-solving skills” (p. 387). Moursund (1998) states that “information technology has added new dimensions to PBL [project-based learning] and increased its value in curriculum, instruction, and assessment” (p. 4). This virtual trip activity includes the nine steps that Moursund identifies as necessary for project-based learning activities in information-technology environments.

This virtual trip requires students to use diverse computer skills to plan, research, synthesize, and report. The trip activity is an authentic task to which all students can relate. By working through the trip process, students enhance their skills in several content areas as well as their ability to use the computer in various ways.

We have found that students thoroughly enjoy this learning project. Earline, for example, said “the trip was very exciting. I truly enjoyed the adventure.” Amy stated that “the virtual trip was an excellent culminating activity. . . . [She] really saw it come together nicely.” Michael commented, “I enjoyed the virtual trip. . . . I got a lot out of it.” Jennifer summarized many of the comments when she said, “It really made me aware of how much information you can obtain through [the Internet]. I think the virtual trip was a great concluding activity for this class because it let us practice everything we have learned this semester and also allowed us to have fun while doing it.”

Preparing for Departure

The purpose of the activity is to enhance rather than develop skills in using a word processor, a spreadsheet, a database, presentation programs, and the Internet. In other words, to take this virtual trip, students must be able to perform basic computer-related tasks.

The word processor is used for creative writing, the spreadsheet for mathematical functions and graphs, the database for storing and categorizing data, PowerPoint for presenting the results, and the Web for discovering the information. The students also experience multitasking as they import graphs, charts, graphics, and sounds into the various application files. The virtual trip is a terrific culminating experience for a computer literacy unit. At the end of the activity, students produce a portfolio that includes examples of practical applications that cover word processors, spreadsheets, databases, PowerPoint, and the Internet.

Directions

Specific instructions for taking the virtual trip can be found in “Internet Virtual Trip Activity” (see the copy-me page). Generally, students are advised that they are going to plan a trip for five nights. They can go individually or take a partner or a group. Expense is no object. The destination is the students’ choice; however, they must fly by plane for at least part of the journey. All-inclusive vacations—that is, excursions where everything from airfare to lodging and sightseeing is included—are not allowed.

Students are to find lodging for a total of five consecutive nights and at least two different locations. Each day, they must visit an attraction in the area in which they stay. They must also find information on one restaurant per day in which to eat their evening meal. So, during their search, they must find and record these costs: a round-trip airline ticket, five nights’ lodging, five attractions, five evening meals, rental car leasing information (if needed), and other miscellaneous items they want. Students must obtain and record enough information in each area to write a creative story about their trip. They also need to collect appropriate sounds and images about their virtual trip.

Collecting and Organizing Information in the Database

Students must have an organized way to track the information they find on the Web. To accomplish this, they create a database with the following fields: day, URL, activity type, activity name, cost, location, and other pertinent comments. Even though students are encouraged to use them, bookmarks are not always secure in a lab setting, so storing URLs in the database is important. Such storage also helps students become proficient at copying and pasting between applications. As their ideas take shape, the students frequently return to sites they had previously found but thought unimportant at the time—and, inevitably, they cannot find them. Therefore, at this point all information found on the Web is entered into the database. A new record is created for each URL. Students enter information in as many fields as possible for that record.

After the Web searches are done and all data has been recorded, students can search and sort records to determine which activities they want to use. A sort can be created and printed showing activities alphabetically, by location, by type, by cost, and so on. This information is useful as students make final decisions about their trips. A daily itinerary of activities is generated for the portfolio. Also, a report that groups all of the same types of activities together in alphabetical order is included in the portfolio.

Calculating and Graphing Data Using the Spreadsheet

Students use a spreadsheet to calculate their airline, meal, lodging, attraction, and any other miscellaneous expenses. Dinner expenses are determined during the students’ searches of restaurant sites and entered into a spreadsheet. Breakfast expense is ascertained by taking one-fourth the dinner expense. The lunch expense is determined by taking two-thirds the dinner expense. Formulas must be entered into the spreadsheet to determine the breakfast and lunch costs. Costs are averaged per day and entered into the appropriate columns.

Sometimes, expenses cannot be ascertained. In these cases, after exhausting the search, the students are allowed to estimate costs. After all the expense data is gathered, students use their spreadsheet to reflect the expenditures incurred on their trip. Column headers reflect days of the journey and row headers denote expense type. Students develop formulas to find row and column totals, as well as average expenses by row and column; they also determine each row and column’s percentage of the overall total. To do this, students use absolute referencing, the fill-down and fill-right commands. They must change numbers to currencies and percentages as needed. The data are centered in the columns, and the headers are centered and put in bold.

Figure 2. Students then develop two graphs: (1) expenses by day (Figure 1) and (2) expenses by activity type. The graphs must be different types. The students are required to print the data in landscape format with gridlines, borders, headers, and footers. They also must copy and paste the worksheet and the two graphs into a word-processing document and give a brief justification of the costs (Figure 2). They may also be pasted into the creative story document or PowerPoint presentation. The spreadsheet chart and graphs are printed and included in the portfolio.

Presenting the Trip by Creative Story and Multimedia Presentation

Next, students develop a creative story about their virtual trip (approximately 750 words and double-spaced). Because it’s a creative story, few limitations are imposed. Students are instructed to be less concerned with prices and to write about all of the fun things they did, the attractions they visited, the sights they saw, the restaurants where they ate, and so forth. They are required to import a graphic from the Web to their creative story. After completing the story, partners are chosen to peer edit one another’s work. The partners work together and make revisions. The revised word-processing document is printed and included in the portfolio.

Students next create a 12-slide PowerPoint presentation that details their trip. At least two slides must have clip art, two must have WordArt, two must have graphics from the Web, two must have sound from PowerPoint, and one must have sound from the Web. The spreadsheet chart and graphs may be imported. Each slide must have a custom or template background with transition and build effects. The text should be in different typefaces and fonts and colors throughout. As a culminating activity, the students share their presentations with the class. Each finished PowerPoint presentation is printed six slides to a page and included in the student’s portfolio.

Conclusion

Once all documents have been edited and revised, they’re collected in a portfolio. A cover page is then created with the students’ identifying information and a graphic that represents their trip. The completed portfolio thus includes the cover page, the creative story, spreadsheet worksheet, two graphs, a database in list view, an itinerary report by day and activity created in the database, and a PowerPoint presentation with a six-slide printout. This is an excellent representation of how students have learned to solve a familiar problem.

This activity has been used for some time, and most students thoroughly enjoy it. However, some students can get frustrated early in the exercise, so it’s important for the instructor to monitor such frustrations and assist as needed. If a student still has not acquired an appropriate URL for a particular aspect of the trip after a reasonable time interval, then help should be provided. Students who get bogged down are directed to Dr. Joe Bitner’s Web site (www.selu.edu/Academics/Faculty/jbitner/) for appropriate links.

Students complete the exercise better able to search the Web and with a better understanding of how several applications can be used with one another, which shows the computer’s power as a teaching and learning tool. Example projects can be found at www.selu.edu/Academics/Faculty/jbitner/.

References

Cardelle-Elawar, M., & Wetzel, K. (1995). Students and computers as partners in developing students’ problem-solving skills. Journal of Research on Computing in Education, 27(4), 387-401.

Moursund, D. (1998). Project-based learning in an information-technology environment. Learning & Leading with Technology, 25(8), 4, 55.

National Advisory Committee on Mathematics Education. (1975). Overview and analysis of school mathematics, grades K–12. Washington, DC: Conference Board of the Mathematical Sciences.

National Commission on Excellence in Education. (1983). A nation at risk: The imperative for educational reform. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.

National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. (1980). Priorities in school mathematics. Reston, VA: Author.

------. (1981). Curriculum and evaluation standards for school mathematics. Reston, VA: Author.

National Research Council. (1989). Everybody counts. Washington, DC: National Academy of Sciences.

Office of Technology Assessment. (1995). Teachers and technology: Making the connection. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.

Resource

Information and downloading instructions for purchased copies of Microsoft products are available at local software retailers. Go to www.microsoft.com/products/ for more information.

Dr. Noel Bitner (drnoel@selu.edu) is an assistant professor in the Teacher Education Department at Southeastern Louisiana University, and she is an active member of ISTE, SIGTE, and other organizations. Visit her Web page at www.selu.edu/Academics/Faculty/drnoel.

Dr. Elizabeth Wadlington (bwadlington@selu.edu) is an associate professor at Southeastern Louisiana University. She teaches graduate and undergraduate education courses. She is currently experimenting with new ways to integrate technology into all of her classes.

Dr. Sue Austin (saustin@selu.edu) is an associate professor of counselor education at Southeastern Louisiana University. She is also a psychologist with a private practice in Hammond, Louisiana. She regularly uses the computer with her assessment course and promotes technology in the classroom.

Dr. Elizabeth Partridge (epartridge@selu.edu) is a professor in the Teacher Education Department of Southeastern Louisiana University, where she has taught for 23 years. She teaches elementary and early childhood education methods courses, in which she incorporates current technology.

Dr. Joe Bitner (jbitner@selu.edu) is a professor of teacher education at Southeastern Louisiana University. He has taught computer literacy and computer integration for many years. His Web site (www.selu.edu/Academics/Faculty /jbitner/) provides additional information for the Virtual trip.

Copyright © 1999, ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education). All rights reserved.