PBL with a twist

Educurious seems to be in the beginning phases of development. I feel that it is a great resource for Project Based Learning, but I'm unsure of the cost. I truly believe that courses and lessons that have Project Based Learning in mind help our students stay engaged in the process and help them become better problem solvers. Educurious has kept this in mind when developing their courses and lessons. Their current focus seems to be on ELA and Science. I would like to see some math lessons developed as well. Depending on the cost this could be a great resource for teachers!

Though Educurious is a paid service, there are a number of free lessons that you can download by providing your contact information. All lessons (paid and free) are very comprehensive, aligned to the Common Core, and provide everything that students and teachers will need to work through the unit. These unit require students to develop deep comprehension of ideas and call on them to utilize higher order thinking skills to analyze essential questions, as well as create demonstrate their learning through a project or presentation. These lessons also authentically integrate technology tools into the projects. The units are rooted in ideas and concepts that are current, relevant and engaging.

Although this website seems to be in its infancy, the concept of creating engaging, high quality units for teachers is great. The site has set up a series of courses. As stated on the website, "Using the courses, students shift from being passive consumers to active participants in their education. Learning becomes relevant through a constellation of connections to experts and real contemporary challenges—engaging students’ enthusiasm, creativity, and collaborative skills." This looks to be true, but there is a price tag included. The courses are available for full year licensing or as single units that can be used within an existing course sequence. The price is not mentioned.