Saturday, June 30, 2012

The PB&J Project

After completing our lesson and analyzing the other group lessons on the design, composition, nutrition, history and variations of the good ole peanut butter and jelly sandwich I feel like an expert.  As a mother of three boys I often felt like a PB&J mass manufacturer.  Yet, even if I were a novice I feel I could have quickly become proficient in the art of designing a PB&J by studying these lessons.  Learning in the comfort of my home, being able to review the material multiple times at my own pace and not needing to feel critiqued if it took me several attempts to create an impeccable product were all a very valuable part of this online learning exercise.

I never thought about PB&J as much as I have this week!  I learned about it's history.  I learned about it's plethora of variations.  I learned about it's accessories ~ who knew a sandwich could have accessories?!  I learned about it's nutritional value.  Oh, but the lessons were deeper than just bread.....I learned about asynchronous collaboration, multimedia presentations - design & delivery, Google docs, embedding, Prezi, making crosswords and surveys.  I thought each group did an excellent job - presenting the learner with objectives and even a pre-assessment; using interactive forms of presentation to motivate & pique the learner's interest; and organizing activities that allowed the learner to assess and/or reflect on their learning.  Perhaps, the desire for a group presentation post learning was a bit ambitious; but, it represented a diverse way of assessing learning.  Just saying...I think we are great 21st century educators!

Yes, I did make a PB&J for myself Friday as I pondered the lessons.  My favorites?  White bread, grape jelly, crunchy Jiff, served whole (why fractionate perfection!) with a large glass of milk.  And, yes the peanut butter MUST go on both sides of the bread prior to the application of jelly...least your bread become stained and soggy!! 

3 comments:

  1. I learned a ton about PBJ as well...and my hoped for other lessons appear to have occurred!

    Nice job!

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  2. I know the PB&J project is one that is often given to educators in college--my best friend did it in 1997. And thinking about how much technology and this project has changed in the last 15 years is crazy. All three groups had very different presentations--presentations that would have been wildly different with the technology of 5 years ago!

    I learned a lot too and it's really given me a craving to make some bread this week and have MY favorite pb&j.

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  3. Hey Linda, I agree that I certainly learned alot about PBJ - I can see using marmalade or blueberry jelly in place of the classic strawberry, but who knew that people actually added Sriracha to PBJs! I imagine having 4 boys you are well versed in the art of PBJ creation. It was great collaborating with you on this project, and I'm excited to begin the big project this week!

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