20 Time

This year I have decided to do 20 Time projects with my Algebra Math Lab students. This project is something that inspires the students to make the community, the school or themselves better. It allows them to be creative and be passionate about something they are interested in and do something good for the world. This project started at Google and has trickled down into education. Jeff Bernadt and Ann Feldmann explained to me what this was and I knew I had to do it with my students. The first day of school instead of playing get to know you games I got out the iPads and had them search 20 Time Projects and learn for themselves what this project was about. The next few days were spent researching different ideas and coming up with their own. The students then had to pitch their ideas to the class. An amazing website I found as a wonderful resource to implement and use is www.20timeineducation.com/. This website helps you learn what it is all about, gives great examples of project ideas and teaches you how to implement this project into your classroom step by step. In about a month we are going to do a community pitch where my students will present their projects on a poster like a science fair and we will invite the school, their parents and community members to come and check it out. Each Friday will be spent working on their 20 time projects. I am requiring that each student creates a blog that they write in each week discussing their progress, successes and difficulties. Some of the ideas my students came up with are amazing and I could have never assigned something that fit each of them individually so well. I learned more about my students in those first few days while talking with them and discussing what they are passionate about than I have with some of my past students in an entire year. I got to know them on a completely different level and I am so excited how this project is transforming my classroom. At the end of the semester my students will present their projects or give a presentation on how their project went to the class. Some of them will fail at their goals and that is ok. It is the process of learning and it will help them to learn from their mistakes! I am extremely excited for this year with my students.

Check out the video below that gives some different project ideas for 20 Time.