The focus of this website is to highlight the value of digital and social media which can be used to enhance approaches to Project Based Learning and develop vital digital capabilities. The key objectives for doing so are to:
- Introduce new ways to develop organisation skills.
- Highlight different approaches that enable digital communication, collaboration and curation.
- Encourage the use of technology to build independence, confidence and the capabilities as self-directed learners.
- Provide a framework for a doable and sustainable approach to critical reflection.
- Make links between project based learning activities and employability skills.
The skills that can be developed from engaging in Project Based Learning and through creating a personal digital toolkit are far reaching and will extend beyond the completion of a project. The steps within a project and the actions required are highly likely to come up in other aspects of our lives.
Personal Development
We live and work in a digital age and technology is empowering us as lifelong and life wide learners to take ownership of our own personal development through formal and informal learning. The mobile phones we carry in our pockets are as powerful as the desktop computer. Increasingly the use of technology is providing new ways to communicate socially and in the workplace via apps and social media. Learning how to use the affordances of digital and social media to enhance the ways we can interact and collaborate can literally open new doors, facilitate the development of extended networks, and provide the space to interact in both real time and asynchronously.
The skills we develop as learners are transferable and valued in the workplace. Some of the skills employers are looking for, will to some degree depend on the job you are looking for; however there are some generic skills everyone needs to polish. These include:
- Commercial awareness (or business acumen)
- Communication
- Teamwork
- Negotiation and persuasion
- Problem solving
- Leadership
- Organisation
- Perseverance and motivation
- Ability to work under pressure
- Confidence
When applying for a job it is important that you provide examples to demonstrate the skills required with your personal experience. Projects provide many aspects you can refer to. This is why it is essential that you record and reflect upon the skills that you are developing through the lifecycle of your project(s).
References
Target jobs (2016) The top 10 skills that’ll get you a job when you graduate
The Project Based Learning (PjBL) Toolkit 