IWorlds Simulations
High Tech in Hawaii: The Real-World Relevance of Technology | Edutopia
Profile of a Hawaiian school using technology and project-based learning to engage students and give them 21st century skills.
"What the animation does is it assists the children in visualizing the action," explains Mitchell, who teaches <a class="external-link" href="http://www.nuuanu.k12.hi.us/G-1/public_html/index.html" target="_blank">language arts enrichment classes</a>. "The animation is a way of them developing the picture so they relate that to the writing, to what they hear, what they see, what they feel." Technology, she adds, "gives you one more way of teaching something."
"Looking for real-world relevance has to do with students being interested in what they do, knowing that it's useful outside of school," says Kaninau. "The experiences are not contrived or in isolation, but they're a part of a larger learning activity. Without those connections, it won't be meaningful, and it'll be forgotten tomorrow."
"They love it," says sixth-grade teacher Geraldine Kajitani. "If you start with ... hands-on activities and things that are fun, their attention is focused." And once that happens, she says, it's a snap to get them to study some of the drier material because they'll relate to it and remember it.
Project Based Learning
Resources for middle and high school project-based learning, including relevant research and a library of projects to build on
State Project
Example project from the Developing 21st Century Literacy Skills course. The assignment is to develop a project where students will develop and demonstrate 21st century literacy skills. In this project, students create a multimedia presentation with information about their state as if they are working in the visitor's bureau and trying to convince tourists to visit.
Multimedia Serves Youths' Desire to Express Themselves | Edutopia
High school students in California find their voice through multimedia and learn to make a difference through what they create and share
"Media is the language of kids," Torres adds, saying that students who may not take to learning by reading a textbook or listening to a lecture often jump at the chance to understand complex concepts by presenting finished products in the form of a film or a Web documentary or a Microsoft PowerPoint presentation.
How to Use Technology to Enhance Project Learning | Edutopia
Project-based learning using technology to meet the standards
Travel USA - Project Learning
Jane Krauss on the changing roles of teachers and students with project-based learning
Cracking the Case Design: How Duke TIP Does PBL
Using mysteries as the basis for Problem-Based learning with cases to solve. While this is for K12 classrooms, I think you could apply some of the same story elements to creating scenarios for workplace training.