Just came across this now as I am trying to learn how to use PBL in my class. Did you ever receive responses to this post? I am also in NJ (Bergen county) and would love to hear about professional dev opportunities.
Brenda

Hello! I have just joined the forum and I am already enjoying it! My Spanish Elementary students are very excited with a new project that will enable them to communicate with children of the same age in Argentina in Spanish. I am currently looking for a website that will enable us to write emails without having to disclose personal information. On both sides of the world (Argentina and US) parents are concerned about giving away their email addresses. If anybody knows how to safely implement this project please let me know. Thank you in advance and happy teaching!

I am a language educator and I use PBL as the primary method of instruction in my classroom. Think of a product you want the students to create or a problem they could solve for their school or community. Then use scaffolds to build the language the students need to do so. If you are working with ELs, you want to think of language goals within your project that you will intentionally teach to that specific population, and then scaffold that process.

I wonder if PBL can be useful and practical in a language learning class! As I am new to this learning strategy, pls give me your feedbacks.

http://pbl-online.org/default.htm
I found a few ideas for PBL Bio at this site!

I would like to see PBL lesson plans for Chemistry and Biology. I teach inclusion classes. If anyone can point in the right direction I would appreciate it. Also looking for professional development on the east coast.

Sonia!!
I agree fully with what you said concerning the video.
I'm new to the project based learning approach, and now I want to add it so that it can aid my instruction. I'm a Junior High World and U.S. History teacher and I know this will help me move my teaching skills to the highest level possible. I agree with the MIT Professor about getting the students to apply what they learn, however I also believe good instruction blending with project based teaching and learning will greatly benifit both student and teacher. In a sense, both student and teacher will grow as leaders.
Ed Lloyd
Social Teacher
World and U.S. History

The key to PBL is to define a project that is relevant - not just to you as the teacher but to the students. It needs to matter to them in their world.
http://www.vickicaruana.blogspot.com

I think that education as a whole has under served our student population. I benefited greatly from the traditional learning environment that I was in. Today's group of learners have so many different things going on in their lives that I feel that we have to "catch their attention" with some new trick or method to keep them involved. I would definitely supplement my teaching with PBL. I think that it is really amazing and benefits those learners that like to move around in the classroom and pick things up from doing them. I think it would be foolish to bash traditional teaching as if its some antiquated dinosaur that needs to be put out of its misery. Teaching is a discipline and should be treated as such, but there is nothing wrong with teaching an old dog a new trick/method. lol. Educate smarter and not harder people. 1 luv

As a teacher, I like to work PBL with my students. It's the right way to things, I believe. When the students start from practice, they feel much more confortable and demonstrate higher levels of self steem.