Wednesday, March 28, 2007

Mi Casa

MyMaps at MapBuilder.net

This technology software can be used in many different areas of biology. One that comes to mine deals with biomes. The students can use Mapbuilder to locate the different biomes that are all over the globe and then use the images they find to discuss the different aspects of this biome

Thursday, March 22, 2007

Map of our Houses

MyMaps at MapBuilder.net

When we teach about nuclear chemistry we can have the students look for nuclear powerplants through the map builder and google map. We can have them see how close these powerplants are to where they live, or how far away they are but are still able to provide energy to places far away.

We also could use it when teaching Biology or Earth Science to look at different geographic regions in order to learn about places that are far away. We can learn about erosion and water runoff when teaching Earth Science.

Tuesday, February 27, 2007

lesson plans

For my first lesson I will begin to teach my students about the cell division of mitosis. This class lesson is targeted for introductory biology on the high school level. To visually stimulate my students I will use an interactive video of mitosis which is available on a website. http://www.cellsalive.com/mitosis.htm. This visual will help the students see the steps in slow motion from Interphase to Telophase. Including, this visual aid I will then teach the class step by step of what is actually occurring. The goal of this lesson is for the students to learn the different steps of mitosis and see mitosis in action on a simulated cell.

For my second lesson plan, I will be teaching my class about the circulatory system using the online website from thinkquest.org. This website has many tools that I could use while teaching this topic. This lesson once again is built from high school biology students. This website shows a diagram of the heart and labels the main parts of it. Also, there is an interaction video that shows the heart in action, which shows the blood moving throughout the heart and the heart expanding and contracting. This site is a useful tool because it allows the students to have another source of information that they can connect better to then just the textbook. http://library.thinkquest.org/25896/index.shtml


The third lesson plan idea is to use conduct an experiment where my students are dissecting a frog. I found a website that I can use which has great information on how to dissect the frog, what steps to take, what to look for etc. http://frog.edschool.virginia.edu/Frog2/. Also, this video will be used as a guide for myself, as the teacher and then will show the class how to do each step with my sample demenstration. This allows the class a visual on what to do rather than just words and procedures..

Sunday, February 25, 2007

Reflection 7

My first lesson plan idea is to use the interactive periodic table. The target audience here are high school students in introductory chemistry. The big idea is for them to learn the different elements on the periodic table and the usefulness behind them. Also, the big idea is for the students to learn why certain elements are grouped together on the table. Another idea is for them to learn why the periodic table is arranged the way it is. The goal of this is for students to memorize the different element symbols and learn a little bit about each element. Also, the goal is for the students to understand the concepts behind the arrangement of the periodic table. This follows the standards because the standards mention that students need to know the periodic table and the elements on it. A possible resource is the following website http://www.webelements.com/ .

The second lesson plan idea that I have would be to use videos to display chemical reactions. There are videos online or on VHS and DVD that would be able to show these reactions. The target audience again is high school students. The big idea is for kids to be able to have a visual of the reactions that are either too dangerous or too expensive for them to perform in the classroom. Also, providing the students with a visual is an excellent way for them to learn. The goal of this lesson would be to have the students learn how different chemicals react and what happens during this reaction. This follows the standards because the standards state that students should learn basic reactions in order to grasp the concepts of chemistry. A possible resource for this lesson would be YouTube or the Chemistry Video Collection VHS.

The third lesson plan idea that I have is to perform experiments using computer software to generate the results and graph them. This would target high school students. The big idea for this lesson is to allow students to see chemistry first-hand and to view it for themselves. The goal for this lesson would be for students to understand how a chemical reaction occurs and then look at the factors affecting the reaction through the use of the graphs on the computer. This follows the state standards because the standards discuss how the students should understand what variables affect reactions and what the names for the different variables are. The resources necessary for this lesson would be software such as ChemDraw, ChemSketch, or ChemOffice.

Friday, February 23, 2007

Kristin, Reflection 7

My first lesson plan idea is to use ChemDraw software when teaching about how multiple atoms combine. The big idea of this lesson is that this is a computer program that students can use to better visualize what compounds look like in a three-dimensional space. The target audience would be high school students. The goal of this lesson would be for my students to be able to visualize what compounds will look like outside of the plane of the paper. This would fit the standard of integrating technology more in science classes. Some resources needed for this lesson would be the ChemDraw software.

My second lesson plan idea is to use modeling kits when learning how to name compounds. The target audience would be high school students. The big idea of this lesson is that the naming of compounds follows a particular pattern. The goal of this lesson would be for my students to not only learn the names of the compounds but also to associate the names of compounds with a visual image of the physical structure of that molecule. This would fulfill the standards because it is a hands-on activity and does not rely on simple rote memorization. A resource for this lesson would be modeling kits that each of the students could use.

A third lesson plan would be to demonstrate violent reactions using video clips on YouTube. The target audience of this lesson would be middle and high school students. The big idea of this lesson is for students to understand the volatile results that can occur when two seemingly harmless chemicals are mixed. The goal of this lesson is for students to be more educated about laboratory safety. This would fulfill the standard of teaching students about the safety precautions they should take in the laboratory as well as teaching how compounds combine. Some resources needed for this would be a computer with access to the Internet and a projector so students can view the video clips.

Monday, February 19, 2007

Kristin, Reflection 6

The video case that I used can be found at the URL http://www.edutopia.org/images/movies/keys.jpg. In this video case, the program and grading system of a school in Indianapolis is discussed. This new type of program relies on Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences in order to provide students with a broader education that is more closely tied to each student’s strengths. In this program, students are encouraged to do projects and engage in a “flow” process in which they are fully engulfed in the projects in which they are participating. Also, the students in this system are graded based on their levels of motivation and their progress speed. In this video, students used computers in order to assemble their projects, especially seniors who made a final video that encompassed all the projects of their K-12 years in the school. The technology in this video was student-centered. An eighth grader used the computer to do one of his yearly projects as well as a senior who used high-tech software to assemble a video portfolio to be used when applying to colleges. I think that technology in this case does make the lesson more engaging. By using high tech resources to do projects, students gain a better knowledge of how to use computers as well as an ability to do a project in a new and different way. In order to implement the lessons shown in the video, teachers would have to gain knowledge about how to use the software in order to help students with their projects. By learning how to edit videos and form a portfolio, a teacher would be able to help a senior with his or her final project. Based on the video, I would assess student performance in the same way that the school had created a grading system. They based their grades on levels of motivation such as intrinsic, extrinsic, or passing. I think this most effectively ascertains the level of participation and effort of a student, which is more efficient than any standardized test. A challenge that could be faced in this lesson is that it would be difficult to be able to adequately help all students with their projects. However, I do not perceive this to be a huge issue and think that the positive points of this technology outweigh any negative aspects.

Sunday, February 18, 2007

Video Case Analysis


http://www.edutopia.org/php/article.php?id=Art_639&key=005

ENGAGING IN REAL WORLD PROJECTS

This video case occurs in a high school environment where two students are working together to create a video-game storyboard, with writting and visuals. In this high school, the class periods aren't like a typical high school. This project they are involved in is through Microsoft, where they are producing a part of a video game. This is enganging the students in the real world, and a job they could possible have after schooling. The technology used in this class was a computer program that creates animations and video game visuals. This video shows student-centered learning. Here, they have a project manager from Microsoft where they engage in real life situations where they explain what they made and what they need help in. This project introduces and puts all types of classes (english, science, art) all together. There project includes all aspects of student learning in terms of subject areas.

This type of project is very exciting to see and makes me jealous. These two students have created a project for themeselves which they enjoy and is relevent to there every days lives. Having a connection like that makes learning "non-painful" and enjoyable for the students because they are doing something that they want to do and are willing to put in countless hours because they are excited about what they are doing.

This kind of assessment must be very time consuming. The teacher first needs to find someone in the real world who is willing to take time out of there day to work with these students on the projects they have created. It is very fortunate for these two students to have someone to be there project monitor in an industry that they aspire to be apart of. "It's not what you know, its who you know."

To asssess these students you need to sit them down and have them discuss to you what they are doing, why they are doing it, and what is involved with it. I feel the best kind of assessment is verbal assessment where the student is able to project there ideas and knowledge to the teacher without being narrowed down on what they are looking for, like a test.

Using technology in the classroom is a huge advantage. Students are growing up with technology and being able to incorporate that into your curriculum will make your students more interested and able to connect to what you, as a teacher are teaching.

Not all students are great with technology. Therefore, you would first need to teach them the technology which takes time out of teaching the curriculum.

Video Case Analysis

http://www.edutopia.org/video/movie.php?reset=cookie&keyword=137&id=Art_1127

This video was titled Laptops on Expedition. It was about a middle school in Maine that integrated using technology into their school to create a CD-ROM. They integrated math, science, art, music, English into their CD-ROM, which allowed each kid a way to express themselves in whatever interested them. The finished CD-ROM was handed out to each student to take home and cherish.
In this video, the students used laptops, digital cameras, digital video cameras, scanners, computer software, and editing programs to complete their CD-ROM. This technology was student-centered because the students were the ones that were using the technology. The students were performing the hands-on activities in order for the CD-ROM to be created; the teachers were just there to offer a helping hand. The students were the ones deciding what would go on the CD-ROM as well. The technology makes the lesson more engaging because it gets every kid involved in the learning process. A straight lecture would not get every kid involved, and since it integrates all the subjects it makes it interesting to every student, no matter their interests. To prepare for this lesson, the teacher would need to get all the materials necessary and plan out what was going to be done each day in order to create the CD-ROM. From a technology stand point, the teacher needs to get all the cameras, computers, and software necessary to complete the assignment. From a pedagogy standpoint, the teacher needs to learn how to incorporate the technology into the lesson to make the lesson more meaningful.
Some strategies I would use to assess student performance would be to ask them questions about how the CD-ROM was made and question the steps it took them to complete the CD-ROM. Also, I would ask them what they learned from the situation, and hope that they would be able to explain everything in detail about what they learned from this experience. The advantage to using the technology in the lesson is that it allowed the students to use hands-on activities to learn. Kids learn best when they can perform tasks hands-on because it allows them to see it happening right in front of their eyes. So, by using technology the teacher allowed the students to learn better and allowed them to learn with understanding. Challenges that the teachers and students might face when integrating technology into the classroom would be that the teacher might not know how to use all of the technology, so it might be hard for the teacher to incorporate this technology into a lesson. Also, integrating technology can be time consuming and this might take time away from the students learning. This would not be beneficial for the students because they would not be receiving a full education. Another problem might be funding. Not all schools can afford to have all the up-to-date technology in their classroom. Public schools especially have trouble finding the money to but such devices as video cameras, digital cameras and lap tops. This would make this lesson very difficult if these pieces of equipment were not available. Overall, I think this lesson was a good one and that it helped the students learn more in-depth about the topic they were studying. I think the students enjoyed it as well, which is a key part of the learning process.

Friday, February 9, 2007

Kristin, Reflection 5 Part II

After reading the ISTE standards, I can see many connections between them and the technology resources that I posted. One of the most obvious connections that I see is that the science standards emphasize a stronger education that builds connections between science and technology. By incorporating these websites and the videos and services that they offer in my classroom, I will be able to create better correlations between the two topics in the eyes of my students. Also, the science standards encourage a more hands-on approach to science. By using videos that explain difficult concepts such as the structure of an atom, my students will more actively learn about topics and not just label them as difficult concepts that are only explained through a textbook. A final connection that I see between the ISTE standards and the technology resources that I posted is that the standards encourage a system of inquiry in science courses. These websites also encourage students to ask questions. They pose questions to students and let them search for the answers by watching video clips. I think that all of these technology resources would be extremely effective in building connections between science and technology as well as corresponding to the ISTE standards.

Kristin, Resources

In class this week, we learned more about the various areas of technology that can be used in the classroom. I think that it is essential, especially in a science classroom, to utilize technology to its fullest. Technology can be extremely effective in helping students new to chemistry to better comprehend a difficult subject. I found three different websites that I believe will be effective in improving my students' education in my future science classroom. The first of these websites is http://www.learner.org/resources/browse.html?discipline=6. On this website teachers can gain access to a variety of materials as well as videos that correspond to these videos. I think that this would be helpful because when I talk about complicated molecule in class I could utilize this website to show students what these molecules actually look like. Also, many of the videos available on this website are free for use by teachers. A second website that I found useful was http://www.sciencedaily.com/videos/matter_energy/inorganic_chemistry/. I liked this website because it relates its stories to scientific advancements that are currently taking place. I would use this in my classroom by having students watch the free video clips that discuss modern science in everyday life and then have them do more research about the topic on their own. Thus, they will begin to see how science is related to their everyday life. A third website that I would use in my future class would be http://education.jlab.org/atomtour/. On this website students can interact and see a 3D model of an atom. It asks them questions and helps them to better understand the structure of an atom. I would use this website so that my students could actively learn about the atom instead of just reading about it in a text book.

Thursday, February 8, 2007

Reflection 5 part II

I see a connection between my technology choices and the standards because the standards say that the students should understand how to use technology resources. These websites are resources that the students can use to gain a better understanding of chemistry. These websites promote creativity and productivity because they allow for the students to use their imagination in learning chemistry. The videos and animations allow them to view chemistry in a different light that will allow them to gain a deeper understanding. These websites all enhance learning because they show an in-depth view of chemistry, and allows the students to see chemistry on a different level. This allows the students to use a variety of resources to learn, which the standards states is a good way to integrate technology into the classroom. These websites also allow the students to process data because it allows them to reiterate what they are learning in class. Overall, these websites are a good way of integrating technology because they closely follow the standards established for technology in the classroom.

Reflection 5

One website I found was called The World of Chemistry. The URL for this website is http://www.learner.org/resources/series61.html . This website offers free videos to show in a classroom and offers ideas on how to use these videos in your classroom. It offers videos on everything related to chemistry from color to molecules to the periodic table. This can be used in an educational setting to show experiments that are not done in class, or it can be used to further explain a topic discussed in class.

The next website I found offers a place to view chemical reactions through animation and detailed explanations of each step of the reaction. The URL for this website is http://www.chem.iastate.edu/group/Greenbowe/sections/projectfolder/animationsindex.htm . This website would be useful in the classroom because it allows the students to further understand what happens in a chemical reaction. They are able to see, step by step, what occurs. This is not always easy when seeing the reaction first hand. The animation offers a 3-D view of the reaction as well, rather than seeing it drawn out on a piece of paper.

The third website I found was about the periodic table. This is an interactive website that allows you to learn more about each element. It offers general information about the element and also has some videos that describe reactions involving this element. It offers links to real-life situations so that students will be better able to memorize the periodic table. It is a useful tool when students are trying to memorize the periodic table. The URL for this website is http://www.webelements.com/ .

Reflection for Week 5

Today in class we learned about technologies and there standards. We also were taught some ways of finding appropriate sources for your students. Here is a website with science experiments that incorporate my students world with the information trying to be taught, http://www.exploratorium.com/baseball/. This could be useful to tie my students outside world with learning inside of the school building. Another useful technology that could be incorporated in the classroom is youtube. This site allows you to find videos that could be used while teaching a topic and keeping the students entertained. Here is a video describing mitosis, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ilvS85LTEY or you can show http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=frrJWds3knc&mode=related&search=. This video can be useful because it incorporates visual aid of this experience with entertaining music. A third type of technology which could be used http://www.beelib.com/bee/jsp/us/movies.jsp. Here you can choose various different types of educational videos that can be used while teaching a certain topic to your students

Sunday, February 4, 2007

Reflection

I enjoy using the team blog. It allows me to communicate to others in my class and learn what they are thinking. It is a good way to keep up with what is going on. Creating websites is a useful tool that I feel can be used later in my own classroom. Websites allow for students to access information from home in order to find out anything they have missed. Creating a website is easier than I thought. I did not realize it could be this easy. I don't really have any questions about using team blogs or websites, it seems like a fairly simple process.

Thursday, February 1, 2007

Reflection 4

During my experience in school, we mainly used computers, calculators, power point presentations, and the internet. During my physics class, we used e-instruction clickers to answer questions during class. I think this was a good integration of technology because it allowed both the teacher and student to understand areas that needed to be concentrated on. It helped prepare students for test questions and gave the instructor good feed back. In this class I expect to learn more about creating web pages and integrating technology into my lesson plans. My top 5 techonlogy innovations list are video clips, video conferencing, wikipedia, google earth, and podcasts. Videoclips will allow students to view certain reactions and experiments we will not perfom in class in order to better understand a new concept. Wikipedia is a very nice online encyclopedia for science. My students will use this website to look up necessary information for class and labs. I learned that technology is always advancing and this is making it easier and more fun for students to learn in the classroom. This technology allows new and innovative ways for students to learn.

Summary of Reflections #1 and #2

During Week 1 I reflected on the most common technologies that I had experienced during my elementary, middle, and high school years. I mainly used powerpoint and videos during middle and high school. In elementary school I used computer games that were also educational. A good technology integration experience that I had was when teachers used online video clips during class. I also decided during Week 1 that I expect to learn more about sources of technology that are innovative and that I can use to better teach Chemistry in this course. During Week 2 my top five technology innovations are Video clips, blogs, scenarios, Wikipedia, and manipulation. My favorite technology innovations are video clips and blogs. I plan on showing video clips of experiments that are extremely volatile or that I do not have the resources for to perform in class. The "big idea" that I learned in Week 2 is that there are a variety of technologies that I thought would not be available for a high school classroom for a long time that will be ready to use in the near future.

Reflection Paper 2

My top 5 technology innovations include: videoclips, virtual museums, google earth, video conferencing, scenarios/simulations. Virtual museums can show footage of actual things I am talking about in class as well as showing pictures and talking about it. Ex: Mitosis Meiosis: With Virtual Museums the students can actually visually see the different steps of the development. Another is Tablets, these innovative technology allows students too use more technology in the classroom which helps them stay more organized and neat. The 'big' idea learned from today's lass is that technology is always improving, growing, and becoming stronger. Learning about them now will allow us teachers to have more options in the future on how to teach a class and integrate them into your lessons.

Reflection Paper 1

Some of the most common technologies I have experienced during my school years include overhead projectors, computers for ppt presentations, microscopes, tape players, cd/dvd players along with slide projectors. An example of technology integrated into the college classroom occured in my Geology class. Here, we had a projector hooked up to the computer and the projector screen that displayed live images of rocks (for example). I have never seen something like this before. The technologies I am most familiar with are the internet, word processing, e-mail, ppt, digital cameras along with games/simulation and you tube. I expect to learn how to integrate technology to my advantage as a teacher of biology

Thursday, January 25, 2007

Reflection 3

We learned about blogs today during class. I have never before used a blog in any of my classes or during my own time. Although I do not know that much about blogs yet, I can see how it could be a useful tool in a high school classroom. Students could post their thoughts and questions about class topics on the class blog and other students would be able to respond to these questions and gain a better understanding of the day's lesson. Today we also began work on our e-portfolios. I think that this will be a helpful resource when I begin looking for a job, because it will tell much about my professional ideas as well as demonstrating my use of technology.

Reflection #3

Today in class we began our e-portfolio and created our team blog. I think the e-portfolio will be a good resource to use. It will help me organize my professional resources in order to help me find a job. The e-portfolio will also allow me to learn new ways of using technology. I look forward to finishing my e-portfolio and being able to use it in my future. Blogging is also an important technology resource. I did not know how to blog before today's class, and I find it very interesting. I think it will become a good resource in my future as an educator as well. I feel as though blogging is a good way to communicate to a class and it is very easy to use.

Today's Class ROCKED

I heavily enjoyed myself in class today. We started to work on our e-portfolio and I can not wait to get started with my own. Also, I created an account to blogger.com presented by google. Once again, I am jumping out of my bones to experiment with this blogging system. Since, this is my first time with using blogs, I am coming to this system with an open mind, heart and soul. I have gone to blogs before while searching on the internet for research with other classes