Final Thoughts

    I have thoroughly enjoyed this course. As a matter of fact I will miss checking in every day on what people are saying and doing. However, I have become more accustom to checking my google reader and paper.li  to glean information and ideas from my PLN, so in that way the course goes on.  I am excited to start using edmodo this year with my students, and although I know there will most likely be some glitches, I have the attitude “ you do what you can”- keeping in mind the end goal- does it help the students?

    By taking the time to explore during this course, I really feel I am ready, to adapt my teaching style to the 21^st C learner- I want the students to be more responsible for their learning. I have learned about whiteboarding.  I have learned about value of inquiry learning, and flipping a classroom, and having students develop questions. I have learned the value of discussions and processing the information to which the students have been exposed. All these things engage the students; forces the responsibility of learning on the students.

  I also wanted to bring the world into the classroom- and I really hope to do this by using edmodo. I can also do this by bringing in databases from all sorts of world-wide organizations into my classroom. Wetoku is another tool which easily allows students to interview scientists, via the web. I have already sent out an invite for other physics teachers to connect via edmodo, and hope to make some connections  with scientists soon.

   I wanted to continue to monitor student progress, and presently use clickers to do this. I can now also add edmodo, whiteboarding, and blogs to add to my list of tools. Edmodo, I see as helping me redirect when students are having trouble understanding concepts. I anticipate asking them for feedback through this tool. In addition through my PLN I have read found some great ideas getting feedback from students.

     Another of my goals was to provide ways for students to get help on homework when they need it- and again edmodo can help here. I will also continue to have a wiki where I will post class information, notes, instructional videos etc. I am also going to force students to discuss topics via blogs/edmodo (most likely), and the wiki. I will work on encouraging students to help each by using these tools.

   All good workshops and courses should re-energize teachers, and I can confidently say this one has done so. I have a better understanding of what I always felt was the power of the web. It can enhance student learning- there are tools which can further the students understanding and intellectual development.  These tools are not just gimmicky- they have real value and purpose in our system if used appropriately.  Many of the tools do have a “wow” factor to them, but the bottom line is they can very effectively add to a students learning.

   I was impressed with this course also because the style of instruction was well modeled- the burden of learning was placed on us-we were given guidelines, but the development and extent to which we developed our learning was put on us; furthermore we applied what we learned to our particular circumstances. The instructor set up the playing field- and then the students took over. I would like to take this same approach in my teaching- although I suspect I will still need to be a little more directive and hands on than our teacher was- simply because I will be dealing with high school students and parents who do expect regular grades, tests etc. However, there are many applications that were modeled and can be transferred. Teaching is fun because it is interactive. It is fun because it is challenging. It is also creative, and this class has added to my bag of tricks to engage students in the learning process. It has also given me a new goal- I would like to become paperless in the classroom!

Project- Me and Ed
  I want to incorporate edmodo as a communication tool in my class this year. The more I looked into it the more I liked it. As I went back and reviewed the guidelines I set up for myself,  I realized edmodo could help me with all but one of these. My project then shows how I will use edmodo to meet my guidelines, and, I hope switch from a traditional "talking" teacher to one who guides students in their, hopefully, never-ending quest for knowledge!
 I have summarized my work in a prezi, which can be accessed here. Please let me know if the prezi isn't working correctly

Discussions

    In our discussion group it seemed that the participants got alot out of the course. They seemed to appreciate being made to take the time to explore these new teaching tools, and some expressed their initial trepedation and subsequent excitement over the new tools discovered. Another common theme of our discussion was the value of blogging. Some of us had  tried it before, and we all seem to have a better appreciation of this tool, and how valuable it can be in a class.
    Personally, I was reminded that differentiation can, and realized it should  be done, for the brighter students as well as students who learn more slowly. This helps me with rethinking my approach to engaging those bright students who don't like to do homework. In this discussion of ours, I once again realized how our professor is modeling an approach to learning that is very effective and meaningful. He has done this by forcing us to express ourselves and ponder each others ideas and comments. We are teaching ourselves, by our discussions and by digging out the content that best suits our styles of teaching. We are constantly processing what we learn and evaluate the pros and cons of different tools, and, as in our discussion, we get helpful tips from each other. I got the sense from our discussion, that this course will have a lasting affect on all of our teaching, not only in using different web tools, but also in how we approach learning.

QR. edmodo, piazza

This week I started looking into Edmodo as a communication system for my classes, and so far so, good. To me it almost seems like a private twitter account- I think I will still use the wiki, and you can send files and such over Edmodo, but I like the visuals of a wiki- can post videos, animations photos, etc. I will use edmodo to alert students of what they should check out on the wiki, and they can also send me homework via Edmodo, and not have everyone see it ( I think). Also Edmodo can be accessed by their smart phones- and last year I was amazed at the number of students who said they really check their email that often anymore. Then I found you could also send QR codes over edmodo- and so that has me thinking. The other thing I would like to incorporate in all this is to encourage my brighter students to help other students- Piazza - is a tools which encourages this, and I need to evaluate if I will use this, with a link to the wiki, or just the wiki in having students answer each others questions ( on problems etc.)

Playing around

One of the things I have been investigating a little is gaming  in the classroom- I attended a webinar today and got a couple websites I thought I might share with you all. The presenter was the creator of  an educational game company- filament-click on the project link to see their games.  One of the participants also suggested we watch the TED video "John Hunter on the World Peace Game". It is a good one, so I thought I would share it.

Final Project Idea

I would like to do something to encourage students to interact online. I would like for them to think about what we are learning, process it in their own minds, and then comment on it somehow. I believe the online tools are excellent for this because of the many reasons addressed in the blog article. I haven't quite decided how I am going to do this-maybe through Edmodo, or maybe through the wiki, or we might have a class blog ( linked to the wiki). I doubt if I will use Twitter- I myself like the info from Twitter, but am not good at tweeting. I also have to ponder the logistics, but this is my idea.

QR coded Periodic Table

 If any of you are chemistry teachers, you may be familiar with the Periodic Table of Videos made by those good people at the University of Nottingham. Well- from my PLN, I got a photo of the table in QR code. If you have a smart phone you can take a photo of  the code for any element and it will link you to the video for that element- how cool is that!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/periodicvideos/5915143448/sizes/o/in/photostream/

Week 5 Reflection

    This week we have focused on wiki's and blogs. I am somewhat familiar with wikis ( although I didn't know wiki, wiki was a Hawaiian term meaning quick) because I have used  one this past year in my classes. The previous year I had used a blog, but with both tools I did not use them to their full potential. This year I will try to  do so. I wanted an online site where I could post resources and help for my classes- a wiki does this better than a blog. I can embed videos, notes, tutorials, class photos and slideshows, games I make to review content etc.etc.  Wiki's also provide a place for students to ask questions (in comments). However, I discovered two things this year: 1. Some students really got a lot out of the wiki and used it extensively, others did not.  2. Very few students left comments.
   Having taken this class, I feel more prepared to address these two discoveries. I can require students to comment and /or have a link to a blog, where they must comment. I do think blogging is a very good form of processing what students have learned- for me and for them.  I also think, some students need the online, at home review of the class where they can learn at their own pace. I also liked having all my multimedia material  for class in one place ( on my wiki) so I didn't have to hunt for a video or a simulation on my computer during class- I just pulled up the wiki for that class, and everything was there- either the link or the video embedded, or a photo etc.  An interesting thing I found was that I did have a few very bright, students who never used the wiki ( unless I assigned an online test or quiz - and even then  they would blow it off sometimes). They just wanted to learn everything in class and didn't want to go through the extra effort to get online. They of course are also the ones who didn't do much homework either.  I now have some better ideas of how they might be motivated to do more, but honestly I do think there are students who don't need any of these things and just want to learn the material in a quick and easy format-"just throw the info at me; I get it;  leave me alone until you test me". There are not a lot of these types of students, but there are some.
   In conclusion, I have include this video about advice on using wiki's in the classroom:

Writing, The Brain, Math & Science

I just found this article,"The Brain based Benefits of Writing for Science and Math" by Judy Willis, from my PLN on the value of writing in the math and science areas based on brain development theories. I thought I would share it with you all. I found the info of how stress affects learning to be particularly interesting. I have had a few students who " stress out" when taking tests, and now this makes so much more sense. A little light bulb also went on, in understanding how the tone set in the classroom is so important. Students need to feel comfortable enough to ask questions, yet not so comfortable that they say anything they want. A tricky balance to be sure.

Week 4 Reflection

Week 4 blog

   The comment that stood out the most for me was “Use the technology to teach, don’t teach the technology”. This is always good to remember- I know I have spent hours  trying to figure out a technology tool, or how to download info, or sign students up or …..   We don’t have the time to teach the students how to use complicated technology tools- although granted, most, but not all, of them pick this stuff up faster than I do.  I do like the argument approach to learning- it fits in very nicely with the other things we have been discussing, especially the 21thc skill set and inquiry learning. I like the approach Sampson and Grooms took and will try to use a combination of their approach and “Whiteboarding” which I read about in Frank Noschese’  blog- “The $2 Whiteboard”. Although in an ideal class I would have all the students with tablets instead of whiteboards,  that would be able to be projected on a screen.  I think whiteboards would be a better to use than posters from an eco-friendly stand point.  Of course you could always use Glogster too- but when I have had students do Glogsters they can get caught up in the bells and whistles and the content tends to suffer, with whiteboarding  the content is paramount. I have also found a few good online sites for data- The amusement park site has physics lessons and simulations on building your own amusement park rides. In my brief exploration of this site it sounded like a good intro to kinetic and potential energy.  Another site was from the Fermi labs. They give you data from their labs to use in different lessons. This may be good for gifted students or those in A.P. classes.

   I added many of the sites mentioned in our textbook to my livebinders-a few I had heard of before, but many more sounded very interesting , and I will have to check out before I cover those concepts in class (like the virtual optic bench).  I have used several of the pHET simulations before and found the students really do like them- it helps them visualize what is going on.  Another site- which isn’t necessarily online data, but does have some good animations that can be manipulated is the  Physics 2000 site. One last  site  I will mention is the EPA datafinder site. This is an entry point into the data that the EPA collects.

 I like the whole idea of having students enter data into a global network. This spring in my environmental biology class I found a site, where the students posted simple test results from a water sample that could be shared with students around the globe. I had a problem uploading the data, but that was after we did the tests. We tested the Colorado River water and I felt the students felt more of a buy in and conscientiousness in the lab because they knew it was going to be shared with a global audience.  I’m starting to wonder if this whole idea of having an audience isn’t an intrinsic motivator for some of our students.

Tools I Have Discovered in the Last 3 Weeks

These are a few of the tools I have started using now
Livebinders-
     This I like better than Delicious for my classes because I can easily organize resources for each class into a binder-and somehow binders I can relate to. I also think, once my classes start up again, I will post the binder for that class on its wiki. If I assign a project or want to provide supplemental materials on a chapter I can also put websites in a binder and "give" it to the class.

paper.li-
     This allows me to put my twitter feeds into one place and gives me an email everyday where I can quickly go through the new info and go further  with the info if I want. I also like how an Earth Science teacher used it for current events in her class and will try to do something like this in my classes too.

Edmodo
   I have heard great things about this and will try it this school year. What appeals to me about it, is it seems like an education facebook, twitter, type tool. I like this. It separates the private lives of students and my private life from my students but seems to have the connectivity ( through phones etc) that will make it very useful. I know lots of educators are going the facebook route- but I teach high school, and there are some things I just don't want to be aware of in my high school students lives. I am old-fashioned that way- what I want to know about them, I can ask or they can tell me, in person. However, I have found they do like to "connect" and so this tool seems like a good solution.

I have used a fair amount of the other tools- and the ones I like, and students seem to enjoy using are:
Animoto, Toondoo, GoAnimate, Wallwisher, pbworks, blabberize, Voki, Sliderocket, Prezi, Google Reader
   

Week 3 Reflection

  This week ,I must admit, I did not get through all the creative commons copyright reading- just Part I and II, and I’m sure my sample presentation will reflect this- and I promise, teacher, that I will make amends this weekend when I have more time- and fix any wrongs on the presentation.  I did enjoy the common craft approach to storytelling. Actually, what I learned too- which is a BIG enlightenment, is that when sites refer to storytelling, that can mean presentations- I always thought it meant story-telling as in writing a story in English class.  Anyway, the common craft approach could really be appeal to the artists in the class and is a great way to ensure students understand a concept!

    I did my sample presentation using Sliderocket- I have started converting all my old powerpoint  lecture slides into either Prezi or Sliderocket - using more graphics and photos, with less text. I started doing this because Slideshare has some really good tutorials on effective presentations and I tried to apply some of their principles. However, I will post my old powerpoints, or the notes part of them on my wiki for my classes, so that if they missed some of the content, they have it in written form on those slides.  I also like to use Prezi, and some of my students have started using both Sliderocket and Prezi  for their presentations. The nice thing about these tools is that students working in a group can work on the same presentation at the same time in different locations. The down side to these tools is they are web based, and so, at least in our school, the computers are soooo slow, that a lot of time is wasted waiting for the sites to come up.

    I also put “kick youtube” in my favorites section- Sliderocket embeds you tube directly, but Prezi has to have a swf file ( last time I checked).  From my PLN, I just found out that Google labs has a new program or site called Google Swiffy which changes swf (flash) files to HTML code which, as I understand it, is what ipad use- now this could be a breakthrough for me. Here is a photo I made from Jing ( so you see, I have been working, just not reading as much)

O.K. how do I make this picture bigger?

Lecture Presentation

This is a presentation using Sliderocket- it is an online tool that I have found very easy to use -there is a direct link to FLickr ( which I assume are creative common photos ( I hope what they say about assume doesn't come true here- but it probably will). There is a free version of this, which is what I use, but they also have a pro account which I did use on a trial basis and it has analytics where you can see how many people( students )viewed your presentation, how long at each slide etc.

PBS Media online

I just found out about this site; http://www.pbslearningmedia.org 
It is a digital library of PBS media, and is free. You can search by subject and grade level.

Nice Way to View Twitter

I found this site, paper.li , which turns your twitter feeds into a newspaper, and it emails you everyday with a new paper! Pretty slick. Click on the gadget above and you can see what the paper looks like! I was wondering how you could have access to the twitter feed without logging on to the account, so this seems to solve that problem.

PLN's and Web 2.0 Resources

  Several people have commented about info overload, and this is something I do have trouble with. I'm a sucker for new software, websites etc. Thanks goodness they all aren't free- this is what reigns me in, when they cost money! I also ask the question- will this help my students learn, or want to learn. Some of these tools are very valuable- Wallwisher,  students like when I do a Prezi, and some of them use it for their own work. I like google docs for the forms I can create. I also use Blabberize, Go animate and Toondoo in a variety of ways- mostly I use them to present info in an interesting way- and all of these can be embedded on a wiki- which means students can look them over at their leisure, or before a test.  One thing that adds to my info overload is this PLN stuff- there is a lot of good stuff out there. One thing leads to another. Somehow I got on a blog that talked about using Angry Birds in physics class, and I found sites for clips from the Simpson's dealing with science concepts, and "true or fake?" video clips. So far I have not really tweeted much myself-I'm  too busy soaking stuff in. I have figured out that if you follow sites- like Edutopia and NSTA and edtecher, you get more content and less chitchat. I need to check out Edmodo as a communication tool for students. Does anyone know if they get Edmodo messages on their phones? The other cool site I discovered from a tweet from Eric is Science 360!

Week 2 Reflection

    I am kind of into the multiple intelligence thing, and this is one reason I find the use of technology so beneficial to learners. It can appeal to students with many different intelligences.  Now, the science literacy  standards that are in the process of being developed are extremely worthwhile, and personally, I have found when I make students read a lab and write up a prelab ( purpose, materials/equipment and procedure)  before they come into lab, they do a lot better in the lab because they know what they are doing. The writing forces them to read carefully. I also have found when students can rewrite what they have learned, in their own words, that this is beneficial , but so is drawing out a diagram.  If they turn their learning into a diagram or draw what is happening, especially on a molecular level- this is very helpful, to them and me. I can see very quickly if they understand the concept. They have to interpret the concept into a visual form.

   Again, the key part in reading, writing, drawing, whatever method is the engagement part.  This is where technology can really help.  A student who does not particularly like to write, may find it fun to make a script and use Blabberize,  or express his thoughts using a Voki.  Wallwisher is another website that allows students to write their thoughts, reactions, or understanding in a very succinct way.( it is kind of like everyone tweeting on one page). When I have used it- the students really enjoy seeing what everyone else wrote. It provides an audience for each student’s work also. This in and of itself can encourage students to pay more attention to their writing.  TED talks are ideal for asking for a piece of reflection writing. They are so thought provoking.  They also allow students to see possibilities- some of the talks are so cutting edge-using falling water as a wall, making a battery from algae, etc. etc.  I also enjoy having students watch TED because the presenters tend to be very good presenters- they don’t read from powerpoints, they have few words on their slides, they use color and and simple text to their best advantage. Most presenters convey ideas in very engaging and interesting ways. Ways I encourage my students to use in their presentations.

    Of course when we ask our students to engage in all these activities, we are right in there with them, and so learn also. This is where the excitement and enjoyment of science can enter the classroom. Students can blow us away with their creativity, talents and ideas and all we really need to do is guide them in how to express themselves and learn for themselves best. O.K. maybe I’m getting carried away- we do have to teach them about valence electrons and the gas laws, and mole problems can be a little dry. It isn't always fun- for them or us. But it can be interesting.

Guidelines for Using Technology

1. Use technology to help me evaluate how well students are understanding concepts.

        Both immediately- using clickers to their best advantage, and longer term ( formative assessments?)

2. Use technology to engage students in the learning process: help them be active, not passive learners

      Us e wiki more effectively by requiring feedback from students

3. Use technology to collect data.

       In the lab with the probes

4. Use technology to allow students to access large amounts of data and interpret this data.

        Use of excel . probe software and databases

5. Use technology to flatten the world for students. Expose them to scientists and researchers from all over the world.

        Investigate how scientists can be brought into the classroom, and use short videos on topics in the curriculum that tie on current happenings with content

6. Use technology to establish help-lines for students.

      Provide means of support for students who have questions on homework or provide opportunities for self-study

Setting the Stage

    The set of readings provides fodder for much thought. In a way they are discouraging- as I read some of the articles I can’t help but think- “man, I don’t do that, I’m doing it wrong!”  I mostly concentrate on the traditional approach to education- throw information at the students. Teaching 1.0, if you will.  These readings emphasize more the interactive approach to education-get students to interact with the knowledge- discover it, process it and use it. Teaching 2.0.  I like it-my question is- will it work?  Several articles refer to the Flat world. No question there- but the articles seems to suggest “we” (U.S.) have to keep our competitive edge, and the articles suggest that we are not keeping that edge.  What are the educational systems like in these other countries that seem to be taking over? I know I have had several Korean students in my classes and from talking to them it seems the Korean system is much more regimented, based on rote and drill, rigorous, and very demanding, rather than developing critical thinking skills.(Please, please correct me if I am incorrect). Granted this is anecdotal evidence, but it makes me wonder if what are lacking in our educational system is respect, appreciation, and rigor? I have heard the saying “Do your homework or the Indians (as in India) will take your jobs!” What they are saying is- you need to push yourself, you need to want the education. Maybe we need to develop a better work ethic- and the critical thinking and problem solving skills will take care of them. I have heard many teachers say “I don’t assign homework because they don’t do it anyway” and am familiar with the debate about whether homework is really helpful or not.  Hall Davidson in his presentation "Revenge of the Digital Immigrants”, showed a graph of the average IQ’s, in different areas, of students over the last 50 years. The problem solving score increased dramatically- the knowledge area stayed about the same. It seems like our students pick are picking up these problem solving skills. Maybe they need work on the knowledge part,( or… maybe the tests need to be revamped for today’s needs.)

     I know of an AP chem. teacher who had to really cut back on labs because of all the content that needed to be covered- went away from the inquiry approach. Her students consistently get tremendous results on the AP chem exam- it is a very rigorous course- a lot of material and problem solving skills are emphasized, but very little inquiry.  When I talk about the class to students who consider taking it- I tell them it is the type of class that will bring you to tears, literally, because of the frustration, but when you are done, most look back and say it was the best course they took in high school. The types of students in her class are those who will make us competitive. Maybe that is the art of teaching- getting kids motivated; getting them to push themselves, getting them excited about learning, getting them engaged–inquiry is one way to do this, but there are others also. In our society we have a lot of competition for their engagement.  In other societies, I don’t believe there is as much competition, or perhaps the value their society places on education is greater.

     Well, having said all this, I find technology to be a very valuable tool in the classroom- because it does allow the concepts and content to be interactive. It does help students become engaged. It is a tool, and can be a very effective tool-for all levels of learning from memorization to problem solving and inquiry. I also think it has the ability to help students develop that work ethic, excitement and desire to learn, which is probably more important. Lastly, I realize that in several ways I have been using the web 2.0 tools in a web 1.0 way, and so I look forward to becoming more of a web 2.0 teacher.

Introduction

Hello,
   I am a high school science teacher who has been teaching for 30 or so years. I have taught in New York, Idaho, Montana, Utah, and, for the past 15 years, in Colorado. This summer I have moved to Helena, MT with my husband and son ( junior in high school). I enjoy my profession immensely and feel invigorated by the technology available to help students, and myself to learn. There are tremendous resources and opportunities available for teachers and students alike and I would like to learn more about them.