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.