Thursday, March 26, 2009
Phun really is fun!
Thinking back to the schooling that I've gone through, I could see Phun being used in younger grades to show the idea of physics in a creative, entertaining way. Over the weekend, I told my Mom, a third grade teacher, about this program. I believe that students, even as young as her students, would be able to visually see the physics happening without all of the mess of actually completeing the task in real life. I think that as long as the teacher has a strong grasp of the program, students would be able to greatly benefit when studying the concepts of physics. When students get into higher grades, IE middle school, the students would benefit in their application of physics by utilizing this program.
And as far as Molecular Workbench- I see that being used in conjunction with a new concept of Chemistry in high school. I think that Molecular Workbench could be used for a pre-assessment as to the knowledge and understanding that a student or group of students might have towards the idea of positive and negative charges, molecules, and/or temperature reactivity. I think that the ability to read the direction and then work on the problem at hand is good to keep student's interest. I also think that the ability to easily take screen shots and to write comments/ observations is an excellent way for teachers to be able to assess the student's understanding during or after the exercise.
I feel that if I enjoyed using the programs that I will be interested and excited enough to continue how to learn the program and therefore I could show this, especially Phun, to other teachers in order to have them utlilze the program when working with the Physics concepts that so many Science teachers encounter.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Sketch-Up/ POV-Ray Applications
However, after choosing a more simplistic set of shapes, I was able to accomplish my goal in creating something realistic. Using the geometric shapes that I understood their relation in space, I was able to more freely create these shapes in the POV-Ray program. box { <-1.0,-1.0, 1.0>, <2.0,2.0,4.0> texture { pigment { color rgb <.45, .44, .22>} finish {ambient 0.9} normal {wrinkles 0.5} rotate <15,45,25>} }
box { <-0.85,2.0,1.1>, <1.85,2.3,3.9> texture { pigment { color rgb <0.46,0.43,0.21>} finish {ambient 0.9} normal {wrinkles 0.5} rotate <15,45,15>} }
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
TQ #7: Gapminder
The night before the lesson where I was going to have the students work on interrpreting the graphs from gapminder.org/world, I explored the website and pulled out the variables that 7th grade students might find interest in exploring. Here's the list that I posted on the board for the students to choose two variables to compare:
Income per person
Infant mortality rate
Children per woman
Life expectany at birth
CO2 emissions
Sugar consumption per person
Female labour force
Military expenditure
Total income
Primary school completion (girls/ boys)
Ratio of girls to boys in primary and secondary ed
Literacy rate (adults and children)(girls/boys/ total)
Population
Children and elderly (per adults)
Surface area
Paved roads
Urban population
Mortality rate
Health issues (etc)
Electricity/ Oil consumption
Cell phone use
Internet users
Poverty
Export/Import of goods and services
Each student choose two variables, I set them off to start up the computers and head to the website with some time to explore on their own. The students choose wonderful comparisons and I was really interested to see the connections they could make. UN-fortunately, my excitement fell short when all we could view was a grey screen. Usually most websites are very compatible with Mac computers and I thought this one would be the same- I checked it briefly in the morning to make sure that it wasn't blocked and thought that things would be a go. Unfortunately I have still not been able to complete this lesson plan with the students and as much as I don't like assigning homework that can't be done at school- I did, just so that I could share the excitement of this powerful tool with some of my students.
All in all, I think this tool, when working properly, has loads of organized information that is able to be understood by many, many children. By having the ability to choose variables that interest/ that student can relate to really gives a powerful edge to this program. By being able to view the 'continent areas' (used loosely as they were generally continents but not always) in different colors, your statements can be very general in that you see the majority trends of that area. But then, you are able to be very specific/ selective in order to view just one country and watch/track it's trends. The connections that students could make to graphs are endless and the connections that they can make the real world could potentially be a very persuasive tool to show the change that may need to be made. I've put in a work-order in order to hopefully provide the students their chance to really engage in a discussion based on this website.
As far as limitations, I would be concerned about all of the different variables that students can choose. Some are very appropriate for all ages but there are a view that could be viewed as providing too much information for some young minds. There are some graphs that have limited data but I think that proves an interesting tool in order to promote reasonable estimations based on the trends that we are able to uncover. Overall, I am definitely looking forward to the time when I can share this tool with my students during our graphing unit.
TQ #6: Elluminate revisited
Thursday, February 26, 2009
TQ #6: Web conferencing and ELearning
As of right now, I believe my group members would agree with me when I say this, but we are not big fans of the program. After exploring with my team, we became frustrated and annoyed with the program that we believed was going to be better than what we had worked with before. As Kevin and I were talking, one would talk, then click the button/keys, then the other could talk and click the button, then the original (I say it in this way because we were frustrated with the fact that we could not talk at the same time, that we constantly had to wait until the other person was finished with their thought, only to forget the original thought or there was a need for one person to talk and the other to type to keep a true conversation going). This became annoying in that one person was the "leader" and the other the "follower". This also became apparent when we were working with different applications. It was as seamless as we would have thought. Another thing that I became frustrated with is that I could not see the person I was talking to. All in all, after our experience, I have a feeling that Kevin is going to tell his co-workers about this wonderful program that takes the place of their two programs they use to collaboratively conference call. And I am not going to my students to set up collaborative programs as homework. Whereas the program was nice to explore, I can't believe that this is one of the better programs out there right now for conference calling/ E-learning.
When thinking about how this program could help my classroom, I feel that there are too many glitches to make it worthwhile. For one, it's based on the Internet and that is never a reliable source. Two, if I were to give a presentation to a group of students through Elluminate, I would never know if I lost a student to a computer game, the bathroom, or another room to watch TV. I felt as like it would seem as though they were with me throughout the presentation/ conference because answers could be typed sporadically and if I asked a question, they could run over to the computer and answer but were they really paying attention. Third, I didn't see the collaboration element if students could not talk at the same time nor view a screen that was being changed as a real-time speed compared the delay responses that we experienced. All in all, I can see how I would like the program to be modified in order to make it useful to me and so far I haven't found that modified program. So for the purposes of my needs, I feel that I will continue to be quite needed in the classroom and not in front of some computer, teaching the students in that way.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
TQ 5: The benefits of concept mapping
As mentioned before, I don't know if this idea of a collaborative concept map would be too practical for the setting that I am working with. The students who are going to pick up quick to an idea like this are those who can organize their thoughts and pull out key words. I have learned, through the years, how to keep myself organized- I feel that making a concept map was easy. However, I fear that the students who have trouble organizing their notebook in a class who teaches you how to organize your notebooks, will also have trouble organizing the concept map. I'm not sure if they would be able to make the connections to make the map fit. (On the other hand, this could be the missing link- and therefore, proving me wrong but showing that the tool is useful to someone new- which is my goal in teaching.) With all of that being said, I would definitely try this tool in my class and I really like the idea of collaborating to learn "working together" skills. My only hope that this tool would not become a unit itself- learning how to use the tool that after some explanations the students would be able to work with it on their own.
As far as teacher skill goes, as with any technology, I believe that a teacher needs to know and understand how the program/ tool/ skill works before they are truly able to teach another person about it. Here with this tool, teachers need to both understand concept maps and how they function along with how to work with the program that runs the mapping process. Simplicity would be key here as the simpler the teachers keeps the project the more they are able to help out and the more that the students can be differentiated. As stated before, all teachers should be exposed to tools like this because then the tools can be used cross- grade levels and therefore their knowledge can continue to grow throughout the years.
According to the standards, there are three separate PA state standards that fulfill the idea of learning how to organize one's own thoughts for writing, for discussions, and for research. I feel that concept maps can easily be used to support the organization for discussions that are held as to a single topic, along with finding ease in creating a map to support research that has been found. When students are able to take the appropriate amount of time to have their understand build, they will be able to easily utilize tools like concept mapping to organize their thoughts.
All in all, I believe that this tool can be helpful in schools, if the schools are able to encourage different grade levels to be on board with similar concept mapping tools. In this way, the student's learning can continue to grow in understanding throughout the years. I believe that this tool supports the constructivist model of learning in that it puts the knowledge that the student is gaining through their discoveries in a way that they can organize their findings to then make more connections. Therefore, it keeps their understanding in a state of "constant development"(North Central Regional Educational Laboratory). Once again, I am interested to have students, who have learned, or have knowledge of, a new topic organize their learning to help them make connections through using a concept mapping tool like Cmap.
North Central Regional Educational Laboratory. http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/content/cntareas/science/sc5model.htm
Friday, February 13, 2009
TQ #4: Wenglinksy's views
While reading through Wenglinsky's section on Mathematics, I was thinking that all of what he was saying from the tests made sense. From 1996 to 2000, it was stated that computers became more available in class but that frequency of computer use in school went down. It makes sense because although the radio of computes to students went up in a school, computers that the whole class could work on were in a lab providing for a whole school. Therefore meaning that more computers were available for the school's use but maybe not readily available for a single class to use. The piece about home use makes sense because more teachers, at least in a rural setting, are able to give out work to be done on the computers at home because they are available there. As far as the type of use based on student performance also makes sense that eighth graders would benefit more from simulations and demonstration whereas fourth graders would be benefitting from drill and practice on the computers because of the curriculum and maturity differences. All in all, the statements from the tests seemed to support any of the thoughts that I've had about computer use in the schools.
Knowing that students, in a seventh grade setting, benefit from technology which demonstrates simulations and modeling, I look for methods of incorporating technology in my curriculum in ways that will support this thinking. I know that if I have students complete a worksheet, even the most elaborate kind with special fonts and pictures, on the computer that no more learning will occur than if I gave it to them on a copied sheet of paper or on an overhead. Whereas if I make the outcome be some type of project, where research is needed to be done through the computer or applications, students are learning much more than any amount of words of text alone. Collaboration is key and inquiry is the basis that drives this type of learning to benefit the student more than drill and practice.
The one thing that bugs me about all of the "research" that is, should, or being done is that you can never seem to find substantial evidence supporting or oppose computers. Supports can find plenty of research to support computer use. And opposers of computers can find plenty of reasons to share why computers provide no benefit. Could it possibly be because computers are such a mindless piece of scrap parts that the only real method of using the parts is to really understand how they all work? Should we maybe focus more on making sure that all teachers know how to use the materials that are available, and that all of the pieces work as planned, before getting more materials to "show" that technology is in a school?
Monday, February 9, 2009
TQ #3: Living in Limbo
After listening to Gee (I found an interview with James Paul Gee done by edutopia.org), I was quickly changing my mind back to my original opinions I held when I was in high school. In high school, I was convinced that computers should have a greater role in classroom settings and for my graduation project; I was out to prove my opinions. And although my research was nothing profound, I learned one important thing- in the right settings, anything can happen and in the wrong settings, your expected outcome won’t happen. Now, sitting on the other side of the fence, I think to myself how as a whole, there are more diagnoses for students, more labels for the learner, and more ways to make an excuse for the child. Which came first- the chicken or the egg? Did we create a catch 22, where we, with the help of technology have created a society with students who have all of these needs? Or- did we create all of these needs because of the more open eyes we have with the new technology. Either way, it’s done- now my feeling is that we have to deal with it and provide for it. Learning has to occur and if it’s not working the traditional way then things have to change.
After hearing Gee speak of video games (both gaming platforms and computer games), I’ve begun to hear more of the potential good that gaming can cause. Games, as stated by Gee, are an every moment constant assessment. They give you a task and if you don’t complete it you are told to do it again. Another positive about games is that they give you instructions to succeed. They are there in the beginning and even when you don’t succeed; so that you can take the time to reread them and try again. Games allow you to organize into groups, which according to Gee, is the future of the workforce. People will have to know how to work together and Gee states that gaming helps to teach students to do this. Gee also mentioned how it has been said that students do not do a lot of writing outside of the classroom, yet Gee argues that all of the social networks and the connection with media and the internet encourages students to write about things like “fan fiction” (Gee, 2008). Gee speaks about how teachers need to become de-professionalized so that they are not leading a scripted instruction. I find all of Gee’s statements to be truth as far as to where education is headed- the real truth now, will be, how long will it be until it takes affect?
Being a teacher, and knowing what our world is headed towards, I want to hold onto the morals that I was taught in school, yet still embrace the new changes. I find myself torn between knowing that letters are being replaced with emails, formal invitation cards are being replaced with evite websites, and individual assessments are being replaced by what the group can accomplish. So how do we make the break from accepting that these are things of the past? Gee also spoke of students as living lives that are cross-platform whereas many teachers see them separately. How do we find the balance between the student lifestyles and the teacher’s knowledge and comfort level? How/when do we get everyone on board with the wave of the future and will this new wave enable us to live successfully or dwell on what is lost?
As far as my own experiences go with gaming, I used to be involved with them in school when they were a way to do extra work without actually seeming like work. However, now, as an adult, I’ve found myself creating excuses for the way that I should spend my time. I do have to say, after playing the recent group of games, I might be more inclined to find time to play more computer games. The three games that I chose to experience were Age of Empires 2, Oregon Trail 5, and the Sim version that I chose to play was SimCopter. With Age of Empires, when I thought I was doing really well against the computer, I wasn’t. When I thought I was gathering adequate gold, wood, and food, along with moving myself through the ages, it was only mediocre according to what the computer could accomplish in the same time frame. (And don’t think that the few moments it takes to get laundry out of the washer would make a difference- my entire militia, consisted of about a dozen was taken out in the time that I was gone!). If I were to work all the way through the game again in more depth, I think that I would b
e able to relate much of what was done to real life learning situation- survival of the fittest. (As you can see the screen captures from this version of Age of Empires do not view very clearly- so I found a similar copy of what my screen looked like. And in response to how “well” I did, the only stars I earned were for learning about the ages in the quickest amount of t
ime.) After replaying Oregon Trail, this latest version of Oregon Trail that I downloaded got me rethinking the use for it in the classroom. I was very impressed how there was actual conversation occurring with “local” people along with the option to learn about a story of “real-time” Oregon Trail goers. I think this idea of conversation to learn more is an important skill that this newer version can
remind children. Another feature that I enjoyed seeing in this newer version is the idea of keeping a diary. Students can type their thoughts or reminders that they want to leave themselves or others for future games. This reinforces what Gee was saying about gaming today. As you can see, I did not do so well in the Oregon Trail. Again, I thought I was motoring along just fine, until a bullet wound and a near-fatal drowning cost me the game. [Please don’t think I’m a horrible gamer- I have won before but my ways of “testing the game” left me in the loser’s circle :( ] Last, but not least, is another game that I’m revisiting from my childhood- SimCopter. This is a game where you use real-life simulation of a rescue hero trying to save the day. The only unfortunate thing is that I haven’t found the most efficient way for the pickup and delivery of the “saved ones”. This game as the others has the potential to show real-life experience to the children who play it. As far as my opinion on all of these games, what’s the best practice in getting children to know the connection between real-life and real-life-like games? Many times in life you can’t get the chance to be “killed” and start new again.Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Class Two Assignments
Assn #1 - I completed "An Introduction to Poets and Poetry" by Jenni Riggi for the webquest evaluation. I felt that it was an easy assignment that any one of my students could easily complete. This I liked. However, what I didn't like was that it was very specific as to the poets the maker chose, which didn't give the students a broad range of poets to explore. Also, it was an individual assignment which did not lend itself to the typical webquest layout where conversation/collaboration is the cornerstone of the time spent. I think this webquest would be beneficial, however, to help me to write my own for the beginning of our poetry unit which was the intention of the webquest.
Assn #2 - I'm impressed. I ran through a mathematical simulation about airbags. This brought me back to my days in AP Physics. The activities started out being on the slower side and I wasn't too excited at first but then after I got to step 2 and 3, I was definitely entrigued by the simulations and ability to draw graphs on the site. I am going to email my old Physics teacher to tell her about the site and see if she finds it useful in the classroom. (In my position, I did not find it's usefulness yet- just as the subject and abilities are not supported for my classroom.)
Assn #3 - This assignment made me chuckle as the day before our Thursday class, I was advised by my supervisor to find uses for SurveyMonkey in the classroom to double check homework etc. And then in school on Thursday my team had decided to use it to collect data from the entire team and I was heading the production of the survey. Thus far, I have found it very easy to use (as long as you don't want more than 10 questions - you have to pay then). I really enjoy the way that it collects the data and easily displays it to the creator. One negative is the length of the web address but with the benefits of a website, creating a link is simple. Anyway: Here's my link to the survey that I created for this class.
--> Out of the four people that responded to my survey, 3 of them, while going through school did not believe that they would be following the technological path that they've led in their life thus far. There was a 50/50 split as to prefer Mac vs PC- pre Vista. Three of the four people have used SurveyMonkey before in order to gain feedback on training (evaluation) they've led or gaining information about students or professionals that they are going to lead. I myself found SurveyMonkey useful in order to collect data about our entire team, students or parents, in order to gain more knowledge throughout the year.