Reflection and Rumination

So as this course draws to a close, here are a few thoughts on it all. For me, this has been the best course (of three) I've taken this summer by far, and certainly one that has left me seeing sooo much potential for how I can (and soon will) use it in my own classes. Many of the things that we were exposed to have some legitimate, worthwhile, maybe even necessary roles to fill in the modern day classroom. Most have stood up to the scrutiny of my guiding principals and proven their worth (although nearly constant re-evaluation is important, and something I'll have to add to my GP's).

The proof is in the pudding. I saw the creation of my final project components as some kind of lesson/unit preparation that also happened to be something I'm turning in for a grade in my WebTools class. I am very grateful for that. Thanks to Eric and my classmates for contributing and investing a little bit of themselves into what we've worked on together. Although it probably sounds corny and/or cliche to say this (frankly I don't care if it does, because I do sincerely mean it) , but.... it's not the end really, it's just the beginning. Tomorrow I'll wake up and start creating the class web pages and wiki(s) that I'll be adding my project parts to, and I'll do it all with a smile because I will enjoy setting the stage to my students' new "best year" ever. Oh ya,.. and I hope to see you on The Science Teacher's Hub Home, created by Marta.

Final Project

Here it is! My final project for my WebTools class! As you can see, I have two parts to it. First, I created a voicethread for two different lab reports (I have a third one around somewhere, but couldn't find it today) written by former students of mine(I did get permission, and have removed their names anyway). In this assignment, half of my students are to comment on (and even make editorial notes) the voicethread example #1, while the other half does the same on the voicethread for example #2. Specifically, they are to be commenting on the lab's design and the lab report itself. The lab that these students did is a lab that my students will do this year as well, so they will be familiar with the procedure. As far the grading rubric is concerned, prior to this assignment, I will have spent some time with my students going over it (but nothing too deep just yet). That grading rubric is the same one that I/we will eventually use to grade this next year's lab reports.

When they are finished making their comments, there is a blank grading page at the end for them to give a grade on the example they read. When they are done with that, I will probably have the two halves repeat this whole process using the other example that they did not yet evaluate. The purpose of this voice thread assignment is to help my students understand what we do/do not want in a good lab report, and how the rubric can be used, and how it will be applied when they submit their own for scoring. To be more specific, this is designed for my standard level, year long high school chemistry students.

Example #1


Example #2


Once my students have completed this assignment, we will have some class discussion (probably not lengthy) on it. At this time, I will share with them any comments I made on these lab reports (that they might have missed), the grade that each example earned, and why (if students ask for clarification). Following this, they will begin to write their own lab reports. Working in the same groups they were in for their own lab experiments, they will then use Google Docs to create their own collaborative lab report.


And here is "Part 2" of my project. It is a screencast assingment intended for my IB Physics students to do after each time they complete a simulation assignment. They will probably be working in pairs during class time, and each pair will be posting their own screencast assignment to our class wiki. This is intended as a means of formative assessment, so grading them will be based largely on completion and evidence of thought.

Go ahead and listen to the screencast I made about this screencast assignment (which will a recurring assignment, whenever we have been working on simulations for a couple of days).



I must say,... I am excited to implement both parts of this final project in my classes this year. I honestly believe that they both will help my students be more successful and maybe even happier in their learning!

Project Proposal?

I have a few thoughts regarding my project ideas... But first,.....

I have to share with you some awesome news about me getting a set of ~10 netbooks in my classroom this next year! I've got some plans for using them for data collection (instead of our old CBL's), simulations, group lab reports, and much more! The tough part is deciding where to start. I'm pretty pumped about it!

Along those lines, I have a few ideas about my project and the technology I/we hope to be using with my students.

1) Have my students regularly comment on what they have learned after working (in groups) on one of the simulation websites (the PHeT website, to be specific). I was thinking that using VoiceThreading would be a good medium for them to post their comments and feedback. I do have a concern about that though, because I'm afraid that many comments are going to be the same, since they can view all the comments of everyone that posted before they did. (although, i guess i could just moderate them until they've all been submitted...hmmm..). Another thought is for them to create a screencast summary of their simulation investigations and then to post it somewhere like a class website (which I'd like to make some time). I already have created a Voicethread example I have posted earlier, if you want to take a look.

I wonder if this would this fulfill all of the project requirements? If not, here is something else I could add....

2) For my chemistry students, I was thinking that they could use some web tools to help them learn how to write a good lab report. For example, I would post 3 examples of lab reports (from previous students) to a Voicethread and then they could comment on what they thought of each report, and give it a grade according to the rubrics that I will be using to grade their lab reports, once they've got some practice at writing them. They could then work as a group, using Google Docs, on writing one collaborative lab report.

Any thoughts?

Week 6 PLN Report

This week I reconnected with three people that I hadn't spoken with in a few years. One is a college chemistry prof in Pennsylvania, one is a chemistry prof. at nearby University of Montana, and one is a former colleague of mine that now teaches at another HS in town. As a result of my conversations with each one, it now looks like my chem class may be participating in some air quality monitoring in our valley area, and I got some good feedback/ideas about managing the set of netbooks that I will be getting (instead of textbooks) for my physics classroom (Yeah!). I also got some good advice to seriously consider using Google Docs for some collaborative group lab report writing that my kids will be working on. All good stuff, I must say. Vive le PLN !! (as you might guess, I've also been keeping an eye on the Tour de France lately).

Project Potential

Here is a one potential portion of my class project. VoiceThread for formative assessment.

Physics VoiceThread

Here is a short VoiceThread I created using VoiceThread.com. I can see this being a useful tool and will consider using it in my classes.

Power(ful) Pointing

If you'd like to see PowerPoint taken to another level, check out this online article by Ken Costello. He uses a lot of motion in some of his slides, and he discusses some appropriate ways to use PowerPoint (not for lecture notes!). I think he has some good thoughts on the matter, although I think he must spend a lot of time creating them and I believe one might be better off finding other simulations/animations to insert in a presentation instead. You can download many of his presentations at his Chem 130 Homepage.

Chemistry Lesson Screencast

For my first screencast, I chose to narrate how I use a powerpoint presentation (not lecture) as part of a lesson on precipitation reactions in my high school chemistry class. I hope you might something useful in it. Enjoy!

Just PLaiN impressive!

Today I delved a little further into my PLN and Web 2.0, and boy was I rewarded! For the first time, I really looked into what was available in Classroom 2.0 and found an archived session on Google Search beyond just using key words searches. What I discovered was another layer to what Google contributes to the net. Specifically, I learned of ways to customize searches (and share them), how to use language translation tools, how to do more effective searches for news items (and follow them chronologically), and what Google Scholar is all about/what it can do. I really did not know that this stuff was even "out there" to use. I even liked the Elluminate chat session/presentation format. There certainly was a lot going on! Although I now have a bunch of new items I'd like to incorporate in my teaching and share with my students, I promised myself I wouldn't immediately dive into it all. I'll start with just one for now. So,.... which one will it be?.........

Google Earth

I've worked with Google Earth before, but never knew about the Google Earth Gallery. The World Oil Consumption and the World Energy Consumption files might even find their way into the energy and environment unit in my physics class.

Give a little bit....

This week has found me in a little different position regarding my PLN.... Turns out this week, I was actually on the giving end of my PLN. During a visit with an English teacher colleague of mine (who has given me some good teaching ideas in the past), I got to talking about what I've picked up about the power and potential of blogs and wikis in the classroom. I explained that I envision using wikis in my science classes on projects such as research papers and collaborative lab report writing and maybe some peer grading. Apparently, that was enough to provoke her curiosity about what wikis are, and how they might be used in her classes. I must say that after spending so much time on the receiving end of my PLN, it felt good to be able to give a little a bit back :)

Simulation Stimulation

Whoops,... thought I posted this already..

On Simulations

What I find especially appealing and useful about simulations, is their usefulness as a means to aid students in developing their critical thinking abilities, whether that be identifying and manipulating variables, analyzing information, or designing experiments. There is little worry about equipment not working, or breaking (or not having it to begin with!), or something disastrous happening. Students can really feel free to explore and try out their own ideas. Mind you, there is still no substitute for ACTUALLY working with stuff, and doing REAL experiments using simulations can be a nice way to coax them into the true inquiry nature of science.

I strongly believe that it is possible for students to learn the key facts, skills, concepts specific to their science class, ALL THE WHILE developing their thinking skills and reasoning abilities. They can actually know more and become smarter in the ways that matter most and prepare them best. And I believe that that is most effective when teachers focus on HOW they not teach, not just what they teach. The appropriate use of simulations is a tremendous tool that can help educators achieve that goal.

Week 3 Update

This week found me struggling with keeping up on my writing in my own blog, although I've been good about reading others' blogs. With a house FULL of family visiting me on vacation, it's been a busy week!

I did also manage to look into Classroom 2.0 and I signed myself up on iGoogle, which I think is a terrific thing! I don't know if it's officially what's called an aggragator, but it's another tool for better "one-stop shopping". I didn't quite find what I was looking for in the live sessions offered in Classroom 2.0. I am hoping I can learn more about the use of netbooks (instead of textbooks) in my classroom, and all of the things should be considered before transitioning from mostly paper media to mostly electronic media. I had this discussion with one of my administrators, and we both believe that this is the direction things are headed in education. I will keep searching for more on this subject, for sure. I also looked into Creative Commons, and found some alright resources there. I'll be going back to it occasionally, I believe.

Regarding The Educator's Guide to Copyright and Fair Use article, like many others, I found it marginally enlightening. Mind you, I have had discussions such as this with our library personnel, so much of it sounds familiar.

Great Laser Magic(?) Show

Found this video clip of a great laser magic show while checking out some other physics teachers on Twitter (still trying to expand that PLN, ya know!).

Downloads: Views: 111

Pic Fix'n

I'm trying out another cool tool that I didn't know existed (until this class started). I'm using Picnik to upload and edit a few photos that need a little work. Here is an example of a photo that I edited by changing the exposure level.

Before

After

Concerning PLN's ....

Although I have seen many benefits to expanding my PLN, I do have a few thoughts about something Benjamin Franklin was a strong advocate for.... moderation.

I seriously wonder/worry about the effect that so much technology (ipods, cell phones, blogs, etc.) is having on people's abilities to appropriately interact with a human FACE TO FACE. I am finding that too many of my students are a bit lacking in their social skills, and how they far too often seem to wrap themselves into a multimedia "cocoon". Whether it's putting on their headphones and submersing themselves in their music with thier ipods (even in the short passing periods between classes, I see this!) or constantly glancing at/playing with their cell phone. I have some serious concerns about the future of human interaction (this includes manners!). As Franklin might say,... everything in moderation.

A Better PLaN

So far, I've got to say that I'm impressed (and pleasantly surprised) with how my PLN has/is taking shape. I really was uncertain about how useful all this blogging, wikiing, and googling (I'm still not convinced that Twitter is really worth the time and effort) might be to me, either personally or professionally. At first, my attitude was "I'll try to keep an open mind about this blogging business, but I expect the more useful and powerful stuff will come along later". Now,... I'm glad I kept an open mind about it. Reading others' blogs has given me

Up until now, like so many others, my personal learning network has consisted mostly of my fellow teachers, my family, and some close friends. Although well intentioned, I sometimes feel that I already know what they are going to say, or how the conversation is going to go (I'm talking mostly about our conversations revolving around teaching here). They might even say the same thing about me and what I say, my opinions, etc.. And that's o.k.. I very much value their opinions, and wisdom, and professionalism, and ideas. But, I think it can be a bit limiting. What about fresh ideas? What about those things that I never saw coming that challenge me? If I do not seek them out, will they just find me? If I'm really devoted to my craft (education), shouldn't I at the very least be aware of these ideas and provoking thoughts about the direction of education? At least be open minded about it?

The answer is YES! And I've found that using/expanding my PLN is a great way to do that! Not just to find some nifty web gadgets, but to engage in some real professional dialogue about matters that are in need of some serious profession dialogue. For instance, there has been some terrific discussion about the appropriate use of technology in the classroom (graphing calculators, to be specific) and how to use it without it hindering our students' reasoning and thinking abilities (I sure hope that discussion continues!). If I am really to best understand this creature we call "student", I should be aware of how it has evolved since I started teaching, so I can better relate to it and its world. I would consider myself remiss if I didn't look into utilizing the blogs, and wikis, and such in my classroom.

Again, this exposure to new ideas and perspective and potential all happened (and happened quite easily, I might add) because of how the web has influenced my PLN. Oh ya,... and now I can stay up to date on science news, blog posts, emails, wikis, and who knows what else I haven't discovered yet, super easy and fast. More AND better! That McRocks (and is one of the hallmarks of good technology)!

"Dewey’s vision of education - I believe that education, therefore, is a process of living and not a preparation for future living."

Good quote! Thanks for that, Eric!

Dry Ice Video

Guiding Principles for implementing technology

In order for technology to really be useful in education, I believe the technology itself must be.....

• Simple & Seamless. Technology should have a nice, intuitive feel to it. Look at the success of the I-pods and I-phones and such. These days, using one (at least most of their functions, especially the primary ones) doesn't really require a wealth of time or education. I see using technology more as a vehicle to get something done, not the job itself. Technology should facilitate gathering information, not get in the way of it.
• Accessible. If it's worth having, then it shouldn't be a chore to use it when needed.
• Reliable.
• Flexible

That being said. Here are some things I think are wise to consider when deciding on whether to implement technology in education:

1. Will it help me/my students do something, we weren't able to do before? or expedite some process? Maybe that "something" is relating better to my subject (better engagement, perhaps), or to other students (with regard to their understanding of science). Maybe it is a way to collect data, organize it, analyze it, and/or communicate it. Maybe it is a way of observing or manipulating something they were incapable of in the past.
2. Is it going to be a substitute brain for my students? Will it "do too much" for them and process information for them, thus leaving them out of the loop and lacking in thinking skills they should be developing themselves? I think that answer is most often in how teachers allow/encourage students to use that technology.

I think of graphing calculators and how their programs can be used to perform functions (like automatic graphing) that I want my students to know how to do first. Mind you, these same calculators allow students to solve problems in multiple ways, that would be too tedious or arduous to do otherwise. I do allow and encourage my students to use technology, as long as it is a supplement to their own thinking and work, not a replacement of it.