Week 9: Pearltrees

WOW, I can see so much potential for Pearltrees!  It took me a while to really figure out how to access the tutorials which has helped me see it's uses in the classroom!  I am hoping for our next assignment to incorporate it into my next unit to help students organize their information on College Research!  I am concerned that my technology in my classroom may not be able to support it due to its slow processing time but I am going to still give it a try and see how it may impact the different learners in my classroom! I am not sure how I would efficiently grade or view all my students Pearltrees, due to all of the links that could be incorporated into each pearl.  I need to work through how to use the tool in a way that provides a structured tool for students but not an unrealistic amount of work for the teacher... hmmm.

My Pearltree

Progress... Slowly but Surely!

As my group moves at light speed through their exploration of Minecraft I am spending all my time reading and watching videos about its uses in the classroom and trying to get through the tutorial piece of the program!  I am not nor have I ever been a gamer and so having the patience to sit and work through Minecraft has been very tasking for me!  After live chatting with a group member I felt more at ease maneuvering through the program but am still struggling with being able to really commit time to "building" something in the program.  Although observing my peers and the amazing things that they have come up with through this process has kept me intrigued with the concept!

Week 8: To Game or Not to Game...

This weeks objective was an exciting adventure for me!  I attempted to use Glogster but was not finding success so decided to just play with the games thoroughly instead!  I played the games with two different approaches, one as an educator with the goal of meeting standards and as a "student" who was required to play this game for my class.  I found myself very engaged as both an educator and as a student for many of the games and others not so much (which was expected).  I also had my 15 year old freshman foster daughter play the games but she had a hard time with some of the content (due to not remembering or having limited prior knowledge of the topics I choose).  Ultimately, I choose to work with the website Bio Man (http://www.biomanbio.com) due to its specific biology applications.  I liked the assortment of different games that were available and the array of biology topics that were covered.  The three games I decided to focus on were:
1.  Cell Craft: Cell Organelle/Job Game
2.  Angry Aliens: Evolution Game
3.  Photosynthesis/Respiration Game

But I found myself drawn to the Cell Craft Game and so that is the one I will focus on to answer the questions below.
 
1. Was the child engaged?
My child was engaged, she really liked the features that allowed you to see the objective or look up a vocabulary word that you had forgotten.  She felt that the descriptions and visual aids were very helpful and supported her ability to learn and remember the material! 
2. Did the child learn the skills that were targeted? 
Due to the nature of the game and the steps required to complete each task it was clear that the students was getting a clear understanding of how each organelle functioned within the cell and how each organelle depended on the others to do the their job!  It was clear as the student worked through that a worksheet that had the students write out the different jobs of each cell "part" and the examples of how each part functioned as a way to review and study post game would be necessary.
3. Can the child demonstrate that these skills were mastered? 
In order for students to move on to the next level they had to complete certain tasks, although the tasks were not challenging the students had to work through all the questions and tasks.   I would create a test/quiz to indicate mastery prior to a student moving on to the next level.  You would need to create multiple versions and would need a 80% or higher mastery to move on to the next level.
4. Who in your PLN did you consult with about these games? How did they respond or assist?
I chatted with current biology teachers at my school to find topics that seemed to be challenging for students and they stated that cells was always challenging because it is really a memorization task for students so I wanted to find a game that students were given examples of the organelles and provided ways for students to remember the job of each organelle.  I have not had a chance to show this game to my colleagues yet but I hope to have them play with the game to tell me what they think (it may be to simple for a h.s. biology course but not sure yet). 

Week 7 Explorations!

Consider my mind blown!  I had this simple idea to expand my knowledge on Virtual Science Labs, a topic in which I have been slowly and excitedly exploring for the past year.  I have always been intrigued by the concept of incorporating virtual science labs into my practice as a tool to encourage my students to reach that always desired inquiry based learning mode of thinking.  I was initially intrigued by this mode of learning after taking a course that my school district offered that focused on science and culture, this was my very web based course (which I was skeptical about how much I would learn due to the nature of the course).  The course incorporated the creation of a blog, as well as, using online resources, videos etc and I absolutely loved this class!  In turn, my passion for learning about technology and its use in the classroom had begun.  Last year I took a course about action research and  I figured it was  a great opportunity  to learn a bit more about this technology based learning idea, little did I know that I would soon be writing a grant to get I-pads for my classroom so I could begin testing out my idea of virtual science labs.  Here I am one year later with a few I-pads that I received through a grant and a feeling of determination and an uneasiness about how many amazing labs I have found and want to explore.  I am very excited about what my research has turned up but at the same time am feeling like I am not sure where start, so I decided to play with a virtual lab that I was introduced to via Chip at a teacher in-service a few weeks ago!  I have created an introduction video to a very simple lab that allows students to analyze and predict how buoyancy changes depending on the liquid and the material that is being submerged.  Although this lab is very simple in its application I believe it could be very powerful with the right scaffolding and structure.  As described in my video it would be essential for the students be given a table/outline of the expectations and to have them predict what results will occur based on their changes to either the material or the liquid.  Then require them to take it a step further and describe why they have made that predication based on what they have learned in your class.  Allowing the students to just "play" with the lab without crating clear expectations and outcomes would not set the students up to be successful with meeting the learning target (depending on your learning target).  I look forward to playing with the lab and how to set it up to make it a meaningful substitute for an actual buoyancy lab. I am currently not teaching science but hope to be moved into a science position next year so I am just playing with the idea of implementation of these labs but plan on starting next year with a nice tool box of labs I can use!

Cyber World Here I Come!

Hello All,
Wow, I thought I was pretty "up to date" with technology and little did I know I am not.  Although I am still feeling a bit overwhelmed with all of these new mediums of technology and ways to communicate with everyone I am excited to get a better understanding and management of the tools so I can attempt to use them with my students!  Below are the links to my introduction video, my twitter and my blog, oh and my Diigo!  I look forward to sharing ideas with everyone! 

World of Technology Blog
Twitter
Diigo