Here is my latest Animoto. I still haven't upgraded, but I'm seriously thinking about it because it's so much fun to make these! I made this one for the introductory page of the education module I helping to write.
Plankton-Aquatic Drifters
http://animoto.com/play/HHIASQyaq0s0lm44wc1oAQ
So what do you think? Should I invest or is this long enough?
Monday, August 1, 2011
Sunday, July 31, 2011
And "Life in the Dead Zone" Cruise goes on...
The research vessel had a few technical issues this cruise, but everyone pulled together to get the job done. On the fourth day of the cruise, we were looking for a hypoxic but not anoxic area of the bay and thought that they were at one this morning, but not so. Turns out the CTD had not been giving correct oxygen readings and what was thought to be hypoxic turned out to be anoxic. So reading were taken by hand and we "inched" down the bay looking for an area that was hypoxic but didn't have sulfide at the bottom. It took a long time, and we had to redo measurements and tests because of the equipment foul up. Ah well, just more fun in the sun and the lab.
Looks like there are more anoxic areas that expected, but not really considering the amount of runoff into the bay this year. All that runoff brings lots and lots of nutrients into the bay which causes lots and lots of algae growth, which increases zooplankton growth, but not enough to eat it all and when all that algae dies and falls the the bottom of the bay, the bacteria uses up all the oxygen down there decomposing it. That's not all the story though. Cold salt water from the ocean and warm fresh water from runoff set up a density stratification that prevents oxygen from the surface from reaching the bottom of the bay. This is called the pycnocline, and in places in the bay, it is a very sharp change in density from the bottom to the top.
One of the scientists on the cruise has designed a really cool apparatus for pulling water along a very narrow pycnocline to look at water changes in both chemistry and organisms. Daniel Lee has designed a syringe apparatus and is testing it out. Pretty exciting stuff.
Each day of the cruise brought new challenges and learning experiences. Listening the scientists share their work and passion for it was truly amazing. I feel very fortunate to have been a part of this adventure.
Looks like there are more anoxic areas that expected, but not really considering the amount of runoff into the bay this year. All that runoff brings lots and lots of nutrients into the bay which causes lots and lots of algae growth, which increases zooplankton growth, but not enough to eat it all and when all that algae dies and falls the the bottom of the bay, the bacteria uses up all the oxygen down there decomposing it. That's not all the story though. Cold salt water from the ocean and warm fresh water from runoff set up a density stratification that prevents oxygen from the surface from reaching the bottom of the bay. This is called the pycnocline, and in places in the bay, it is a very sharp change in density from the bottom to the top.
One of the scientists on the cruise has designed a really cool apparatus for pulling water along a very narrow pycnocline to look at water changes in both chemistry and organisms. Daniel Lee has designed a syringe apparatus and is testing it out. Pretty exciting stuff.
Friday, July 29, 2011
"Life In the Dead Zone" Cruise continued...
So back in the "Dead Zone", during sample taking, things get pretty crazy. You want to work quickly, because people are waiting to either get their samples at that depth, or they are waiting for the next depth. Either way, efficiency is important, but so is being careful in collecting the samples. Wash and rinse three times with the sample water is the rule. Whether it is a 100 mL jar or a 20 L carboy.
Dr. Jeff Cornwell and Mike Owens took a sediment sample in an anoxic area of the bay. The sample leaked an inky black substance that Jeff identified as hydrogen sulfide and pyrite. The smell was definitely hydrogen sulfide! Which brings me to an interesting bit of biochemistry. Bacteria in the anoxic areas of the bay are using elements other than oxygen as their terminal electron acceptors. There is a whole list of ions that they go through, each one is more of an energy trade off. In a simpler view, these bacteria are respiring using elements other than oxygen. When they get down to sulfur, it costs about the same amount of energy to use it as the bacteria gain from it.
Dr. Jeff Cornwell and Mike Owens took a sediment sample in an anoxic area of the bay. The sample leaked an inky black substance that Jeff identified as hydrogen sulfide and pyrite. The smell was definitely hydrogen sulfide! Which brings me to an interesting bit of biochemistry. Bacteria in the anoxic areas of the bay are using elements other than oxygen as their terminal electron acceptors. There is a whole list of ions that they go through, each one is more of an energy trade off. In a simpler view, these bacteria are respiring using elements other than oxygen. When they get down to sulfur, it costs about the same amount of energy to use it as the bacteria gain from it.
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Reflection on class discussion.
I like the discussion format. It was easy to check and see what I had read and what I hadn't. I enjoyed reading the refections as well as the responses, and it was nice to be able to see what I had responded to and what I had not. I have not become fluent in Google Reader yet and parts remain a mystery to me, such as how to easily tell when I have written a response and when I have not. With so many sites to see and time in between, it's hard to keep track of it all. I'm sure I am not using it to its full potential, but I am still learning and will continue to learn long after this class has ended. Like any really good class, it has set me on a path to discover more.
Thursday, July 21, 2011
"Life in the Dead Zone" Cruise
I've been on a cruise before. It was pretty awesome, we went around the Mediterranean Sea stopping in various ports. This cruise was nothing like that, except maybe the food. No, the food was better on what we call the LIDZ cruise.
I've never been on a research vessel before, and it was an amazing experience. We loaded the ship at 1:00am in Cambridge, MD, July 6th, and set off up the Chesapeake Bay.
The first day was really easy for me, it was "Scanfish" day. The Scanfish is an undulating towed vehicle that measures conductivity, temperature, oxygen, fluorescence, turbidity and depth as the boat moves through the water. It has very high resolution and it gives scientists a real time profile of the water in the Bay.
Ginger, the lab tech from Dr. Pierson's lab (and the go-to person when you really wanted to know what or how to do something on the boat), put the Scanfish in behind the ship around 8:00am, north of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge.
Watching the seagulls, pelicans and osprey from the back of the ship was a beautiful sight. But there was trouble in paradise. The Scanfish has technical difficulties. With cool high-tech stuff comes not so cool high-tech problems. The Scanfish quit monitoring, and after much struggle, the techs resorted to the old ways, stopping the boat and dropping the other CTD in and taking readings with it instead. So, down the Bay we went, stopping and dropping the CTD every 5 miles, gathering good data, just not as easily and not as complete a profile. Ah well, you do what you can.
More technical issues caused us to have to pump water instead of using the Niskin bottles attached to the CTD. Not sure what the exact problem was, but it gave me an opportunity to stand very close to the edge, (properly attired in life vest) and rinse and fill several bottles of water during the day.
So what were we doing with all this water? Me, I was filtering to determine the amount of phytoplankton and their nutrients that are in different areas and depths of the Bay. I also collected sample bottles to be analyzed later in the lab. We were looking at areas that haddifferent levels of oxygen. Oxic, hypoxic and anoxic areas of the Bay exist and scientists are looking at some of the life and chemistry that is going on in them.
More to come later...gotta go wading for a scientist to measure virus counts on my hands after being in the Bay. Exciting....
I've never been on a research vessel before, and it was an amazing experience. We loaded the ship at 1:00am in Cambridge, MD, July 6th, and set off up the Chesapeake Bay.
The first day was really easy for me, it was "Scanfish" day. The Scanfish is an undulating towed vehicle that measures conductivity, temperature, oxygen, fluorescence, turbidity and depth as the boat moves through the water. It has very high resolution and it gives scientists a real time profile of the water in the Bay.
Ginger, the lab tech from Dr. Pierson's lab (and the go-to person when you really wanted to know what or how to do something on the boat), put the Scanfish in behind the ship around 8:00am, north of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge.
Watching the seagulls, pelicans and osprey from the back of the ship was a beautiful sight. But there was trouble in paradise. The Scanfish has technical difficulties. With cool high-tech stuff comes not so cool high-tech problems. The Scanfish quit monitoring, and after much struggle, the techs resorted to the old ways, stopping the boat and dropping the other CTD in and taking readings with it instead. So, down the Bay we went, stopping and dropping the CTD every 5 miles, gathering good data, just not as easily and not as complete a profile. Ah well, you do what you can.
More technical issues caused us to have to pump water instead of using the Niskin bottles attached to the CTD. Not sure what the exact problem was, but it gave me an opportunity to stand very close to the edge, (properly attired in life vest) and rinse and fill several bottles of water during the day.
So what were we doing with all this water? Me, I was filtering to determine the amount of phytoplankton and their nutrients that are in different areas and depths of the Bay. I also collected sample bottles to be analyzed later in the lab. We were looking at areas that haddifferent levels of oxygen. Oxic, hypoxic and anoxic areas of the Bay exist and scientists are looking at some of the life and chemistry that is going on in them.
More to come later...gotta go wading for a scientist to measure virus counts on my hands after being in the Bay. Exciting....
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Digital Images and Online Data Reflection
So I've been on a research boat with no internet for a week and I'm a bit behind. Please be patient with my latest rant....
I get aggravated when I see my fellow teachers, (most of whom I respect and adore), showing random videos in their classes, saying things like, "Well, there is biology/history/chemistry in this film.", and they show the entire movie of Avitar/The Patriot/Fern Gully for several days. Ok, I like these movies, no, I love Avitar, but come on now, we are obviously wasting time here. It would be so much more effective to show clips of the pertinent parts of films that actually line up with a concept framed within a lesson. Short clips, that can be discussed before and after viewing would be a much better use of class time. Students can and do watch films on their own. What is the point of showing the whole thing?
Now that I've gotten that off my chest, here is my dilemma: How do I get these clips? Just putting the DVD into the player/computer and searching for the particular part or worse-- parts, is time consuming. In fact, students will immediately start in on wanting to see the whole film while I'm doing my hunt. I want just the clips available, so there is no hunting and no discussion about watching the film in its entirety.
I have the same sort of issue with PowerPoint lessons. Cute pictures and funny clip art can add humor and perhaps there is a trade off there. Humor helps learning, but too much can be a distraction. I agree with the authors in that the time I spend looking for cute/funny pictures to "spice up" my PowerPoint could be better used looking for pictures or videos that actually connect the concepts; pictures with purpose clarify and connect. I think having pictures that students have taken would also bring relevance to the lesson. For example: asking students to bring in a picture of a physical or chemical change and assembling them into an Animoto would be so much more effective that the boring 'here's what physical and chemical changes are and look like' PowerPoint
This section of the book has made me rethink my labs as well. I think I will work on making videos demonstrating lab techniques and lab equipment set ups. I have used, in the past, a picture showing what the lab station should look like after the lab is cleaned up. I think I will take it a step further, now, and make short videos of the particular lab techniques students are supposed to be learning, using the equipment we actually have on hand. Another idea is to make a set of safety hazard videos that could be put together to show the safety hazards for the particular lab we are doing. Sort of a quick snippet before lab starts. It would also make sure I didn't leave any important safety instruction out for each class, and I really like that. Perhaps even a whole safety video done at the beginning of the year by the AP students would help keep lab safety on our minds. I actually have a skit somewhere, that I used to have my AP students from the previous year come back and do for my new first year students. It was fun, but pretty time-consuming for them and me.
I don't know why I didn't think of this, but asking students to look for the reason a picture is presented to them makes sense. The textbook pictures could easily be used this way and made more beneficial. I think it is true that students often just look at the pictures for the aesthetic value and not what the picture is trying to convey. Learning how to include JCE videos in my lessons would be great, but again, I don't want to be messing around during class looking for the demos or animations. Also, I don't like using "cool" demos just because they are "cool" and get attention for the sake of getting attention. They need to be tied directly to what the lesson is over. My time with students is so precious, I want to waste as little as possible.
Granted, sometimes, during a grading crunch, I will be tempted to put in a chemistry video or try an online chemistry lecture during class, but inevitably, it doesn't really benefit anyone. Students are either bored and off task during the video or I have to reteach whatever the lesson was because they didn't get any part of it. Perhaps if I spent time before-setting the stage so to speak and after, summing it up, they would get more out of it.
I really like the screen capture of Logger Pro. I could use that to demonstrate what the graph vs color change look like in a titration lab. I'm hoping I can get the same effect with the LabQuest since the students will be using them most often. That makes me think of another idea: taking pictures of my students while they are doing labs and putting them together in an Animoto for next year's group. That would be fun! (I did a PowerPoint of the hot air balloons we've done over the years, added music and everything. It was ridiculously time-consuming and difficult for me. The Animoto was about the easiest thing I've ever worked with, so I'll be doing a lot more with it I think.)
After spending time this year with the scientists at the Horn Point Laboratory in Cambridge, MD and on their research vessel, I'm more knowledgeable about the kind of data I could use in the classroom. I helped gather data on the water quality, oxygen levels, and organisms and their nutrients in the Chesapeake Bay. I'm sure the same data is available on Gulf of Mexico, which would be more relevant to my students. I'm sure I can find it from GLOBE or NOAA. And TrackStar sounds like a great way to organize the websites students need to visit to find the data. I will be checking that out.
Using real world data for a topic I have had experience with, I think, will help me get over that "inquiry wall" that I always seem to run into every year. I think my confidence in using data gathered on the water quality of the Gulf will bring the students over the wall as well. Hmmm, I think I see a scientific argument forming....
I get aggravated when I see my fellow teachers, (most of whom I respect and adore), showing random videos in their classes, saying things like, "Well, there is biology/history/chemistry in this film.", and they show the entire movie of Avitar/The Patriot/Fern Gully for several days. Ok, I like these movies, no, I love Avitar, but come on now, we are obviously wasting time here. It would be so much more effective to show clips of the pertinent parts of films that actually line up with a concept framed within a lesson. Short clips, that can be discussed before and after viewing would be a much better use of class time. Students can and do watch films on their own. What is the point of showing the whole thing?
Now that I've gotten that off my chest, here is my dilemma: How do I get these clips? Just putting the DVD into the player/computer and searching for the particular part or worse-- parts, is time consuming. In fact, students will immediately start in on wanting to see the whole film while I'm doing my hunt. I want just the clips available, so there is no hunting and no discussion about watching the film in its entirety.
I have the same sort of issue with PowerPoint lessons. Cute pictures and funny clip art can add humor and perhaps there is a trade off there. Humor helps learning, but too much can be a distraction. I agree with the authors in that the time I spend looking for cute/funny pictures to "spice up" my PowerPoint could be better used looking for pictures or videos that actually connect the concepts; pictures with purpose clarify and connect. I think having pictures that students have taken would also bring relevance to the lesson. For example: asking students to bring in a picture of a physical or chemical change and assembling them into an Animoto would be so much more effective that the boring 'here's what physical and chemical changes are and look like' PowerPoint
This section of the book has made me rethink my labs as well. I think I will work on making videos demonstrating lab techniques and lab equipment set ups. I have used, in the past, a picture showing what the lab station should look like after the lab is cleaned up. I think I will take it a step further, now, and make short videos of the particular lab techniques students are supposed to be learning, using the equipment we actually have on hand. Another idea is to make a set of safety hazard videos that could be put together to show the safety hazards for the particular lab we are doing. Sort of a quick snippet before lab starts. It would also make sure I didn't leave any important safety instruction out for each class, and I really like that. Perhaps even a whole safety video done at the beginning of the year by the AP students would help keep lab safety on our minds. I actually have a skit somewhere, that I used to have my AP students from the previous year come back and do for my new first year students. It was fun, but pretty time-consuming for them and me.
I don't know why I didn't think of this, but asking students to look for the reason a picture is presented to them makes sense. The textbook pictures could easily be used this way and made more beneficial. I think it is true that students often just look at the pictures for the aesthetic value and not what the picture is trying to convey. Learning how to include JCE videos in my lessons would be great, but again, I don't want to be messing around during class looking for the demos or animations. Also, I don't like using "cool" demos just because they are "cool" and get attention for the sake of getting attention. They need to be tied directly to what the lesson is over. My time with students is so precious, I want to waste as little as possible.
Granted, sometimes, during a grading crunch, I will be tempted to put in a chemistry video or try an online chemistry lecture during class, but inevitably, it doesn't really benefit anyone. Students are either bored and off task during the video or I have to reteach whatever the lesson was because they didn't get any part of it. Perhaps if I spent time before-setting the stage so to speak and after, summing it up, they would get more out of it.
I really like the screen capture of Logger Pro. I could use that to demonstrate what the graph vs color change look like in a titration lab. I'm hoping I can get the same effect with the LabQuest since the students will be using them most often. That makes me think of another idea: taking pictures of my students while they are doing labs and putting them together in an Animoto for next year's group. That would be fun! (I did a PowerPoint of the hot air balloons we've done over the years, added music and everything. It was ridiculously time-consuming and difficult for me. The Animoto was about the easiest thing I've ever worked with, so I'll be doing a lot more with it I think.)
After spending time this year with the scientists at the Horn Point Laboratory in Cambridge, MD and on their research vessel, I'm more knowledgeable about the kind of data I could use in the classroom. I helped gather data on the water quality, oxygen levels, and organisms and their nutrients in the Chesapeake Bay. I'm sure the same data is available on Gulf of Mexico, which would be more relevant to my students. I'm sure I can find it from GLOBE or NOAA. And TrackStar sounds like a great way to organize the websites students need to visit to find the data. I will be checking that out.
Using real world data for a topic I have had experience with, I think, will help me get over that "inquiry wall" that I always seem to run into every year. I think my confidence in using data gathered on the water quality of the Gulf will bring the students over the wall as well. Hmmm, I think I see a scientific argument forming....
Monday, July 4, 2011
My Glogster
I had some fun with Glogster. It was easy to use, I wasn't particularly creative with it, but then I don't think I could blame Glogster for that. I'm a bit distracted right now. I would like to try it with some pictures from my "cruise" this week and see how well I can pull them into the work.
Here is the link to my attempt: http://froggychem.edu.glogster.com/chem1/
(Haven"t figured out how to embed yet.)
I also tried out Animoto. Wow, that was fun and so easy. I think I may have to make an investment in this program. 30 seconds just isn't long enough. :) Here is my video, hope my son forgives me, but I think it's cute. http://animoto.com/play/8K2B375n0ANZ6BTmh9iOlQ
Every year I take pictures of my chemistry students doing hot air balloons and then try to put together a ppt of them with music. It's been a pain. Animoto is so much easier and looks way cooler!
I'm working on a screencast using jing, gimp and inkscape. I keep running into issues. Hope to post it soon tho.
Here is the link to my attempt: http://froggychem.edu.glogster.com/chem1/
(Haven"t figured out how to embed yet.)
I also tried out Animoto. Wow, that was fun and so easy. I think I may have to make an investment in this program. 30 seconds just isn't long enough. :) Here is my video, hope my son forgives me, but I think it's cute. http://animoto.com/play/8K2B375n0ANZ6BTmh9iOlQ
Every year I take pictures of my chemistry students doing hot air balloons and then try to put together a ppt of them with music. It's been a pain. Animoto is so much easier and looks way cooler!
I'm working on a screencast using jing, gimp and inkscape. I keep running into issues. Hope to post it soon tho.
Thursday, June 30, 2011
COSEE - Centers for Ocean Science Education Excellence
I have finally arrived. After driving and playing at being the tourist for several days across the USA, I am finally at the Horn Point Laboratory, (HPL), in Cambridge, Maryland. This is my first visit and I'll be here for six weeks for research and developing an educational module to go with the others already on the COSEE Coastal Trends website. It has been an exciting week here, but, unfortunately, a rather disconnected week. I am just recently again connected to the internet. So I have quite a bit of catching up to do in Web Tools and my chemistry course, as well as get up to speed on all the interesting things going on in my PI's lab. Next week, I'll be in the Chesapeake Bay, on a "cruise" helping to gather samples and data on what is going on with plankton and bacteria in the Bay. As in the gulf, there has been quite a rise in the hypoxic area in the Bay and this has lead to some interesting observations, such as bacteria using sulfur instead of oxygen as a terminal electron acceptor. In other words, using sulfur instead of oxygen to respire.
I'm working with Jamie Pierson, the Principle Investigator, and a graduate student and an undergraduate student. Together, we will be writing an educational module using a content management system that the IT people have written here at HPL. So I think, in a way, it fits in a bit with the Web Tools class. I'll be using Inkscape to bring together diagrams using pictures we take and pictures developed by the group Integration and Application Network, (IAN). I've already learned the difference between a roster or bit map image and a vector image and how much more versatile vector images are.
I'm excited about the coming weeks, but a bit anxious about the intermittent internet. I'm sure it will all work out as most things do: a lot of worry over problems that don't really happen.
Friday, June 24, 2011
Reflection on Science and Literacy.
I have always insisted on students writing coherently on everything they turn in to me. I've been accused of holding English class as well as Science. I remind them, even the most creative and intelligent scientist is of little value if he or she cannot communicate clearly. Therefore, I am in agreement with literacy being an intricate part of the science classroom.
Performance expectations are always written on the board before the lesson starts, but I need to go over them to be sure students understand what is expected of them. I like the idea of empowering them by making sure they know what expectation looks like.
I was a bit frustrated by some of the "Write as You Read Science: Guidelines for students". Although I agree with them, the first six are useless since students are unable to write in their school-owned books. I really like 7 through 11, and plan to incorporate them into the notes I have students write at the start of each new chapter/unit.
I did have an interesting experience one year when I was part of a pilot program. We were given paper-bound single chapters or units and my students loved them. Mostly because they were easy to carry and they could write on them. Some of them really took advantage of that and had well-worn, very colorful "books". At the end of the year, when I asked them to help me evaluate the program, being able to write and highlight in their book was the most frequent comment.
I think metacognition is the most difficult process for me to teach. I understand its importance, but it takes a lot of time to grade a series of essays on every lab report. I admit, I tend to cut corners here. Perhaps a solution would be to only focus on one aspect at a time.
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
iPad2 and using web tools woes....
I have an iPad2 that I earned through my Region's science collaborative this past year. I also have a netbook. The screen on the netbook can be tiresome to read after a while, so I was very happy to get the iPad with its larger screen. Sweet, I thought, this will replace the netbook...wrong. Apple doesn't support Flash. This is more of a problem than I thought. Either there are a lot of sites using Flash, or the iPad has other issues as well.
For instance, it will not let me read any of the blogs on the netvibes dashboard. I can see that they are there and that there are updates to read, but other than one or two lines, I can't see them. Yes, clicking on them will give me a few more lines, but not the complete blog. It's sort of like a teaser. Single taps, double taps, a soft-shoe to the left, nothing works. I have to go back to my google reader or the original site to read them.
I tried signing up for the Collaborative Classroom to try it out. Another teaser, I can register and fill out info for my class and then it sends me back to login and everything starts over. Sigh....
I tried to pull up and read about the core Standards, but I can only get the first page to come up. And from other blogs, I can tell, there is more to it than that one page. I think the problem here, again, may go beyond Flash.
I may have to give up and get a real laptop, which can't happen until late August. Budgetary issues. Guess it will be squinting at the netbook 'till then. Woe is me, Apple, lighten up and give me Flash, or my iPad may be trash....
For instance, it will not let me read any of the blogs on the netvibes dashboard. I can see that they are there and that there are updates to read, but other than one or two lines, I can't see them. Yes, clicking on them will give me a few more lines, but not the complete blog. It's sort of like a teaser. Single taps, double taps, a soft-shoe to the left, nothing works. I have to go back to my google reader or the original site to read them.
I tried signing up for the Collaborative Classroom to try it out. Another teaser, I can register and fill out info for my class and then it sends me back to login and everything starts over. Sigh....
I tried to pull up and read about the core Standards, but I can only get the first page to come up. And from other blogs, I can tell, there is more to it than that one page. I think the problem here, again, may go beyond Flash.
I may have to give up and get a real laptop, which can't happen until late August. Budgetary issues. Guess it will be squinting at the netbook 'till then. Woe is me, Apple, lighten up and give me Flash, or my iPad may be trash....
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Setting the Stage: a reflection.
The reasons I signed up for the Webtools course was two-fold. I needed another summer class that would apply towards my master's and I wanted to be more "plugged in". I really had no idea how unplugged I was. What has me even more concerned is that my students are not as connected as they think they are. Yes, most of them are on Facebook and some even twitter. But they are only coasting on the waves of the Internet when perhaps they should be diving. I am only just learning what web 2.0 has to offer and I think it is going to take me some time to assimilate all it has to offer. My students probably won't take nearly as long, once it is presented to them.
But that brings me to another thought: there is a lot of information out there on the web. Some of it is reliable and accurate and useful. Much of it is not. Part of what I need to do as an educator is help my students become discerning web users.
The reasons I signed up for the Webtools course was two-fold. I needed another summer class that would apply towards my master's and I wanted to be more "plugged in". I really had no idea how unplugged I was. What has me even more concerned is that my students are not as connected as they think they are. Yes, most of them are on Facebook and some even twitter. But they are only coasting on the waves of the Internet when perhaps they should be diving. I am only just learning what web 2.0 has to offer and I think it is going to take me some time to assimilate all it has to offer. My students probably won't take nearly as long, once it is presented to them.
But that brings me to another thought: there is a lot of information out there on the web. Some of it is reliable and accurate and useful. Much of it is not. Part of what I need to do as an educator is help my students become discerning web users.
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
My guiding principles in teaching using technology-
I love teaching science. I don't think it is easy, but I really enjoy it. And ever since I first started, I have tried to use technology in my classroom to enhance my teaching and give students a more realistic view of what the science lab will be like in college or even industry. It hasn't been easy and I've had many setbacks, but overall, I think I've been relatively successful in using technology in my classroom.
That said, I do want to point out that, just like demonstrations, I think technology use just because it's fun or cool is a waste of my time and my students' time. If it doesn't add to their overall science understanding or problem-solving skills, it is a waste of students' time. If it doesn't help me be more efficient in my job, whether it is teaching or administrative tasks, it is a waste of my time. I think each technological opportunity must be carefully evaluated as to whether or not it is really an enhancement for effective teaching or just cool new thing to play with in the classroom.
Of course, the cool new thing in the classroom can become a useful tool with the appropriate training and support.
I love teaching science. I don't think it is easy, but I really enjoy it. And ever since I first started, I have tried to use technology in my classroom to enhance my teaching and give students a more realistic view of what the science lab will be like in college or even industry. It hasn't been easy and I've had many setbacks, but overall, I think I've been relatively successful in using technology in my classroom.
That said, I do want to point out that, just like demonstrations, I think technology use just because it's fun or cool is a waste of my time and my students' time. If it doesn't add to their overall science understanding or problem-solving skills, it is a waste of students' time. If it doesn't help me be more efficient in my job, whether it is teaching or administrative tasks, it is a waste of my time. I think each technological opportunity must be carefully evaluated as to whether or not it is really an enhancement for effective teaching or just cool new thing to play with in the classroom.
Of course, the cool new thing in the classroom can become a useful tool with the appropriate training and support.
Sunday, June 12, 2011
A bit of a rant...
It is difficult, no unnerving, to create content lessons that depend heavily or even exclusively on a computer or access to the internet. More than once, I have found myself standing miserably at the front of the room, desperately pulling together "Plan B" when the internet connection has failed or the computer delivered the BSOD (blue screen of death). Or the program that worked fine previously, suddenly has a major glitch, locks up completely or decides to go places unknown.
It's not just the internet that is the only technological reliability challenge. Data gathering plans with probeware have had to be scratched when too many devices failed to operate or instructions for operation were so vague or so confusing no one could figure them out, including me.
Granted, my students have been entertained somewhat, watching me frantically try various solutions to no avail. The running joke among the IT people has been, "computers come to Mrs. Smith's room to die."
After several times finding myself in that place I call "Techno-purgatory", I try to always have a backup plan that can quickly be pulled in to replace the technology-based lesson. It usually consists of my zero-tech notes or activities. I've used these for years so I can wing-it pretty easily. I don't like it, but I can do it.
I like using my document reader, smartboard, projector and student response system and I had great plans to put together some awesome lessons. I know I'm blessed to have access to all this technology and want to use it to its fullest extent. So why haven't I? What is holding me back? Am I so overloaded at school I can't find the time? Somewhat, but that's not the main reason.
It's the frustration that holds me back. My lack of knowledge of how to fix what are probably small problems to a computer-savy individual. My document reader doesn't "talk" to my smartboard-they have totally different software. My room is apparently a random dead zone for the wireless internet, so it just cuts out...whenever. I have so many different devices connected to the laptop with completely different software, I think that may be why it crashed. I ended the year with a laptop that only occasionally worked with internet that was randomly available, a student response system that would not recognize the clickers and a projector that completely died-not the bulb-the projector, died.
I was devastated by the last week of school. I had become so dependent upon the projector and the document reader, pulling that overhead out of the corner of the room and clicking it on felt like a huge failure on my part. I failed to make it all work. In fact, I failed to make any of it work by the end.
Reliability and ease of use will make the biggest difference for me realizing my technological potential. So here I am, trying to educate myself in the language of technology, in hopes that one less obstacle will be in my way.
It's not just the internet that is the only technological reliability challenge. Data gathering plans with probeware have had to be scratched when too many devices failed to operate or instructions for operation were so vague or so confusing no one could figure them out, including me.
Granted, my students have been entertained somewhat, watching me frantically try various solutions to no avail. The running joke among the IT people has been, "computers come to Mrs. Smith's room to die."
After several times finding myself in that place I call "Techno-purgatory", I try to always have a backup plan that can quickly be pulled in to replace the technology-based lesson. It usually consists of my zero-tech notes or activities. I've used these for years so I can wing-it pretty easily. I don't like it, but I can do it.
I like using my document reader, smartboard, projector and student response system and I had great plans to put together some awesome lessons. I know I'm blessed to have access to all this technology and want to use it to its fullest extent. So why haven't I? What is holding me back? Am I so overloaded at school I can't find the time? Somewhat, but that's not the main reason.
It's the frustration that holds me back. My lack of knowledge of how to fix what are probably small problems to a computer-savy individual. My document reader doesn't "talk" to my smartboard-they have totally different software. My room is apparently a random dead zone for the wireless internet, so it just cuts out...whenever. I have so many different devices connected to the laptop with completely different software, I think that may be why it crashed. I ended the year with a laptop that only occasionally worked with internet that was randomly available, a student response system that would not recognize the clickers and a projector that completely died-not the bulb-the projector, died.
I was devastated by the last week of school. I had become so dependent upon the projector and the document reader, pulling that overhead out of the corner of the room and clicking it on felt like a huge failure on my part. I failed to make it all work. In fact, I failed to make any of it work by the end.
Reliability and ease of use will make the biggest difference for me realizing my technological potential. So here I am, trying to educate myself in the language of technology, in hopes that one less obstacle will be in my way.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)