Click here for the link for my Google Earth virtual field trip that was imported to Google Maps. I have also submitted the Google Earth file as an assignment in the Wilkes Moodle site.The image files did not transfer when I imported the file to Google Maps, but they are available in the kmz file submitted online through the Wilkes Moodle site.
This was the first time that I have ever used Google Earth as I had not even used it to search for my house. This was a great learning experience and I can see how useful and meaningful it would be for my students to engage in a virtual field trip making use of Google Earth. I have developed my virtual field trip for my International Baccalaureate (IB) chemistry students to complete during their environmental chemistry unit. As this is an international program I see great benefits in using an application like Google Earth which allows students to gain an international perspective on many topics. In addition to the places that I have created for my students to visit there are two built in global awareness layers that would be useful for my students – Unicef: Water and Sanitation and WaterAid.
There are several different types of instructional goals that I wish to achieve through the completion of this visit. They are divided between knowledge outcomes/assessment statements and general aims of an IB science course. They include:
Knowledge Outcomes/Assessment Statements that are being met in this trip:
E.6.1 List the primary pollutants found in waste water and identify their sources.
E.6.2 Outline the primary, secondary and tertiary stages of waste water treatment, and state the substance that is removed during each stage.
Aims of IB science course that are being met in this trip:
5. Engender an awareness of the need for, and the value of, effective collaboration and communication during scientific activities.
7. Develop and apply the students’ information and communication technology skills in the study of science.
8. Raise awareness of the moral, ethical, social, economic and environmental implications of using science and technology.
I wanted to make it as global as possible and to choose as wide a variety of places to visit as possible. Believe it or not, it is quite hard to find user friendly information on waste water treatment. I guess it is not a priority for many people! I think that it is important for students to understand how their waste is treated, how involved the process is and what might be considered standard protocol in one country may not necessarily be the same in a different country. With their final writing prompt I wanted students to think about the complications affecting two very different border nations as they face the important issue of waste water treatment and providing a source of clean water for their citizens. I believe that this activity really allows students to reflect on what it means to have a global collaborative perspective.
On this global circumnavigational field trip, there is ample opportunity for students to work on developing their ethical and respectful minds. They start by investigating waste water treatment in their local area. They then move to South Africa were a state of the art waste treatment facility has been created but down the road other poorer South Africans are fighting just to have access to clean water. Can this development be justified? In California they examine the consequences of the rapid growth of a city and the effect of this on the local environment. Should environmental concerns be considered when making city planning decisions? In Bear River, NS they learn about an environmentally friendly way of dealing with waste. Should all waste treatment plants use this type of technology?
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Friday, July 10, 2009
EDIM 508 u07a1 GoodWork Project, blogs and podcasts
I feel that as a professional, I have already been doing lots of different things to ensure that I am continuously developing each of my five minds. I think one of the reasons for being enrolled in the EDIM program is so that my disciplined mind expands to include not only the realm of chemistry teacher but that it grows to encompass a digitalized chemistry teacher. On a personal front I have begum to explore painting and have enjoyed my foray into this area of my creative mind.
Although not a blog, I have contacted the GoodWork Project organizers and will be asking for funding to purchase the kit for the use in our school. This project was mentioned in Gardner’s book and centers on promoting excellence and ethics in our professions. I have received the introductory package and I know that many of the scenarios would easily be adaptable for my science classes. The kit will also be very useful for our Theory of Knowledge teachers who cover ethics as a part of their course syllabus. I definitely will be sharing this with my staff when school resumes in September…they will be sick and tired of hearing from me!!
I have two professional goals in regards to areas where I want to improve and keep up-to-date – technology use in the classroom and keeping up with current science. There are several different sites that I can use to help me achieve these goals, one blog and three different podcasts. I have been referring to Kathy Schrock’s Kaffeeklatsch blog on educational technology over the years and it is the reason that I heard about this program through Discovery Education. This blog is very teacher friendly and keeps jargon to a minimum, all the while enlightening teachers with up-to-date uses of educational technology. Although a very busy professional she still finds the time to update the blog regularly with posts about a variety of educational technology uses. Her accompanying webpage is also very useful.
I try to bring current science stories into my classroom whenever I can; it is surprising how few students read the paper or news online. They may read the gossip news or entertainment news but rarely do they spend time doing much educational reading online. I have wanted to incorporate a science news summary into my class either as a journaling activity or a class presentation on a weekly basis but have been worried about the time that these activities would need. As well not all of my students have access to a computer at home and with a mound of content knowledge that has to delivered; I am not sure how to set aside enough time for students to successfully engage in this project during class time. I do subscribe to several RSS feeds on my Blog and my Moodle site that students have access to and I start my lessons with a brief discussion on some of the recent science highlights. To help keep up-to-date with the science there are several podcasts that do a great job at delivering fast paced and interesting stories – Science podcast, Scientific American podcast and Quirks and Quarks podcast. The Scientific American podcast is particularly useful for classroom use as it has daily 60 second podcasts which cover a wide variety of science topics. Quirks and Quarks is a Canadian produced radio show that takes a Canadian perspective on many scientific topics as well as having a focus on the international endeavors of scientists. The weekly Science podcast covers topics across the scientific disciplines and provides transcripts of the podcasts. Using Voicethread or creating forums may be one way to incorporate a science journaling activity that would not require much additional class time.
Through the course of the class I have learned many new skills and hope to implement some of them in my classroom. Exposing my students to different forms of digital media will better prepare them for the technology rich future that will exist when they leave high school. It will also give them more meaning and enjoyment while they are in my classes at high school. I will start by incorporating a few ideas and then work on gaining access to the additional technology so all students can gain access.
Although not a blog, I have contacted the GoodWork Project organizers and will be asking for funding to purchase the kit for the use in our school. This project was mentioned in Gardner’s book and centers on promoting excellence and ethics in our professions. I have received the introductory package and I know that many of the scenarios would easily be adaptable for my science classes. The kit will also be very useful for our Theory of Knowledge teachers who cover ethics as a part of their course syllabus. I definitely will be sharing this with my staff when school resumes in September…they will be sick and tired of hearing from me!!
I have two professional goals in regards to areas where I want to improve and keep up-to-date – technology use in the classroom and keeping up with current science. There are several different sites that I can use to help me achieve these goals, one blog and three different podcasts. I have been referring to Kathy Schrock’s Kaffeeklatsch blog on educational technology over the years and it is the reason that I heard about this program through Discovery Education. This blog is very teacher friendly and keeps jargon to a minimum, all the while enlightening teachers with up-to-date uses of educational technology. Although a very busy professional she still finds the time to update the blog regularly with posts about a variety of educational technology uses. Her accompanying webpage is also very useful.
I try to bring current science stories into my classroom whenever I can; it is surprising how few students read the paper or news online. They may read the gossip news or entertainment news but rarely do they spend time doing much educational reading online. I have wanted to incorporate a science news summary into my class either as a journaling activity or a class presentation on a weekly basis but have been worried about the time that these activities would need. As well not all of my students have access to a computer at home and with a mound of content knowledge that has to delivered; I am not sure how to set aside enough time for students to successfully engage in this project during class time. I do subscribe to several RSS feeds on my Blog and my Moodle site that students have access to and I start my lessons with a brief discussion on some of the recent science highlights. To help keep up-to-date with the science there are several podcasts that do a great job at delivering fast paced and interesting stories – Science podcast, Scientific American podcast and Quirks and Quarks podcast. The Scientific American podcast is particularly useful for classroom use as it has daily 60 second podcasts which cover a wide variety of science topics. Quirks and Quarks is a Canadian produced radio show that takes a Canadian perspective on many scientific topics as well as having a focus on the international endeavors of scientists. The weekly Science podcast covers topics across the scientific disciplines and provides transcripts of the podcasts. Using Voicethread or creating forums may be one way to incorporate a science journaling activity that would not require much additional class time.
Through the course of the class I have learned many new skills and hope to implement some of them in my classroom. Exposing my students to different forms of digital media will better prepare them for the technology rich future that will exist when they leave high school. It will also give them more meaning and enjoyment while they are in my classes at high school. I will start by incorporating a few ideas and then work on gaining access to the additional technology so all students can gain access.
Wednesday, July 08, 2009
EDIM 508 u06a1 It's a small world after all...
Reflect on Julene Reed’s article and post a blog entry that presents an idea for using digital media as part of a project, activity or lesson in which you aim to develop students’ respectful and ethical minds.
I am starting to see the interdependencies of the courses in this program; I am developing my synthesizing mind!! Reed’s article read much like a copy of the information that was covered in Friedman’s and Pink’s writings that I first read for the course EDIM 507 – Using Technology to Support Creativity. I have always been interested in the global viewpoint that we can bring to our classroom and now feel much more equipped to bring combine this with my newfound experience and expertise with digital media. These courses have been very complementary of one another. It would be a good recommendation for students to do these two courses at the same time or at least in the same semester.
The information in Reed’s article does not directly relate to the information in Chapter 6 (The Ethical Mind) of Gardner’s Five Minds for the Future; however, it does correspond nicely with the development of the respectful mind which Gardner emphasizes in Chapter 5 of the same book. Like Gardner, I do see many important connections between the two minds. Although we are not directly asked to comment on Gardner’s reading, I want to share a sentence that I found profound and is now on my Facebook profile as well as on a sticky note on my computer - “We are responsible not only for what we do but for what we do not do” (Gardner, 2006, p. 149). For me this sentences explains what it means to have an ethical mind and is reminiscent of something I remember my parents telling me – character is who we are when no-one is watching. For many young people they lack positive role models at home and do not know what it means to do good work and to have a strong character. But back to the task at hand…
In today’s increasingly flattening world, many people no longer associate themselves with being citizens of one nation; instead they may see themselves as global citizens. They may have been born in Papua New Guinea, educated in Australia, mentored in the US and now work between offices located in Mumbai and The Hague. Today there is an increasing sense of competition amongst both businesses and education institutions to attract the best candidates regardless of their nationalities. It is becoming more and more infrequent that young people remain in the community where they spent their childhood. Like Reed said “[w]ith the increased focus on outsourcing and global competition, students must be prepared to compete and succeed by using creativity and ingenuity, and they must be able to work with people from all parts of the world” (2007, ¶3). In order for our students to become good workers and citizenship they must develop a global perspective.
As I have mentioned in a previous blog, I am very lucky to be involved with the IB programme. At the heart of this programme is the goal to provide students from across the global with an education focusing not only on content knowledge but also on character building. This can be noted in the IB Mission Statement:
This statement mirrors closely the writings of both Gardner and Reed.
One of the requirements in the IB Chemistry class that I teach is for all science (Biology, Chemistry and Physics) students to collaborate on a project. The main aim is to “encourage an understanding of the relationships between scientific disciplines and the overarching nature of the scientific method” (IB, 2007, p. 33). The very collaborative nature of this project works in developing a respectful mind. It also allows for a great discussion on the place that ethics plays in the development and growth of science. In Gardner’s book he states that science can be taught the same around the world as it is a universal language. I do believe this to be true, but how science is taught and the classroom expectations are very different in different areas of the globe. The IB curriculum is designed in such a way that cultural bias is minimized and there is an international focus in some content.
For the last few years while doing this project, I have wanted to collaborate with students from another school, hopefully in another country. Through my exposure to new digital media tools this will be closer to becoming a reality. Students would be able to work in heterogeneous school and subject groups to research, test and evaluate. Communication tools like Google Docs will allow students to work cooperatively and collaboratively on documents at the same time. Using applications like Skype with added webcams will allow students to have real time chat. Applications such as Voicethread will allow students to post work and have other members of their group leave comments if time zoning is a problem. Students can also share their comments and results in a group wiki. The project could culminate with a sharing of results via SlideShare or Glogster. Live presentations could take place in both schools and aired via meeting rooms like GoToMeeting, WebEx or Skype.
Having students work in heterogeneous groups will mean students will have to be respectful of each others contributions and beliefs. For example, if the partner school is located in a Muslim area of the globe, class meetings would not be able to take place on Friday as that is the Muslim Sabbath. This project would not only be about learning science but learning about different cultures and different ways of thinking. Projects like this should make great inroads towards helping students develop their respectful and ethical minds.
References
Gardner, H. (2006). Five minds for the future. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press.
Reed. J. (2007). Global collaboration and learning. Retrieved July 8, 2009 from http://www.edtechmag.com/k12/events/updates/global-collaboration-and-learning-2.html
International Baccalaureate Organization. (2007). Chemistry guide. First examinations 2009. Chippenham, Wiltshire; Antony Rowe Ltd.
International Baccalaureate. (2009). International Baccalaureate mission statement. Retrieved July 8, 2009 from http://www.ibo.org/mission/
I am starting to see the interdependencies of the courses in this program; I am developing my synthesizing mind!! Reed’s article read much like a copy of the information that was covered in Friedman’s and Pink’s writings that I first read for the course EDIM 507 – Using Technology to Support Creativity. I have always been interested in the global viewpoint that we can bring to our classroom and now feel much more equipped to bring combine this with my newfound experience and expertise with digital media. These courses have been very complementary of one another. It would be a good recommendation for students to do these two courses at the same time or at least in the same semester.
The information in Reed’s article does not directly relate to the information in Chapter 6 (The Ethical Mind) of Gardner’s Five Minds for the Future; however, it does correspond nicely with the development of the respectful mind which Gardner emphasizes in Chapter 5 of the same book. Like Gardner, I do see many important connections between the two minds. Although we are not directly asked to comment on Gardner’s reading, I want to share a sentence that I found profound and is now on my Facebook profile as well as on a sticky note on my computer - “We are responsible not only for what we do but for what we do not do” (Gardner, 2006, p. 149). For me this sentences explains what it means to have an ethical mind and is reminiscent of something I remember my parents telling me – character is who we are when no-one is watching. For many young people they lack positive role models at home and do not know what it means to do good work and to have a strong character. But back to the task at hand…
In today’s increasingly flattening world, many people no longer associate themselves with being citizens of one nation; instead they may see themselves as global citizens. They may have been born in Papua New Guinea, educated in Australia, mentored in the US and now work between offices located in Mumbai and The Hague. Today there is an increasing sense of competition amongst both businesses and education institutions to attract the best candidates regardless of their nationalities. It is becoming more and more infrequent that young people remain in the community where they spent their childhood. Like Reed said “[w]ith the increased focus on outsourcing and global competition, students must be prepared to compete and succeed by using creativity and ingenuity, and they must be able to work with people from all parts of the world” (2007, ¶3). In order for our students to become good workers and citizenship they must develop a global perspective.
As I have mentioned in a previous blog, I am very lucky to be involved with the IB programme. At the heart of this programme is the goal to provide students from across the global with an education focusing not only on content knowledge but also on character building. This can be noted in the IB Mission Statement:
The International Baccalaureate aims to develop inquiring, knowledgeable and
caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through
intercultural understanding and respect. To this end the organization works with
schools, governments and international organizations to develop challenging
programmes of international education and rigorous assessment. These programmes
encourage students across the world to become active, compassionate and lifelong
learners who understand that other people, with their differences, can also be
right (IB, 2009, ¶ 4).
This statement mirrors closely the writings of both Gardner and Reed.
One of the requirements in the IB Chemistry class that I teach is for all science (Biology, Chemistry and Physics) students to collaborate on a project. The main aim is to “encourage an understanding of the relationships between scientific disciplines and the overarching nature of the scientific method” (IB, 2007, p. 33). The very collaborative nature of this project works in developing a respectful mind. It also allows for a great discussion on the place that ethics plays in the development and growth of science. In Gardner’s book he states that science can be taught the same around the world as it is a universal language. I do believe this to be true, but how science is taught and the classroom expectations are very different in different areas of the globe. The IB curriculum is designed in such a way that cultural bias is minimized and there is an international focus in some content.
For the last few years while doing this project, I have wanted to collaborate with students from another school, hopefully in another country. Through my exposure to new digital media tools this will be closer to becoming a reality. Students would be able to work in heterogeneous school and subject groups to research, test and evaluate. Communication tools like Google Docs will allow students to work cooperatively and collaboratively on documents at the same time. Using applications like Skype with added webcams will allow students to have real time chat. Applications such as Voicethread will allow students to post work and have other members of their group leave comments if time zoning is a problem. Students can also share their comments and results in a group wiki. The project could culminate with a sharing of results via SlideShare or Glogster. Live presentations could take place in both schools and aired via meeting rooms like GoToMeeting, WebEx or Skype.
Having students work in heterogeneous groups will mean students will have to be respectful of each others contributions and beliefs. For example, if the partner school is located in a Muslim area of the globe, class meetings would not be able to take place on Friday as that is the Muslim Sabbath. This project would not only be about learning science but learning about different cultures and different ways of thinking. Projects like this should make great inroads towards helping students develop their respectful and ethical minds.
References
Gardner, H. (2006). Five minds for the future. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press.
Reed. J. (2007). Global collaboration and learning. Retrieved July 8, 2009 from http://www.edtechmag.com/k12/events/updates/global-collaboration-and-learning-2.html
International Baccalaureate Organization. (2007). Chemistry guide. First examinations 2009. Chippenham, Wiltshire; Antony Rowe Ltd.
International Baccalaureate. (2009). International Baccalaureate mission statement. Retrieved July 8, 2009 from http://www.ibo.org/mission/
Tuesday, July 07, 2009
EDIM 508 u05a1 Creativity Outside of the Classroom
Students want to share the content they create with their peers – locally and globally. Share an online resource or application that facilitates connections and sharing within and/or beyond the classroom.
This is an immense task as there are many possible Web 2.0 applications through which students can communicate with their peers. They can include the social networking sites like Facebook or MySpace on which students can be content creators. I especially like the use of glogs as a way to both promote creativity and comment netiquette. But since our project was on developing glogs this unit, I thought it rather boring and mundane to talk about them in another blog. However, I do think they are powerful communication tools which I cannot wait to use with my students in September. Blogs, wikis and forums are also fairly typical, although they are widely used by a great number of students. SlideShare and Flickr and great ways for students to create and share digital images, but again fairly typical. YouTube and TeacherTube are great avenues for both educators and students to share their created videos. Although when on these sites you have to be weary of being ‘rickrolled’ as I was when looking for videos to add to my glog!!
So what application to choose to discuss in this blog? It has to be an application that is not too common but it has to an application that is just as useful and user friendly as those application mentioned above. Traditional classrooms are changing; today classrooms are not confined to a room within four walls. The use of Web 2.0 applications have allowed the classroom to expand and become more global in nature. According to the Horizon Report: 2009 K-12 Edition, “[t]raditionally, a learning environment has been a physical space, but the idea of what constitutes a learning environment is changing. The “spaces” where students learn are becoming more community-driven, interdisciplinary, and supported by technologies that engage virtual communication and collaboration” (p. 6). This is exactly what my chose application allows students to do. I have chosen to share the VoiceThread.
According to the information on the VoiceThread homepage:
The VoiceThreads that I viewed were authored by a wide variety of age groups from a young child who posted a scanned drawing of a dragon to a senior citizen sharing photographs of their life. Comments were also left by all people of all ages and from all areas of the globe. There is a K-12 version of VoiceThread that allows for a secure area where your students can load their digital content and leave comments.
I see there being many different possibilities for VoiceThread in my classroom. These include:
This is an immense task as there are many possible Web 2.0 applications through which students can communicate with their peers. They can include the social networking sites like Facebook or MySpace on which students can be content creators. I especially like the use of glogs as a way to both promote creativity and comment netiquette. But since our project was on developing glogs this unit, I thought it rather boring and mundane to talk about them in another blog. However, I do think they are powerful communication tools which I cannot wait to use with my students in September. Blogs, wikis and forums are also fairly typical, although they are widely used by a great number of students. SlideShare and Flickr and great ways for students to create and share digital images, but again fairly typical. YouTube and TeacherTube are great avenues for both educators and students to share their created videos. Although when on these sites you have to be weary of being ‘rickrolled’ as I was when looking for videos to add to my glog!!
So what application to choose to discuss in this blog? It has to be an application that is not too common but it has to an application that is just as useful and user friendly as those application mentioned above. Traditional classrooms are changing; today classrooms are not confined to a room within four walls. The use of Web 2.0 applications have allowed the classroom to expand and become more global in nature. According to the Horizon Report: 2009 K-12 Edition, “[t]raditionally, a learning environment has been a physical space, but the idea of what constitutes a learning environment is changing. The “spaces” where students learn are becoming more community-driven, interdisciplinary, and supported by technologies that engage virtual communication and collaboration” (p. 6). This is exactly what my chose application allows students to do. I have chosen to share the VoiceThread.
According to the information on the VoiceThread homepage:
A VoiceThread is a collaborative, multimedia slide show that holds images,
documents, and videos and allows people to navigate pages and leave comments in
5 ways - using voice (with a mic or telephone), text, audio file, or video (via
a webcam). Share a VoiceThread with friends, students, and colleagues for them
to record comments too.
Users can doodle while commenting, use multiple identities, and pick which comments are shown through moderation. VoiceThreads can even be embedded to show and receive comments on other websites and exported to MP3 players or DVDs to play as archival movies.
The VoiceThreads that I viewed were authored by a wide variety of age groups from a young child who posted a scanned drawing of a dragon to a senior citizen sharing photographs of their life. Comments were also left by all people of all ages and from all areas of the globe. There is a K-12 version of VoiceThread that allows for a secure area where your students can load their digital content and leave comments.
I see there being many different possibilities for VoiceThread in my classroom. These include:
- As an alternative to traditional class presentations. This would give an opportunity for students who are hesitant to present in front of a class to showcase their talents.
- As an alternative to traditional classroom discussion. It allows for all students to have equal opportunity to comment. It would also allow students to have time to develop an argument or collect their ideas before sharing them with the class.
- A science problem of the week could be posted here and students could work collaboratively to solve it.
- It could serve as a place to share and critique ideas for science fair projects and other design labs.
- It could be used as a ‘contest’ type site where partial images of famous scientists or lab equipment could be posted and students work collaboratively to provide the correct answer.
- It could be used as a ‘live’ discussion forum where students could voice their opinion on such discussion topics as - What does it mean to be a scientist? Does the scientific model hold true today? What has been the greatest scientific discovery of all times? Do you have any questions that remain unanswered after today’s lesson?
Some capacities of VoiceThread are available free, although the annual fee for a teacher and 100 of their students is only $60 or there is a school fee of $1/student. I think it is a very worthwhile investment for teachers of all subjects and grade levels. I now know where my noon supervision money will be earmarked for September.
References
Johnson, L., Levine, A., Smith, R., and Smythe, T. (2009). The 2009 Horizon Report: K-12 Edition. Austin, Texas: The New Media Consortium.
VoiceThread. (2009). About. Retrieved July 7, 2009 from http://voicethread.com/about/
Monday, July 06, 2009
EDIM 508 u03a2 Student Learning Centre
In what practical ways can a media-infused presentation like the one you created help foster the development of both the disciplined and synthesizing minds?
I had a very difficult time deciding on a topic to focus on for this project. I wanted to find a current topic in my curriculum that students find difficult and traditionally has not been viewed by students as an ‘interesting’ topic (although very necessary for further study in chemistry). I wanted to find an area in the curriculum that I felt needed revamping. I was also conscious of a class that I could spend some extra time with incorporating this student learning centre. My idea was to make this student centre not only a place for students to review curriculum content but also to present the students with a project that would allow them to display their mastery of the content through a synthesis driven project. By having to construct a flowchart that displayed all of the information they were exposed to, students would have to quite literally make the connections and devise their own organization scheme for the information.
To many students, chemistry is just a subject where you have to memorize formulas and equations. However if students learn the basics of the subject, all of the topics can be seen as interrelated and dependent on one another. Students cover organic chemistry as a part of the NS Chemistry 11 course. The topic of organic nomenclature would definitely fall under the guise of a disciplined mind. In order to be successful with this topic, students must first draw on their background of chemical bonding before they learn the numerous rules of naming that apply to the more than ten types of organic functional groups. These rules will then be used as they continue their studies in Chemistry 12 and at university/college. I did settle on creating a student centre for organic nonmenclature as I felt that students would first have to use their disciplined mind to master the topic and then use their synthesizing mind to create the connections and to show deep understanding of the material.
By allowing students to see and hear chemical nomenclature explained in a variety of fashions and via a series of different media I hoped that students would be able to attain an even greater level of success with this topic. Students are bombarded with a variety of media in their everyday life and I think will respond very favourably with their exposure here.
I had started this project wondering what the difference was between a media-infused presentation and a regular interactive webpage. I now see that working with PowerPoint has its benefits as it is a user friendly application that does not require any special computer knowledge to use; it contains features that can easily be manipulated; media features can easily be added or removed; students can access to the program at school or at home; it can be saved as a single file web page; and help is readily available to answer questions that may arise
Here is a link to the student part of the presentation that I uploaded on my homepage.
I had a very difficult time deciding on a topic to focus on for this project. I wanted to find a current topic in my curriculum that students find difficult and traditionally has not been viewed by students as an ‘interesting’ topic (although very necessary for further study in chemistry). I wanted to find an area in the curriculum that I felt needed revamping. I was also conscious of a class that I could spend some extra time with incorporating this student learning centre. My idea was to make this student centre not only a place for students to review curriculum content but also to present the students with a project that would allow them to display their mastery of the content through a synthesis driven project. By having to construct a flowchart that displayed all of the information they were exposed to, students would have to quite literally make the connections and devise their own organization scheme for the information.
To many students, chemistry is just a subject where you have to memorize formulas and equations. However if students learn the basics of the subject, all of the topics can be seen as interrelated and dependent on one another. Students cover organic chemistry as a part of the NS Chemistry 11 course. The topic of organic nomenclature would definitely fall under the guise of a disciplined mind. In order to be successful with this topic, students must first draw on their background of chemical bonding before they learn the numerous rules of naming that apply to the more than ten types of organic functional groups. These rules will then be used as they continue their studies in Chemistry 12 and at university/college. I did settle on creating a student centre for organic nonmenclature as I felt that students would first have to use their disciplined mind to master the topic and then use their synthesizing mind to create the connections and to show deep understanding of the material.
By allowing students to see and hear chemical nomenclature explained in a variety of fashions and via a series of different media I hoped that students would be able to attain an even greater level of success with this topic. Students are bombarded with a variety of media in their everyday life and I think will respond very favourably with their exposure here.
I had started this project wondering what the difference was between a media-infused presentation and a regular interactive webpage. I now see that working with PowerPoint has its benefits as it is a user friendly application that does not require any special computer knowledge to use; it contains features that can easily be manipulated; media features can easily be added or removed; students can access to the program at school or at home; it can be saved as a single file web page; and help is readily available to answer questions that may arise
Here is a link to the student part of the presentation that I uploaded on my homepage.
Sunday, July 05, 2009
EDIM 508 u05a2 Glog Reflection
How can you use Glogster in your classroom this school year to foster the development of the creating mind? Elaborate on the instructional purpose and the standards you will address.
You can find find my glog here.
I was so excited to try out creating a glog that I completed this project before I completed project 1. I know, not setting a good example for my students, but I just could not help myself! I was so interested while looking at other glogs that ideas started swirling in my head and before you knew it I was glogging. Registering for a glog was easy; however I found some of the design features on Glogster to be confusing and not intuitive. There were some features that I would have liked to have had available for use, I did try Googling Glogster help but there did not seem to be any answers!! I thought that including a spelling checker would have been a useful additional tool. I would have also liked to have been able to change fonts within a text box. I would have liked to have had the ability to include links to webpages instead of just having digital media link options. Perhaps these will be available in an updated version of Glogster.
I had a hard time just creating one glog and I can see myself expanding my collection of glogs over the summer. I created a glog for my International Baccalaureate Chemistry class to replace a more traditional project that I have done during this unit. I felt that the same learning outcomes could be met but in such a way that would allow for greater creativity for my students. The specific learning outcomes that would be addressed from the oxidation and reduction unit are:
Define oxidation and reduction in terms of electron loss and gain.
Deduce whether an element undergoes oxidation or reduction in reactions using oxidation numbers.
Define the terms oxidizing agent and reducing agent.
Deduce a reactivity series based on the chemical behaviour of a group of oxidizing and reducing agents.
I see students spending three or four classes working through the videos, the quiz and the writing assignment. I then see the students spending another three or four classes creating their comic strip to accompany the writing assignment and posting this on their glog along with other information that would represent their understanding of electrochemistry. I think the creativity associated with filming and creating the comic strip will be expanded upon when the students start glogging.
In addition to using Glogster for this specific purpose, I also see glogging as a more creative alternative to blogging or contributing to a class discussion forum. Students will no longer be limited to expressing themselves just in terms of text. Glogging allows students to include a multimedia approach to class discussion; making for a more rich classroom experience. Glogging would be appropriate to start off a unit to show student’s prior knowledge. Teachers could look at these glogs and see what misconceptions students may have and rectify them over the course of the unit. As students gather new knowledge they can update their glog and then it would be available for them to use as a review tool.
EDIM 508 u04a1 Comic Life
Identify and present a digital resource or tool (e.g., website, application) that can be used to develop the creating mind.
Comic Life is a software package manufactured by plasq and can be downloaded for a 30-day free trial here. It is available for both Mac and Windows platforms and is very user friendly and has characteristics of both platforms. Comic Life allows students to create and produce their own comic strips. Students take digital images and import them into the program. Students can then choose from a series of templates and add in their own text to create a story that looks like a comic strip. Is there a kid that does not like to read comics?
Students can create a simple scrapbook, like the example I have shown on the left, to practice using the software. This program is available in seven different languages – English, Spanish, French, Dutch, German, Japanese and Italian so would be a great addition to second language classes. Comic Life could be used in language arts classrooms to design stories and create book reports, in math classrooms to explain a concept, in science classrooms to replace traditional lab reports, in physical education classrooms to show and explain the mechanics of a free throw or in home economics classrooms to illustrate a recipe.
Comic Life is a great example of a digital tool that would aid students in the development of their creating mind. Students can script, film and produce their own stories. They get to focus not only on image capture but the development of their storytelling skills as well. The same learning outcomes that can be achieved with the more traditional pen and paper approach can also be met through the use of Comic Life. I bet that most students would think that using an application such as Comic Life would be much more fun than more traditional seat work. Comic Life would allow for more freedom and a greater level of creativity than most traditional teaching methods.
Comic Life is a software package manufactured by plasq and can be downloaded for a 30-day free trial here. It is available for both Mac and Windows platforms and is very user friendly and has characteristics of both platforms. Comic Life allows students to create and produce their own comic strips. Students take digital images and import them into the program. Students can then choose from a series of templates and add in their own text to create a story that looks like a comic strip. Is there a kid that does not like to read comics?Students can create a simple scrapbook, like the example I have shown on the left, to practice using the software. This program is available in seven different languages – English, Spanish, French, Dutch, German, Japanese and Italian so would be a great addition to second language classes. Comic Life could be used in language arts classrooms to design stories and create book reports, in math classrooms to explain a concept, in science classrooms to replace traditional lab reports, in physical education classrooms to show and explain the mechanics of a free throw or in home economics classrooms to illustrate a recipe.
Comic Life is a great example of a digital tool that would aid students in the development of their creating mind. Students can script, film and produce their own stories. They get to focus not only on image capture but the development of their storytelling skills as well. The same learning outcomes that can be achieved with the more traditional pen and paper approach can also be met through the use of Comic Life. I bet that most students would think that using an application such as Comic Life would be much more fun than more traditional seat work. Comic Life would allow for more freedom and a greater level of creativity than most traditional teaching methods.
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