Take away message 02/24

I have to say that I am impressed by the videos that we saw tonight.  If anyone ever doubted that teenagers are capable of intelligently, and even eloquently, expressing themselves through media they are mistaken.  Creativity often requires a medium through which it can be demonstrated, and allowing students to come up with projects that express their opinions and ideas can yield excellent results.  The enthusiasm in the videos really came through, and it was obvious that they took pride in their videos judging by the way they were edited, their choices in music, etc.  Hopefully I'll be able to make something that, if I were to show it in my classroom, would generate interest among my students. 

WebQuest Idea

Students in my 9th grade living environment class will research Watson and Crick's discovery of DNA and detail how it changed science and our world in general.


CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RST.9-10.1 Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of science and technical texts, attending to the precise details of explanations or descriptions.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RST.9-10.2 Determine the central ideas or conclusions of a text; trace the text’s explanation or depiction of a complex process, phenomenon, or concept; provide an accurate summary of the text.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RST.9-10.4 Determine the meaning of symbols, key terms, and other domain-specific words and phrases as they are used in a specific scientific or technical context relevant togrades 9–10 texts and topics.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RST.9-10.5 Analyze the structure of the relationships among concepts in a text, including relationships among key terms (e.g., force, friction, reaction force, energy).

Chapter 2 & 3 Reflection

I found Chapter 2 to be especially valuable because it seemed to emphasize some student centered approaches that I will be able to use in my classroom.  For instance, the 'active methods to engage students' section highlights ideas such as forming learning groups, using inquiry learning, and using the concept of metacognitive thinking so that students can use self-explanation and self-examination.  All of these things can be significantly augmented by using technology in the classroom in my opinion.

Some of the student centered approaches almost seem tailor made to use with technology.  For instance, students can utilize the unparalleled access to information that the internet provides them to do collaborative inquiry learning projects or web quests. Or how about tapping into your students' creativity by having them create an animation on a topic of interest to them that has to do with your course?  Allowing students to discover for themselves what interests them and simultaneously allowing them to express their creativity regarding these interests is perhaps the greatest use for technology in the classroom.

Chapter 3 discusses the ever important topic of lesson planning and development.  Teachers cannot enter the classroom and teach off-the-cuff, they need a solid plan that encompasses all of the concepts they want their students to learn.  However, the interesting thing that caught my eye in chapter 3 was not only how to plan lessons, but how to measure student progress using technology.  I think an excellent way to do this is portfolios or exhibitions.  Students can then see themselves how much they have progressed instead of just receiving a letter grade.

Two questions come to mind after finishing these readings.

1.  Do you think that computer based testing is the future of testing?  That is, will students one day take tests on computers that provide them with immediate feedback on their knowledge level?  How would this hinder or help teachers in a traditional classroom environment?

2.  How do you foresee yourself using technology to plan lessons?

Takeaway message 2 10

Today I learned that applying technology to the classroom can augment a teacher's ability to reach his or her students.  The number of applications that are available allow teachers to not simply use technology as a time filler or a crutch, but as valuable learning tools.  Interaction among students can actually be strengthened instead of stifled through the use of technology.  Being technologically savvy is only going to help students in their future endeavors, which is an additional reason to implement technology in the classroom.  Creativity is often missing from the classroom.  Absorbing and repeating information is all too often the mode of instruction.  Creativity is a vital quality to have, and fostering this quality in your students through the use of technology will generate positive results. 

An introductory post on technology and learning.

Technological changes in our society have rapidly advanced our ability to create, store, retrieve, and disseminate information.  The impact of technology in education cannot be understated.  When reading the first chapter, I came to realize how multidimensional teaching with technology can be, and how I would like to use it in my classroom.

Specifically, the chapter mentions a variety of ways to use technology both inside and outside the classroom.  As a biology teacher, I feel animations and videos can be extremely helpful in facilitating the learning of complex concepts, such as the transcription and translation of DNA.  I may very well set up a blog such as this one just for my students so that they can browse helpful animations and videos. As the chapter discusses, students learn in different ways, and technology can appeal to a variety of learning styles.  Additionally, with the widespread use of social media by many students, use of twitter to post assignments or discussions can be an exciting and different way for learning to occur.  

From a practical standpoint, technology is a reality in our every day lives that cannot be avoided. Students need to, for their future careers, and for their future lives in general, learn how to use technology.  As chapter 1 states, however, some students do not have as much access to technology as others.  For this reason, it is important for teachers to help students during learn how to use technology during class time.  This may seem like it will interfere with a lesson, however it is of vital importance, and combining technology with subject learning will maximize efficiency.  

In conclusion, I feel that the use of technology as a learning tool is of paramount importance.  I want to be an "early adopter" of technology so that I can present new concepts and techniques to my students when they are first available.  I don't want them to lag behind in the world of technology, in other words.  I hope to reach as many students as possible, no matter what their preferred learning modality, with exciting lessons that give them a sense of accomplishment.  Technology is an excellent way to accomplish this goal.

Question 1.

How can we help students from low-income households/neighborhoods to access technology outside of the classroom?

Question 2.

How can we help students stay on task while using technology?  There are myriad distractions at the waiting when they go online, particularly outside of the classroom.  Is this an obstacle that anyone has faced?