Technology for Science Teachers

Resources: Where and Why!

mwa3 — Sat, 16 Feb 2008 16:46:07 +0000

Web-Based Resources for Science and Technology: Tools and Activities for Teaching and Learning Curriculum Enhancement. Science as well as technology teachers struggle with having enough resources (access to money and teaching tools). The World Wide Web has a significant amount of free resources for teaching science and technology for elementary and secondary educators. Most of the resources are targeted for the typically developing students, so our challenge is to determine how these tools can be applied to those with diverse learning needs.Using several different suggested web-sites from the Access Center to create lessons and develop activities for my 5th graders, I find using web-based tools, such as resource web pages very helpful. Tools on this link include, but are not limited to: Lesson plans, interactive models, video and audio, manipulatives and games. All these tools, increase access to learning for all students at different levels. We (science teachers) must consider appropriate and responsible ways to use these tools. The link provided in this post on Web-based tools and activities is from the Department of Educations Access Center, and gives science teachers Subject-Specific Resources: Earth and Space Science Life Science (Biology) Physical Science (Chemistry & Physics)

Voice Threads

mwa3 — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 03:36:36 +0000

We have been using voice threads to create our 5th grade digital science notebooks. I like it becasue it gives every child a voice, or a different way to participate while still protecting student idenity. My teacher certification placements digital science notebooks are made simply with a digital camera and voice threads, but there are many great ways to create voice threads (podcasts as I mentioned made on GarageBand are excellent). This tutorial is very useful in creating voice threads: http://voicethread.com/#c28

As a student at the University of Washinton Bothell in teacher certification my technology class is making podcasts this quarter, they have become very useful in our placements as well as personal reflection (shared learning). I like listening to the voice threads of the primary kids, it’s so funny. The “take home” message with voice threads is a great tool for motivating students. The kids love making PodCasts. I have seen voice threads used in various levels (K-College) and can speculate the age range using voice threads is limitless.

Great Example of Technology in Any Classroom

mwa3 — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 02:53:31 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/v/q8GKKjkclhg&rel=1

Had to share this YouTube on Technology in our Schools, powerful and beautiful: Enjoy

Notice the Science teacher using the Smartboard to teach Volcano’s, this was what I did last quarter in my dyad placement. Technology covers every level of education: from pre-12 to higher learning. In science it will be the virtual labs of the future. As the music in the video suggests, the future of technology in classrooms will be “The time of their life.” Once again, technology in classrooms, and especially science classrooms (virtual field work) is so important, due to limited resouces. Just using Smart/Acitive Boards have changed the face of my pedogogy, I use the white boards less, the document camera less, and the students love to come to the front of the class to work on the Smart Board. I was attracted to this video because I see it as a visualization of what my classroom will be in the future.

Science Wiki’s

mwa3 — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 22:26:22 +0000

Wiki Wiki, take the bus to sharing downloads. Wikis allow users to create, edit and link web pages. Classroom, or in my case science collaboration is easily done on a Wiki. Wikipedia is the best know of the Wikis. A Wiki can be thought of as a combination of a Web site and a Word document. At its simplest, it can be read just like any other web site, with no access privileges necessary or can be private, but its real power lies in the fact that groups can collaboratively work on the content of the site using nothing but a standard web browser.

Wikis are great for creating simple websites, peer reviews or research tracking, group authoring, tracking a project, data collection and presentations. Today our science class Wiki (Secure for student protection or I would share) is using the Wiki to track the growth of our barley and pea plants. I have also downloaded several Powerpoint presentations on the class Wiki, which makes access from home convenient. Wikis should and can be used once students have reached the level of safe and resonsable computer/internet use. My placement school has a 3rd grade classroom that has a Wiki, and my opinion is that it appears to be a good level to consider usage (safety first).

Criteria for the best Wiki for science classroom (Great Place to Start)

Blogging in Science Classrooms

mwa3 — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 23:02:01 +0000

Everywhere, kids are blogging. What a perfect tool for the science classroom. Finding many great examples of what a Science Classroom blog looks like, I want you to see Mr. Hartman’s. This week he is teaching The Fluid Mosaic Model of an Cell Membrane and has his students comment and respond to prompts. What a quick and easy way to share teaching materials and receiving responses. So I guess my next question, since blogging appears fun and easy: Is blogging safe? After searching and exploring Mr. Hartman’s blog (classblogs), the students are completely safe, no matter what their ages. Just first names, no personal information and I’m sure Mr. Hartman is teaching his students proper blogging safety and etiquette.

My opinion, once students can use computers/internet safely, which comes at different times in social development, this can become a science classroom standard.

Overwhelmed

mwa3 — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 03:10:04 +0000

The sheer volume of available online tools for enhancing science instruction can make searching for the perfect tool a daunting task. Try not to be overwhelmed.

My advice is start by adding one simulation to an existing lesson, or perhaps let students experiment with a single image. As your confidence grows, so will your repertoire of technological tools.

The more experience students gain in using online tools, the greater their understanding will be of the connections between science, technology, discovery, and communication will be.

The reason for this reflection is, today I overwhelmed my class with TOO MUCH TECHNOLOGY, and put myself in the situation of having to reteach my lesson. I spent most of my instruction time on clarification. This was because the level of technology I expected my 5th graders to use requires several hours of instruction, we were using Adobe Movie Maker and Video Cameras. Oh Well, I learned something!

Sharing

mwa3 — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 03:04:56 +0000

Interactive Outreach Projects
Scientists rarely work in isolation. Communication and collaboration with others conducting similar kinds of experimentation are crucial components of scientific study. A wide variety of projects are available online and allow students to interact and share data with other students and teachers worldwide. When students share questions, data, and conclusions with others, they achieve the sense of connection felt by all scientists doing research on specific topics. Additionally, becoming part of a large-scale project reinforces the concept that science is used to solve real problems.The variety of free, online projects available is extraordinary. Students can become involved in projects ranging from comparisons of local ecosystems to measuring changes in the Earth’s magnetic field to conservation of resources and investigation of endangered species. The following Web sites will prove helpful in selecting a project that is right for you and your students.Pathfinder Science
http://www.pathfinderscience.net/The Bugscope Project
http://bugscope.beckman.uiuc.edu/The Jason Project
http://www.jasonproject.org/Roadkill 2003
http://www.edutel.org/roadkill/Journey North: A Global Study of Wildlife Migration
http://www.learner.org/jnorth/

The projects provided above are more useful for science teachers, than their students as a whole. But, there are many excellent pages on each site meant for students. One great example is the Jason Porject from National Geographic. There are many ideas and areas for science teachers to consider, and some interactive pages for your students. I recommend this Project for primary through secondary teachers than their students.

Simulations

mwa3 — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 03:00:47 +0000

Virtual experiments cannot replace traditional laboratory experiences. However, some interesting and relevant questions are difficult or even impossible to investigate in the traditional laboratory setting. For example, studying the changes in momentum and velocity which occur when a truck and car collide, is not viable in the classroom. Due to budgetary or other restrictions, even a frog dissection might not be possible in some schools. Simulations offer an interesting and often quite realistic way to examine content best acquired through hands-on experience.

There are many advantages to using online simulations. They can provide access to equipment not available in most classrooms, and can mimic the behavior of objects or situations which may be too dangerous, too large, or too small to be studied in the lab. In addition, students are often highly motivated by computer simulations, increasing the desire to learn and the capability for retention.These resources for online simulations will prove helpful as you begin your search.Physics Web Interactive Experiments
http://physicsweb.org/resources/Education/Interactive_experiments/Listing of science simulations through the Metropolitan Association for Teachers of Science
http://www.hal-pc.org/~clement/science.htmThe Whole Frog Project (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory)
http://www-itg.lbl.gov/ITG.hm.pg.docs/Whole.Frog/Whole.Frog.htmlSport Science at the Exploratorium
http://www.exploratorium.edu/sport/index.html

Many of these virtual projects could be used from intermediate elementary to late secondary levels of education. I used The Whole Frog Project in a 3rd grade class a few years back. The reason we used the virtual experiment wasn’t becuase of no funding or lack of resources, it was becasue using real frogs are too messy and scare the kids. In this case the virtual experiment was much more primary friendly, so when thinking what grade levels could use such technology, my thought is “most any, with proper instruction and help.”

Image Processing

mwa3 — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 02:53:33 +0000

Image processing involves examining and working with images to learn more about what they represent. Consider, for example, how a detailed, real-time view of a hurricane could be used to enhance meteorology instruction. By enhancing, manipulating, or even animating this image, students can investigate and collect measurable data about variables including size, speed, distance, and storm track. Are students learning about global climatic change? Images that illustrate the extent of snow and ice coverage over given areas can help students understand meteorology on a more global scale. My dyad placement last quarter, we did image processing for hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico.

This type of online tool makes possible a ground-breaking instructional shift. Not only is the equipment to obtain these types of images first-hand unavailable in most schools, but the opportunity to view them in real time is nonexistent without the Web. Compare these advantages with studying static images from print material alone, and the difference is staggering.Consider the following Web sites as you search for applicable image processing tools and images.

Multimission Image Processing Laboratory
http://www-mipl.jpl.nasa.gov/General Science/Biology Files for the Mac/PC
http://science.exeter.edu/jekstrom/Web/ij.htmlHIPR2 Image Library
http://www.dai.ed.ac.uk/HIPR2/library.htmNSF Science and Technology Center for Computer Graphics and Scientific Visualization
http://www.cs.brown.edu/stc/Caltech Biological Imaging Center
http://bioimaging.caltech.edu/

This technology is difficult to manipulate, but at the same time readily accessable for free on the World Wide Web. I see it as more of a teacher tool, instead of a student tool. I am now working with an image processing program for the microscope to be used on Smart Boards. We are examining plant and animal cellular structures and their physiology. The best part of this technology in our work, is when you get a great slide, you can save it. You never lose your work, whereas before this type of technology the visual graphics from working with microscopes was by memory, journal drawings and digital imaging.

Photo Story 3

mwa3 — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 01:55:46 +0000

This is something every teacher should have in their technology tool box. I used it in a Teacher Certification Class, and the class loved it. Some of the Student Teachers made introductions for their field placements, others just had fun. Overall my experience with Photo Story 3, I found is one that I recommend for any educator.

Searching blogs for others thoughts of Photo Story 3 I found Mark Geary’s blog and he says:One of the ways I have used Photo Story 3 is with my “Integrating Technology into the Classroom” course at Dakota State University is by inviting a local fifth-grade class to visit our lab, then helping students build their own book trailer. Over the course of the hour, we help students scan or take digital pictures, import their pictures to Photo Story 3, add narration, motion and music. They take their movies back to show on morning announcements, to their friends, and to their parents.

I plan to use the technology next quarter to have my 5th gradeclass make science notebooks. With the use of a digital camera and copyright free music, I hope to make our notebooks something to share with the students’ families and community. I found the technology fairly user friendly and would have no problem working with Photo Story 3 and classes in second and third grades. Of course they would need instructional skills and supervision, but the outcomes with this science teacher tool outwieghts the difficulties achieving desired the outcomes.