Setting the Stage Revision

When this class began I was knee deep in promotion celebrations, field trips, cleaning--in general all of the things that go with the last two weeks of school.  This should explain why I don't have an initial setting the stage post, it got lost in the scramble.  I'll do my best to bridge the gap from this end of the course.  I found this class initially frustrating because nothing was working for me.  This has been my general experience with technology--I have an idea where I want to go but it seems like it's always five steps back to fix the things I need to have before I can move forward.  Things got fixed and I started to work my way through the technology. 

There are some things I really like, some that are interesting, and some that I can't think of a use for yet.  I'm more receptive to things like this when I can see their practical application, not just doing tech for tech's sake.  Happily I see more and more applications for web tools within my teaching.  Just in the past week I've expanded my skills to making a fairly complex Prezi and creating a movie/assessment using a flip camera and Windows movie maker.  I'm still surprised at how well that worked.  I still like the idea of a wiki (my final project) but I may explore Edmodo and see if it will lend itself to my needs for next year.  I still need to try out Jing and Screencasting but I think that part of my trepidation is just the recording and sound.  It reminds me of long ago when I worked for the Forest Service and it was always hard to talk on the radio for the first few times.  I think I'll get there, just not yet.  I'm glad I took this class, I think that it will make me a better 21st century school marm.

Prezi presentation for three classes

Here's my prezi presentation that hits three birds, so to speak.  1) It's a new Web tool, 2) it's a technology for teaching project, and 3) this is my final inquiry unit.  Wahoo!!

http://prezi.com/6dlefunsumbz/inquiry-final-project/

I just made a movie!!

I am ridiculously excited about this, I suppose that mean I'm getting it finally.  I took this video yesterday with my new handy little flip camera.  As you'll see, this is a formative assessment for my students as we move through sedimentary rocks. Looking back over it, Hill #1 needs some more time.

Feeling more rejuvenated for next year

I'm so happy that I took this class and Inquiry this summer.  I feel like I have more ideas for next year to get my students more excited about science.  I also feel like I have some kind of internal permission to move toward quality instead of quantity (i.e., go more deeply with inquiry and consolidate more things, not just working off of my check off list).  I also feel like I'm constantly building chunks of lessons when I'm out in the world.  Yesterday I stopped at Vantage, WA where I-90 crosses the upper Columbia River.  I took pictures of the river and the hills with different erosion patterns to use in the class this fall.  Today I pulled off the interstate by Deer Lodge and took pictures of more hilltops with different types of erosion.  I even used my new little nifty flip video camera.  It's nice to have classes that create interest in teachers and not just fill in time.

Some quality time with Google

I've explored Google Docs off and on.  I like the idea of one space for students to keep documents because of the problems that arise with "I saved it at home" or those students that keep saving their documents to the desktop (not their drives) only to have the wiped off at night.  Unfortunately my school has a pretty strict policy for student emails and that looks to be the only way to set up an account.  I think I need to check and see the exact extent of our email policy.  We've also had problems with Google, especially Images, slipping things through our filter.  On the plus side I can see its uses for the professional side of teaching.  I like the collaboration abilities and the forms.  I can actually see how the forms will simplify the Secret Santa process for our social committee, so I need to pass that along.

I get more excited about Google Earth all the time.  I love the link to the Complete List of Google Earth Activities.  Even though all of the activities I looked at were college level, the ideas can be modified for middle school.  I really like the idea of a scavenger hunt, especially for Washington state geography.  Unfortunately this is in my teaching partner's area but the more the merrier when working with web tools! :)

Class final project

I created a wiki for my classroom (I teach math and science). I've put what I think I'll link on the home page. The Science page is the most evolved, this is an idea I've had for some time. I tried to embed the video and it looked like it worked the first time, but when I checked back it was gone so I linked it in. I'd like to expose my students to science in the news and famous scientists and then have students discuss and reflect in the Discussion area. The Links page is also something I've wanted to do for some time as well. Every year at conferences I have parents ask how they can help their students with math and now I have a spot that they can go to for examples. We also have books with internet components and this is a central location for both classes. My only question right now is how to give students and parents access to the ed. wikispaces. This is actually a public copy of the one I created in the ed portion of wikispaces. Here's the link -- http://jones-webtools.wikispaces.com/message/list/8th+Grade+Science

Blogs and wikis

Finally got to explore our wiki page on wikis and it was interesting to see examples of student work.  I found the shiny objects presentation interesting, especially that students felt more confident speaking out in class after they had done the mandatory blog posts.  I agree that it would be a good way for the quieter students to have their time to shine and would limit those students that feel the need to dominate the conversations.  I was very impressed by the TALONS site.  I like the idea of the sample lessons from YouTube on the wiki for students to come back to on their own time.  I can think of a math demo that my students liked last year that's going to go on my final project wiki after I finish here.  I did see how blogs can be incorporated more into the classroom, especially in literature.  I have a co-worker that essentially does the same thing with reading journals for literature.  I think I'm going to show him the blogs and see if he's interested in giving his kids that option for reading responses (if they'd rather not do a paper journal).  I hadn't looked at edublogs yet, but I like that they're a more secure way for students to blog.  I'm really excited about my final project wiki, it's the place I wanted to put all of my stuff.  My only regret is that it's not set up like LiveBinder -- I like that tabbed format better.  I think I also have to move my wiki into public wikispaces and out of the ed section, at least for the final project.  I don't think anyone else can access it from where it is now. 

WISE simulation

While doing some reading for my inquiry class I discovered the WISE - Web-based Inquiry Science Environment.  I played with one of the simulations and it looks really promising.  Students complete simulations including reflection questions which are sent to a teacher section.  They're set up for a pair of students to work on together.  Here's the link in case you're interested: http://wise.berkeley.edu/

Working on my wiki project and I think that it'll turn out like I envisioned.  My only question right now is how I give parents access -- I'm using the education version from wikispaces.  I like that it's private with no adds since I always have students that can't have pictures or work on the internet.  Also I can set up student accounts with no email accounts.  I'd really like to have students do some kind of current event and/or famous scientist reading and reflections at least once or twice a month.  The challenge is to move all my kids through this on our four computers -- I know that I'll have to change around the way I teach things, I'm just not sure how.  It might work if I add in a chunk of time, like a warm up, for students to work on a computer assignment or some other type of individual or small group work.  Maybe the first 10-15 minutes of class?  A combination of electronic and paper reading assignments, with groups assigned to computers on certain days?

I was a little too over-thrilled that I embedded a video into my wiki.  My goal for this video is to have students look at it and think about how the mountain bikers use scientific inquiry when building their trails.  It's a cool video -- lets see if I can do it here... nope, it's not on YouTube so here's the link Mountain Bike Freeriding - OPB




Simulations

A week behind and trying to get caught up... but the simulations were great.  I made it through the ones in the book that seem to pertain to my curriculum areas.  I think I'll have to print off the ones from the comment page -- there are so many!!

I started with Gizmos at Explore Learning and probably shouldn't have.  They look wonderful and I can see a lot of differentiated instruction time with these for both science and math.  Unfortunately something this wonderful is probably going to be spendy (especially if they give quotes by building or district size).  I'm waiting for my classroom quote from the region rep. before I get too excited about it (but it did look really cool).

PBS Try it Out was okay but pretty basic.  I did like the tech timeline, it was interesting and might be a good lead in for out tech design unit.

Learning Science had a great simulation for the geologic timeline from the U Cal. Museum of Paleontology.  It hits a number of concepts from my Earth history unit.  In the Biology are I looked at a genotype/phenotype simulation with dragons but it was a bit complicated.  The Zoo Matchmaker gives some hands on examples of breeding and inbreeding with tigers but you'd have to have definite goals for the simulation.  It took some time to complete the four generations.  Mendal's Peas looked like it would be really good for cross-breeding simulations.  I like that they had an activity at the end to practice the concepts.  The Tech Design section looked like it had good stuff for that unit but I need to wander around in it longer.

johnkyrk.com site had an impressive evolutionary time line but you can't see the whole thing on one screen and it could be a bit of a visual overload.  Also, I try to steer away from the human/primate portion of evolution if possible.  The meiosis simulation isn't too bad.

U of Colo. site, or Phet site had some interesting stuff.  I've wandered around in there a little before.  I like that some of the simulations are about things my students are already into, like skateboarding and force.  Unfortunately there's not a lot in there that hits my particular curriculum.

Love the simulations, off to find some more.

My science nerd moment in Vegas

I had a truly science nerdy moment last week in Las Vegas.  We were at the Bellagio to see the fountain (one of my favorite things) and they had mini-fountains inside that were amazing.  They shot arcs of water across this little pool but the really amazing part was when the water would be cut off at the base, but the tube of water would keep its integrity while it finished the arc! It looked like a clear plastic snake/worm arcing across the pond.  I know it much have something to do with the water pressure, force, and probably some surface tension but to see it overcome gravity and keep the integrity of it's shape was really impressive.

A little bit of knowlege can be a dangerous thing

I'm brainstorming projects to include more tech into my existing units and I think I've come upon a slightly brilliant idea.  Problem is, I don't know if it's something I can implement.  What I think I'm going to do is rattle off in a bit of a stream of consciousness fashion and see what comes.  If anyone would like to comment, help, etc. -- please feel free :)

There is one place in our curriculum where science and history meet and that is the geography of Washington.  In history they study the various maps/resources of the state.  In science we interpret land forms and the past geologic events that created them.  History has dibs on the NOVA video Mystery of the Mega Flood (very good if you haven't seen it) about Glacial Lake Missoula.  As I was wandering around in Google Earth I started to wonder if there is a way to have students build their own map or overlay of the area that the lake covered and the extent of the flooding after the ice dams broke. But then how much front loading or training will be required for students to be able to do this?  They don't all get computers at the same time and I'm pretty sure that Google Earth wasn't covered for them last year.  How long would it take to do this, four students at a time?  Is this something that I could screencast for the class?  Is there a way I could create a webquest for them to complete that uses the components of Google Earth?  Or would a wiki be better for something like that (just looked at a couple webquest pages)?

Still not having a great inspirational thought but I do think I need to play with Google Earth more and see if what I have in my brain is possible.  I'd like students to see the actual sites depicted in the video if possible -- sort of like a virtual field trip.