Screencasting

This is an example of my attempt at screencasting.  I have been wanting to try this for awhile after reading about 'flipping' my lectures after a PD session.  I do believe reading an article by Eric as well.  This attempt took me several tries before I thought it was publishable, yet after seeing it I don't believe it is that good.  I found this very difficult to do well but feel that after awhile a teacher (or student) would be creating videos that were top quality. 
The video is just me working through what is known as an analytic question.  This is a question designed to 'test' a students problem solving ability on the Physics 30 Diploma exam (a standardized exam in Alberta).  The question requires a student to use at least 2 physics principles to solve the question and is regarding as quite challenging.  The one I chose to demonstrate is a common one that tends to come up on the exam.  It is projectile motion inside an uniform electric field. 
I used a tablet I had at school to write with and used the built-in microphone on my laptop to make the video.  The software I used was the SMART Notebook software that many teachers use with their whiteboards.  I was going to use Jing but it only allows five minutes of recording.
As mentioned above to create one video of approx. 10 minutes in length took me over an hour, so needless to say very time consuming for a teacher but could be used to have students explain concepts to each other.  I think screencasting is a very interesting, new and novel way to present a project topic and share with the class. 



Using Videos in the Classroom - Reflection

As this weeks reading suggests using web videos and images are extremely valuable and effective for engaging students if combined with best practices.  One of these best practices is the use of the anticipatory set as described by the Hunter Model lesson plan.  This crucial part of the lesson sets the stage and gets students excited or curious about what they are about to learn.  One effective strategy to accomplish this is to use videos found on the web that may provide you with a discrepant event, demo that is unsafe in the classroom or movie clip that intitiates a discussion about the days objectives. 

The advent and proliferation of YouTube has provided many educators with a multitude of clips to choose from.  One way that I have used them in class is to ask my students to PREDICT what is going to happen in a video.  I have the students write down their prediction on a piece of paper.  From here I could facilitate a discussion with my class or proceed to play the video.  I then ask them to DESCRIBE what they saw on that same sheet of paper and then attempt to EXPLAIN it in their own words.  This is an effective literacy strategy in that it gets students to express themselves, they get practice writing and (usually) they are engaged in the material.  Depending on the video and topic discussed I then ask students to share their responses with the class. 

This may also be an effective strategy to use in conjunction with a blog.  Teachers could post a video on their blog and students would have to comment on it by explaining and giving reasons as to why a certain event occurred.  Might result in some interesting and dynamic discussion.

Here is an example of a video from YouTube I have used when introducing uniform circular motion.

It provides some entertainment and makes for a good discussion starter.  Dare I say "edu-taining."

Glogster poster

Today I explored the Glogster tool today and attempted to make a poster.  At first it was a little frustrating to use but soon got the hang of it.  Here is a link to it : http://kbasa.glogster.com/web-tools-20/.  I also "tweeted" the link on twitter @kbasaraba.

I know it is not too fancy but it's my first one.  Honestly I do not think I would use this tool in a high school setting but from my experience working with junior high students I think it would be a great way to help them express their understanding of a concept or new vocabulary.

Kristian

Scientific Literacy Strategy: RAFT

Just yesterday I attended a district meeting regarding student performance on the provincial standardized exam.  The purpose of the meeting was to create an action plan on how the district can improve student scores on these exams.  (Yes I know the ugly standardized exam debate again...but it's not going away so let's deal with it).  One suggestion I had was to encourage students to WRITE more often in the class and on their class formative and summative assessments.  I believe this strategy would enforce a metacognitive approach identified in the article by Marlene Thier. The article provides a strategy that focuses on key words such as Describe, Formulate, Discuss, etc.  These key guiding words force the students to explain themselves and (hopefully) make connections to course concepts.

As I thought more about this I remembered a literacy strategy introduced to me approx. two years ago the RAFT strategy.  What is a RAFT?

• Role
• Audience
• Format
• Topic

Here is a link to a website I found outlining it in more detail.  Raft site

I thought that if I incorporated some of these activities in my science class with the combination of a blog, it would work great and would engage the students.  For example, they could take the role of Robert Millikan explaining his discovery of the elementary charge to the President of the United States in a letter(??).  (Just "spit balling" here).  I think I could have students complete at least 1 RAFT assignment per unit (for a total of four throughout the year).  Anyone have any other literacy strategies they have implemented and found success with?

Kristian

Guiding Principles for Using Technology in the Classroom

TOP TEN GUIDING PRINCIPLES FOR USING TECHNOLOGY IN THE CLASSROOM

10.  Facilitates the growth of 21st century skills demanded by industry and the global market.

9.  Creates an active, inquiry based learning model that does not allow for passivity on part of the learner.

8.  Allows for smoother implementation of differentiated instruction.

7.  Encourages a collaborative approach to learning in and outside of the classroom.

6.  Permits students to express themselves creatively through the use of various technologies.

5.  Enables the collection of experimental data through the use of probe ware.

6.  Promotes increased communication between parents, students and stakeholders.

4.  Accessibility of a seemingly unlimited amount of resources for research and learning.

3.  Motivates students making learning more relevant to them.

2.  Visualization of abstract scientific concepts that students find difficult to comprehend.

1.  Engagement!

21st Century Digital Boy (Setting the Stage Reflection)

21^st Century Digital Boy

“I can't believe it, the way you look sometimes
Like a trampled flag on a city street, oh yeah
And I don't want it, the things you're offering me
Symbolized bar code, quick ID, oh yeah

[Chorus:]
See I'm a 21st century digital boy
I don't know how to read but I've got a lot of toys
My daddy's a lazy middle class intellectual
My mommy's on Valium, so ineffectual
Ain't life a mystery?”

-Brett Gurewitz – 21^st Century Digital Boy

Like it or not PLN’s, blogs, Twitter, Facebook, Web 2.0 and other social networking sites and programs are here to stay.  After reading this week’s articles I continually thought about the song 21^st Century Digital Boy by the band Bad Religion.  It is a satirical look on the issues of technology facing our youth today. It had me reflect on whether or not I use technology effectively in my classroom.  The verdict: no.  It is not due to a lack of want, I do believe that we are on the cusp of an educational revolution, as many of this week’s authors suggest but as an educator how do I teach my students to properly use these tools if I too feel extremely overwhelmed?   Who is going to educate me?  I guess this is why I am taking this class.

I do believe that the majority of today’s classrooms lack the creative outlet craved (and demanded) by the 21^st century learner and I hope to change this.  I am intrigued by the innovation of social networking sites to bring together people of similar interests in order to collaborate on problems, share ideas and evaluate potential solutions to these problems.  The question is how do we bring this into the classroom?  What does this look like?  What does the 21^st century school and classroom look like?  Will we require students to attend school anymore?  How do we properly assess these students?  Do we need to eliminate high-stakes and standardized exams in order to achieve an educated populace and not just good test-takers?  These are just some of the questions that will surely be discussed in the upcoming weeks as I embark on my quest to become a “21^st Century Digital Boy.”

Introduction

My name is Kristian Basaraba and I have been a teaching for almost 10 years now.  During this time I have taught mainly physics and chemistry at the high school level.  I currently teach at a large urban school with student population of approximately 1100 students.  Before this year I taught at a rural school (Grades 7-12) with a population of about 300 students.  Wow! What a bigh difference.  I am currently halfway through my MSSE program and plan on graduationg June/July 2012.  I am married with one child on the way (due in December) to my lovely wife of almost 3 years.  I look forward to collaborating and creating new knowledge with all of you!