Introducing my baby boy...

I know this has nothing to do with Webtools but just wanted to share this picture with the world.



Youblisher...another tool into the kit!

One of the tools I discovered from a Twitter post to one of those that I follow as part of my PLN is Youblisher (http://www.youblisher.com/).  It is free to create an account and what it the program does is convert a pdf into a 'digital book' format that is flippable. 

I think students would have great time with this in an English class where they could write their stories in Word, add some pictures and convert it to a pdf then have youblisher perform it's 'magic'.  They could then publish these on a class blog, wiki or website.

Just to see how it works I used a pdf article from the Alberta Education website that I was looking at recently.

To simulate or not to simulate? That is the question....

As this week's reading suggests, simulations have been shown to increase student achievement and are a new way to engage students in the material.  According to Wieman et al (2008) simulations are powerful tools but not necessarily beneficial.  If a simulation is not designed properly and there is something about the simulation that a student interprets differently than what is intended, they can learn the wrong idea.  So before teachers use just any simulation in the classroom you must be careful as to what one you choose to use.  These are usually designed by experts in the subject area and students may perceive what is happening in the simulation differently from the designers.

The research also suggests using the simulations in a variety of ways.  These include lecture, such as an interactive lecture demo or concept tests or labs, recitation and homework.  Wieman et al (2008) found that "simulations work best when coupled with activities that allow students to work directly with the program to construct their own conceptual understanding of science through exploration."  So teachers must be aware of the pedagogical impact of simulations and incorporate them properly in the class they are not meant to replace the teacher or hands-on lab activities but supplement learning.

Here is a link to some great research articles on simulation design, using simulations in the class and student perceptions of learning: http://phet.colorado.edu/en/research

References

Wieman, C., K. Perkins, W. Adams. (2008). Oersted Medal Lecture 2007: Interactive simulations for teaching physics: What works, what doesn't, and why.  American Journal of Physics. 76 (4&5), April/May 2008.

Particle Track Analysis is Dead....

I decided on a different idea for my Generating an Argument assignment, I just could not wrap my head around how to get my students to analyze the tracks on their own.  Sorry scinerd.

Data, data everywhere....(Week 4 Reflection)

The creation of the Internet allowed researchers at universities and colleges around the world to collaborate and share data almost instantly.  As the web has expanded to include almost everyone on the planet this data sharing has increased and is available to all with a computer.  As a result of all of this data, more than ever before, we as educators must teach our students the proper skills to INTERPRET, ANALYZE and effectively COMMUNICATE this data. 

These 21st century information, communication and media literacy skills are becoming more and more important in the classroom.  What better way to address and teach these skills than through the use of authentic assessments in the science classroom.  According to Jon Mueller an authentic assessment is one in which "students are asked to perform real-world tasks that demonstrate meaningful application of essential knowledge and skills."  Sampson and Grooms have created the Generate an Argument Instructional Model to address authenticity by having a teacher create an assignment where with a problem, instructions and real data that is given to a group of students.  The students must then analyze the data, create an argument and justify their reasons while effectively communicating this to the class.  This allows them to practice skills otherwise neglected in most science classrooms but is real, engaging and challenging.

Bu incorporating this activity into my classroom it addresses the various STS (Science, Technology and Society) outcomes in my program of studies, where it requires students to "analyze and interpret" data and "use appropriate numeric, symbolic, graphical and linguistic modes of representation to communicate findings and conclusions."  Although extremely valuable, activities that are well planned and effective take considerable time on the teacher's part as care has to be taken to find quality data.

For my Generating an Argument assignment I am 'playing' with the idea of having students analyze particle tracks from particle physics laboratories...here is a picture of the data I would share with them.  I'm just not sure how I would phrase the instructions, hence a work in progress.  Any comments on this idea?



Create A Graph Exploration

Today I explored the Create A Graph Tool that was suggested and have to admit enjoyed the experience.  I feel this is a relatively easy tool to use and would enhance an elementary and junior high science class.  I like the fact that the "wizard' that takes one through the creation of a graph is straight forward.  One of the pitfalls that Microsoft Excel exhibits is it tends to get a little confusing for younger students who end up getting frustrated, this program alleviates this.  One issue I did have however, was for the line graph I created I was unable to plot a line of best fit, it just connected the data points, very annoying.  Here is the graph I created using some contrived distance and time data.

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.