1) The technology has arrived in the classroom: 5 desktop computers, a lenovo ideapad, and a smartboard! It is impossible not to be excited about this, and I am excited to integrate this equipment into my unit plans. The computers will fit into station activities (a good way to touch on multiple learning modalities within a lesson). The Earth Science students worked on a mineral webquest that required them to collect information about mineral properties, and use a flowchart to identify multiple mineral samples that I provided.
The Global Environment class will be partaking in an energy debate in class on Friday. In order to receive instructions, and prepare their arguments (many are working in pairs), they are required to edit the debate's wikispace. This lesson was adapted and modified from material provided by Rob Woolery (Fowler HS), and the outreach program at SUNY ESF. Check out the energy debate wikispace that my students have using to collaborate with each other: http://willyscienceintro.wikispaces.com/
2. Earth Science students did a lab on mineral hardness. Minerals were located at 8 different stations around the room, students had 2-3 minutes at each station to perform the 4 hardness tests (fingernail, penny, steel nail, and glass plate). There were at least two samples at each station which ensured that all students were able to manipulate the objects throughout the lab. The lab was a success, but two classes needed to finish the questions at the beginning of the following class. For future reference, the lab takes 50 minutes, not 40.
The Global Environment class went to the computer lab to construct excel graphs dealing with carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere and average global temperatures. This was great experience for the students as they gear up to prepare their final research projects. All students were able to successfully create charts and graphs with Excel.
3. The mineral notes for Earth Science were long (about 35 minutes in total), and had to be split into portions of two separate class periods. Also, the mineral rap assignment did not generate nearly as much interest as past years. This year I cut out playing the element rap by Blackalicious as an example of science rap in the interest of time. If time allows, I will revisit this idea of art/science and play "chemical calisthenics" for my students. I will definitely include the song in future lesson plans as an anticipatory set and to generate more enthusiastic engagement from students.
I played a Colbert Report clip on coal mining for the Global Environment unit on fossil fuels (http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/261997/january-18-2010/coal-comfort---margaret-palmer). Most students did not find it very humorous, but they did understand how it addressed the concept of external costs for the environment. I knew that this video clip would be a combination of education and entertainment, I just thought it would be more entertaining than educational. That turned out to be reversed.
4. There will not be a reflection next two weeks, as we are taking a family vacation to Aruba. I will be taking a full week-long vacation from technology (no cell phone, no laptop, no nothing). Technology is a great tool, but it can also be very liberating to free yourself from it periodically. In fact, I think that cutting yourself off from technology a few times a year is essential for the maintenance of mental and perhaps physical health. It helps to keep yourself grounded and connected to the natural world. So, until March, keep on keeping on everyone.
5. "Mr. Williams, we are learning about the heliocentric and geocentric models of the universe in global studies, too!" --several students exclaiming about their discovery of a concept that crosses curricula. They learned about these models (and other science experiments) in Ms. Satalin's global studies class.
Monday, February 14, 2011
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Reflection 12: Some Links Included (2/5/11)
1) Earth Science students went to the library this week and completed some on-line review activities for the astronomy exam. They competed in this basketball review game: http://sciencereviewgames.com/srg/subjects/games.php?id=52, and they completed this crossword puzzle: http://www.reviewearthscience.com/subjects/es/review/crossword/Ast_Cross.htm. They also worked in partners to answer multiple choice Regents questions: http://www.reviewearthscience.com/subjects/es/review/topic-spec/chapt3and4.pdf. To start, I posted the directions to all of the assignments on my website: https://sites.google.com/site/corcoranscience/earthscience/homework-readings-1, and I passed out refresher instructions for finding my website. Students were engaged with the review activities for the entire block, and completed the work with purpose. One of the steps was to complete a 10-question on-line quiz, which I used as a formative assessment. Students seemed to have a good grasp of the content, and felt like this assignment was good practice for the exam.
Thus far, this post has included a perhaps excessive amount of URL links, but it is sometimes better to show "stuff" than to write about it. With that said, I want to provide one more link. This is just one example of a way in which my ESF (Global Environment) students have approached their first reflection assignment: https://sites.google.com/site/amandaaliviaeportfolio/science
2. As a form of differentiated instruction, Earth Science students took control of their own learning for two consecutive blocks last week. This was essentially a project-based learning (PBL) approach. Students were given a "tic-tac-toe" board with 8 options for astronomy projects and a free space. Each student was responsible for creating three separate products (3 in a row). For the free space, I provided 5 examples for students to choose from, but also gave them the option of developing their own project idea. Students took genuine ownership of their projects, and some of the more 'distractable' students reached unprecedented levels of focus. The two Shaqs produced exemplary products. I was impressed by the quality and creativity of many of the projects. In the gradebook, they were marked as a quiz grade.
3. I passed out a different part C astronomy regents question to each pair of Earth Science students. The students comleted the questions, and then used the document camera to present their answers and their processes to the class. I had only budgeted 25 minutes for this activity, and it felt rushed. It should have been alloted 40 minutes to allow for more thorough student presentations.
Unfortunately, some of the downfalls of facebook were exposed at Corcoran High School this week. Facebook has been a useful academic tool for me as an instructor (especially for sharing links and giving students reminders). I am friends with 70% of my students, which allows them to ask me questions about homework or catch up with work if they miss class. However, the distractions of facebook were illustrated with clarity this week. Several of my female students were involved in a verbal fued on facebook. This fued culminated with a physical altercation at the end of the school day, and resulted in several suspensions.
It is important for students to understand the appropriate ways to use technology (such as the internet and cell phones), and this should become a formal component of our curriculum. Maybe it could be implemented in a middle school or freshmen skills course? Students need to know that anything they put onto the internet can stick with them for the rest of their lives. It doesn't just disappear, and it can impact your adult life at any time. They also need to know that success is not achieved by portraying yourself as 'tough'. It is achieved by hard work. And obviously acts of violence are foolish and intolerable.
I plan to gradually transition facebook activities to my website.
4. We're having some family over for lasagna tonight. I'm getting hungry, and I have to help get everything ready, so I will end it here.
5. "Dear President Obamba,
We should establish a space colony on Neptune. It is the farthest planet in our solar system, and be a good place to launch missions farther into our galaxy..."
-excerpt from one Earth Science student's project (write a 3-paragraph letter to the president that proposes we use one of the planets for human settlement)
Thus far, this post has included a perhaps excessive amount of URL links, but it is sometimes better to show "stuff" than to write about it. With that said, I want to provide one more link. This is just one example of a way in which my ESF (Global Environment) students have approached their first reflection assignment: https://sites.google.com/site/amandaaliviaeportfolio/science
2. As a form of differentiated instruction, Earth Science students took control of their own learning for two consecutive blocks last week. This was essentially a project-based learning (PBL) approach. Students were given a "tic-tac-toe" board with 8 options for astronomy projects and a free space. Each student was responsible for creating three separate products (3 in a row). For the free space, I provided 5 examples for students to choose from, but also gave them the option of developing their own project idea. Students took genuine ownership of their projects, and some of the more 'distractable' students reached unprecedented levels of focus. The two Shaqs produced exemplary products. I was impressed by the quality and creativity of many of the projects. In the gradebook, they were marked as a quiz grade.
3. I passed out a different part C astronomy regents question to each pair of Earth Science students. The students comleted the questions, and then used the document camera to present their answers and their processes to the class. I had only budgeted 25 minutes for this activity, and it felt rushed. It should have been alloted 40 minutes to allow for more thorough student presentations.
Unfortunately, some of the downfalls of facebook were exposed at Corcoran High School this week. Facebook has been a useful academic tool for me as an instructor (especially for sharing links and giving students reminders). I am friends with 70% of my students, which allows them to ask me questions about homework or catch up with work if they miss class. However, the distractions of facebook were illustrated with clarity this week. Several of my female students were involved in a verbal fued on facebook. This fued culminated with a physical altercation at the end of the school day, and resulted in several suspensions.
It is important for students to understand the appropriate ways to use technology (such as the internet and cell phones), and this should become a formal component of our curriculum. Maybe it could be implemented in a middle school or freshmen skills course? Students need to know that anything they put onto the internet can stick with them for the rest of their lives. It doesn't just disappear, and it can impact your adult life at any time. They also need to know that success is not achieved by portraying yourself as 'tough'. It is achieved by hard work. And obviously acts of violence are foolish and intolerable.
I plan to gradually transition facebook activities to my website.
4. We're having some family over for lasagna tonight. I'm getting hungry, and I have to help get everything ready, so I will end it here.
5. "Dear President Obamba,
We should establish a space colony on Neptune. It is the farthest planet in our solar system, and be a good place to launch missions farther into our galaxy..."
-excerpt from one Earth Science student's project (write a 3-paragraph letter to the president that proposes we use one of the planets for human settlement)
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