Final Reflection

I think I have achieved all the goals I set for myself at the beginning of the semester.  I really am proud of all the work I have accomplished, especially my Digital Story and WebQuest.  I already used my WebQuest in my classes and have shown my Scientific Method movie to the middle school kids before they took their TCAP. 

 

Blogging in the Classroom

I'm not sure how blogging will be received in my classroom. A lot of my students do not have reliable access to computers or internet. I would love to be able to blog and have my students really get involved in it. I think it would be a really helpful tool for them. I'll give it a go and see what happens. I guess that's the best that any teacher can expect from a new teaching technique.

 

Safety Minute

Every class period we started with a Safety Minute, which was usually more than a minute. I enjoyed having these discussions because it allowed us as a class to bond and tell funny stories on ourselves but also be serious about things that have nothing to do with our class. I try to be more aware, especially when driving, now because or our safety minutes.

 

 

Digital Story Telling

 

We had to make a digital story, basically, a movie last week.  It was a lot of fun but really time consuming.  The content was easy to put together but getting the photos was the hardest part.  I think, though, that my video came out really well.  I did it on the Scientific Method.  I have since shared it with my middle school students in preparation for TCAP.  I hope it helps them out by giving them another way to look at the steps of the Scientific Method.

 

Digital Diagram

I really liked the Inspiration software that we used to create the digital diagram.  I thought it was very user-friendly and had great stock images.  My concern is how expensive would it be to get a site license for the school.  I would love to use it with my students and have them create their own diagrams and connections.

 

Interactive Whiteboard

I use ActivInspire in my classes currently.  This week we go to play with the different tools that are available in the interactive whiteboard.  I wish that I had more time in the school day to incorporate more in my lessons.  Unfortunately, I don't have a plan period so can't really put in new stuff for my students.  There's always new stuff to try in class and not enough time to do so.

Midterm

I've passed the halfway point in TPTE 486.  We've used some interesting tools to help us incorporate technology in our classes.  I've enjoyed all the different types of tech we've used.  I really want to try the digital scavenger hunt in my class sometime.  Maybe have the students find examples of different mixtures, like heterogeneous and homogeneous.  

Digital Scavenger Hunt

My group did the Social Studies Scavenger Hunt.  We got to run around campus and take pictures of something old, new technology, and various signs and maps.  I thought it was a great activity and want to try it in my class sometime.  Maybe I could do various chemical and physical changes and properties.

Collaborative Wiki Page

 

The math and science students in all sections of TPTE 486 are compiling resources that we can use in our classes on a group wiki page.  It's interesting to see how the others have changed formating or added new graphics.  It looks like the math teachers are beating the science teachers in prettiness.  I'll have to remedy that this week.

 

Element Brochure

I used a wiki for my classes to make an element brochure.  I had gotten really tired of the printer's not working and students complaining, so I made the wiki and had the students post all of the necessary information to it.  They did a great job.  It went really smoothly, and they seemed to like posting to the wiki.  You can find their brochures here.

Fireworks Webquest

This is a webquest activity that I want to have my students complete when we talk about chemical reactions, specifically double displacement and combustion.  It address the reactions behind fireworks and explains in a more tangible way why balancing equations is so important.  There are sites listed for the students to explore and specific questions they must answer.

 

PhET Website Evaluation

I just finished my evaluation of the PhET Simulations website.  I love this website and use it in my class when I can.  I especially love the simulation of nuclear fission.  You get to shoot a neutron at uranium using a ray gun.  It's pretty awesome. 
PhET is a site maintained by University of Colorado at Boulder.  They do a great job in creating simulations, supporting teachers in using them, and providing research that proves the effectiveness of their simulations.  Check it out when you get a chance!

I enjoyed getting to review the website in a more intense fashion than toodling around.  I found out a lot about the history and the support that PhET has received. 

Expectations

Throughout this course TPTE 486 I hope to learn about new tools that I can use and introduce to my students.  I'm worried about the pace of technology expanding because my studetns seeem to be so far behind the national trend.  I want my studetns to experience all sorts of new tech and hope that my school's firewall :s will allow me to try out all new things I learn.

First Post, EVER!

This is where I will post my forays, trials, and failures in incorporating and learning about new technology for my classroom.