Science: Technology Integration Plan

MATRIX: Technology Integration Plan

Increasing student understanding of Cell Division 

The lesson break down I have provided is for a class session I plan on teaching sometime in the future. The main goal of the lesson is to increase students understanding of cell division through problem solving, visual learning, as well as first hand research. The eighth grade science standards that I used were from the common core website and the standard was incorporated within my lesson.

The first portion of my lesson encourages students to learn, be creative and think critically. In this portion students have the opportunity to observe both single and multi cellular organisms and be able to compare and contrast the benefits and limitations of each. In my first row we begin with a ‘cell viewing’ activity. I will introduce the students to the topic and give a brief description of what is expected of them. They then will be provided microscopes and prepared slide which they can use to view organisms. This will allow all visual learners to actually see what it means to be a single or multi celled organisms. Once all students have had the opportunity to view the cells we will swiftly move on to the next activity ‘observe draw and label’. Here students will take what they have just observed and draw it inside their notebooks. Using what they have draw students will next go online and research single celled and multi celled organisms. This will give students the opportunity to learn about performing research as it is such an important part of science. When taking a look at the scientific method we can see that before any testing of a hypothesis can be done first we must research past works in order to determine how we want to structure our experiment so that we do not repeat past mistakes. Once students have searched up and found accurate information on the topic they will label their drawings which they can use as a reference when needed. 

The second portion of my lesson encourages students to gather information, think critically, as well as communicate and collaborate. In this portion students have the opportunity to learn about cell division in terms of both meiosis and mitosis. In the first line here students begin with a ‘video watch’ activity. Here I will use a projector screen and project to the whole class youtube videos on how cells divide in meiosis and mitosis are. This allows students to physically see the action in motion vs just reading descriptions and trying to piece together what is happening. Having watched the videos students will next have the opportunity for a ‘Q&A’ question and answer where they can ask any additional question they still feel need clarification to them. Once all this is complete we will move on to a ‘cookie activity’ where students will work together to review everything they just learned about in the videos. Students will get together in groups of five and each group will receive five Oreo cookies and a cup of chocolate sprinkles. Each student will take a cookie and using the sprinkles will demonstrate one phase of mitosis. They will open the Oreo cookie and on the cream side they will use the sprinkle beads to draw out what the chromosomes look like in the phase they were given. Once they are all complete they will put all their cookies together and discuss what is going on in each of their cookies. 

In the third and last portion students will have the opportunity to gather information and understand research on what scientists have done thus far in the field of cell division. For instance what is cancer? It is an uncontrollable cell growth. How and what has science done in terms of cancer research and treatment opportunities. In the first line we can see that students will beginning with a ‘online research’ activity. Students will first come up with a few questions, such as the questions posed above and then they will have the freedom to research and find information in order to answer their questions. Science is ever changing and since we live in a continuously changing society that improves day by day science is not far behind in terms of change. Once students complete this they will next have a sum up activity were they will  play online games from sites I will provide them. Online games are a fun way for students to review the information they have learned in each portion. 

Padlet Unit Plan

Created with Padlet

Padlet Link

Being a science teacher I chose to create a Padlet for an over all unit on cell division. Cell division is very important in biology as it is the basis of all cell growth and expansion. For my unit goals I took cell division and broke it down into all the aspects it consists of. Here students had the opportunity to study the stages of both mitosis and meiosis as well as replication and differentiation. 

My main goal for the essential questions was to get students to think about what they were reading about and learning. I know to many science can be very tedious and boring, however that does not have to be the case. I would ask students to answer each question before we began the unit and then have students go through each post and learn new information on the topic. Once the lesson is complete I would ask students to go back and re answer the questions and compare. The information I used for the unit goals and essential questions was based on the lesson plan from interactivity #3. I took that lesson plan idea and rolled with it googling other lesson plans on the cell division, mitosis, meiosis, and replication. I found quite a few interesting approaches to teach this topic and chose what I found fit best. 

As I researched cell division I can upon two really interesting websites that I found would be fantastic wrap up activities and or assessments for what students have learned though out the whole unit. CELLS alive and Biology in Motion are two website full of cel division activities simple enough for 8th graders to do yet still require a good understanding of the material. I really liked Biology in Motion’s mitosis/meiosis game as it starts with parent cells and actually requires students to move chromosomes in the correctly order to create a proper result. This gets students active versus having them answer questions on what they learned. Both these websites are great post unit activities to assess what students have learned. 

Supporting Instruction with Technology

MindMeister Link

I chose this particular lesson plan as I found it quite interesting and creative for students. This lesson focused on having students be able to recall mitosis in order to understand meiosis.  I did not find many gaps between the lesson plan and the standards needed to be met. The lesson focused on adapting concepts and having students work together to compare and contrast ideas. I did find a gap in the use of technology however. The original lesson used only called for the overhead projector, however I believe the world wide web would be a great resource for students during this lesson. The use of the internet would be a benefit for students because it would allow them to do research on the topic they are learning about to help them recall one strategy and then apply their new finding to other strategies. I think I can use Mind Meister in the classroom to create information webs for students to help them follow along with information they are learning. My overall impression of Mind Meister was decent however I found it very difficult to navigate through and create a well organized web. I had to create webs and make many different corrections to get everything structure. I would use this website again because I think with a little practice it will only get easier to use and quite useful. 

History of Technology in Science

The overhead projector impacted science education positively as it allowed teachers to present notes and information to students in a concise and efficient way. With the invention of the over head projector students had the opportunity to easily follow along with notes and lab preparation instructions.

POWTOON

Posted on YouTube

Get Moving: My incredible Body

Link: Zymbright.com

My incredible Body is a an app that allows students to investigate, experience, and learn human anatomy in a whole new way. Anatomy is a very challenging to learn do to all the details and information it contains. My incredible Body exposes students to a whole new side of anatomy with its 3D anatomy models. Students can learn facts about the body and how it works. Students can even “get moving” and fly through different body systems.

The My incredible Body app is not free it costs $9.99 and can be purchased on iPhones, iPads, Androids and Apps for Windows. 

My incredible Body supports the instructional strategy of Getting Moving as it engages students minds and senses by expanding their view of the world and allowing them to experiment. The 3D models in the app allow students to see inside the body and identify organs, anatomical structures as well as learn about how the body works. Students can physically see which muscle groups are at work when they do simple things such as breath and blink. Not only does this app get students minds and senses moving however their bodies as well. Once students learn where certain anatomy is located they can then locate them on their own body.  

A potential issue this apps exhibits is that though it is quite educational I believe it is more geared towards younger kids vs high school anatomy students who already know the basics and are looking for more detailed explanations. 

Monitor Progress: Kahoot

Link: getkahoot.com

Kahoot is a game based learning platform that allows teachers and students to create and share knowledge. Kahoot works in that teachers create a quiz or survey on content they are teaching and students answer each question or take part in the survey on their own devices. The instructor projects each quiz question in the classroom. Students log onto kahoot sign in to that particular quiz and select the answer they think is correct. What makes this platform so interesting is that it steps away from the boring old fashion method of quizzing students. It also allows teachers to upload photos and videos to each quiz. 

Kahoot is free to join for both teachers and students only requiring instructors to sign up and begin creating quizzes, discussions, or surveys. 

Kahoot supports monitoring progress in all content areas as it allows instructors to create quizzes on any topic they choose. Teachers are also provided the scores after each quiz (amount each student answered correctly and the amount of time it took each student to answer the questions) allowing them to monitor how each student performed. Teachers can use this tool as a stepping stone to see if students are understanding the material being taught based on the amount of correct answers provided. Also by seeing the time each students takes to answer the question can show instructors if students are having difficulties with the choices. In the science classroom I would use Kahoot to make quizzes fun and engaging as I monitor their progress based on the quiz scores each students receives.

A potential problem instructors may encounter would be students not working independently. Since students would have to have their own devices out and are encouraged to look up at the board to read the question then back at their device it would be hard to make sure each student answer is independent and not based on what colored answer their neighbor chose. 

Taking Notes: Nearpod

Link:www.nearpod.com

 Nearpod is an interactive presentation and assessment tool that can be used by teachers to help bring that “Wow” factor to any lessons. The concept is quite simple in classrooms with access to technology such as laptops, iPads, iPhones etc. A teacher or instructor teaches a lesson through the use of a presentation and every students follows along on their own device. A teacher simply creates a nearpod presentation by creating new slides or uploading an already existing power point presentation. The interactive lesson presentation is then synced and shared with all the students devices allowing them to follow along all while being monitored in real time. What makes this so attracting is the wide range of different presentations that can be created. A teacher can incorporate videos, images, drawing-boards and so on to keep students engaged with interactive activities. Quizzes and polls can also be included in the presentation allowing students to interact in the lesson and submit responses. Nearpod allows instructors to monitor and measure a students results, helping teachers instantly see a students understanding of the material. 

Nearpod comes in four packages: Silver, Gold, School and District. The silver package is free allowing a class size of up to 30 with 50MB of storage and includes all the basic features. The gold package is $10/month allowing a class size of up to 50 with 3GB of data and includes both basic and premium features. For the school and district package it is best to contact Nearpod directly and discuss possible options. 

Nearpod is a great example of taking notes as it goes beyond the basic paper and pencil routine. With all the multiple interactive activities incorporated within each presentation, students experience of learning changes completely. The curriculum students need to learn is being presented however, now instead of just having students write down notes from the board they have all the information in front of them and are able to take part in the engaging lesson.

I would use Nearpod in the classroom during a lesson on photosynthesis. Photosynthesis is a processes with many processes within itself making it quite difficult for many students to understand. Using Nearpod I can create a fun and engaging presentation which would include images and videos, step by step on how plants absorb light energy turn it into chemical energy  and then store it as sugar. After the lesson is complete I can give each student a quick quiz to test the information they have just learned and monitor everyones progress. 

A problem or limitation to Nearpod is that not every school has the ability of provide each student with a computer, laptop,or iPad. Without each student having a device it is difficult to have them take part in the interactive lesson as well as monitor their progress. 

Reflection on Influential Technologies

                As stated in the video by the first student, “technology is just so convenient regardless of what medium you’re using it for ... even writing, writing and reading have been taken over by technology.” In today’s world, technology is around every corner and cannot be escaped. At this point in my life, the three most influential technologies ranked from highest to lowest are cellphones, laptop, and televisions. My ranking was based on how important each technology is to me. Beginning with cellphones, I like hundreds of thousands of people have a cellphone and must have it with me at all times (I too must sadly admit my cellphone is glued to me). It may sound strange, but when I don’t have my cellphone with me, I feel disconnected from the world. Similarly to the girl from the video who states “my phone is my third hand, even if I don't bring my purse my phone is the only thing I bring.” Like many people, I use my phone for social media, but that is not the only reason. I use my cellphone to keep in contact with people be it texting, phone calls or FaceTime. With the creation of smart phones and all these savvy apps I use my phone to check emails, do online shopping, call myself an Uber, check the statues of my flights, play trivia crack and so much more because there literally is an apps for everything. All these apps are there for us to gain information we want to know instantly (CBS instant breaking news alerts, Weather channel instant weather alerts, etc.) This is why I chose cellphone as my first technology, it is an instant source of information I can get whenever I need it. I am glad I have a cellphone because I know in case of an emergency I can always get in contact with someone. This gives me a sense of security. My cellphone allows me to stay in contact with my family giving me the ability to stay very family-oriented. On the down side, my phone has become my addiction because I always must have it and this is something I would like to change. Even in the aspect of texting, I sometimes catch myself typing a text message and not even having to look at the keys because my thumbs know exactly where each letter is located in correlation to the words I want to type. Corresponding with the student in the video, I also can say, “On a scale of one to ten I am a nine point five of a texter, I do it all the time.” Similarly to the girl in the video, I agree one hundred percent when she says, “I do not like it when people use omg, lol, b2b. I hate it. My least favorite is the letter u instead of you.” Technology is supposed to make our lives easier, not make us lazy where we begin to lose basic grammar skills. My cellphone has impacted the way I learn new information because whenever I am in doubt, I “google it”. With that instant aspect of cellphones, “googling” information has honestly became a new way to gain knowledge and learn about things I am unsure of as well as learn new information all together. 

               Moving onto laptops, also like the thousands of people who have a laptop, I have one as well. As stated in the video my laptop is a necessity in life, but countering the video I can go without my laptop because I don’t need it at all times of the day. I use my laptop on a daily basis like my phone but I am not using it on an hourly basis looking for updates and that instant information like I would with my phone. I use my laptop for both educational and personal purposes (saving family pictures and holding music). Like a cellphone, my laptop is my main source of information, but it is not that instant satisfaction or gaining of information. When I am on my laptop I tend to go on and stay on for a larger period of time looking for deeper information I want to find. Being a biology major as an undergrad, I used my laptop for all my research to find articles and data to support the studies I was performing. My laptop is also the first thing I go to when I have to write an essay or type up my research information. I chose laptops second as it is very important to me in the way it helps me with much of my studies. My laptop has no negative effects on my life besides how easy it is to lose track of time when using it. Once I sit down to do some research I travel from site to site reading for hours. My laptop has impacted on my ability to learn mainly through the opportunity is provides me. With the world web being so full of information and my wanting to learn new and interesting things, my laptop is a stepping stone for my ability to learn new information. This is explained beautifully in the video, “Being able to experiment with technology is really what makes it technology … it is paving the way for us to move forward as a species and a civilization.” 

                My last choice of technology was television as it is there for me not only in a informational way but also for entertainment. At home we have four television sets two of which are in bedrooms (I chose not to have a television in my bedroom) one in the living room and one in the kitchen. I have the kitchen television on every morning playing CBS as I eat breakfast because I like to listening to the news and weather for the day. I also enjoy cooking and spend a lot of time in the kitchen where I usually have the television set on, either to the weather channel, CBS, Food Network, or a music station to keep me entertained while I cook. I chose television as my third technology as it is there to help me get my day started, stay informed about everything that is happening around me and the world, as well as a personal form of entertainment. I don’t believe television to affect me negatively simply because I choose not to watch much of the “garbage” that is now show on many channels. When anyone thinks of a negative aspect of television the main thing that comes up is how time consuming it is as well as its effects on our healthy, mainly concerning posture and eye strain. These concerns can also be applied to laptops making it invalid for a direct negative effect of televisions. Television has an impact on my learning in that by me watching informational channels I gain knowledge and creativity I didn’t have before. Television allows me to work on my culinary art skills as I watch food network. I have always had a passion for cooking and the food network always inspires me to try and make new recipes. 

Pew Survey Results: Teachers' Technology Use

             We currently live in a society where technology is becoming a major part of every individual's life, like it or not. Having read the Pew Research Center’s survey, “How Teachers Are Using Technology at Home and in Their Classrooms.” I was not surprised with what the survey indicated. A staggering 92% of AP and NWP teachers stated the internet has a major impact on their ability to access content, resources and materials for teaching. This come as no surprise as the global wed is an enormous source for information and data that everyone is free to tap into and use to their benefit. What I personally did find surprising is how teachers of students from different socioeconomic backgrounds experience the impact of technology differently. 70% of teachers who teach in high income area schools stated the schools did a “good job” providing digital tools in the classroom and only 50% of teachers in low income areas schools could say the same. I understand that not every school has the same economic standing however, I believe every student deserves a fair and equal education no matter what their socioeconomic standing. Overall in my opinion this survey was quite informative and gave me something to think about in the aspect of technology. Many older generations and even parents of immigrant children (which make up a the major diversity in the United States) see technology as a negative due to the fact they themselves have never been exposed to it. Technology is a great tool available to help everyone in so many aspects to move forward and succeed.

             Though I personally am not a teacher yet, I would “rate” myself  in with the teachers who are strong and confident with the use of technology. Being a 23 year old Masters student I am exposed to technology on a daily basis and try to keep up with all the new technologies as they arise. I use the internet for my biological research, create power points when asked to present information, and I often carry out online discussions with fellow classmates on topics of interests in class. All these aspects of technology would make up my strengths in the field of technology and computers. 

             In the aspect of accuracy I found this survey to correlate with personal education experiences when it comes to teachers age and their technology confidence. The survey indicated 64% of teachers (under 35) and 44% of teachers (over 55) describe themselves as “very confident” with using new Digital technologies. This ties back to how older generations view of technology. With technology booming in the last decade older generation teachers have had a difficult time adjusting to the new fast pasted world (this does not apply to all teachers 55 and over). I have personally experienced this as a student in the classroom simply through teachers who use power point presentation in their lecture and excel for their grades (younger generation professor) vs teachers who still hand write notes on the board and enter grades by hand into a grade books (older generation professor). Technology is here to make our lives easier and many younger generation teachers are taking advantage as seen through this survey.