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.
Saturday, October 10, 2015
Monday, October 5, 2015
Get Moving: My incredible Body
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
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.
Friday, October 2, 2015
Taking Notes: Nearpod
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.
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