The following are examples of how I applied technology in my classroom. While I worked at a school with one-to-one technology, all of these activities can be applied without every student having their own device.
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Rube Goldberg Project: The 8th grade ELA teacher and I did a cross-curricular, science and English project. Students were put into small groups of 2-3 members and then were part of a larger team that consisted of 3 groups. Each team was assigned a final end task to complete. Each group within the team had to create a Rube Goldberg machine. All 3 machines had to work together to complete the final end task. Students had to draw out plans and test their machines, making adjustments and revising their design along the way. Each team created an iMovie to show their progress throughout the project.
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Schoology: An online Learning Management System (LMS). Using the Schoology app on their iPad, students have access to all courses they are taking. They can also access schoology through the website on a computer or other device. I used Schoology for assignments, links to other websites and materials, and to assess students. By going to Schoology.com you gather an overview of how this LMS works and what it offers educators of all levels.
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Exit Tickets: Getting feedback from students about lessons and comprehension is easy with technology. I use exit tickets to see what students understand about a assignment, what they are struggling with, and overall feedback about the lesson or topic. The images to the left include two examples of exit tickets using Google Forms. The first example uses a QR code, but you can simply click on the image to open the exit ticket. For the second example, I posted a link for students to use. By clicking on the image, you will be directed to the website for that exit ticket.
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Hurricane Activity: Students researched design ideas that would withstand a hurricane. Students then had to create a hurricane proof house with construction paper, straws and tape. Supplies were limited, so students had to plan ahead. Each group's structure was tested at the end of the project to see how long it would last with a low, medium, or high powered hurricane. Each group's project was videotaped so they could go back and look at what went well and where their structure fell apart. Part of the STEM design process focusses on testing out an idea, assessing strengths and weaknesses and then redesigning as necessary.
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Virtual Labs: The slide show illustrates a quick snapshot of some of the items students work on during a virtual lab. This activity investigated tectonic plates and students had to determine how far plates moved, distances of earthquakes from plate boundaries, the types of boundaries and their directions of movement, and the best location for a new planet. |
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Animations: Short simulations and animations are utilized to help illustrate Earth science concepts. Many resources are available with prepared animations, or you can create your own as I did with the water cycle animation to the left. The water cycle is a prerequisite for Earth science. The animation was used for a pre and post writing assignment. It was also utilized by students to help review the eight main processes of the water cycle.
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Clicker Review Games: Students love playing jeopardy style review games with clickers. When the review game is run with the clicker program, a student selects an amount from a category and it directly goes to that specific question. Each question offers several choices, and once all students have made their selection, the correct answer is highlighted. The home button is then used to return to the main page so that the next question can be selected. Results can then be viewed anonymously for all students or by individual questions. |
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Web Quests and Creating Visual Presentations: Students were assigned an energy resource to research. Student began with a webquest and continued their research through suggested websites. Students had to present their energy resource to the class. After presentations, students were able to debate which energy resource they felt was the best option. |