Traditionally, a podcast is a recording of a person talking on some
subject. If you go and find one on something like you tube or iTunes,
you'd find that many are more casual conversations about a topic, ranging from
important things like science, religion, politics, and history to things like
video games, the best fishing lures or a presenters favorite sandwich.
So, we can say that they are a varied tool that fit many different subjects.
When it comes to a traditional podcast, it's usually a one or more person
conversation with little to no scripting, just a flow of consciousness about a topic.
In a class room situation you will need to keep the topics more focused and
narrow onto a specific science topic. For example, let’s say we are using
plant stages. It wouldn't be a hard task to divide students into small
groups for such an activity. It also would not be a bad idea to ask for
either a script or a bullet list of points the students want to talk about as
important. I would even suggest that the students find and use pictures
to go along with what they are talking about, even though a podcast is usually
just an audio recording.
Using this in class is rather easy, as many schools, if not the vast
majority either have some access to laptops or ipads or some device with the necessary
software. That software being the free
movie maker software you can get with any apple or PC. Most all of them also have some kind of microphone,
and if not a microphone can be bought for very cheaply and still deliver decent
sound quality. Much of the software is
designed to be very user friendly and there are countless written instructions
as well videos.
Overall, podcasts are useful for conveying information in a casual
tone. They have the advantage of being
primarily auditory so students can do some degree of editing to keep their
points concise and appropriate. A video
requires a lot more planning and time outside of class or time inside class to
film, along with more technology. A podcast
is simple and easy to do, and can be easily shared with the other students to
be used as a kind of study guide.
Monday, September 21, 2015
Sunday, September 20, 2015
Wordpress.com
So for my web tool, I picked this free blogging website called Wordpress.com. It is really easy to get started as all you need is a valid email address. It is completely customizable and fairly easy to use though I would recommend it more for a high school class than a middle school one as understanding how the site works can take some getting used to.
I came across this site in one of my classes. The instructor required us to maintain a blog by posting our lesson plans, assignments, and debate arguments on there. We then had to go on to our classmates' blogs and comment on the things they had written. All of this was managed through our instructor's blog. It acted as a kind of hub that we could access the other students' blogs from and post questions about assignments that could either be replied to by her or by our peers. Here is the link to my blog if you would like to see how I did mine.
https://austinsbigredblog.wordpress.com/
I found this web tool fascinating. It kept all of our assignments organized while the customizable part gave us freedom to be creative and express ourselves. I would implement this system in my classroom in a similar way to what my instructor did. I would create my blog as a hub for students to access their fellow students' blogs from and as a place where I would post assignment instructions and answer any questions they had about the specific assignments. They could post scientific videos and review them. They could review scientific articles. They could even do their own research projects and post their various findings on their blog. This would also give me easy access to keep track of their performance and growth in the content area. Also, the fact that their peers can share their ideas and offer advice and criticism on their peers' assignments brings a whole new level of interactivity to the class.
Things I would need to keep an eye out for as a teacher would be cyber-bullying and inappropriate content. As with any online resource where students can interact, there is a risk of cyber-bullying and teachers should remain constantly vigilant for this. Also, the fact that these blogs are so customizable makes it easy for students to post very inappropriate things on there and as teachers we need to be aware of what all of our students are posting as much as possible.
Overall, this is a highly useful web tool due to how organized it can be while still encouraging creativity. The difficulty getting used to it can be a struggle for younger students but if they are worked with diligently, then I can foresee no problem with them using it as well. I would still recommend this more for older students however. The teacher must also be aware of what is happening in her students' blogs as to keep bad things from being said or from being posted.
I came across this site in one of my classes. The instructor required us to maintain a blog by posting our lesson plans, assignments, and debate arguments on there. We then had to go on to our classmates' blogs and comment on the things they had written. All of this was managed through our instructor's blog. It acted as a kind of hub that we could access the other students' blogs from and post questions about assignments that could either be replied to by her or by our peers. Here is the link to my blog if you would like to see how I did mine.
https://austinsbigredblog.wordpress.com/
I found this web tool fascinating. It kept all of our assignments organized while the customizable part gave us freedom to be creative and express ourselves. I would implement this system in my classroom in a similar way to what my instructor did. I would create my blog as a hub for students to access their fellow students' blogs from and as a place where I would post assignment instructions and answer any questions they had about the specific assignments. They could post scientific videos and review them. They could review scientific articles. They could even do their own research projects and post their various findings on their blog. This would also give me easy access to keep track of their performance and growth in the content area. Also, the fact that their peers can share their ideas and offer advice and criticism on their peers' assignments brings a whole new level of interactivity to the class.
Things I would need to keep an eye out for as a teacher would be cyber-bullying and inappropriate content. As with any online resource where students can interact, there is a risk of cyber-bullying and teachers should remain constantly vigilant for this. Also, the fact that these blogs are so customizable makes it easy for students to post very inappropriate things on there and as teachers we need to be aware of what all of our students are posting as much as possible.
Overall, this is a highly useful web tool due to how organized it can be while still encouraging creativity. The difficulty getting used to it can be a struggle for younger students but if they are worked with diligently, then I can foresee no problem with them using it as well. I would still recommend this more for older students however. The teacher must also be aware of what is happening in her students' blogs as to keep bad things from being said or from being posted.
Chem Pro App
This app is a must for your students if you are teaching chemistry. It includes lessons, flash cards, and tools to help your students grasp the tough chemistry concepts. The best part is that students can have easy access to these chemistry lessons on their phones or tablets.
Overview:
The three pictures above show the three screens of the app. The first is the lists of lessons. These are 8 to 10 minute videos teaching about a variety of topics, from beginning chemistry students to AP level students. This is a great way for students to hear another explanation of the material you taught in class and hearing the same material presented multiply ways will reach more students and help them continue to understand the material. The second picture shows the tools that students have access to with this app. Since students are constantly on their phones they now have a periodic table, equation sheet, and calculators on a device they always have. The last picture shows a list of flash cards for your students. This is good because at some point in the semester the students need to be familiar with the element names and symbols and this is a great way to quiz themselves. The have flashcards already made for them and on their phones.
Review:
Overall the Chem Pro App is one of the best chemistry apps out there. The equation sheet, unit converter, and video lessons are thorough easy for the students to access. The only down side to this app is that the full version is 5 dollars. Regular chemistry students can probably get away with just downloading the free version but I highly recommend AP students buy the app.
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/chem-pro-chemistry-tutor-in/id386263255?mt=8
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ihelpnyc.chempro&hl=en
Overview:
The three pictures above show the three screens of the app. The first is the lists of lessons. These are 8 to 10 minute videos teaching about a variety of topics, from beginning chemistry students to AP level students. This is a great way for students to hear another explanation of the material you taught in class and hearing the same material presented multiply ways will reach more students and help them continue to understand the material. The second picture shows the tools that students have access to with this app. Since students are constantly on their phones they now have a periodic table, equation sheet, and calculators on a device they always have. The last picture shows a list of flash cards for your students. This is good because at some point in the semester the students need to be familiar with the element names and symbols and this is a great way to quiz themselves. The have flashcards already made for them and on their phones.
Review:
Overall the Chem Pro App is one of the best chemistry apps out there. The equation sheet, unit converter, and video lessons are thorough easy for the students to access. The only down side to this app is that the full version is 5 dollars. Regular chemistry students can probably get away with just downloading the free version but I highly recommend AP students buy the app.
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/chem-pro-chemistry-tutor-in/id386263255?mt=8
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ihelpnyc.chempro&hl=en
We all know that middle and high school students love their social media. Well, what if we used that within our classrooms?
There are so many different social media outlets, but I'm going to specifically speak about Instagram in this post.
What is it?
Instagram is a social networking platform that allows its' users to share pictures and videos. It is mainly a mobile media site, meaning that it is most easily accessed on a cell phone. A user can share their pictures or videos to other sites like, Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter and Flickr. Users can also edit their pictures using different filters and editing tools. Descriptions can be added underneath all posts. And hashtags can be used as a fun way to tag your photo. For instance, if I have a picture of a frog, I could write #frog in a comment below my picture. Then I could click that #frog and it would take me to other pictures that have the same hashtag.
How do I use it in the classroom?
I immediately think of having a classroom Instagram page. This can be where you, the teacher, post cool pictures from experiments and demos that you and your class have completed. Students and parents could follow it to see what is happening in the classroom. It keeps everyone up to date about classroom progress.
Posting your own photos is great, but you can do more with Instagram!
There are some really cool science related profiles on Instagram. These can be used as resources within your classroom. Say you're in sixth grade science class and you're studying space exploration. Well, won't you look at that, they have a NASA Instagram page (@nasa)! You could use some of these pictures as discrepant events. Or you could have students choose images and research information about them.
Other science Instagrams include:
There are so many different social media outlets, but I'm going to specifically speak about Instagram in this post.
Instagram is a social networking platform that allows its' users to share pictures and videos. It is mainly a mobile media site, meaning that it is most easily accessed on a cell phone. A user can share their pictures or videos to other sites like, Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter and Flickr. Users can also edit their pictures using different filters and editing tools. Descriptions can be added underneath all posts. And hashtags can be used as a fun way to tag your photo. For instance, if I have a picture of a frog, I could write #frog in a comment below my picture. Then I could click that #frog and it would take me to other pictures that have the same hashtag.
How do I use it in the classroom?
I immediately think of having a classroom Instagram page. This can be where you, the teacher, post cool pictures from experiments and demos that you and your class have completed. Students and parents could follow it to see what is happening in the classroom. It keeps everyone up to date about classroom progress.
Here are some really nice examples of what you could post as an educator. We performed dissections on flowers and took pictures and posted them.
As an extra bonus, you could write some review information in the captions of your posts to remind students what you talked about during the day.
Posting your own photos is great, but you can do more with Instagram!
There are some really cool science related profiles on Instagram. These can be used as resources within your classroom. Say you're in sixth grade science class and you're studying space exploration. Well, won't you look at that, they have a NASA Instagram page (@nasa)! You could use some of these pictures as discrepant events. Or you could have students choose images and research information about them.Other science Instagrams include:
- U.S. Department of the Interior: https://instagram.com/usinterior/
- National Geographic: http://instagram.com/natgeo
- Mars Curiosity Rover: https://instagram.com/marscuriosity/
- American Museum of Natural History: https://instagram.com/amnh
Final Thoughts
Personally, I love Instagram. I think it could be a really fun tool to use within the classroom. It would allow students and parents to see what is happening within the classroom. And it can also teach students about real world applications of the science that they are learning. It can be tricky to use in some situations, such as, not all students have access to a smart phone or even internet at home. So I don't think you would use it as a primary tool for the classroom. But, I think students would love having a group Instagram because you are connecting their learning with real world applications. I think everyone should give Instagram a try within the classroom!
Edheads- Activate Your Mind
Edheads.org
Edheads is a free online educational resource that
provides teachers and students with an alternative form of teaching and
learning, in a virtual format. Science and math games are specifically designed
to engage students and take the content knowledge that they know and apply it
to the real world situations that students are asked to solve on this website.
These activities promote critical thinking and inspire students to be creative.
On this site, students can play games that allow them to simulate a car crash
and review crime scene evidence, design a cell phone and even perform hip
replacement surgery. This website really brings learning alive! Students can
engage in fun games, but also see how careers in STEM are obtainable. All
activities meet state and national standards. And teachers can assign different
games to supplement their classroom instruction. In all of the games, there are
several ways that students can solve the problems that are presented to them. This
allows all students, representing all learning styles, to access their
knowledge and be successful.
Edhead partners with different universities and school
systems throughout the United States, which helps them research, design, and
test out activities every step of the way. The website features diverse characters
and focuses on STEM. Minorities such as women, and people of color are featured
on the site, allowing students from underrepresented groups to see that folks
like them can be successful in STEM fields.
Wideo
What is Wideo?
Wideo is an online video making service that provides a free, easy to use service. The site offers many tools for creating your own personalized video. These services include: adding outside images, adding Wideo pre-made images, creating personalized text, sound integration, animating images and text, and pre-made templates.
Why use Wideo?
First and foremost, Wideo is free to use. There are premium options on Wideo that allow users to download and save copies of their work, but these are purely optional. Wideo also supplies free web based storage of videos that were created, as long as you have an account with them. These features, along side the many others that Wideo provides, make it an extremely practical tool for the classroom.
Educational uses:
Wideo could be used by teachers and students alike. Some examples of the usefulness for teachers are as follows: creating eye catching videos that help engage students, organizing multiple videos for a single lesson, and providing a way for teachers to publish segments of lessons online for the students to review. Uses for students are as follows: creating video projects that accurately reflect the understanding of a concept, viewing provided material outside of the classroom, and creating video projects that can be shared with other members of the classroom to further understanding.
Personal review:
I found that the Wideo software was easy to use and enjoyable. The videos that I created are something that could be used to introduce students to terminology that will be elaborated upon later in the course. They could also be used as a short review for major concepts in the class. I personally found Wideo to be a valuable resource that could be made even more valuable by encouraging students to use it. The only real downside to Wideo is that it costs money to be able to download videos, or to upload them to YouTube.
My Wideo:
Glogster
There are thousands glogster's already available on the website so students can look at these as examples and then make their own presentation/poster. Users can also save editable copies of glogs to their own dashboards, and adapt them to their own needs. It is available in multiple languages so the students in your classroom that English is not their first language can use this too so they are not left out when it comes to doing this project.
Since I am going to be a middle school science teacher I can ask the students to do the projects on science topics like genetics, the human body, space, and other topics you might see in a science class. This would be a great opportunity to get to know your students more. You can find out their interests, likes, dislikes, what they like or hate about school, and other things like that. Since the students are middle school students you have to watch out and tell them exactly what they can and can not put on the presentation/poster.
Ideas you can use this in the classroom- another way to evaluate kids
- spice things up for the students
- get to know the students
- keep parents connected
- classroom frequently accessed sites
- assessments
-biographies
- homework
-and much more
Many if not all middle school science standards can be used for this presentation/poster that the students do so that the teachers can get to know the students or so they can evaluate the students. I wish I was in middle school because this seems like a great teaching tool and this is a fun way for students to show their teachers and other students what they know about a particular subject. Soon technology will take over how we teach so we need to include it in our teaching so we get used to it and so the students will be familiar with technology when they use it in their other classes.
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