Technology is Fun

Technology is Fun

        Before coming to this class I used to hate technology. Every time I would try to do something on the computer something would break or I would not be able to figure out how to use the tool. Throughout our Science Methods course we had to create several projects and activities with different programs. Having to use different tools for different activities every week made me feel more comfortable and confident with technology. Now, I am not afraid to try new programs because I know I can figure out how to work it just like I did for the others. Some of the programs that I really enjoyed using in class and will definitely use in my future classroom are: WebQuest, Kahoot, google drive, timetoast, lino, vennage, and tagaloo. Each of these websites are used for different purposes and are simple to use.

      The first time I used WebQuest was for my inquiry lesson during fieldwork. This is an interactive websites that allows students to be engaged while exploring. Teachers can create their own website or use one that already exists. It is great for all grade levels as well. WebQuest is great for teaching Inquiry lessons.

        Kahoot is a learning game using multiple choice questions, discussion, surveys etc. I never made a Kahoot yet, but other people in my class have. I really enjoyed being a part of this because I really felt like I was playing a game. The way it works is everyone signs in and makes their own username which is fun because I get to be creative when making up a name. Then, questions and answers are shown on the main board and then you pick the answer you think is correct with the corresponding color. Depending on how fast you answer and if the answer is correct determines if you will win. I really enjoyed this because I am competitive and always want to win. Kahoot is great for quizzes, or checking for understanding after a lesson or topic is taught. 

       Google Drive is a tool on google which allows people to create documents, slides, and quizzes etc. on their computers. I really like using this because everything saves automatically so it decreases the chances of losing work. I also like this tool because you can work on things collaboratively. Multiple people can be working on the same thing at once in different places, which is really convenient for group work and projects. It is also very easy to navigate so it is good for all grade levels. 

      TimeToast is a program used to create timelines. It is very simple to use and very interactive. The way it works is you just type in a date, add a description and facts, and add a picture and then it automatically saves and creates a timeline. I liked this because it was very easy to see when events happened and what events happened first. I also liked the pictures because it was engaging to look at and made it easier to see what the text was talking about. This is great for students in the classroom to use when creating timelines or events that happened.

       Vennage is a tool used to make PosterBoards. Using Vennage makes things seen in an easy way while also being nicely decorated. It was easy to work and there are so many different settings and options that are available to use. I used this for creating my PosterBoard of the layers of Earth's atmosphere. I used different shapes and colors so that students can see the distinction between each atmosphere. Vennage can be used to show any information about any topic. 

        Tagaloo is a tool that puts a bunch of different words in a collage of a shape. The way this works is you enter the words that you wish then you hit submit. The program generates the words into different sizes and dirextions. When it is finished it is a group of words that form a beautiful picture, This tool is great to use for different groups of words such as: vocabulary words, verbs, and words involving specific topics. This tool is also great for children of all ages. 

       These are just some of the programs that I learned about in this classroom and I cannot wait to use them in my future classrooms! I cant wait to learn and explore even more programs everyday so that I can use them in my current classes and when I actually teach. Technology makes learning topics fun because it engages students in different ways. 

     

True or False

Misconceptions

A misconception is a view or opinion that is incorrect because it is based on faulty thinking or understanding. When you are younger you tend to make  the reasoning behind things that you don't understand up based on television, media, or previous knowledge etc., which may not always be correct. In class we were to list misconceptions and then the real facts about different topics such as: the zoo, dinosaurs, rocks and minerals, solar systems, and desert animals. My group had the rocks and minerals topic and my misconceptions were, all rocks are gray and that all minerals are diamonds. Doing this activity made me realize that I was not the only one who had false beliefs when I was younger and that there are so many different ways that children can mistake the truth. One misconception that really stuck out to me was, dinosaurs and friendly and talk. One student thought this from watching a children's show about dinosaurs who spoke and were nice so he thought dinosaurs in the past were like this too. Some more common misconceptions that elementary students have about life can be found in this link. It is important to realize that students will have many misconceptions that may seem a little silly to someone who already knows the truth, but as a future teacher you should never make fun of a student for thinking something. However, you should correct their misconceptions so that they know the correct information and the truth about topics. There are many different ways to do this. For example, have students read books about that topic, watch videos, or play games etc. It is important to remember to reassure students to ask questions about things they are unsure about because we are learning little by little each day and it is okay not to know everything about everything.



Explore and Explain About the Earth

Vennage

Today in class we were to answer a few questions about our understandings about Earth's surface, atmosphere, and weather. This made me realize how much I do not know about some scientific topics. Here are the questions and my answers:

1. Consider the area of Earth’s surface, atmosphere, and weather about which you feel most knowledgeable. What ideas do you have regarding what you will do as a teacher to keep your knowledge current?
   I feel like I am not that knowledgable about Earth's surface, atmosphere, or weather. I would need to study this topic for hours before I taught it to a class. However, if I were to pick one topic I feel like I am most knowledgable with the weather because I am constantly looking up the weather every day to see what I should wear or plan activities for that day. 
2. Consider the area of Earth’s surface, atmosphere, and weather about which you feel least knowledgeable. What ideas do you have regarding what you will do as a teacher to continue to strengthen your knowledge base about this topic?
   I do not know know that much about any of these topics; however, if I were to pick one that I am least knowledgable with would be Earth's atmostphere. To strengthen my my knowledge about these topics I will read different textbooks, articles, and books on these topics. I will also try to experience and go to different workshops to become an expert on these topics.
3. What resources are you aware of that will help you be an effective teacher of Earth’s surface, atmosphere, and weather?
   Some resources that will help me be an effective teacher of Earth's surface, atmosphere, and weather would be different research articles. Some examples are: 
   1.  This is an article  that contains videos that will help me to have a deeper understanding on Earth's atmosphere.
   2. This is an organization that I can join for Earth's enviormental climate.  
   3.  This is an article that can help me teach children about Earth's atmosphere. 
   4. This is an e-Study Guide for Extreme Weather and Climate, textbook by C. Donald Ahrens: Earth sciences, Earth sciences.

After answering these questions I realized that it is okay if I do not know everything about every topic because there are so many different ways I can become more knowledgeable to be able to teach a great lesson. Then, we were able to pick partners and create a PosterBoard about one of these topics. We picked to do  a PosterBoard on Earth's atmospheres and layers because we wanted to learn more about this topic. We used the tool Vennage to create our PosterBoard. At first it was complicated because we were unsure how to use this tool, but after trying different things we were able to complete it. I really enjoyed creating a PosterBoard because it allowed me to explore and use different tools that I would have never tried before. Now, I will be able to incorporate this tool into so many projects and lessons. I usually don't try new things because I am scared that I will not know how to work it. However after using Vennage, I am willing to explore different tools to differentiate my lessons and make them more visual in my future classrooms.

Here is a link to our PosterBoard that we created.  

Observations of other Groups- fieldwork

Observations During Fieldwork

During fieldwork at Bishop Dunn we were split up into different groups and  had to teach two lessons. While we were not teaching we had to observe other teacher candidates teach their two lessons. I believe that each group learned a lot from observing one another and each group got better and better. While observing Group 1Direct Instruction Lesson I noticed that they spent a lot of time waiting for students to finish copying notes on the board. This made my group come up with the idea to give students a printed out version of the notes from the smartboard with blanks that they need to fill in. This saved so much time. While observing the other groups I think they took a little of everyone's lesson. They copied what went well such as: asking questions, explaining information in deph, and talking loud and clear. These are all aspects of a lesson that makes students learn better. While observing Inquiry lessons they all involved students working together and doing research together exploring to get a deeper understaning of the topic being taught. I noticed that while some groups were teaching the students were getting loud and roudy. It is good to have some noise in the classroom because that means that students are working together. However, the classroom should not sound like an amusement park because it can be distracting and chaotic. To prevent the class from being too loud teacher candidates should have a variety of attention grabbers so that students don't get used to one and have it mean nothing. Overall, I really enjoyed teaching and observing the different Direct and Inquiry lessons!

Research Article Reflection

Curiosity+ Kindergarten= Future Scientists

       I picked the research article, Curiosity+ Kindergarten= Future Scientists by Jenny Sue Flannagan and Leisl Rockenbaugh because I thought that the first page was very colorful and intriguing. I also like that it involves a kindergarten lesson because I like teaching younger grades better than older ones. I believe that younger children are always so excited to learn new things and really look up to their teachers as role models. This made me really excited to read the article and se what I was going to learn.  In this article Flannagan and Rockenbaugh discuss a kindergarden inquiry lesson that involves each of the 5Es.

      I learned a lot of different methods and helpful tips after reading this article and will definitely use the lesson conducted in this article in my future classroom. This lesson involved exploring change, using their senses to make observations, safety rules, different charts, and writing. Before teaching a lesson you want students to be engaged and curious about what is going to be taught that day. Therefore, there should always be high positive energy in the classroom. However, teaching science can be very overwhelming because it involves different materials and/or chemicals that are harmful to students. if used incorrectly. It is very important to always go over the safety rules and make sure students understand the dangers of what can happen if something goes wrong and that they are always wearing safety equipment if needed. It is also very helpful if different graphic organizers are provided for students this way they can organize their thoughts, observations, and findings in a coherent easy way. Teachers can also incorporate different subjects into science. For example, allowing students to practice their reading and writing skills by reading magazines, articles and books for research and writing what they learned after the lesson/ experiment is completed. I also realized that teachers are just there to guide students into the right direction. The experiment conducted in this article shows how teachers help guide students into coming up with a conclusion instead of telling them exactly what to do and what will happen.

      The article starts off with students excited and eager to find out what they will be doing today. Once they found out they will be observing eggs they were very excited. As a class they came up with a list of things they already know about eggs. It is important to list everything you know about something before actually doing the experiment to make sure everyone is on the same page and so that students can always look back at it. After, they were split up into groups to work on their observation sheets.  Having students split into groups is good because students can practice their communication skills by working together and learning from one another. After students were engaged and had their prior thoughts together, it was time to explore. Students used different liquids such as vinegar and water to see what would happen to the egg if it was changed. Students compared and contrasted the differences between the raw egg then what happened to the egg after being changed. Students recorded their predictions, observations to keep track of what was happening. After exploring and conducting their experiment, students put what they did into words and wrote what they did to test out their predictions and find a result. After doing this lesson students were still curious and had more questions so they came up with new experiments to come up with answer to their questions or answer questions based on previous experiments and observations. While teaching the inquiry lesson the teacher observed students involvement, asked questions, and read through their charts and writings. Since the teachers can tell what their students learned by observing their work and behavior it was not necessary to have students take a test.

       Overall, I really enjoyed reading this article and think this lesson is a great idea. Children seemed to have a really fun time while learning and were always craving to learn more. This experiment allowed students to explore and discover on their own with guidance from the teacher. I think it is important to set a positive fun tone for teaching students science at a young age such as, kindergarten. These are children's first experiences with science and as a teacher you want your students to always have a positive attitude that will carry on with them for the rest of their lives.

Engaging Classrooms

Engaging Classroom

               Learning by creating science experiments are so much fun. I think doing an experiment as a class and to be kept in the classroom can be very beneficial. This would teach students different skills such as communication, time management, responsibility, and sensory etc. There are many different ways teachers can make this possible in a classroom such as having a pet or plant students need to take care of for weeks and observe the changes. During fieldwork we taught the class about different ecosystems and biomes. We wanted students to get the full understanding of what we were teaching so we thought what is better way to teach something than to create our own! This is exactly what we did; each table in the class created their own aquatic biomes!
               Students had a fun time learning and creating their biomes. Each table had a different amount of fish (male/female), plants, and snails. They recorded their observations each week and came to different conclusions. I think creating these biomes as a class really added to the lessons. Students were able to go back and relate what they were learning to their biomes. They also had to communicate as a group to create it and discuss what they think should be done. Students had to take a responsibility to take care of their biomes and to record the data. I would definitely add something like this to my lessons when I am a teacher.
               Like I said students had a great time learning and creating their own biomes, but there are other ways teaching science can be taken from the textbook to real life. I remember when I was in kindergarten or first grade we were learning about what plants need to survive. We were able to learn by seeing and doing it for ourselves. Each table had our own plants and each person at the table had their own job such as: measuring water, measuring how tall the plant was, or recording the data etc. Once we had our plants and jobs we were able to water the plant as much as we thought and place it in a spot in the classroom wherever we thought it would grow best. This helped me see that how we were taking care of the plant was affecting how the plant was growing.
                As a teacher I would incorporate as many projects and lessons into my class as possible. It is evident that students are more engaged in the learning experience and get to work on many different skills. Weather it be a plant, animals, or aquatic biome students will get to see what they are learning from a textbook and worksheets is affected in real life situations, which make students more intrigued with what they are learning.
                
           

Minty Fresh

Minty Fresh

       I conducted a science experiment that was presented at Bishop Dunn's 6th science fair. I was also a judge at the fair and had to interview several of the students experiments. This was such an interesting experience for me. I used to have to do a science experiment each year in elementary school, but once I got to intermediate school I did not have to do them any more. As a child I remember loving and spending so much time creating a science experiment. I thought it was so much fun. Having to come up with an experiment for this year made me excited since I haven't done them since I was younger.

        The process of coming up with an experiment requires a lot of thinking. The first step to make an experiment is to come up with a question you want to solve. My question was, "does mint really cool down things?" I came up with this because I eat mints every other minute and it made me wonder. Then, I came up with a hypothesis which is an educated guess. I thought that mints did not actually cool things down, but I performed an experiment to find out for sure. While designing an experiment you want to be sure that there is a control, independent variable, dependent variable, and all the materials needed. You also want to be sure to record observations and data. The way I conducted my experiment was getting two cups of water of the same temperature and filling them up to the same height. I would record the temperature of both cups. Then, I would place 5 Mentos mints in only one of the cups of water. I only put the mints in one glass of water every time so that the other glass of water, with no mints, would be used as the control. Everyone knows water cools down from just sitting out; therefore, to determine if the water was just cooling because of sitting out or the mints I needed to only put mints in one cup. I would put 5 mints in the glass and record the temperature of both glasses of water for 25 minutes every 5 minutes. After observing my data, I noticed that the cup of water with the mints in it was a lower temperature than the water without the mints every time.  I came to the conclusion that mints actually does cool things down. Even though my hypothesis was not supported I am happy I did this experiment because now I know the answer to my problem.

          While being a judge during the science fair I got to witness so many creative interesting experiments. Students seemed to have so much fun while creating their experiments and could not wait to share what they did with me. Everyone's board was so nicely decorated and creative and the experiments were very well planned and thought out. As a teacher I would definitely incorporate science experiments into my class, because students solve a problem and learn the way things work and are the way they are for themselves. They also learn a lot from everyone sharing their experiments with each other. I also think it is important to allow students to pick out their own experiments to conduct instead of assigning them one because students will pick out something that interest and excited them. This will make the process of doing the experiment more fun and engaging cause students to learn more than if they were doing an experiment that they were not interested in.

These are some of the experiments that I judged.