PART C - Implementation

My Wicked Problem Project is progressing well although I will not implement with students until next week.  You can listen to an update on my project in my podcast.  

Link to my WPP Part C Implementation Podcast.

Data Visualization

Data Visualization

For the data visualization lab I tried out several of the website that were listed on Karl Drude's wikispace. I had wanted to try out Glogster and this gave me a good reason. I made a Glogster out of several videos on mitosis that I like students to watch. It is nice to put all the links together in one place and have the videos easily accessible rather than multiple links for them to click on. I know I will be using this in the next week in class. I can see lots of uses for Glogster and I like that there is a teacher friendly way to manage classes and students. I have used word clouds before but I have always used Wordle and so I decided to give Tagxedo a try. I really like how I just copied the link to my blog spot into Tagxedo and it created a word cloud from my blog - very cool. I like to use these to introduce topics to students. I give them the word cloud and have them write sentences inferring main ideas. I think you can infer alot about me by seeing the word cloud from my blog postings. I also checked out other sites like Gapminder. I was very impressed with the infographs that were available on the site. I love using infographics and need to realize I can utilize them for many things I teach. I would love to have students create a Glogster during 2nd semester. When we study genetic diseases they would look up statistics about certain genetic diseases and create a glogster on a genetic disease and include and graph of data about the disease. I also had no idea Google had that much public data graphed. Those will definitely be great to use when we talk about population and Earth's carrying capacity in Biology class and I can also pass them on to our social studies department.

PART B - Storyboard and Script

Storyboard and Script for Group Project on Educreations

Our group has had two video conferences on the project where I feel we have all contributed equally.  We each have a part that we will record using Educreations that will then be put into the final video tutorial  using Camtasia.  Right now we have one person that will splice the four pieces together in Camtasia.  Our plan is to video conference again and screen share while the editing is being done so we can all put the final product together.  I have already created a few lessons and we will use one of them to hook people into our presentation.   I will then be explaining what Educreations is and how to use it.  I will demonstrate the use of Educreations using Educreations to record it.  So I will essentially be creating a lesson on Educreations on how to use Educreations :)  Then one person will explain how Educreations could be useful in Project Based Learning and one person will explain how to use Educreations for a flipped classroom.

I think we will end up with a fabulous tutorial on how to use Educreations and ways it can be used.

PART A - Brainstorm Session

Group Leadership Project Part A - Brainstorm Session

Click HERE for the link to our group web conference/brainstorming session.

Our group began by emailing back and forth and agreeing upon a date, time and technology to facilitate our meeting.  We selected Google Hangout to use for our meeting.  Our group chose Google Hangout for our web conference.  Two of us have used Google Hangouts before in   previous classes.  I find Google Hangouts to be very easy to use. Using a web conference for group projects is perfect.  You get to live chat, while exploring web sites and working on documents.  You can also share your screen so everyone can see who is doing or finding what. I really didn't find any disadvantages.  I really can't see how you could find anything wrong with this level of collaboration.  

As a group we brainstormed some different technologies to teach about and we settled on Educreations.   We have a Google Doc that we put the notes from our brainstorming session.  This document also has our plans and dates for completion.  We are actually going to use Educreations to teach how to use Educreations.  We will each create a tutorial in Educreations that showcases different features and uses of Educreations.  We will be showcasing the following 4 areas: 

1.  How to use it

2.  How to use for student assessment

3.  Podcasting and Flipping your classroom using Educreations

4.  Making Tutorials for Students and Teachers

We also created a timeline for completing things:

1.  Storyboard by November 21st using Google Presentations for the storyboard - we want to get done before the holiday

2.  One person in our group will have students use the app

3.  Finish and Submit by November 30th

I think we developed a great plan for an effective tutorial for Educreations.

Web-Conferencing

CEP812 Group Web Conference

Click HERE to view our web conference.

Our group chose Google Hangout for our web conference.  Two of us have used Google Hangouts before in   previous classes.  I find Google Hangouts to be very easy to use.  I had never recorded a web conference prior to this and that turned out to he easy to do as well.  We were also able to easily share our screens so that we could look at websites and we had a Google Doc open that we were contributing to at the same time as well.  I felt this was very easy to use and I could see possibilities in the classroom.  This could be used to connect students to students from around the United States of World.  Students could also web conference with professionals in fields that we are studying.  I have been wanting to have my students Skype with other students for a long time but I am having trouble making connections with other students or professionals.  It just never seems to work out.  I was working on a connection with a classroom in Australia until we realized with the time difference and different school schedules it wasn't going to work out.  Fortunately the school year is young and I hope to make these connections happen this school year.  Last year my students did attend a webinar with Reed Timmer from the televisions show Storm Chasers but I want them to have more personal conversations with professionals or other students.

We really didn't have any surprising or awkward moments.  Minus my dogs poking their heads in but I think that was before we started recording and a couple of us were trying to eat dinner at the same time :)
We had thrown Skype out there as a option for our meeting but we really didn't debate any other software possibilities as we felt this was our best option.  In the future we will be using Google Hangouts as well.  Ease of use and great connections make this a good choice.

PART B - Application of TPACK

TPACK and Google Earth Tour

Pedagogy

I am excited that this assignment will encompass many different teaching methods.  It will be a Project Based Learning activity which will involve real world connections, collaboration and high levels of engagement.  Students will be making real world connections as they get to actually "see" the plate boundaries and how they effect the Earth and United States.  They will actually get to connect plate boundaries to earthquakes and volcanoes and see how they are tied together.  Students will be working in partners to create their virtual tour so they will be collaborating as well as taking the tours that their other classmates create.  What I like most will be the high levels of engagement.  Instead of me just showing them locations on a map in my classroom or on Google Earth they will actually be using Google Earth to explore plate boundaries, earthquakes, volcanoes and other Earths formations.  This higher level of engagement should correlate to increased levels of students achievement.

Technology

Students love Google Earth. Why? So they can zoom in on their houses or friends houses. Zoom in on their schools or other locations but they really do not understand the full capabilities.  Students will be making a tour on Google Earth and be able to experience the full capabilities of Google Earth.  They will use technology to record their voice.  Using Google Earth allows students higher levels of engagement, it creates inquiry as instead of my giving them a list of the volcano and earthquake locations they will have to find them.  Instead of me telling them why they are there they will need to figure that out so there will be some problem solving involved. Using Google Earth to make a tour will create higher levels of engagement, inquiry and problem solving.  

Content

The subject matter of plate tectonics, earthquakes and volcanoes is one students usually have an interest in.  They find the idea of earthquakes and volcanoes fascinating but also something that is hard to grasp due to not being able to demonstrate or show them.  They are concepts that they feel disconnected from due to never having experience with them.  Ultimately creating the tour in Google Earth will connect them to the earthquake hot spots around the world and past major events.  It will take them to the active volcanoes on the Earth and past major volcanic activity.  It will also expose them to other major land features created by plate boundaries.  The student will virtually get to visit locations and see how they are ties to plate boundaries.  On the tour they create they will tell something about each location so they will need to research about those locations.  They will also explain how the earthquake or volcanoes are connected to the plate  boundary in that area, type of plate boundary and type of earthquake or volcano.  

TPACK

I feel that this unit provides a great combination of Pedagogy, Technology and Content so as to hit the TPACK sweet spot.  This activity provides 21st century learning focused on essential learning's and skills supported by technology.  

PART A - Description of Need or Opportunity

Wicked Problem Project

An Educational Opportunity

Through this project I have an opportunity to take a topic that was disconnected and lacked student engagement and make it more connected and engaging for students, which I think will allow students to better master the concept and make stronger connections with the subject matter.  

In the unit on plate tectonics, volcanoes and earthquakes I like students to be able to understand how the 3 concepts are related.  I want them to be able to located the major earth plate boundaries and what type of boundaries they are.  I want them to be able to then see that the major earthquakes and volcanoes of the world are found on those boundaries along with what types of volcanoes and earthquakes.  I also want them to see the other major Earth features that are found on plate boundaries.  

Using Technology

My plan is to have students work as partners and use Google Earth to make a virtual tour of the plate boundaries, volcanoes, earthquakes and boundary features.  Student tours will include the types of boundaries, volcanoes and how the features are formed.  It will also include the basic information on the major earthquakes that have occurred and how the features have formed. The use of the technology allows several things for students.  Looking at it through the NETS standards the assignment covers this:

1. Students demonstrate a sound understanding of 
   the nature and operation of technology systems.
2. Use technology tools for 
   individual and collaborative writing, communication, and publishing activities to 
   create knowledge products for audiences inside and outside the classroom.
3. Students 
   use technology to locate, evaluate, and collect information from a variety of 
   sources. Discuss basic issues related to responsible use of technology and 
   information.

This project requires no cost and I believe it will have a huge impact on student learning rather than the prior way of teaching this lesson with lecture and coloring of maps.

Logistics

Logistically there shouldn't be any issues with technology.  While I would love to be able to use the iPads in my classroom for this activity we will actually utilize one of the 3 computer labs in the school.  I will need to book these a couple weeks in advance as sometimes they can fill up.  Since the tour they create on Google Earth will include voice narration from the students I will need to make sure I have microphones on hand.  I know our technology department has several microphones so I will need to touch base with them about their use.  I will also need to make sure that all our computers are upgraded to Google Earth 5.  Our technology department is usually on top of those things but I will need to double check.  

Research

Since I have never created a Google Tour or had students create one the idea did require some research.  I actually got the idea from a fellow colleague who I met in this program.  

I first searched how to make a Google Earth Tour.  http://www.google.com/earth/outreach/tutorials/kmltours.html

I also did some research to see how other educators were using Google Earth Tour.

• This teacher has some great resources and guide for students in making their tours.  I like her recording sheet or planning sheet.  I will want to create one of those for my students,  She has a rubric as well that I might be able to adapt to my assignment.  http://misshendleysclass.pbworks.com/w/page/50940324/Google%20Tours
• Here I found a great assignment sheet with directions that I could also adapt.  www.olc.edu/~smannel/gis/.../_files/.../asg_Google_Earth.doc
• This website also has a great assignment sheet and scavenger hunt to get students familiar with Google Earth.  http://lmsdgoogle.wikispaces.com/file/view/Google+Earth+project_guide.pdf

Implementation

I plan to implement the entire project during this course.

Success

Indicators of a successful project will be in the students finished projects that have meet all standards for the project and beyond.  Other indicators of success will be results of the unit assessment.  Scores on the unit assessment should be higher than last year and their should be less students who need to take advantage of second change testing. 

CEP811 Final Reflections

Final Reflections on CEP 811

When I really sit down and think back over the course I am actually surprised at how much I learned and changed the past few weeks.  I think I was so immersed in actually doing all the assignments I didn't realize how much I was growing as a person, instructional leader and technology leader.  

The activity I learned the most from was the creation of my STAIR on Light and Mirrors.  While I have a flipped classroom this actually makes me look at an entire lesson that incorporates many different instructional strategies.  The unit included graphic organizers, note taking  formative quizzes with immediate feedback, scaffolding and videos.  It was all incorporated into this stand alone resource that my students actually used in class last week.  I really like how the unit taught the different types of mirrors and then had students apply the mirror rules.  I really learned more about power point and how to effectively create a kiosk presentation.  I am excited to create more STAIR type units even though it is very time consuming. 

I also found the comparison of my Coaster Physics lesson plan to the UDL Checklist to be quite effective.  It was amazing how many little things I could do to a lesson plan/assignment that could improve the effectiveness.  Just simply underlining key terms in the instructions and providing checkpoints throughout the activity made it more effective. Although this was lengthy I think it was worth it and gave me some good ideas to help those that struggle reading and with big projects.  

I also think I will be using Merlot in the future.  I had never even heard of this website but I found a great array of resources that will be useful in my class.  Until this course I thought Merlot was just a good wine!  

Before this course I knew alot about technology but now I actually feel like I know how to integrate technology with proven instructional strategies and pedagogy.  My new goals don't just focus on technology but the entire TPACK package.  

I would like to create more STAIR units. 

Contribute more lessons to Merlot.
I also want to focus on scaffolding better in all my lessons. 

While at times the class has been overwhelming - looking back on it now I have really grown.