NASA's ode to World Cup 2010

Feeling a bit nostalgic as I watch the final game of the World Cup before it goes dormant again for 4 years......

I thought this Flickr set was a pretty cool "ode" to the teams in World Cup 2010, plus some pretty awesome images. Thanks NASA!

Just wanted to share.....

Viva Espana!

Being creative with data in order to generate an argument and my first attempt at Jing

Or as my husband so cleverly suggested (I am humoring him here...) "Getting jingy with it"....but that will come later on in the post.

When coming up with an project inspired by the "Generate an Argument" instructional model created by Sampson and Grooms I wanted to create an activity that would really promote data manipulation. So many times I feel that students are simply given straightforward numbers and asked to make a conclusion. I wanted to push their data interpretation comfort zone a bit and create a situation where students had the opportunity to play with numbers to best fit their argument. To do this I created an assignment based on a very simple and highly subjective question:

What is the most dangerous type of cancer in Connecticut?

To answer this question the students will use data complied by the National Cancer Institute entitled "State Cancer Profiles". This data set incorporates historical trends, current mortality and incidence rates, demographic trends, and screening and risk factors. The site also allows for interactive comparative data testing between the above factors. The even cooler thing about this website is that not only can you create graphs comparing a variety of trends and risk factors, but all of the graphs and data tables that you create can be exported. Students will be required to export the data they use to back up their argument and incorporate it into a powerpoint presentation. The presentation will be followed by a question and answer session where they will have to defend the choices they made when coming up with their response to the question. This component of the assignment should be both quantitive and qualitative.

Here is the activity handout that I have created to use with this assignment.

Some of the components of the State Cancer Profile database are a bit tricky to understand at first. I was thinking a short video using Jing may help students better understand the capabilities of the website.

Maybe something like this?

Science in a 21st Century Classroom and Little Inspiration from #scichat

Inspired by the conversation on last nights #scichat I decided to look into just what a 21st century science classroom should look like. Based on some of the sources that I found, along with much of the conversation of last night's discussion here's what i've come up with: I think the biggest additions to the classroom in the 21st century must involve an abundance of elasticity (in approach/assessments/grading/and beyond...) and incorporate more technology. I think the technology component is summed up pretty well by this video. Don't get turned off by the hokey title......

I think the reality we as teachers face is coming to terms with the fact that this new Y generation of students will not benefit from the same systematic teaching methods that have been used in the past. This can be scary, because this is not how we learned the material we are teaching, and as a result of this it can unquestionably push the limits of our respective comfort zones.

Students need to learn how to solve real world problems using the means of communication and the types of resources that they will have to become comfortable with (and for the most part already are comfortable with...) in the big bad world they will face once school ends. Below is a video created by a group of students in a Cultural Anthropology class at Kansas State university. I think it portrays the Y generation of learners quite well...

To help students with this, we need to become more creative as instructors, and not be afraid to take on the role of learners ourselves. During last nights #scichat @Brunsell (I think some of you may have heard of him....) shared a really cool edublog that a group of ninth grade students and their teacher put together to collaborate on an exploration of climate change. I think this project is brilliant. The teacher outlines the project very clearly. Posts are made weekly and they incorporate hard facts as well as reflections. Discussions (within the comments section) of each post then follow. I think the teacher, Mr. Wildeboer, does an excellent job of explaining how to create an effective blog post- emphasizing the importance of both content and aesthetics.

I've been trying to think about how to insert blogging into my curriculum (I teach 7th, 8th and 9th grade). I think this is a nice option, but I'd love to hear if other people in this class have come up with any ideas on how blogging fits into a 21st century classroom. I think we will all agree that it belongs in some shape of form, but what's the best and most beneficial way to use it as a learning tool (and I know this will vary to best fit us all and our teaching)??

Student Blogs? One big class blog? A current events blog? A blog devoted to just one long term class research project? How are others planning on incorporating this?

Timelines, Cute Baby Pics, and a New Approach to Methodology

On a suggestion from as classmate (thanks, Caryn!!!) I decided to check out a timeline tool called timetoast. This tool allows you to make a timeline for events of any time increment (it self adjusts appropriately as you go). You simply add events as you like. Each event can be identified with a title and then can be followed up with a detailed description. Pictures and links can also be added to each event. I found this tool to be very user friendly. I decided to try this tool out by putting together a quick timeline of my daughter's life. I picked a few milestones to document and went from there. The only issues I had was with picture size. There was a 3 mb limit on pictures to upload to the time line, so I had to spend sometime shrinking down images before I could start. Below is my attempt. The timeline is interactive and as you scroll over the dots you will see titles and images. If you click on any of the events, you will get the details behind each title.





Originally I was thinking this tool would be a fun way to study historical science topics like the history of the atom, but as I was putting this timeline together I was thinking of a different application. I think creating a timeline like this to explain lab methodology might be pretty cool, and it could take the place of a mundane lab write-up from time to time. Students could take pictures for each procedural step and then upload these photos with detailed descriptions into the timeline. Students could collaborate as timetoast timelines can be made public and there is room for comments underneath each project.

Twitter, In Plain English, and the Power of Persuasion

I mentioned to a friend that I had started a twitter account as a requirement for a class. She couldn't believe it, as she didn't understand how tweeting could be educational or serve as a usable resource. In fact, I think her exact words were, "Isn't twitter just a means of following the happenings of people like Lance Armstrong and Tori Spelling!?!"

After admitting that I do in fact follow Lance Armstrong (I'm a total sucker...I know it!) I tried to explain to her just how you can use twitter to obtain up to date news and current event info and even collaborate with others in your field. Tried is the key word.....I really was having a hard time putting the benefits of this resource into simple terms and, as a result, the case I was attempting to make for twitter use was not very convincing. I must be spending too much time on this class :), because after a few babbles my mind immediately went to the In Plain English video series.....how would they explain the benefits of twitter use? I know it would be in a means that was clear and easy to comprehend. So, I put it to the test. I opened my computer and searched for the appropriate video. I pressed play and let "in plain english" do the talking.

3 hours later my friend called to tell me that she opened her own twitter account.

A Shift in Mindset; Storytelling as a Learning Tool in Science

I need to admit that I used to be a skeptic. I've heard about digital storytelling before and anytime anyone has suggested it as a useful tool in the classroom I've kind of stuck my nose up in the air. I know it's fairly close-minded of me, but I hear the word "story-telling" and immediately associate anything that follows with a elementary school or younger curriculum. Well, after this weeks readings, however, I have concluded that my skepticism was solely a result of ignorance. I am not afraid to scream it from the roof tops now; I am a believer!

As a read through this week's assignments and started to mess around with a few of the recommended tools, so many applications started streaming through my brain. The possibilities are truly endless!

Looking over some of the timeline applications I was thinking how useful they might become when taking on a topic such as the history of the atom. In the past I have completed these units in lecture format followed by an assessment of sorts. Very dry, I realize...... How much more engaging would it be to take on the same material and ask the kids to create an interactive timeline with videos embedded?!?

Another thought is using this application as a replacement for a lab write-up. What if students had to video record a lab taking place and then go back and add a voice thread explaining what is occurring during the lab on a molecular level? This could also serve as a great resource to students who missed a lab due to an absence.

I am very excited about the possibilities that this weeks info has cultivated. Now I can't wait to spend the rest of the week putting of some of these ideas into action.....

Twitter and blog lurking as resources.

I woke up this morning, had my daily cup of coffee, took a few deep breaths and let the morning unfold as I watched my daughter make beautiful music with a few of her favorite pots and pants. I put her down for her morning nap (as making beautiful music is exhausting....) and then went to my computer to catch up on emails, news, etc. Checking out my twitter page I noticed a post from a user I connected with during the #sciscat earlier this week. The tweet read: "Using glogster in the classroom:useful helpsheet and ideas" and was followed by a link. Since this was one of the tools I've been playing with this week, I thought I'd give it a look. The page I was sent to was a blog of a teacher that had used glogster in his classroom of 7th graders. A helpful "how to guide" was included in the write-up; this set of guidelines is definitely a clear and easy explanation of the tool for middle school students. I continued to "lurk" through his posts, which included a few opinion pieces as well as some write-ups on useful web tools, gadgets, and widgets (what the heck is the difference between a gadget and a widget anyway!?!?!) Anyhow, Russel Tarr's most recent post recommended a widget called Feedjit that could track all blog visits with quite a bit of detail. I want to play around with this widget a little more, but I was thinking that it might be a nice way to track views of a class blog. I just set it up on my own blog and see how it goes. Check it out in the bottom right corner of my blog. What do you think?