http://www.beloit.edu/~SEPM/Rocks_and_minerals/growing_crystals.html
http://www.micro.magnet.fsu.edu/optics/activities/students/variables.html
This experiment is intended for grade 5 students and can be used in the ``Classroom Chemistry`` unit.
General Learner Outcomes:
· Carry out an investigation using given procedures and expand on this investigation
· Interpret observations and apply to knowledge they have acquired.
Specific Learner Outcomes:
· Create a prediction/hypothesis by providing answers to a given question.
· Record observations and create a conclusion based on experimental results.
· Identify new questions based on what they have learned.
Basic Procedures:
The student will only complete the first part of the excercise where they are growing alum and salt crystals at room temperature and in the refrigerator. After they have allowed the crystals to grow overnight, they should be able to answer the following:
a. How are the salt crystals different from the alum crystals? Talk about the shape, size and color. You may draw a picture if that helps. Create a table that compares and contrasts the crystals.
b. How are the crystals different when crystallization occurs at room temperature and when it occurs in the refrigerator? Create a table that compares and contrasts these characteristics.
c. What was the constant variable in the experiment?
d. Describe in your own words what “crystallization” means and how temperature affects crystallization.
e. Write down 3 new questions that you have about crystallization.
f. What other things would affect the shape, size, or color of a crystal?
Ask the students to re-dissolve the crystals. They must decide for themselves the best way of dissolving the crystals. Ask the students to answer the following questions:
g. Did the crystals redissolve in water and what did you have to do to make them dissolve?
h. What other techniques could you use to get the crystals to dissolve?
i. Is crystallization a reversible or irreversible reaction?
ICT Outcomes:
· Students are able to retrieve information from the Internet by using a specified URL
· Students are able to compile information obtained from the activity using a table in Microsoft Word or Excel.
Why use technology in the lesson?
The use of technology in this lesson allows the student to see the types of information and experiments they can find on the internet. By compiling the information in tabular form on the computer, they are seeing the effects of formalizing data and creating clear observations that can be shared amongst their classmates.
References:
Davidson, M.W., (2003, Aug 1). Science, Optics and You: Activities in Optics. Center for Integrating Research and Learning. Retrieved September 29, 2007 from
http://www.micro.magnet.fsu.edu/optics/activities/students/variables.html
Beebe, M.A., (2003, August). Growing Crystals. Society for Sedimentary Geology. Retrieved September 29, 2007 from
http://www.beloit.edu/~SEPM/Rocks_and_minerals/growing_crystals.html
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Monday, September 24, 2007
Web Logs as a Classroom Tool
It seems to have happened overnight. Classrooms overtaken by technology and the resources it can provide. I can remember when I was first introduced to the internet in a school setting... I was in Grade 12. The internet is now used and integrated into classroom curriculum as early as Grade 1. This technological revolution has not only modernized teaching structures and curriculum today; but it has provided teachers with added resources at their fingertips. When used effectively, a whole new world, with limitless learning possibilities has been opened up for all students.
Unfortunately, in the wrong hands, the infiltration of technology can also lead to corruption of our youth and lack of classroom/student privacy. The issue of privacy has proven itself critical in order to protect our students from being exploited, to ensure their safety, and to maintain a positive learning environment in a school setting. One of the more controversial tools available to students and teachers today is the web log. What has the potential to be a great technological tool in the classroom can also present a hazard to the students if not used properly.
What makes blogging such a great classroom tool?
The greatest advantage of the web log is that it provides an instant audience for the students. By expressing themselves in a blog, the student now has an audience beyond the teacher. Not only does this make their writing so much more meaningful, but it also requires the student to write responsibly, in a social context. In high school Social Studies classes, one of the first questions a teacher will ask a student when they prepare for a writing assignment is “Who is your audience?” In classic journal writing and essay writing, a student has a theoretical audience that they consider when incorporating vocabulary, tone, and subject matter. That audience is no longer theoretical; it is real. The implications of this are appealing to students as their writing has become so much more purposeful. Examples of the motivation and learning experience a blog can provide High School students can be seen in the following video:
http://weblogg-ed.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/05/WebLoggingSmall.mov
The creator of this video has also created some of his own blogs of his experiences and love for creating web logs in the classroom. When you click on this link, check out his entry from June 11, 2001. He goes into detail about how blogging has evolved over the years as a classroom tool and how it has affected his own classes positively:
http://weblogg-ed.com/category/blogging/
How do you ensure safety and privacy of the students is upheld?
If I were to incorporate blogging into my own classroom (which I can assure you I will likely be doing), there would be some very specific guidelines that I would need to ensure the students adhered to. Students will be excited about their new writing audience, but they also need to be taught how to be responsible with the information that they post and the potential implications of careless blogging.
1. I would provide a lesson on responsible blogging. Not only would we talk about privacy issues and potential consequences of ignoring privacy, but I would also emphasize the vast audience they will be addressing. Complete strangers will be reading these writings and the students need to be sensitive to the various cultural and sociological groups. I would emphasize this under “blogging manners”.
2. As much anonymity as possible would be required. Avoiding the use of family names, the school they are attending, geographical data and other information that could allow a stranger to find them.
3. I would try to use blogging sites that restrict who can see the student’s blogs and profiles.
4. Photos would need to be approved by myself or an administrator prior to posting. There can be signs or other indications of where the student lives in those photos.
5. I would check comments sent to the students on a regular basis to ensure nothing inappropriate is being communicated.
A great example of how a high school Social Studies teacher has incorporated the importance of responsibility into the classroom’s blogging forum can be seen at http://mistercooke2.wordpress.com/.
Despite the potential dangers of exposing students to an international audience, the learning opportunities are too great to ignore the function of a blog in the classroom. With the correct precautionary steps, blogging can be used safely and become an extremely effective classroom tool.
Unfortunately, in the wrong hands, the infiltration of technology can also lead to corruption of our youth and lack of classroom/student privacy. The issue of privacy has proven itself critical in order to protect our students from being exploited, to ensure their safety, and to maintain a positive learning environment in a school setting. One of the more controversial tools available to students and teachers today is the web log. What has the potential to be a great technological tool in the classroom can also present a hazard to the students if not used properly.
What makes blogging such a great classroom tool?
The greatest advantage of the web log is that it provides an instant audience for the students. By expressing themselves in a blog, the student now has an audience beyond the teacher. Not only does this make their writing so much more meaningful, but it also requires the student to write responsibly, in a social context. In high school Social Studies classes, one of the first questions a teacher will ask a student when they prepare for a writing assignment is “Who is your audience?” In classic journal writing and essay writing, a student has a theoretical audience that they consider when incorporating vocabulary, tone, and subject matter. That audience is no longer theoretical; it is real. The implications of this are appealing to students as their writing has become so much more purposeful. Examples of the motivation and learning experience a blog can provide High School students can be seen in the following video:
http://weblogg-ed.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/05/WebLoggingSmall.mov
The creator of this video has also created some of his own blogs of his experiences and love for creating web logs in the classroom. When you click on this link, check out his entry from June 11, 2001. He goes into detail about how blogging has evolved over the years as a classroom tool and how it has affected his own classes positively:
http://weblogg-ed.com/category/blogging/
How do you ensure safety and privacy of the students is upheld?
If I were to incorporate blogging into my own classroom (which I can assure you I will likely be doing), there would be some very specific guidelines that I would need to ensure the students adhered to. Students will be excited about their new writing audience, but they also need to be taught how to be responsible with the information that they post and the potential implications of careless blogging.
1. I would provide a lesson on responsible blogging. Not only would we talk about privacy issues and potential consequences of ignoring privacy, but I would also emphasize the vast audience they will be addressing. Complete strangers will be reading these writings and the students need to be sensitive to the various cultural and sociological groups. I would emphasize this under “blogging manners”.
2. As much anonymity as possible would be required. Avoiding the use of family names, the school they are attending, geographical data and other information that could allow a stranger to find them.
3. I would try to use blogging sites that restrict who can see the student’s blogs and profiles.
4. Photos would need to be approved by myself or an administrator prior to posting. There can be signs or other indications of where the student lives in those photos.
5. I would check comments sent to the students on a regular basis to ensure nothing inappropriate is being communicated.
A great example of how a high school Social Studies teacher has incorporated the importance of responsibility into the classroom’s blogging forum can be seen at http://mistercooke2.wordpress.com/.
Despite the potential dangers of exposing students to an international audience, the learning opportunities are too great to ignore the function of a blog in the classroom. With the correct precautionary steps, blogging can be used safely and become an extremely effective classroom tool.
Thursday, September 13, 2007
My Introduction to the “Blog”
Welcome to my Blog! My name is Michelle McDonald and I am pretty excited about being here in the faculty of Education and also to be writing my first ever Blog. I am originally from Calgary, Alberta and graduated from the University of Calgary about 3.5 years ago with my Bachelor’s of Science in Chemistry. I was sidetracked from my original goal of becoming a teacher when I was offered a job down here in Lethbridge, Alberta with Maple Leaf Potatoes. I loved my job there as a Food Safety and Sanitation Coordinator; however, I realized I was losing sight of my original goal and was eager to resume my education before it was too late. Not only did my previous career give me a lot of professional and life experience in a short period of time; but it also introduced me to the city of Lethbridge and the highly recommended Faculty of Education here. In my sheltered Calgary life, I imagined myself finishing my Education at the University of Calgary, getting a job as a teacher and settling down there for the rest of my life. Getting a job outside of Calgary has forced me to explore educational, career, and other lifelong opportunities that present itself all over the world! Though most of family lives in Calgary and Red Deer, I am not alone. Waiting for me at home is my hyperactive, 7 month old black Labrador retriever. You can imagine the challenge of raising a puppy and going to school at the same time, but it is well worth the effort and he is my comic relief on a stressful day.What stresses me out? Well, the word "technology" and "headache" are synonymous in my mind. I often find technology frustrating, particularly the upgrades, updates and advances made to any technological application by the second. What I find more frustrating is the impact it has on my life when it fails... or when I fail to use it properly. Pressing the wrong key means anything I type appears in Korean. Or what about that long cord that connects my computer to the wall? A foot in the wrong spot cuts off the power sending 20 hours of work down some black hole into oblivion. My frustration is not limited to computers. Where my windshield wipers used to be is now power mirror defrost (who knew that even existed?). Or what about the new microwaves where a simple defrost now requires you to know the weight or type of food you are preparing. Even my bathroom scale does way more (or tells me way more) than I’d like! Now that I’ve gotten that out of my system, I will be honest. I use technology hundreds of times throughout the day and 95% of the time I value the use of technology, enjoy using it, and don’t know how I would survive without it. But that 5% of the time when something goes wrong...let’s just say that many tears of frustration have been shed!
When I first became acquainted with the blogging tool, I was impressed. I found my own blog easy to set up, easy to create and easy to edit. To me, the opportunities in the classroom seem endless! What better way to motivate the students to get involved in classroom discussions and collaboration with such a fun and informal tool. There are so many ways to incorporate this into the curriculum at any level and for any subject. A blog can be created for classroom use where students and teachers can post an entry and comments. The blog can also be used by individual students for academic portfolios, projects, or other academic and/or extra-curricular forums. As an additional advantage, parents and peers can access student blogs to keep up with their academic and extra-curricular life at school.
One of the outcomes of the ICT curriculum is the Foundational, Operations and Knowledge concepts. This category deals with general knowledge and understanding of technology; but, also the responsible, ethical and moral use of technological applications. Though blogging is a useful tool in the personal, academic, and work sectors, it has also caused a lot of problems as a result of misuse and lack of privacy. A blog is a public tool. Once posted, it is available to the public for viewing and response. What better way to encourage the responsible, moral, and ethical use of communication via the internet than with a blog?
The threat to young children and adolescents on the web has always been huge and part of the problem is that the children are unaware of how to spot the risk or unaware of the risk altogether. By guiding students from a young age as they create their own blog, they will have a better understanding through experience of the risks associated with the internet and how to avoid these risks. In addition to this, students can learn to respect the privacy of others around them, communicate with students and peers in a respective manner, and to abide by and follow school policies regarding the internet.
These are only some of the possibilities with blogging. The tool is an effective way to teach children communication and technology skills, but it also poses a potential threat to students due to the lack of privacy. However, by turning the risks associated with blogs into learning opportunities, the effectiveness of the blog could
double.
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