LL6 - Learning Tools

1. Skype
2. I chose Skype for a few reasons. I have heard so much about it recently from many of my friends, either ones studying abroad or those still in Gainesville, that I wanted to check it out. Plus, my boyfriend and I web cam all the time, but it is a fairly inconsistent program, so I thought that this might be a good solution.
3. I think the biggest advantage to using Skype in the classroom would be the opportunity for students to communicate with other students around the world. When I was in elementary school, we had pen pals by writing letters. Now, students can get on Skype and either IM or video chat with other students. If they are trying to learn each others' languages, this could be of great assistance. With such advantageous technology in our grasp, why not use it? A huge advantage to Skype is that most aspects of it are free and applicable to life at home as well. Teachers can educate students in online safety and how to use Skype, and then they can chat with friends, family, and "pen pals" from home.
4. One problem I could forsee with Skpe would be internet security. If students were to get on it at home, or even at school without the correct supervision, they could run into online predators. Students might be able to access the parts of Skype you have to pay for, but I'm sure the school can put blocks on that. Since "sexting" is such a problem in schools now, using Skype for similar activity might be an issue in the future.

1. iTunes
2. I chose iTunes because, although I have used it a lot for my personal music collection, I had never really thought about how it could be used in the classroom.
3. I was discussing the use of iTunes with my dad, and he is quite the intellectual. He said that he has been using iTunes for a while to download lectures from different universities on topics he is interested in. I had never explored this feature, and it is actually really neat. It's nice that if students want the opportunity to get more information about something they're interested in, they can do it here. This is called iTunes U. Teachers can use this in order to brush up on certain topics, too.
4. The information would be over the heads of a lot of students, but in upper level high school classes it could be used, especially for students who are bored in their regular classes.

1. SurveyMonkey
2. SurveyMonkey is another tool that I've used personally but never really considered using in a classroom. My friends have used it a lot for personal quizzes.
3. As a teacher, I could use this tool to create surveys for students. They could either be just used as an assessment early in a unit to see what I need to focus on, or to see if students like certain things about my teaching methods. It could also be used to determine what topics are of most interest to students, if they have a choice in what I am teaching.
4. SurveyMonkey could be used by students to create hurtful surveys about classmates. As long as the work students do on the site is monitored, I don't think this would be a problem.

LL5 - Reflecting on Lesson Plan 1

1. I really liked the fact that my lesson plan involved a few different technological parts. There was the concept map, which I actually really enjoyed putting together, research on the computer, the actual simulation, and the data input. I did not like that I tried to put all of the parts in one lesson, and think in reality I would split it up so students were learning about earthquakes for at least a few days before they began this lesson.
   
2. The lesson was active because it forced students to use technology to put together not only a report but also a spreadsheet of their data. It was authentic because the simulation they used demonstrated a real-world problem. They actually influenced the outcome of the earthquakes by their own actions and decisions.
   
3. I would split this into more than one lesson, or at least take out the research aspect I think. It is too much for one lesson.
   
4. A little risky. I'm sure most students would never have used a simulation such as this one before, and it would be a great new experience for them. While data input and papers are not risky at all, the concept map is a pretty new idea as well.
   
5. My lesson plan was biased in that I have always considered earthquakes so interesting. Because of this, I probably spent a lot more time on the subject than I would others, just because it is interesting to me. Granted, I find most students are interested in the destruction they cause, but I would need to make sure this subject is balanced with other plate tectonics and earth sciences.
   

LL4 - Lesson Plans

Effects of Earthquakes on Buildings

• http://www.microsoft.com/education/earthquakes.mspx
• Subject area: Earth sciences
  
• Grade level: 7-12
  
• Students will learn hands-on the effects of earthquakes on buildings. They will talk about architectural plans and then model the earthquakes on a program. This lesson will focus on simulating earthquakes of different magnitudes and types and seeing how this affects buildings.
  
• Educational goals: Study and learn in-depth about earthquakes.
  
• Assessment: Grade students' answers to questions in the main activity section, as well as how accurately they present their data.
• I really liked that this lesson included a program for simulating the earthquakes. I think it makes it that much more real and stimulating.
• I did not like that the focus was mixed between the building structure and the earthquakes; it seemed like too much information to take in at once.
• I would like to know how the program works more in-depth so if there are any technical problems they can be addressed.
  

The Ultimate Guide: Human Body

• http://school.discoveryeducation.com/lessonplans/programs/ultimate_humanbody/
• Subject area: Science/anatomy
  
• Grade level: 9-12
  
• Students will see segments of the video The Ultimate Guide: Human Body and discuss them. Then they will use online resources to go into more detail on what the purposes of the specific systems of the body are.
  
• Educational goals: Learn about the human body and how its segments relate to each other, while also using and developing research skills.
  
• Assessment: Based on how much the student participated in class discussion, as well as the writing he/she did on the in-class research.
• I really liked that this lesson plan used video, the computer and discussion.
• I did not like that it was so broad, as there are so many systems in the body it would be better to split this up.
• I would like to know if there are more materials made by The Ultimate Guide, such as a workbook, to go with the video.
  

Castle Builder

• http://score.rims.k12.ca.us/activity/castle_builder/
• Subject area: History/Art
  
• Grade level: 7
• Students will research the Welsh daily life in this time period, including aspects of castle construction from this time period. Use a variety of online resources for information on castle aspects. Students will then make a blueprint of their castle, and a model. To make this more technologically enhanced, the model could be made on a computer program.
  
• Educational goals: Develop research skills, learn about Welsh life in the time period specified.
  
• Assessment: Make sure the student has done their research, included all of the castle specifications, and creativity.
• I liked that this used students' creativity and research skills all in one.
• I did not like that it didn't seem realistic in that the normal Welsh people probably would not have lived in a castle.
• Could this project be done with other cultures as well? I.e. Chinese homes/castles?