Group Discussion about Science Sim

Today we got a scenario from our teacher and had to discuss it with our group for 30 minutes. The scenario was a teacher wanting to buy an Itouch for her students to use in the classroom. We discussed it as the teacher, PTA president, and the principal. It was interesting to discuss because we thought about different scenarios and difficulties we could run into in each of our different roles. We discussed the pros and cons of having Itouches. For example, a pro could be they could be used for educational podcasts. A con could be students would get destracted with them and not listen or learn from the teacher. There also could be problems with funds. Especially in these days there are not a lot of funds to go around. We ended up deciding on getting one Itouch to see how it worked. Another thing we did in class today was tried to get on Science Sim, but it didn't work for most people in the class. This is just another lesson to learn from that you need to make sure the technology is working before you try to teach your students with it. It would be fun to work with Science Sim, but it has never worked for me.

Inquiry Lesson

I loved this class. I went to a seminar a couple weeks ago and learned about WebQuests. I had never even heard about them until then, but I became very interested. I think students would loving doing these technology based lessons if the lessons are put together clearly and concisely. It was very helpful learning about IA and getting an account. Through this class I learned about a ton of resources that are out there. I also learned how to put together something like a WebQuest for my students. Learning about this is helpful for me as a student because I can become more familiar with the technology, so when I become a teacher I can be an expert at it. I can put together lessons quickly and easily by practicing and learning about it now. Students can also benefit from Instructional Architect because this kind of learning is engaging and gets students interested about the subject you are teaching.

WebQuest Post

The subject we covered today was WebQuests. We went to a website, webquest.org, and searched through WebQuests that have already been made. Chelsee and I looked at a math lesson where students went through different tasks to learn how to convert decimals to fractions and percentages. It takes them to a couple of websites that help them review and give them practice. The last step was students had to get a worksheet from their teacher and fill in the columns of how many colors of M&M's came in each bag. They had to convert the fraction into percentages and decimals. It gave the students great practice on how to convert. These WebQuests could be very helpful for students. WebQuests give students a lot of different tasks so they can be able to learn the subject. It covers all kinds of learning styles. I want to use this in my own classroom if I have the resources because students are able to go at their own pace, and a lot of different learning styles. Going at their own pace and using all kinds of learning styles is not probable when using paper and pencil. Teachers could use WebQuests to introduce a new topic or even take a test. WebQuests can be used for most anything teachers want to cover in class. It is a very useful tool.