I usually wait until my muse hits me with something I'm interested in tinkering/messing around with, but it didn't happen. I think the massive diversity overwhelmed me...
However, two things I did manage to do in the meantime were (1) a GenYes sort of project for my biology class and (2) [planning on] submitting a lesson plan on the water cycle (Earth Science) to Curriki from my homeschoolers group.
(1) GenYes-ish project: for the immune system, I asked my students to choose from a variety of topics that I provided (transmission of disease, vaccinations and immunities, the 1st line of defense and the 2nd line of defense, etc) and then to use as much creativity as possible in re-packaging that information and presenting it to their classmates. I showed them some basic tools online as well as suggested some programs and venues they could go.
Results: (a) One group used a music program to create a beat and simple melody to do their rap on transmissions of disease on. They were planning on using the built-in camera on their macs to make a video of it but didn't get enough time. It was actually amusing and silly enough that their classmates enjoyed it and had an easier time remembering the information (one of the girls kept coughing in beat whenever 'droplet transmission' came up).
(b) One group did a slideshow with Powerpoint.
(c) One group played charades with transmission of disease.
(2) The curriki project: for my homeschooler group, I had a lesson based on the water cycle. The family that hosts the classes happened to have a large mound of dirt out in the back so I brought a giant cooler of water as well as shovels, trowels, and hoes. The kids were set into teams: some dug out the 'natural' part of the system (aka the lake in the mountain), some designed a dam to control the water flow, some dug up the river that flowed down the mountain, some built a miniature city near the river, and some built a farm complete with an irrigation system for the city.
After finishing construction, we filled the lake up with water and watched water slowly flow down the river and connect into the irrigation systems below. As a simulation of the water cycle, I asked two kids to grab the sponges I brought and to simulate rain clouds by filling up at the cooler (ocean) and running up the mountain and sprinkling the water into the lake. They quickly realized that in order for the river to continuously flow at the same rate, they had to constantly run back and forth between the 'ocean' and the 'lake'.
After the simulation, we had 'Godzilla' break the dam and watched the damage of a lake emptying into the river. The city was flooded and the farm land was washed out. One of the poor little girls that built the farmland looked really sad...
I'm currently waiting for pictures and comments and critiques from them to add to the lesson plan before I post it up to Curriki.
Edit: Here it is.
Assignments
• Day 1
Read the Horizon Report (2008).
Post a blog on what technological trend you feel will become most prevalent in K12 learning within 5 years and why.
(see Rules of Engagement)
• Day 2
Please watch both of the Sir Ken Robinson videos linked below. Then post two slides on the shared presentation: 1) one way schools kill creativity, and 2) one way schools foster creativity.
Do schools kill creativity?
Creatively Speaking
• Day 4
Assignment 1 - Wikipedia - see post below.
Assignment 2 - Colliding Forces - see post below.
• Day 5 and Day 6
Live Broadcast - post a response to the blog below on Total Cost of Ownership (TCO)
• Day 7 and Day 8 - Surprise.....
Your assignment is optional - you will receive credit whether you email me yes or no, but you do have to email me. I do not believe in zeros, nor in failure as an option. However, you get what you put in, so I encourage you to say yes....;-)
If you email me yes, here's what you are committing to. Give me your email address at work, what grade level or content area you teach, whether you are an administrator, whatever. What school you are at and a short resume/introduction of yourself. I will leave your name and contact anonymous until I find another teacher/educator/administrator in PVUSD who might like to work with you on REACH, and in turn you with them. I will make an intitial email introduction of each of you to the other - from there, you are on your own to put into practice the communication, collaboration and creativity of 21st century teaching and learning, using information technology to bridge time and space constraints.
REACH (Real Experiences Advancing Childhood Humanities) is an initiative our district is implementing with other educators/administrators outside of our walls. We are connecting students/teachers/administrators, from differing classrooms, differing schools, cities, states, countries, using technology to communicate/collaborate/create in whatever ways possible and appropriate to postively impact student learning - totally up to you and your PVUSD counterpart on what you think would be useful - how big, how small, how deep, how thin, is up to you.
It does not have to be high tech, with tons of technology - in fact, the technology is not the point - learning with and about others is, being creative and taking a risk is the experience. One simple internet connection and a Google account can do wonders (you should now know that), to connect students, teachers, administrators, whatever. I suspect your kids, your school will be richer for the adventure and you will cross into something I believe is profound and necessary in education - REACH'ing beyond the walls......
So, if you want to REACH, give me the details and I will personally try to connect you with an appropriate counterpart. Then, you have the opportunity to extend your coursework learning into actual practice - the point of taking a class. Email me yay with details, or nay. What I wish for you is to REACH beyond this ASU class, throw optimism into the wind and see what emerges in your participatory networking experience.
Jeff......
Read the Horizon Report (2008).
Post a blog on what technological trend you feel will become most prevalent in K12 learning within 5 years and why.
(see Rules of Engagement)
• Day 2
Please watch both of the Sir Ken Robinson videos linked below. Then post two slides on the shared presentation: 1) one way schools kill creativity, and 2) one way schools foster creativity.
Do schools kill creativity?
Creatively Speaking
(see Rules of Engagement)
• Day 3
Assignment 1 - See Blog entry on Web 2.0 Directory below for instructions.
Assignment 2 - See Blog entry on P21 Skills below for instructions.
• Day 3
Assignment 1 - See Blog entry on Web 2.0 Directory below for instructions.
Assignment 2 - See Blog entry on P21 Skills below for instructions.
• Day 4
Assignment 1 - Wikipedia - see post below.
Assignment 2 - Colliding Forces - see post below.
• Day 5 and Day 6
Live Broadcast - post a response to the blog below on Total Cost of Ownership (TCO)
• Day 7 and Day 8 - Surprise.....
Your assignment is optional - you will receive credit whether you email me yes or no, but you do have to email me. I do not believe in zeros, nor in failure as an option. However, you get what you put in, so I encourage you to say yes....;-)
If you email me yes, here's what you are committing to. Give me your email address at work, what grade level or content area you teach, whether you are an administrator, whatever. What school you are at and a short resume/introduction of yourself. I will leave your name and contact anonymous until I find another teacher/educator/administrator in PVUSD who might like to work with you on REACH, and in turn you with them. I will make an intitial email introduction of each of you to the other - from there, you are on your own to put into practice the communication, collaboration and creativity of 21st century teaching and learning, using information technology to bridge time and space constraints.
REACH (Real Experiences Advancing Childhood Humanities) is an initiative our district is implementing with other educators/administrators outside of our walls. We are connecting students/teachers/administrators, from differing classrooms, differing schools, cities, states, countries, using technology to communicate/collaborate/create in whatever ways possible and appropriate to postively impact student learning - totally up to you and your PVUSD counterpart on what you think would be useful - how big, how small, how deep, how thin, is up to you.
It does not have to be high tech, with tons of technology - in fact, the technology is not the point - learning with and about others is, being creative and taking a risk is the experience. One simple internet connection and a Google account can do wonders (you should now know that), to connect students, teachers, administrators, whatever. I suspect your kids, your school will be richer for the adventure and you will cross into something I believe is profound and necessary in education - REACH'ing beyond the walls......
So, if you want to REACH, give me the details and I will personally try to connect you with an appropriate counterpart. Then, you have the opportunity to extend your coursework learning into actual practice - the point of taking a class. Email me yay with details, or nay. What I wish for you is to REACH beyond this ASU class, throw optimism into the wind and see what emerges in your participatory networking experience.
Jeff......
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
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1 comment:
Please make sure you post the URL here of the project - it needs to be online for me to grade and for others to view/use. Jeff...
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