Carrying out my GAME Plan

In reflection with regards to the preparation of my GAME Plan it is apparent that I will need various resources to aid me in carrying out the lesson activity. In order to guide my students in their research it would be beneficial if they could search out and possibly interview renewable energy researchers and industrialists to learn the latest trends in the technology. I do realize that this might not be possible for my students to complete before the conclusion of the project. So in response to this likely dilemma I've compiled the following websites that the students can utilize as their springboards into the research required for their alternative energy projects.

US Department of Energy:

http://www.energy.gov/

Energy Information Administration:

http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/kids/

US Geological Survey:

http://energy.usgs.gov/

Energy Resources International

http://www.energyresources.com/

If there are any other online sites that any of my cohort peers would recommend, I would be extremely appreciative! Thanks!

EDUC 6713 GAME Plan

During this progress of this course, it is my desire to improve upon my students creativity in the physics curriculum. Too often within a given physics course, everything is cut and dry with facts and concepts that were already studied upon in the previous centuries of scientific exploration. Many laboratory assignments are only designed for students to simply repeat these explorations conducted by previous researchers and scholars of yesteryears.

My goal is to create a final project where students discuss the efficacy of alternative energy forms over the United States' high use of fossil fuels. Conducting their research in small groups they must choose an energy form that interests them and find out if it would be feasible (economically, socially, environmentally) for the US to switch to high use of that energy form or source. The analysis and research is highly open-ended and the students are allowed to use creativity in this approach. This concept addresses ISTE standard number one. After compiling their research students will use a wiki website to organize their information and debate within their own group dynamics whether or not their energy source is a viable solution to the US's energy problem. By using this tool and working in their small groups in this manner, the students will be learning new valuable skills that are heavily prevalent in the 21st Century workplace where it is quite common that decent project management skills are required. This tool and activity highly addresses the second ISTE standard. I will monitor the students progress in the month long project as an administrator on their wiki site and will develop a rubric that the students will be familiar about before starting the project. At the conclusion of the activity I will let the students evaluate its delivery on my part via an online survey so I can make future improvements for oncoming years.

EDUC 6712 Reflection

In the course of EDUC 6712, it was apparent of how much I need to aid my students in focusing their research efforts in the projects that I require for my class. Today's digital world requires the student to utilize an inner filter system in order to choose what is and what is not meaningful content to be organized into a research project. If students do not learn how to critically do this, not only will they underperform on a given assignment, the students will underperform in life as well. They will be vulnerable to anything that they come across with no way to pre-filter out potential risks.

EDUC 6711 - Final Reflection

Upon review of my earlier theory of learning that I wrote for this particular course, I would not say there would be much that I would change or revise in that theory. I believe that my instruction should by wholly student centered and that I should focus all my efforts in creating lesson plans that are highly engaging and effective in student learning.

I did learn a new set of ‘tricks of the trade’ that I would love to share with my students while taking this particular Walden course. From this course, I would love to have my students use the VoiceThread online application tool. I really can envision using the video capability of this particular tool to provide sample mathematical homework solutions to the students while the students could provide feedback to me with their own questions and comments all remotely from home. This would be a great goal of mine to complete hopefully one full VoiceThread per month of instruction for the first academic year, and increase that output to at least two full submissions every week by the fifth academic year.

Another tool that I aim to use with my students is the online concept-mapping tool. Quite often my students struggle in developing a concrete main idea that is supported by tangible facts and ideas, simply because they cannot organize their thought process. With my alternative final assessment projects I can use this tool to aid my students get over the initial hump of organization block. It is my goal to implement this tool with one of my projects with the first academic year, and to increase that output to all my projects that I complete with my students by the fifth academic year.

Cooperative Learning

In the ideas explored with the EDUC 6711 course authors this week, there are great tools available for teachers to utilize in order to help students perfect their collaborative abilities as well. The authors recommend that students work together on spreadsheet software or webquests for research (Pitler et al, 2007). Although traditionally students must have been physically present in the same environment to socialize and collaborate on a common set of projects, certain technology tools are available where students can share a common digital space, which replaces the actual physical one. For an alternative final assessment, I allow my students to work collectively in small groups to determine if a certain form of alternative fuel would be suitable to replace the high use of chemical fossil fuels. The students collaborate online using a wiki database hub, to compile their research and thoughts. Students can login form their home computers where they can contribute to the project at a time that is convenient to them.

 

After collaborating online the student groups organize the information to be presented to their peers via their submitted wiki sites. On my course website I place all the links to the wiki sites, where students conduct their own peer review of the submitted recommendations. Students must peer review and comment on at least two other wikis before the conclusion of the project – quite similar to the Walden discussion setup.

 

The students in my physics section love this alternative final assessment at the end of the school year, not only because it’s not a traditional individual final exam, but it allows them to socialize and collaborate with their peers while contemplating and debating a topic which has a special meaning for all of them.

 

Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

VoiceThread

Check out my voice thread for my current problem in my 7th hour physics class!

http://voicethread.com/share/521851/

Constructivism/Constructionism Article

In the ideas explored with the EDUC 6711 course authors this week, there are great tools available for teachers to utilize in order to help students perfect their constructive abilities as well. In order to foster these constructive skills, students must have the freedom to choose whatever outlet that best suits them to accomplish a simple task or larger project. That is where technology opens up a larger set assortment of methods and tools for students to express their knowledge.

 

For students to utilize different methods of technology to express their learning on a subject I allow all my students to present the final projects of the course year in one of the following formats: podcast, powerpoint, wiki site, or blog site. By using such tools the students can build their projects in the manner they deem fits their lifestyle and reflects who they are in their own personal communication characteristics. In the past, students have commented how much they love that freedom of academic expression and I am excited to learn more options to offer my students in the future from this particular course as well.

 

Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.