Assessment and evaluation

validity and reliability

test wise-ness







word

The Water We Drink

Purpose:

• an understanding of how important water is to life on this planet, for us, and for the physical world around us.
  

Objectives:

• Describe the desirable properties of drinking water
• Explain some of the reasons why bottled water is so popular
• recognize the sources and distribution of water
• describe the factors involved in providing pure drinking water
• Discuss why water is such an excellent solvent for some ionic and some covalent compounds
• Use concentration units: percent, ppm, ppb, and molarity
• Discuss the relationship between the properties of water and its molecular structure
• describe the specific heat of water and compare it with that of other substances
• Understand how electronegativity and bond polarity are related to the structure of water
• describe hydrogen bonding and its importance to the properties of water
• describe how the densities of ice and water are related to the structure of the water molecule

Extra resources:
A Biography of water

To drink or not to drink bottled water

dehydration

Although this assignment was designed to have us do a presentation that would take one class period, this will take several class periods, unless one had about a 130 minute block period then it would be one.

I will outline my lesson using the powerpoint as a guide...
Page 2- intro questions
-students get into small groups 2-4 depending on personal preference or class dynamics
-notes on discussion should be made in science journals, Why do all living things love/need water?
-after 2-4 minutes have students share in a class discussion what they came up with in groups... write on white board (I will refer to this process from here on out as pair and share)

-water taste test, have students do a blind taste test of bottled, tap, and filtered water (outlined on page 195 of text)
-pair and share

page 3- terms
- have students write down key terms from page 3 of the powerpoint

page4- global water distribution
-have students view the pie chart, class discussion
- discussion questions: Is most water on planet earth potable, why or why not? Where is most freshwater found? How much of the fresh water is actually is accessible? Of the accessable water what can we actually drink?
-encourage students to come up with questions as well for discussion....

*at this point we have established what we need to know before we move on to details*

page 5- terms
-have students write down key terms from page 5 of the powerpoint
- minerals at this point do a DEMO-
Demo extracting copper from copper sulfate, similarities and differences of this method and mining methods

Materials:

Beaker

Copper II Sulfate powder

NaCl

Aluminum foil

Distilled H2O

In the beaker mix a spoonful of copper sulfate into a 400 mL beaker with approximately 250 mL of distilled H2O.

Then mix in a spoonful of NaCl

Then loosly crumple a 20cm by 20 cm square piece of foil and place it into the solution

Within minutes copper will form on the outside of the aluminum foil ball

page 6- pile of plastic water bottles
- have students view the pile of plastic water bottles, class discussion
-discussion questions: How are water bottles made, plastic? Where do they go? Landfill? Recycling? Where can we recycle here?
-encourage students to come up with questions as well for discussion....

page7- alternatives to bottled water
- Pose the question and pair and share...

page 8- what about water makes it so essential
- group discussion, hopefully key ideas come up
- some direction might be needed, why do sidewalks crack around here? is water sticky? etc...
- explain image of frozen water
-click link attached to polarity...animation and tutorial will run through polarity of different molecules and introduce the idea

page 9- terms and demo on molarity
-have students write down key terms from page 9 of the powerpoint
-as students are writing down terms grab materials to prepare .5 L of 1 M HCl solution
- explain what is happening as I prepare a half liter of 1M hydrochloric acid solution

Page 10- electronegativity
- class discussion
Why are the atoms on the right side of the periodic table more electronegative than those on left? Identify the trend? electron shielding, effective nuclear charge, oxidation states, ionization energy

Bend water with a comb and a balloon demo

Static electricity does more than shock you when you go to open a door, or attract dust and pet hair to your furniture and clothes. It can actually bend a stream of water. This is a good science demonstration for kids because it shows how an electrically charged object attracts some things with a neutral charge.

Steps

1 Charge an object. What you're doing here is collecting electrons on the object. Electrons give the object a negative charge.

• Take a dry (preferably nylon) comb and run it through your hair about 10 times. Your hair must be dry as well.

• Take a plastic spoon or a balloon and rub it vigorously against nylon, acrylic, or fur.

2 Turn on your faucet. Only let a very thin stream of water flow. It needs to be a smooth stream, not one that breaks up.

3 Place the object right next to the stream of water without touching it. If you are doing it correctly, you can see the water moving towards the object.

page 11- polarity
- refer back to animation used for slide 8

page 12- discussion about characteristics of water that make it a great coolant for us
-specific heat

page 13- forces
-discuss forces in water molecules

lab:
can be found at this link

Moon journal, online companion Geology of the moon

October 3rd
October 4th
October 5th
October 6th
October 7th
October 8th
October 9th
more lcross


October 10th
October 11th
October 12th
October 13th 2008
October 14th
October 15th
October 16th
October 17th
October 18th
October 19th
October 20th
October 21th
October 22nd
October 23rd
October 24th
October 25th
October 26th
October 27th
October 28th
October 29th
October 30TH
October 31st Happy Halloween - perfect moon for it!

Moon phases
Moon rise and set
Weather calendar

ALTA loan opportunity

Moon Giant phases for days and times

Final Projects

Lab report wikis:


Podcasts:
I think that we are in a new era of education. I know every kid doesn't have the internet at home and not every kid has an ipod with video capabilities, but we are close. There is access to the internet all over the place, as I found out this summer as I camped and did school work online. I think the idea of putting extra lectures out there will help use time in class more wisely. The podcasts can be five to ten minute clips to help kids tie together what we have been learning in the classroom.

interacive syllabus:
My interactive syllabus will have an outline of what we are studying and when. There will be links to assignments to help with make-up work. I will have links to podcast, videos, news articles, simulations, and any other web based materials that can help my students. Check in as my classes begin to wind down, I will be expanding this interactive syllabus so it is "turn-key" once the school year starts.

Lab report Wiki:
have a new plan I have put together this summer for closure on various explorations throughout the year. I plan to have one wiki page set up where each cooperative learning group (lab group) has a login name and a password, which gives them access to the wiki page. A wiki page simply put is a web page that all members are able to create content, post comments, and make changes. Using our standard format for lab reports, that the students will be very familiar with at this point in the year, to post the lab reports on the lab wiki page. In the lab reports there should be at least one photo from the lab as well. The students will then be required to read three other reports from other groups, leaving suggestions for improvement, comments about what they liked, and other related appropriate comments. Most importantly there should be questions left by groups as they read other reports for further experimentation. The students should also give a score based on a rubric for their own and three other groups’ labs. I will also score each group based on the same rubric and the score they get will be based on a combination of self-assessment, classmates, and my grade.

PLN

I cannot wait for the school year to start... hold on, I mean when it comes to finding value in my PLN, I cannot wait for school to start. I imagine there will be more teachers linked to the network. Many teachers don't go near their computers in the summer, but once the school year is up and running there may be quite a bit more teachers communicating. In terms of the not so virtual network, I will be presenting some inservice on using webtools in the classroom when school starts back up. Lots of great information!

PLN and last week

After my battle with screencasts and voice threads and the endless problems my computer was having I was totally exasperated. I lament the amount of time spent this summer waiting for my computer. I really am a numbers guy and I bet I spent 40 hours this summer waiting for my computer. It froze up, it took time to lead EVERYTHING. I would try to multitask, which would get me further and further into a time deficit as I would work on other things and come back after my pages had loaded. I got it done though. I think there are some serious issues with open office impress which is the same as powerpoint, but apparently not quite.

I did come accross a very helpful website from my friends at Twitter:
website

This has 28 sites producing podcast and screencasts.... very cool! I will not be using the voicestreem any time soon, but podcasts have a place in my repertoire...

Creative commons

Thank you creative commons, I know we were supposed to explore it weeks ago, I had a general idea what it was all about. Now I am actually using it as I create my powerpoint. I have to say I could not use any of my powerpoints I had from school because they were all crap, back to the old drawing board, after this weeks info... Anyway creative commons, thumbs up!!!

screencast???

I am having computer troubles and it's driving me nuts, it seems like everything I have tried to do has not worked and I have to troubleshoot every step today since 8AM ARGGGGGGGGGG


So I have worked for several stretches and went as far as my frustration would allow... then I would take a break ande go do housework or work on getting the camper ready for the Bob Marshall Wilderness this weekend, then come back get a little further, get stuck again, etc etc, so here goes a try four:

Thanks for taking a look. This is my metaphor of how my brain feels after learning a new webtool that has been as challenging as this one, yet so simple after all... and a demo of how slow my computer is running, how long before I kill my laptop, will it make it through the end of this course???

I had some difficulties! MAN and this is the first, and final draft for now!

VERY COOL

Inquiry module using technology

The junior level high school chemistry course is by nature based on a certain level of constructivism in terms of the material building on itself. I remind students daily of how important each and every lesson is, as we build upon previous knowledge. Scaffolding is a term I like to use when I describe to students how they are storing this information. When they begin to start making connections between previous information and only then can they move on to understand chemistry in more detail. The learning cycle lends itself to the learning of chemistry. I feel naturally we run a cycle as we build throughout the year to the point at the end, when we conduct analytical chemistry in the lab and turn out our most complicated stoichiometry and gas law problems. With the internal and external pressure on a high school chemistry program it can be challenging to get away from traditional “drill and kill” method that many chemistry teachers have had “success” with. With the rigors of freshman chemistry classes at the college level the responsibility is high. Weak chemistry preparation has caused some future scientists to fail freshman chemistry at the college level and end up as PE teachers and basketball coaches among other lesser professions. The National standards are in place to support the use of inquiry. Furthermore the use of inquiry can, I believe, be used very effectively to not only engage students and have them enjoying a course that many dread before they walk in the door, and effectively cover the content that needs to be covered a high school level course. Chemistry is a process of building a set of steps to walk on to get to the top and understand the content based on understanding of previous lessons. When students begin chemistry we start with the basics such as factor label method, scientific notation, and metric units. If students have struggled with fractions in the past, they need to relearn the steps to stand on before they can begin climbing the chemistry steps they must build. The same is true for scientific notation. I feel that a constructivist approach with the use of experiments and experiences is definitely the best way to prepare my chemistry students.

This activity is designed to cover the following learning goals from Junior Chemistry at Libby High School:
Understand the nature of binary ionic bonds
Characteristics of binary ionic compounds
Behavior of binary ionic compounds in solution

*Note: to appreciate this lesson you need to have Internet access and have a firefox window open already there are hyperlinks throughout*

Engage:
Modified from the 4.15 Heat water above it's boiling point from Liem’s book, thanks Quinn.

This setup is similar to the one I use. Instead I use a hot plate and a 250 ml beaker
The thermometer is a Vernier temperature probe, which is hooked into a computer that is hooked into a projector and projected on the screen at the front of the room so the students can see the real time temperature data being plotted on a scatter plot. We heat the water 150-200 ml from room temperature to boiling. Distilled water is optimal. When the water begins to boil add some salt. NaCl is cheap and works fine. The temperature drops as result of the cooler salt being added to the solution. Then observe as the temperature goes back up until the solution boils again only this time at a higher temperature. Interesting… Have students make detailed observations in their science notebook. Have them write questions, testable and researchable. Have them get into small groups and discuss what they think might have happened and encourage them to answer each others questions to the best of their ability.


Explore:
Now we begin to explore the content a bit with some easy-on-the-eyes technology called youtube. Youtube is one of the best resources available to high school science teachers and is often blocked by school districts. Shown again on my main projector at the front of the room this is a very cool animation with no words showing a 3d Bohr model of a sodium and a chloride atom and what happens to one sodium electron as the two enter an ionic bond. There are no words or sound in this animation so the students have to build their own narrative of what is happening. In their science journal they have to describe what is happening the best that they can, as well as formulate at least one question perhaps two or three. They are allowed to rewind, pause, slow motion, however they would like to view it while formulating their questions and making their observations. Students are then allowed to get into their learning groups and discuss what they wrote and make comments or adjustments in their journals after discussion in groups. Several of their questions and comments are shared with entire class. Then we watch the next short youtube clip. The first clip is around 30 seconds, while the second one is 20 seconds, so these are not terribly time consuming so the focus is not on the technology but instead on the content. This one describes what was shown on the last clip only this time with some commentary. Students are again allowed to get into their learning groups and discuss what they wrote and make comments or adjustments in their journals after discussion in groups. Several of their questions and comments are shared with entire class and key researchable questions are added to my white boards at the front of the room. What is a crystal lattice? We briefly discuss the crystal lattice with examples, and then view this animation of a crystal lattice. I then show them a few models of crystal lattices of various compounds constructed by former students. Then I show a great animation of salt dissolving . You have to go to the following website and simply follow the directions there. It is slightly more complicated than point and click, and you have to unzip files, but there is a list of simulations and animations that are great and free for use in the chemistry classroom. This one is called “Sodium chloride dissolving in water.” This is a Great 3 dimensional view at the atomic level that does a great job of letting students see exactly how Na+ and Cl- ions disassociate from one another in the cubic salt crystal and are attracted to the polar ends of the water molecules. There are several options to manipulate the simulation. Engage in student directed tinkering with the simulation, while the students write more down and begin to construct their own idea of how and why the water might have boiled at a higher temperature when salt was dissolved in it (discrepant event).


Explain:
After viewing the youtube videos and the animation of salt in water lead a discussion of understandings about ionic bonds, ionic compounds, and properties of ionic compounds. Guide students to construct nature of ionic bonds in terms of energy, electrons, and properties of ionic bonds. Compare and contrast ionic and covalent compounds, and finally brainstorm good characteristics of ionic compounds via testable questions. Have students narrow to a shorter list, maybe six to eight testable questions. Hopefully at some point we will be able to discuss some exceptions to the normal characteristics, such as Rubidium Silver Iodide, which does conduct electricity quite well. Because of the structure of the crystal lattice of RAg4I5, silver ions are allowed to move freely throughout the structure. Have them think about an experiment to quantify, or observe characteristics of ionic solids at various states, or suspended in solution. Again have them document testable questions that could be used for an experiment of their own design.


Extend:
Have them break into groups to design and perform an experiment f their own design. This experiment should be based on one of the testable questions articulated in the brainstorming session. I will narrow the focus to characteristics of binary ionic compounds. This is the point when preparation will be the toughest. Over several years I imagine having a much better idea what types of experiments the students will want to conduct. They need to record observations and explanations with at least one data table of their own design. They also need a conclusion that answers their initial research question (hypothesis). They will also be asked to use digital photography to as evidence and documentation for their labs, as the use of imagery is a valuable strategy as well.


Evaluate:
I have a new plan I have put together this summer for closure on various explorations throughout the year. I plan to have one wiki page set up where each cooperative learning group (lab group) has a login name and a password, which gives them access to the wiki page. A wiki page simply put is a web page that all members are able to create content, post comments, and make changes. Using our standard format for lab reports, that the students will be very familiar with at this point in the year, to post the lab reports on the lab wiki page. In the lab reports there should be at least one photo from the lab as well. The students will then be required to read three other reports from other groups, leaving suggestions for improvement, comments about what they liked, and other related appropriate comments. Most importantly there should be questions left by groups as they read other reports for further experimentation. The students should also give a score based on a rubric for their own and three other groups’ labs. I will also score each group based on the same rubric and the score they get will be based on a combination of self-assessment, classmates, and my grade. For further exploration I would have them log into computers themselves individually or in their groups and run a simulation on the computer, from the same website described earlier in the NaCl dissolving in water animation, that allows students to combine the elements (written only as symbols) H, Li, Na, K, Mg, Ca, C, N, o, F, P, S, Cl, Br, and I virtually. The program will show their shape based on electron density. They will over time be able to tell the Ionic compounds from the covalent compounds, which is another great starting point to start the cycle all over again, building on student’s previous knowledge. At some point near the conclusion of the activity I would have them draw a concept map in their science journal as closure to the activity to demonstrate understanding of ionic compounds.

Inquiry this week

I am finding that if used properly technology is a great way to integrate inquiry type subjects into my curriculum. In my inquiry class I put together a 5E learning cycle project using youtube and simulations. Tech can be used as a hook to get attention, used to explore content from their own point of view with manipulation of variables based on students self-generated questions.... more to come

final draft Guiding Principles

I spoke with many in my personal learning network and they helped me make some more changes to my guiding principles:




1)The use of web tools will help students be prepared for the "flat world" meaning, on par and competitive with children from around the globe (China and India, etc.). Use of web tools will contribute to the science education community. Use of technology in the science classroom should be bridging the disconnect between what the kids are doing at school and what they are doing at home. Use of technology in the science classroom should be taking advantage of technology’s power to engage student participation and interest.



2)Should help students do with technology what they could not do without it, especially in the science content outlined in the National Science Education Standards. Using technology in ways that are consistent with appropriate pedagogy, including opportunities for inquiry learning. This should not replace a proven exercise if it is not going to expand and enhance the understanding of the content. Things that are done well in a hands on lab setting should not be sacrificed for a technology based exercise unless it will be more engaging and eventually lead to better mastery of content. All this while keeping the focus on the science content rather than the mechanics of the technology.


3)Use of technology in the science classroom should be collaborative. The collaboration must be healthy while keeping boundaries and keeping the communications appropriate. Use of technology in the science classroom should be emphasizing the use of data, analysis, collection, both produced by students and by scientists.

Life in extreme environments

Anyone else on campus this week for Life in Extreme Environments???
Here is a series of links for websites I learned about while preparing for or during Bahama Montana and Life in Extreme Environments


Also check out astrobiology a course I am taking right now online

http://library.thinkquest.org/C003763/index.php?page=origin07
http://www.museumoftherockies.org/
carbonate+mounds+Montana
http://www.palaeos.com/Paleozoic/Carboniferous/Tournaisian.htm
http://www.mbmg.mtech.edu/pdf_100k/bridger-gm58.pdf
http://www.classzone.com/books/earth_science/terc/navigation/home.cfm
http://www.astrobiology.com/adastra/extremophiles.html
http://sciencenow.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/2009/416/2
http://tierneylab.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/04/19/the-dark-secret-at-blood-falls/
discovery blood falls
http://www.montana.edu/cpa/news/nwview.php?article=7076
http://aem.asm.org/cgi/content/abstract/73/12/4029
http://salegos-scar.montana.edu/
http://www.ldeo.columbia.edu/~mstuding/vostok.html
http://www.earthinstitute.columbia.edu/news/story3_2_01.html
http://salegos-scar.montana.edu/docs/Workshopdocs/Subglacial_Lake_Exploration_Vol1.pdf
http://singularidad.files.wordpress.com/2007/02/europa_life.jpg
http://people.msoe.edu/tritt/sf/europa.life.html
http://mcm-dvlakesmo.montana.edu/images/Data/publications/JepsenEtAl2007LifeOnMars.pdf
http://www.homepage.montana.edu/~lkbonney/
http://www.astrobiology.net/archives/2007/11/film_invisible.html
http://www.damninteresting.com/?p=961
http://www-eps.harvard.edu/people/faculty/hoffman/snowball_paper.html
http://pearl3.unm.edu/site/main.html
http://www.rcn.montana.edu/
http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/survive_space_021126.html
http://astrobiology.nasa.gov/nai/library-of-resources/annual-reports/2008/arc/projects/interplanetary-pioneers/
http://www.pazsoftware.com/Diversity.html
http://bilbo.bio.purdue.edu/~viruswww/Rossmann_home/index.shtml
http://www.polydron.co.uk/
http://www.scripps.edu/news/press/032405.html
http://www.timetree.org/
cold seeps
halophiles

Oh beloved Google Earth

To start out I love GIS. It was a love of mine for years before Chemistry took over my imagination. Five years ago we were able to use handheld GPS to map week infestations in Judith Basin County and map those on arcview. Super fun useful activity. Every time I turn kids loose on Google Earth they just love it. "it is so cool" one of my summer school kids said recently. The number of teachable moments are huge when these kids get ahold of such a powerful tool!

Some cool google Earth stuff:
Google Earth Education Community

making measurements in google earth:
Position: The latitude and longitude of the mouse pointer are shown in the status bar near the bottom of the screen. An option in the Preferences dialog box allows you to change whether position is displayed in degrees-minutes-seconds format or decimal degrees.
Elevation: The elevation of the mouse pointer is also listed at the bottom of the screen. The "eye alt" value is the elevation of your viewpoint. An option in the Preferences dialog box allows you to change whether elevation is displayed in feet or meters.
Distances: Google Earth allows you to measure the great circle distance from one point to another or along a path (through several points), Distances are measured as the crow flies, without taking topography into account (as far as I can tell). The measurement icon appears as a ruler at the top of the window.


Some Google Earth resources:
http://bbs.keyhole.com
http://images.google.com - A quick way to search for maps or images to overlay
http://www.lat-long.com - A search engine to find locations of geological and other features in the US.
http://www.mindat.org - A search engine for names and resources in mines. Use with lat-long.com

Use Google Earth and Celestia in conjunction with the Powers of Ten video. You can reproduce the first half of this excellent movie with these two great programs.



More ideas:
I have found using google earth as a great way to introduce a new case study by zooming in via google earth to show the study area, and get their attention

computer model

Tons of great FREE chemistry simulations just follow the directions

I actually used two of tehe simulations from this website to draw up a 5E learning cycle lesson for my inquiry class, these are really great!




via youtube

Twitter

If you haven't added web20classroom or gardenglen to your twitter account you should these two post tons of great stuff.

PS: Anyone else have this happen? You think you are finished for awhile and can actually get something besides homework done, make a quick check of twitter, and get sucked back in for another hour or more? I have a very messy garage that needs attention badly!

Second draft of my Guiding Principles

Sorry had to do it!



After reading a bit more in our text and exploring some simulations I made some fairly significant changes to my Guiding Principles for WebTools

1) Must help my students be prepared for the "flat world" meaning on par and competitive with children from around the globe (China and India, etc.). Would like our use of web tools to contribute to the science education community. Use of technology in the science classroom should be bridging the disconnect between what the kids are doing at school and what they are doing at home. Use of technology in the science classroom should be taking advantage of technology’s power to engage student participation and interest.



2)Should help "students engage in science learning they could not otherwise do without technology?” Using technology in ways that are consistent with appropriate pedagogy, including opportunities for inquiry learning. This should not replace a proven exercise if it is not going to expand and enhance the understanding of the content. Things that are done well in a hands on lab setting should not be sacrificed for a technology based exercise unless it will be more engaging and eventually lead to better mastery of content.


3)Use of technology in the science classroom should be should be collaborative. The collaboration must be healthy while keeping boundaries and keeping the communications appropriate. Use of technology in the science classroom should be should be emphasizing the use of data, analysis, collection, both produced by students and by scientists? All this while keeping the focus on the science content rather than the mechanics of the technology.



4)Use of technology in the science classroom should be using technology in ways that allow teachers and students to do what would otherwise be difficult to do without technology. It is very important as well that when using technology it needs to be a better use of time than the traditional activity I might be replacing.

Professional to do list

I have been uncovering a ton of great teaching practices, techniques, and gadgets that I would like to implement in my classroom. I cannot do it all in one summer, so I have decided I need to have a professional to-do list somewhere where I will access it from year to year, crossing things off as I accomplish them. I know many of you have probably come across the same problem when you go to a workshop, take classes, etc. I sometimes go through old three-ring notebooks that have a ton of good ideas that I might have forgotten about. Anyone have similar problems, solutions thereto? Any Ideas?

HOLY COW--- This will be my to do list!!! DUH!

simulations weee

First of all if it isn't available free online, I am not touching it. It is amazing how these things have proliferated. I remember six or seven years ago most good simulations had to be purchased, now there is a ton out there for free!

http://www.dartmouth.edu/~chemlab/info/resources/qual/soluble.SolubleAppletA.html
Identifying an unknown anion through qualitative analysis- very useful, lab techniques, reaction types, qualitative versus quantitative

http://www.chem.iastate.edu/group/Greenbowe/sections/projectfolder/flashfiles/kinetics2/iodine_clock.html
great simulation involving reaction rates...takes a little time to figure out... cool though

http://facweb.eths.k12.il.us/weinerj/ some cool animated powerpoints

very cool little density simulation:
http://www.sciencejoywagon.com/explrsci/media/density.htm


science joy wagon is great

Birdsleuth

One last thing I needed to discuss from this week of bumping around on the web with limited time on my hands... if you have facebook check our birdsleuth... really cool!

Warm up wiki…

I don’t spend all that much time looking at theory… I like to find something and use it… figure it out, fine tune it later…
In my science classes I have my kids do a daily journal. The warm-up notebook was an idea I came up with last year for several reasons. The main problem I was addressing was with my administrators. I get so excited as kids walk in the room with questions and comments I love to touch base right away and often dive right in to the days gameplan. The problem from the administrations point of view was that I was very inconsistent in taking role right at the beginning of class. To solve this I started the warm-up notebook. They take 3-5 minutes for their daily entry. They find the question on the board and write it, along with the date. They then write several complete sentences, sometime a table or a drawing or a graph etc. When I feel I’ve given enough time to adequately answer the question without wasting time, we discuss it as a class. Some of these discussions have lasted the entire period. What a great day! At times the warm-up discussion relates to new material we will be learning. We can use it as review, as we move along to new content. We can use it to get organized to begin a lab, or to make some connections before we embark on day two or three of some labs, we use it to brainstorm ideas for upcoming projects, or sometimes to just discuss current events in our subject area. Among the greatest advantages of this practice is to get the students to become better writers. It does not matter what subject you teach, part of the job is to make students better writers.
So this is where the exciting web 2.0 part comes in… a couple times per month or maybe weekly we have the kids start a warm-up wiki. The kids will each post their warm-ups for that week into the wiki. Then require them to spend an equal amount of time reading each other’s wikis and commenting, correcting, editing, etc. Then we can really start using 2.0 for some stuff we couldn’t do before, and definitely using the technology in a new, efficient, productive way. I can have each student get a profile and keeping track of “grades” for the project will be easy by just looking at their stats in terms of entries, edits, and comments. I’m really excited to start trying this!!!


Watch at your own risk, a little bit of rough language but some great right wing conspiracy!

a little catch up

So I have been dabbling a bit in everything this week and writing things down here and there:
This was something I really thought was clever through this week's process. I decided to use all my own photography whenever possible to avoid copyright issues. Fish Id unit, I think I can use almost all pictures of fish I've caught. The sad thing is I haven't had a chance to fish once yet. Plenty of ice and my ankle is all healed up from hike last week today. Seriously the copyright stuff scared me a little bit. I really need to clean this area up before school starts next year. Creative commons will be a great resource. I have the school sonic wall that blocks all youtube videos. I will master the kickyoutube site and try to use those this year. Some wonderful solutions have risen up today for technoproblems I
've had the last couple years.

my flickr

I'll be stacking personal photos that I are edited and ready to use in the classroom...

some more musings:
Flickr- access to files anywhere, use stuff modified at home at school without having to pack around flash drives, I have left my flash drive on the kitchen counter a time or two. Ideally in the next world we can travel to and from school with just your lunch because your computer at home is hooked up to your computer at school. Oh wait they already have that! I forget what is the web service that allows you to access your computer at home as long as your home computer is left on and connected to the internet???

Picnik where to start??? FUN! Microsoft image editing only free and maybe more user friendly. I have played around with photo editing stuff before and have a blast with it!

Kickyoutube is heaven sent if it works well. You all saw my early rants about this problem. I believe at some point someone suggested letting kids get on my computer and circumvent filters, no thanks that is just asking for trouble!

You Biology Teachers can use this when you discuss camouflage , can you find the van in this picture?

a couple edited pictures...

a view of wild clouds with colors enhanced:




These are of my favorite subjects although they rarely sit still for a good picture

PLN entry 1

I came across this article about schools using free software. I am a big fan of this idea.
These are the big ideas that Richard Stallman are as follows:
*Save the Schools money
*School should teach students ways of life that will benefit society as a whole. They should promote the use of free software just as they promote recycling.
*Free software permits students to learn how software works. Students can learn a lot about programing as many of these free software programs are "open" which I understand allows for programming by many, including perhaps our students. With the world/web changing so fast, we want our kids to keep up in theis "flat" world.
*Schools that use free software will enable gifted programming students to advance.
*Teaching the students to use free software, and to participate in the free software community, is a hands-on civics lesson. It also teaches students the role model of public service rather than that of tycoons. All levels of school should use free software.

Big Ideas, cool stuff, mind expanding, thanks PLN

I can't wait for the school year to start to use the network. I think we are at a disadvantage in terms of seeing the posibilities of PLN without school being in session.

Thats all for now

Jasper

twitter

I find a quick scan daily is about all you need to use twitter effectively. These folks that post all the time make that a priority for them. I think the ones that post like 50 times a day are working towards creating a network and getting their names out maybe??? I think you can search your posts for certain subjects. Go easy in the twitter I think it might be a controlled substance? LOL

http://flatclassroomproject.ning.com/

http://flatclassroomproject.ning.com/

google reader, Twitter and some thoughts

I have been using googlereader for just a few weeks. Some of the articles that come up are pretty cool. I found some neat stuff without having to wade through the "crap". I have found the ability to see everyone's blog posts. I can see what folks are learning, and it can be a good reminder that I should be doing something besides read the news, my own news... I heard a suit on some news show discussing the demise of newspapers as an industry. They no longer dictate to us what news is. We decide what the news it! Go googlereader!


ACCESS via Twitter I believe???

"Website access for us teachers versus the students"
Several of us in the Tech-Know at our school would love to use sites that are unfortunately blocked to us as teachers. I understand how they should be blocked to students, but not to teachers. Our tech people in our district (the two of them, I don’t know how they do it) can only limit websites to everyone. I really would love to use Youtube and facebook at school for great resources but they would not allow us to have regular access. We can email them and get sites unblocked for a time, but then the kids have access to them during that time. They can at least do that, but the kids still have access there has to be a better way! I have been saying that there should be different security levels for teachers than there are for kids. Nobody can figure it out though. I came across this blog that discussed this exact issue…

http://explodingsink.com/
“My school district has finally been able to distinguish a teacher from a student, at least in terms of their online access.
We recently received an e-mail explaining that teachers would be able to access previously blocked sites (i.e. YouTube and many blogs) for educational purposes.  In order to get this access, teachers will have to sign a form explaining they understand what “Acceptable Use” and “Educational Purposes” mean.
The district is responding to staff requests for increased access privileges. At this time, the district will provide access to the previously blocked resources of YouTube and external blogging. The district will open additional resources that are identified and approved for educational purposes.”
So my tech help showed me teachertube which is supposed to be “as good as youtube” only safer and more appropriate. No offense intended to the makers of teachertube, but is nothing close to youtube in terms of oh every measurable parameter.
To be clear, Websense (our internet filter) will still be in place.  When teachers come upon a site that is blocked through Websense, they will be able to pass through - offering them a gentle reminder that there is reasonable cause to have the site blocked in the first place.
Under the district’s interpretation of CIPA, students will not be granted this level of access.
Finally, I feel like a professional who can make decisions about what should and shouldn’t be used in the classroom.”


I think that's all I have for now!

Jasper

element MP3 downloads???

very cool, can anyone get these to play?

A good wiki...

useful chem

So I am starting to understand better the openness of a wiki

The most recent post here was about the cooling effects of soda pop.

I can see a question to pose to start a really good inquiry lab...

Something like "How do carbonated beverages create a cooling effect when consumed?"

Ideas ideas, but using web tools during class time is still a risky venture, it will take time to adopt, and some of us are really happy with the results we are getting with our traditional approaches.

I could see substituting a wiki as opposed to a lab report, and let all my 30-40 lab groups create one super, interactive, collaborative report... hmmmm Looking at all of my classmates blogs, I am impressed and intimidated.

Good night,
Jasper

Classic!!! chem vids

general humor


ionic bonds:



periodic table:


Did you realize MIT is on Youtube, every single course!

copyrights...

What are the rules, should we be putting any website where we get information on here whenever we post it. As a teacher I have been cutting and pasting for 8 years. I try to give credit whenever I can... any thoughts???

a cool website, not sure what it is... (Blog, Wiki??)

So I get tons of stuff from this guy who has been teaching chemistry for fifty years!

Here it is:
http://boomeria.org/

cheers
Jasper

Introduction to Web Tools09

guiding principles

Definition from google

http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/guiding-principles.html

Broad philosophy that guides an organization throughout its life in all circumstances, irrespective of changes in its goals, strategies, type of work, or the top management. See also principles.

I was wondering about what exactly my guiding principles might be...

Here are some things that I came across that should be taken into consideration:

1. Will it help my students be prepared for the "flat world" competitive with China and India, etc.?
2. Is is collaborative, and is that collaboration healthy/appropriate
3. Am I contributing to my community?
4. does it help "students engage in science learning they could not otherwise do without technology? " (pg 2) Ed Tech in the Sci Classroom text
5. Is what I'm using going to be a better use of time than the traditional activity I might be replacing?
6. Am I emphasizing the use of data, analysis, collection, both produced by students and by scientists?
7. Am I bridging the disconnect between what the kids are doing at school and what they are doing at home
8. Effective use pg 93...

(1) keeping the focus on the science content rather than the mechanics of the
technology;
(2) using technology in ways that are consistent with appropriate pedagogy, including
opportunities for inquiry learning;
(3) using technology in ways that allow teachers and students to do what would
otherwise be difficult to do without technology; and
(4) taking advantage of technology’s power to engage student participation and
interest.

Web 2.0 will be a very effective communication tool. Absenteeism: sports, medical, school sponsored, etc. will have a great solution in the form of a blog or wiki.



Can I get my school to get me the number of classroom computers that I will need to accomplish some of the ideas I have???

In idea of mine that I have been trying to do is make an interactive syllabus, I know not exactly cutting edge or a new idea, but a syllabus with links to worksheets, labs, helpful links, and practice tests and quizzes... I am working on that and I would like help from you all in this class getting it all nailed down... here is a link to what I have so far, and some of my failed attenpts...

So I'm looking at it and it looks like I am using a wiki for a blog. What's the difference?

As I understand it, you make your own blog, just you, whereas a wiki is modefiable to everyone who is part of the wiki? Am I close?

here is my interactive syllabus so far...

http://howellsciencelibby.wikispaces.com/