Apps I Used:
Molecules: This app is a 3D visualization app that lets you search for any chemical compound that has ever been written about in the Protein Databank or in the PubChem databeses. It allows for complete manipulation of the molecule so you an view it from any angle and with any amount of zoom that you need.
3D Cell Stain: This app allows you complete control over position of a 3D cell and then use different stains (that are actually used for the same purpose in real life) to see the effects that they have on various parts of the cell, and to help identify the different parts of the cell.
Chem Pro Lite: Study aids come in various sizes and shapes and with various tactics. This app is a collection of presentations that ask questions and present the information for a high school chemistry class. Each section has a video that is between 10 minutes and 30 minutes, that students can go back through as many times as needed to help with their understanding.
Self-Assembly: This application allows students to create a “substance” (a material with only two constituent elements) then by manipulating the temperature and the particles speed, students can observe the way their substance forms an aggregate. I could see this typ of app being a handy thing when taking about how particles move in different phases (a.k.a solid, liquid , or gas).
ChemLite: ChemLite is an app that has several questions that come from what should be an entire year of high school chemistry. It contains both the questions and the answers (but on different slides). These questions go from pretty easy to somewhat challenging. Students could use this app to test their own understanding of the material, and because the answers are given in a step by step format, the students would be able to see where they went wrong if they didn’t get the right answer and what they need to do next time to get it correct.
Idea Sketch: This is a very cool app; it allows you to create any size concept map that you need, and it will convert that map into an outline if you need it to. This app is a great tool that allows students practice analyzing their sources, evaluating what would be important, then creating a project that will explain what it is that was important so other people can see that information and how it is connected to the rest of the information.
Rationale from Bloom’s Taxonomy:
This platform has so many possibilities that I thought that I would try to find apps that could be used for most if not all of the levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy. Of the apps that I mentioned above ChemLite, Chem Pro Lite, and Molecules are pretty much devoted to the bottom layers (remembering, understanding and applying). They are there to let students see the information through another lens so that they will have a better chance to remember, understand, and apply those concepts in different places. Idea Sketch and Self-Assembly are primarily focused on the top three layers (analyzing, evaluating, and creating) because in order to get the full benefit that these apps are meant to give you must create something (concept map or substance) then analyze and evaluate what is happening in the simulation or text in order understand the final product. The 3D Cell Stain app can be considered a bridge over the middle three or four levels. It presents you with the information that you need to remember and understand, but then you can apply what you know about a cell to analyze why certain stains work with different parts of the cell.
Struggles for Implementation:
The iPad and iPad2 are both very neat pieces of new technology that can be very beneficial to students. However them being so new means that cost is something of an issue (iPads start at $399 and iPad2s start at $499). Accessibility to this technology would be also be an issue—because they are so expensive they would be most likely to be limited to use during school hours on school grounds. Another thing we have to think about are the students themselves—some students will not be familiar with the technology so they’ll need to be taught how to use it effectively.
Biases, Trade-offs, and Limitations
This type of technology is biased toward the visual side of things. You can see what things look like, how they move, what they are, but there is a loss of the hands-on aspect of learning. For instance building a molecule with a ball and stick model kit: you can see how things fit together but until you actually try to build it you my not understand that the way the molecule looks in the representation is the only way that those particular atoms fit together because of the way bond angles work. Along those lines, you can see things that you may not have been able to with out the technology, but like our class discussed during the iPad photography exercises we lose out on a lot of the detail that we would have needed if we drew the parts to a cell or seeing them under a microscope. The novelty of the technology can be both a blessing and a curse: it allows for more possible applications that can help in the teaching process; but on the other side, there are more possibilities for distraction as well (aka games, internet, and more). The software that would be used on the iPad is not always the easiest to get to know, meaning students who have short attention spans may end up foregoing some of the technologies applications because they want to get to the bells and whistles of the applications.
Standards
Teacher:
INTASC
5.) Application of Content:
Several of the apps that I used on the iPad are designed to give learners a different look at the information that should be covered in a conventional curriculum. However, these apps allow for a few more creative ways to view and assess the ideas that are presented. These apps create new ways for the teacher to encourage and multiple students to view the same material and work collaboratively to find solutions, draw conclusions, and create projects.
6.) Assessment:
As a teacher I could use several aspects of this technology to act as both formative assessment and summative assessment. Of the apps that I used, I could create a concept map or set of questions that would need to be filled out/answered in order to test the material that was taught, or to judge how much prior knowledge students are coming into the class with. Because these are digital technologies, I would be able to use existing technologies like Digital Drop Box or turnitin.com to collect students work and check to see that it is their work.
8.) Instructional Strategies:
There are several instructional methods that can be employed by using the iPad. One of the greatest advantages that this technology brings to the table is that it can accommodate amazing visual modeling software. Seeing the subject matter whether it be the human brain or a cell, in three dimensions means that students can see how everything fits together, interacts, and give more opportunities to students to make connections between their prior knowledge and the new material. The ability to create something that is interactive and thought provoking is also an advantage that this technology brings to the table.
ISTE
1.) Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity:
I’ve always found that have a creative learning tool would help me think more creatively about what I’m working on, but it would also help me remember the material later on. The iPad is one of those creative teaching/learning tools. The number of apps that are available for teaching each and every subject is immense and each app allows for a different way of teaching these subjects. And because of the portability of this technology allows for combining the virtual world and face-to-face interactions—you can have students using the iPads and because of their versatility be using the other class room resources to enhance the lesson.
2.) Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments:
IPads can be utilized to help enrich authentic activities by bringing more possibilities to the table. Students will have some sort of technology that they’ll be able to use in real-life situations and if you can show them how to use one form of technology to accomplish an authentic activity they’ll be able to in the future.
3.) Model Digital-Age Work and Learning:
Using technology is the first step to knowing and understanding how to teach others how to use it. Having used this technology, I think that I would be able to show students how this cutting-edge technology can be an asset to their learning not just a tool of distraction.
4.) Promote and Model Digital Citizenship Responsibility:
Using technology such as the iPad in schools and helping students understand what it is that they are dealing with will aid students and teachers in the ever-evolving digital culture. This education will introduce students to the beneficial aspects of the technology, and help to ensure that the modes of legal and ethical behavior are conveyed to each user.
5.) Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership:
Like Standard 3, by using the technology that is on the cutting-edge, we as educators will be continuously able to improve how we teach. We may not see all of the applications that the iPad can be used for now, but by introducing it too students who are “technology-native,” we may be able to learn a thing or two from how they interact with it or the thought process that they use to go about using it.
Student
1.) Creativity and Innovation
As a student, the more creative and innovative the means of teaching used by the teacher was, the more creative and innovative the ideas were that I was able to come up with. The iPad is one such tool. There are many applications that allow for a lot of creativity and others that utilize innovative ways to help convey the information.
2.) Communication and Collaboration
This technology allows multiple students to work on the same thing together and separately at the same time. They each would have access to the resources, be able to collaborate and communicate digitally or verbally with each other which will help with understanding, while still working on something that is uniquely their own.
3.) Research and Information Fluency:
The iPad would give students the access that to many new sources of information. But access isn’t everything that they’ll need to be ”fluent.” Teaching students how to use that access to their advantage is how teachers can help students take full advantage of the vast quantity of information that is at their disposal.
4.) Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Decision Making
Of the apps that were used, Idea Sketch is one type of app that requires students to think critically and creatively about the information that they are going through, as they create a project.
5.) Digital Citizenship
Learning to use the technology in a classroom will help students understand how to use technology in a positive manner that is not only legal but ethical too.
6.) Technology Operations and Concepts
Getting students to use technology that they haven’t been exposed to until that point will help them to become accustomed to new types of technology, be effective and productive users, and be able to transfer knowledge from one technology to another at later points in time.
Citation and Evaluation of Source
Silvernail, D., Lane, D. Impact of Maine’s One-to-One Laptop Program on Teachers and Students. Maine Education Policy Research Institute, Univeristy of Southern Maine Office. February 2004.
Maine instituted a one-to-one program for all teachers and students in the middle schools across the state and this study documents the initial results of the program. Across the board there was an increase in the amount of information that was used in project by both teachers and students. There are a lot of statistics that support the use of the laptops in classroom, like better organization, more work done, more engagement, and others. However, the only downside that this study suggests is that there wasn’t enough technical support for when students had trouble with them. I think that the accessibility and ability to use the technology are a giant plus for students and teachers but, this study appears to neglect that the computers would be used for anything else. In order for this study to actually mark how students were using the computers they were given, there would need to look more into what was keeping the students engaged (material or computer) and whether or not the computer was actually the reason that they said more learning occurred.
Very well done. I'd also note that while more information was used, this isn't necessarily a good thing. Exposure to a ton of information doesn't equal learning :)
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