4.+Technology+in+Science

Technology in Science Instruction


 * Weekly Agenda**:

 A [|page in the course resource section] will help you to briefly explore two different kinds of science technologies that your students can use in the elementary classroom.
 * 1) Finish Exploring some technologies for use with elementary science if you didn't look at two science tools last week.**


 * 2) Complete the [|Technology in Science Assignment] due this week.**


 * 3) Don't forget to contribute to your PLE and record your attendance.**

You will look at two other peers' assignment postings and reflect on their uses of technology in science for your PLE posting this week. See the [|Week 4 - PLE checklist].

For this assignment you may work individually or in groups of 2-3 students. You will first select and do a science activity that you might have your students do. You will then create a web page or blog posting for teachers that shows how technology can be used to enhance or extend what students can do in the science activity.

Consider the three [|TPACK]elements as you plan your science activity.


 * = Content ||= Pedagogy ||= Technology ||
 * Some possible content for projects from http://uen.org/core/:

(K) Kindergarten Seasons Animals care for young

(1) 1st Grade Plant growth Water – stages of water.

(2) 2nd Grade life cycle – stories of life cycle of animals observe and describe weather properties and uses of rocks

(3) 3rd Grade Appearance of earth and moon Classification of living and non-living things Force and motion Gravity Sun heat friction

(4) 4th Grade Weather Rocks/soils Fossils Wetlands/deserts/forests - *organisms

(5) 5th Grade Physical/chemical changes to matter Volcanoes, earthquakes, weathering Magnetism Electricity – static/current Heredity

(6) 6th Grade Moon changes and orbits Earth axis – season changes Size distance diff of objects in the night sky Microorganisms Properties of heat, light, and sound || Strategies that are important for teaching science.

Inquiry Process Skills: • Observing • Classifying, inferring, predicting, measuring • Acquiring and processing data (constructing table of data, constructing graphs, describing relationships) • Constructing hypotheses • Analyzing data

Review the following two handouts:
 * [|National Science Education Standards Handout]
 * [|Science Process Skills Handout] || See the [|Explore Science Technologies Resource] page for links and descriptions for different technologies that you might choose to use in this assignment.

Some examples are:
 * Digital Microscope
 * Digital Probes
 * Kidsperation
 * Stellarium ||

(**note:** you may also choose to use a technology tool that we didn't introduce to you in the class – just ask the instructor to make sure it is ok.)

PROCESS:
 * 1) Select a core standard to center your science activity around. (Do this first - that is what teachers do. )
 * 2) Select a technology tool that you will use to enhance the activity
 * 3) Make sure you can articulate what pedagogy the technology will enhance.
 * 4) Do the science activity in class or out of class
 * 5) Take at least 5 digital pictures or screen shots (on [|Mac] or [|PC]) that show the activity being done. (digital cameras can be checked out from rm 180 MCKB if you don't have one to use)
 * 6) Write and post the article for the //**Tech Savvy Teacher**// newsletter column to your PLE (see description below)
 * 7) Post link to article in Moodle.

ASSIGNMENT DESCRIPTION AND CHECKLIST:
 * 1) Consider the following scenario:
 * You have been recruited by your district to contribute an article to the monthly news letter on technology in the elementary science classroom. You will be contributing to a column called //**The Tech Savvy Teacher**//.
 * Use your creativity to write a brief article (on a new web page or blog entry on your PLE) reporting on your technology enhanced science activity.
 * The audience for the article is other elementary teachers or administrators in the district.
 * Your job is to provide one good example of how technology can be used in the elementary science classroom.
 * You can use any format for the news column that you think would catch the elementary teachers’ interest – use your creativity!
 * 1) The news article //**content**// should at a minimum include:
 * An introduction to the topic of //**The Tech Savvy Teacher**//.
 * A brief description of the science activity you did.
 * A explanation of how the technology was used to enhance the student’s learning of science (this could be done by showing how the technology enhanced students’ ability to observe, collect data, analyze data, etc – see the [|NCES] and [|science process] handout).
 * 1) Technical Criteria
 * It must be at least 3 paragraphs long and no longer than 5 paragraphs.
 * It must include at least 5 images taken during your science activity.
 * If you choose to work on this assignment as a group, each group member must post the news article to his/her own PLE.

Assignment You can work on this science tool exploration with another student or on your own.

There are so many free online science resources that kids can use hands-on in doing science.


 * = For lower elementary ||= For upper elementary ||
 * You want to explore tools that allow students to **observe** the world in new ways. || Students can use tools that help them to **collect and analyze data** about the world around them. ||

Review the science [|core curriculum] for grades 3-6 or the science integrated into the content core curriculum in grades k-2.

A) Explore 1 of the following //**simulation**// resources and how they might be used in your science classroom:


 * = Tool ||= Access ||= Description ||
 * Stellarium || Download: http://www.stellarium.org/

This tool is also already installed on the computers in the MCKB lab (rm 180) || Stellarium is a free program that allows you to look at the night sky from anywhere on the earth at any time – even the future and the past. It is great for demonstrating phases of the moon – especially when it is cloudy outside. ||
 * Google Earth & Sky || Download (must be 4.2 or greater): http://earth.google.com/download-earth.html

Tours in Google Sky: http://earth.google.com/gallery/kml_listing.html#csky#s1#e10

Web-based version: http://www.google.com/sky/

This program is already installed on the computers in the MCKB lab (rm 180) || The popular tool Google Earth now has a “sky” feature that lets you explore the universe beyond the earth in a similar way to how you can explore the earth’s surface. ||
 * Virtual Pond || The Microbe Zoo: http://commtechlab.msu.edu/sites/dlc-me/zoo/index.html

A Virtual Pond Dip: http://www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/index.html || Both of these sites can be used hands-on by kids to explore and learn about micro-organisms. ||
 * World Wind || Program Download: http://worldwind.arc.nasa.gov/ || This is a free 3D interactive real-time astronomy tool from NASA that lets you explore the surface of the earth, moon, and other planets in a similar way to how Google Earth lets you explore the earth. ||
 * Celestia || Program Download: http://learn.arc.nasa.gov/planets/

Educational Resources: http://www.celestiamotherlode.net/catalog/educational.php || This is a free 3D interactive real-time astronomy tool from NASA that lets you explore the solar system in a similar way to how Google Earth lets you explore the earth. ||
 * Virtual Electron Scanning Microscope || Program Download: http://learn.arc.nasa.gov/vlab/

Specimen Files: http://virtual.itg.uiuc.edu/training/

Educational Resources: http://education.ksc.nasa.gov/edtech/vl.htm || A scanning electron microscope can be used to look close-up at very tiny objects such as insects, computer chips, plants, etc. The VSEM allows students to become the scientists and upload pre-scanned images to explore. (I found out about this at UCET – but haven’t had time to download and try it myself yet.) ||

B) Explore 1 of the following resources that require you to have special software or hardware. How might you use them for hands-on science.


 * = Tool ||= Access ||= Description ||
 * Kidsperation || You should be able to download a 30-day free trial version of this software if you want to try it at home.

Download trial version: http://www.inspiration.com/freetrial/index.cfm

The computers in the MCKB lab (rm 180) have this software installed. The software is also installed on computers that can be checked out for 24 hours from the lab. || Kidsperation is a popular tool used by K-6 educators. It is a concept mapping tool with many build in educational templates for hands-on science. Many school districts have invested in Kidspiration for their teachers. ||
 * Digital Microscope || We have 2 digital microscopes that can be used in the MCKB lab (rm 180). You will want to check out a tablet PC to use with the microscopes because they have the software for the microscope already installed on them. || Here is a [|link] to the microscopes that can be checked out. ||
 * Temperature Probes || Temperature probes work with the Logger Pro software and can be checked out from the MCKB lab. The Logger Pro software is installed on all of the lab machines as well as the tablet PCs that can be checked out from the lab to use at home.

You can also request a book from the MCKB lab desk that has instuctions for dozens of experiments that can be done with elementary students using the probes. || These temperature probes can be a really fun way for students to do hands-on science. ||
 * Other Science Probes || same instructions as for the temperature probes.

check out the [|science project resources document] for a list of all the probes you have access to. || same as above ||
 * Global Positioning System || We have 2 GPS units for checkout. Be sure to request the instruction book too so that you have instructions on how to use the GPS device. || same as above ||