Using Models in the Classroom

Last week I implemented a lesson on earthquakes with my 5th grade class.  I consider the lesson to be a success.  The objectives were to learn about plates and the movements that create earthquakes.  I used many different models throughout the lesson to help my students learn about these topics.  I started the lesson off with a Brainpop video on Plate Tectonics to give students some basic background information.  My school purchased a subscription for Brainpop and I find them to be great resources.  The students find them very interesting and I find them as great lesson starters.  Brainpop videos are great at taking difficult or complex concepts and present them in easy to understand kid friendly videos.  This video was great model of plate movement.  It had easy to understand animations of plate movement which we would later model in a hands on approach.  After the video was over I started a discussion on the different types of movements along faults.  

Once I felt my students had a good grasp of the types of movements, I then gave each student a piece of styrofoam.  The pieces were of different shapes and sizes, similar to plates.  Students then would push their "plate" against a classmates.  We then discussed what they observed while pushing their plates against each other.  By modeling the actions with the styrofoam the students were able to mimic the breaking of rocks and release of power associated with an earthquake.  My students found this activity to be fun and informative.  The styrofoam ened up being an excellent material.  It would bend and build up pressure and then just snap, much like real rock along faults.  The popping also added a fun little controlled explosion that added a touch of excitement to the activity that really engaged the students.  

Overall, I would say the lesson was a great success.  My students were able to explain what an earthquake was and what were the factors behind them.  They also were able to learn a little bit about plate tectonics and the continental drift theory, thanks to the Brainpop lessons.  This experience overall also helped to reaffirm the idea that models are great tools for teaching.  They help bring visuals to a lesson that a book or lecture just cannot offer. 

Helping Children Develop Humanitarian Ways

Natural disasters have the ability to be far reaching events.  They do not always just affect the immediate area, but sometimes can have far-reaching and world-wide impacts.  These far reaching affects are not always the results from that original disaster but could be caused by all the lateral damage associated with it.  Today is a very unique time for teaching children.  With the wonders of the internet, we can now see what is happening around the world at any time.  With this access also brings a sense of closeness to people around the world that previously was non-existent.  In a world where people are now only as far as a push of a button, it builds a sense that we are responsible for helping these previously unknown people, especially in times of need.  

One way of teaching my students to become more scientifically-literate and also a compassionate world citizen through the use of NASA’s Earth Observatory website. http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Images/  This site is a great resource which can lead to great lessons on different natural disasters.  The website shows images of natural disasters around the world taken with different types of imaging equipment.  It shows all the current natural events that are happening around the world.  By teaching my students about these current natural events, it would hopefully build interest because it is an event that is currently happening.  These images could then lead into lessons where students would learn the factors that contribute to them.  By using a variety of easily found websites, such as the ones suggested in this week’s resources, students can learn all about the actual science behind them.  

And due to the fact that these are events that are currently going on, the lesson could also spin into a lesson on charity and fundraising.  Students could help by raising money or collecting supplies that could then be sent to areas of need.  With the use of programs like Skype, the teacher could set up contacts near or involved in the natural disaster clean up and have video chats to learn about the after affects and how people recover.  Will all these wonderful tools at our disposal now thanks to the Internet, it makes it easier to connect our students right to the events that are changing our world.  By connecting them to live real time events, it hopefully builds a greater appreciation in the student to the project/assignment.  With that instant connection also comes a great opportunity to learn about the natural disasters around the Earth and provides an chance to help out with the rebuilding effort.  

Evaluating Web 2.0 Presentation Tools

This week I decided to check out some of the many tools available for use in the classroom.  I'm going to focus on two online programs that can be a great asset in the classroom. 
The first tool I tested out was Prezi (http://prezi.com).  Prezi is a nice tool for creating multimedia rich presentations.  I was really amazed at how easy it was to set up a presentation.  I have never used the program before the other day and it was very easy to set up a presentation.  It has many different tutorials for every level of user.  The tutorials also were very easy to understand and very informative, which is nice. 
Prezi also allows for easy collaboration with others and the ability to share your presentations over the internet. 
Another great thing was they offer a teacher and student account that gives you extra data storage over the normal free account.  You could pay for an account for either $59 or $159 a year, but the free teacher account is equal to the $59 account.  All you need is a school email account and you can register for the teacher/student account.  

The next tool I'm going to discuss is Google Docs.  Google Docs is another free program that allows you to share all types of files with collaborators around the world.  You can create and share powerpoint type slideshows, word documents, spreadsheets, drawings and many other file types.  I currently use Google Docs with my fellow teachers.  The nice thing is how easy it is to share and collaborate on projects.  I currently use it to share and edit lesson plans with my In-Class-Support teacher.  It has a chat feature that allows you to discuss while you are working on your project, or in my case, lesson plans.  It has come in very handy.  I would say I still haven't used all the features it offers, but have been very satisfied with what I have been able to do with it so far.  I would definitely recommend this site for any time you need to collaborate with others and can not do it in person.  The ease of it is what sets it apart from other programs I've used in the past.  Instead of email items to people, you can just open it up in your browser and see what your colleague is doing and go from there. 

There are plenty of other wonderful tools out there but these were the two I like the best.  For some more suggestions, check out these sites:
1) http://webtools4u2use.wikispaces.com/Presentation+Tools
2) http://edudemic.com/2010/07/the-35-best-web-2-0-classroom-tools-chosen-by-you/
3) http://cooltoolsforschools.wikispaces.com/Presentation+Tools