Wednesday, October 28, 2009

PLE #8

I watched Lizzy's, Kaylee's, and Kate's science projects. I thought they had some good ideas of science projects, and cool ways to use technology to do them. I feel like it's a little easier to use technology for science projects because most science projects need some kind of equipment to do them. So using technology can be a fun resource to use, especially if it isn't too hard. I really like Kidspiration. I think it's pretty easy to understand and use, and wouldn't be hard for kids. It's pretty good to use to document observations. So I'm glad that I got a chance to try out these different programs, and then see how other people used them to get ideas of how they can be used in a classroom.

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

PLE # 7

Content: Grade 6
Standard 1: Students will understand that the appearance of the moon changes in a predictable cycle as it orbits Earth and as Earth rotates on its axis.
Objective 1: Explain patterns of changes in the appearance of the moon as it orbits Earth.
d. Design an investigation, construct a chart, and collect data depicting the phases of the moon.

Pedagogy: The students will observe the phases of the moon using stellarium. They will make a chart showing each of the phases of the moon.

Technology: The students will use stellarium to view the moon.

The students will observe the phases of the moon for a month. They will make drawings of the moon as it looks each night or observation. At the end of the month we will talk about what the students have observed. They can either make their observations by looking outside, or by using stellarium. For those who want to do a little more, they can use stellarium to find the phases of the moon for the same month but 50 years earlier. They can make a chart showing comparisons or contrasting features they observed.

Friday, October 16, 2009

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

PLE #6

Google Earth Tours I watched:
Kaylee-Natural Disasters
Elizabeth-Meissen, Germany
Kate-Ecosystems

I think that Google Earth Tours could be a fun activity for older students. I guess it could work for younger students, but I thought it was kind of difficult to learn how to use, so it would probably be easier for older students to use. Students can also just experiment with Google Earth by finding places like the school, or their house. So that can help them get used to using it.It kind of depends on what you want to teach. Tours could be really good if you want to emphasize weather or terrain, or show distances between places.

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

PLE Week #5

I chose to do third grade Objective 1: Evaluate key factors that determine how a community develops. b. Describe how stories, folktales, music, and artistic creations serve as expressions of culture. I chose to do a Google Earth tour of this because I think it will show how different each of these cultures are, and the students will also be able to see where these cultures are located in relation to each other. The students will be able to see different types of important architecture in different cultures, and learn why that particular piece of architecture is important to that culture.

Location Activity DescriptionGoogle Earth Content
1.Moscow, Russiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Square
Students will go to this website to answer the following question. Who lives in the Kremlin?
A picture of Red Square and the Kremlin
2.Athens, Greecehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Parthenon
The students will go to this website to answer the following question. What Greek goddess did the Greeks worship in the Parthenon?
A picture of the Parthenon
3.Beijing, Chinahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emperor_of_China
The students will go to this website to answer the following question. What is the ruler of China called?
A picture of a palace
4.New York, USAWhat does the Statue of Liberty symbolize?A picture of the Statue of Liberty