Cold and warm blooded animals

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We been looking at cold and warm blooded animal using an infrared camera.  In the first picture, I am holding a fish in my hand for a few seconds.  We can see that the fish is blue, indicating that it is cold and that my hand is yellow and red, indicating that it is much warmer.

In the second picture, we see the contrast between a hand and the beans we are growing.

The third picture shows a hand next to a flower.  Notice that the flower is not at the same temperature everywhere.

 

History timeline

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This is a timeline of Ontario, from the ice ages to today.  We had little time to do this, we can continue at a later time. Some students worked very quickly and others slowly.  Both did quite well.   I am happy with the second example.  This student needs a lot of support but she still managed to do some of the coding with my support.  She did what she wanted to do and did some of the code for the timeline.  Given more time, this students would have been able to complete the entire work successfully.  She understood what needed to be done and understood the steps to do it.

 

Evaluating technology

http://www.amazon.ca/Stratosphere-Integrating-Technology-Pedagogy-Knowledge/dp/0132483149

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I just read an interesting question from my PLN (professional learning network).  It was asked, how are we to evaluate technology?

I would suggest that the work by Michael Fullan, stratosphere address this issue.   There are so many programs available on so many types of devices.  How to choose?  Michael Fullan offers 4 criterias that could be used.  Technology should be:

1.  Irresistibly engaging

2.  Elegantly efficient and easy (from a technical standpoint) to use

3.  Technologically ubiquitous 24/7

4. Steeped in real-life problem solving

 

The SAMR model in practice

Here’s a nice article about the SAMR model.  It is used in our board to see how the technology we use transforms learning.

http://www.maggiehosmcgrane.com/2010/03/samr-model.html

 

I have used several type of technology in my classes.  This year, I have used two programs that are quite high on the SAMR model: blogging with Kidblog and coding using Hopscotch.  The way we used it in class, both are at the REDEFINITION level.

At the substitution level, blogging can be used to type the paragraph that was written in class.  At the augmentation level, we can add the pictures taken during  our field trips and continue writing about them.  At the Modification level, we start interacting with students in our class.  Each student comment on the work of other students, make connections and/or ask questions.  At the redefinition level, we have students travelling in other countries during school time continuing to participate in class through their blog and sharing their experiences with the students in the classroom.  A further redefinition could be to collaborate with other classes.  Kidblog has enormous possibilities as it models what many scientists, teachers, reporters do.  They exchange information with others and it allows to be critically learning from others since the commenting on other’s blogs requires having a critical view while learning from the comments others make also requires a critical view.

Hopscotch also is at the REDEFINITION level.  It allows developing math skills in a new way, easy expression for English Language Learners or French Language Learners, it allows doing art in a completely different way and learning to read and write code, a skill highly required in order to get a job later, after graduation.

 

 

Consulting with students

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Although I personally think learning to code is an ingenious way to teach all kind of skills I do not impose this on my students.  They learned to code and genuinely like to code.  I did what I wanted to do which was to expose my students to the basics of what it means to create technology and see what could be done with it.  My best students are now how discovering how coding could be used in the real world and are starting to see the possibilities of developing software on their own. Some students like to solve puzzles to express themselves and some students who are weak in many areas think that coding is the hook that keeps them going in my class.  We could have done many other things but now my students vote to continue using Hopscotch.   I am happy with their interest.  From my two classes, only one student said that he does not like Hopscotch.  He needed in the beginning to work collaboratively with other students as I think it seems foreign to him.  I am not sure if he said this because he wanted to defy me as he is a defiant student but I can see that after an initial learning curve, he is starting to write programs on his own, without help.  This student may have struggled in the beginning but he exceeded my expectations with using Hopscotch.

Not all students will become engineers, software developers or web designers, but they have happily learned the skills that allows them to use technology efficiently.

 

Inspire students to like history with art

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All my students like art.  To continue to get them interested in history, we created life size pharaohs paintings.  In this picture, the paintings are drying.  All pharaohs have something unique.  Some are traditional looking,  some wear skirts, some wear pants, some are very videogamish looking.  We will need to have a discussion about the art they created.