Blogs

One of the hazards of teaching science outside of a classroom setting is that there's no way for students learning on their own to access all the traditional experiments and visualization tactics available in schools. Blended learning provides alternate methods for delivering those simulations and visuals to students working independently and hoping to further their studies outside of the classroom.

Resources covered:
HHMI Biointeractive
PhET Interactive Simulations
KDE Step

Step is the KDE Education Project's interactive physical simulator. The Step Handbook explains that the simulator works by allowing users to place defined bodies in the simulator and then apply forces. Users can alter the parameters of the bodies and forces to see how they respond to the laws of physics. The tutorials include bodies and springs, motors and forces, and joints. Because the simulator requires a fairly complex understanding of the rules involved, it is better suited to use by educators and higher-level students.

Math is a difficult subject to learn without guidance, and those who attempt to learn new mathematical concepts or reinforce what they learned in the classroom are often left to struggle. Complete modules like Washington State University Math Lessons and Calculus on the Web provide tutorials which help teach and practice math tutorials to both new learners and those wishing to refresh their knowledge.

Resources covered:
Washington State University Math Lessons
Calculus on the Web (COW)

Washington State University Math Lessons are a series of applied math tutorials. While the scope of the tutorials is somewhat limited, they address some interesting applied topics such as the math behind voting, fair division of assets, and understanding graphs with regard to supply and demand issues. The site also provides snippets about the history of math and an important female mathematician.

Hi everyone, please download the following files for my curriculum and my rationale.

Here is a link to the Prezi for my Inquiry Project.

http://prezi.com/v8hlg2voxz6a/multicultural-education/

Here is a link to the Prezi for my Inquiry Project.

http://prezi.com/v8hlg2voxz6a/multicultural-education/

I created a Zine for my project. So I have attached a pdf with all of my text and a majority of the images I used. My topic was on success rates among minority students who have minority teachers and if their success rates are better.

My inquiry project looks at how one can incorporate a multicultural/diveristy/social justice perspective in math classrooms.

With the wealth of information available, it can be difficult to find the best resource for illustrate or reinforce the concept you want to teach. Fortunately, the National Science Digital Library and other sites provide variously indexed clearinghouses that provide resources for use in the classroom, review materials, and tools for utilizing technology designed especially for teaching STEM.

Resources covered:
National Science Digital Library
Concord Consortium
Federal Resources for Educational Excellence

The National Science Digital Library (NSDL) is dedicated entirely to curating resources relating to STEM education, and scientific concepts in particular. The resources are sorted by educational level, resource type, and subject. Those categories are useful, but arguably NSDL's best feature is is NSDL Science Literary Maps which show visual and conceptual links between topics. The maps allow student researchers to build on what they know and find resources to expand their inquiries.

Blended and computer-based learning raises new questions, for many students and faculty, about intellectual property and data usage. Most institutions have their own, explicit copyright policies which spell out exactly what the institution considers to be acceptable and unacceptable use of material. For specific questions about what's allowed at your institution, consult that policy first. LINKwithlove also provides resources and facilitates discussion about creating and promoting best practices for dealing with intellectual property in digital platforms. This post will address the basic question: Does copyright apply to computer-based educational materials like tutorials, quizzes, and animations in my courses?

Generally speaking, current copyright law assumes that the author/creator of a work possesses an exclusive legal property right in that work from the moment of its creation, and the work cannot be bought, sold or traded without that author/creator's consent. Laws makes no distinction between materials created and/or published digitally and those created and/or published on paper. Computer software or code is among the forms of expression protected under US copyright law. However, you have a few options for incorporating computer-based materials into a course:

4/23/13 

            This week, my field notes involve an interaction my teacher and I had, as opposed to interactions with my students. On this day, I had 1st, 2nd, and Kindergarten students, and the day was pretty typical. I did a read a loud in each class, and also designed a corresponding activity. The students were all pretty well behaved, and the day was as “normal” as can be.

            At one point, when I had just finished instructing the students, my mentor teacher turned to me and whispered, “How about the Boston thing?” I saw her during the previous week right around when the bombing happened, but of course, a lot had developed since then. For example, one suspect had been killed and the other had been recently captured. I responded by stating what a tragedy it has all been, and my teacher answered back with something along the lines of, “That’s why I find it so important to make these students feel comfortable here.”