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Teaching technology longitudinally to virtual children.(Hands On)

Teaching Science December 1, 2010 | Matthews, Lynley Children of Generation Y are entering our schooling system. These children have always known instant communication and the internet. They possess basic skills in using technology, but they still need to develop a deeper understanding of technology. Teaching longitudinally will increase the learner’s confidence and develop a deeper understanding. This sequence of activities can be applied to a range of stages and set at a level comfortable for students.

Many learning events in traditional curriculums tend to teach technology as an add-on to a learning activity. Technology teaching is disjointed, or set as a singular, computer-based learning experience rather than increasing student skills over time.

ANALYSING PLANTS OF (INSERT LOCAL REGION) REGION Lesson 1: Technology test run Develop an introductory glossary using a combination of environmental and technology words. Students search for definitions using different search engines and websites. The completed glossary should be electronically saved on a shared intranet. Students should record a reference for each glossary word. The amount of detail in the reference should reflect the abilities of the students. web site microsoft office online

WORD DEFINITION REFERENCE

Browser

Biodiversity

Ecosystem

Gene technology

Server/Client

Table 1: An example glossary.

Lesson 2: Use of non-computer based technology When technology appears in the curriculum, it tends to be associated with a computer-based lesson. Lesson 2 integrates alternative technologies into the classroom. This lesson walks at the very edge of allowable technologies in most schools. Ensure students (and staff) are aware of any necessary rules or guidelines prior to the lesson. Students will need access to a digital camera or a camera phone that can upload photographs.

Arrange access to approximately five main types of native plants. In pairs, have students create numbered cards to place next to each sample. The cards will act as sample numbers. Students should select approximately five samples to photograph. Place a ruler next to the first plant sample and place the card numbered ’1′, clearly in view. Have students photograph each sample. Auditory (and more advanced) learners could be encouraged to verbally record position, location and other relevant information on their phone or other recording device.

Once each sample has been photographed, students can then record other relevant measurements based upon class ability. Some suggestions include:

a) Measuring the length of leaves;

b) Abundance of specific plants in a local environment;

c) Average leaf surface area; and d) Quadrat sampling for calculating abundance.

Advanced students can record angle of each leaf in relation to the ground or the stem, geographical location (using GPS) and amount of light present (lux metre) with each photograph. This information adds a useful data component to the experiment. Samples may need to be frozen for later use.

Sample number Sample Surface Photo Number Location LUX Type Area reading

Figure 1: Students’ information recording sheet.

Lesson 3: Using software and Peer Assessment Microsoft Office Online has step by step instructions for Microsoft Programs mentioned in this text. Equivalent programs are also available.

Raw data is entered onto an Excel spreadsheet. Guide students through recording raw data and encourage students to use formulas (finding mean and standard deviation) as well as creating charts to represent data.

Microsoft Picture Manager is a simple tool for basic photo editing. Ask students to crop their photo to remove unwanted components and resizing their photo to a large web (640 x 480px) size. Students then can create a Word document to write up their practical. Students con insert their chart (from the Excel spreadsheet) and their edited photos into the document.

[FIGURE 2 OMITTED] Where information has been recorded using voice recording and video, students can use movie editing software (such as Windows Movie Maker) to create their final project combining text, speech and images. Once students have completed a draft, ask them to save their work on a shared drive. Invite students to assess each other and provide a clear rubric for feedback.

Peer Feedback Chart (Basic user)

Posted onto discussion board January 2010

Name of Content mark Image mark References Total assessor mark

Scale No mark 1-20 1-5 1-10 /35

Figure 3: Design a Peer Feedback Rubric to match the assessment rubric.

Lesson 4: Linking Technology Once students have submitted a final copy for teacher review and evaluation, it can be used to edit a wiki, such as Wikipedia or other wiki source such as Plant-Pedia (2009). Students will feel ownership of the page and gain a greater understanding of how web content is developed by preparing the online content themselves. Many wikis are free to the public and provide step by step instructions on how to add or edit. Check out an appropriate wiki that matches your student skill level and content or design your own wiki if you’re feeling adventurous. Wikipedia Foundation Inc (2009) provides instructions on ‘Starting an article’ allowing even novice users the opportunity to create meaningful wiki articles. When students have successfully added text and information to their ‘live’ wiki, have them forward the URL to the teacher for review. in our site microsoft office online

Lesson 5: Back to non-computer technology As the first seguence of longitudinal technology lessons is complete, the cycle restarts providing an opportunity to teach a greater depth with each step.

Lesson 5 involves analysing plants of the local region microscopically. In pairs, students select five small samples from their original samples. Students prepare their samples as wet slides, viewing under a light microscope and recording observations. Have students carefully photograph the slide through the microscope eye piece. Students can take two or three photos of each slide, changing the amount of light (and recording the amount of light using a lux metre) to obtain the best photo.

Lesson 6: Using Software and printing Ask students to edit their photos and insert their photos into a written document. The written document should include detailed observations and information for each sample.

Nominate two advanced computer users to collate the work of all of the students and to review the layout of the entire collated document. Work that is peer and teacher reviewed can be published as a magazine, each page a reflection of a different student’s work and copies available for students, parents and staff to enjoy.

BUILDING FUTURE LESSONS For a longitudinal technology program to be successful, future lessons need to utilise and regularly build upon existing skills. Skill development should occur once or twice a week to ensure significant development in a range of technological skills. Timing between lessons and the types of technology used in lessons should be directly related to user ability and curriculum content.

These ideas link to the new draft Australian curriculum (ACARA 2009):

Year 7/8: Science Inquiry Skills–Investigation Methods (S7SIS2) and (S8SIS2) Year 7/8: Science Inquiry Skills–Using Equipment (S7SIS4) and (S8SIS4) Year 7/8: Science Inquiry Skills–Observing and Measuring (S7SIS5) and (S8SIS5) Year 7: Science as a human Endeavour–Contribution of Scientists (S7SHE4) Year 8: Science Understanding–Biological Classification (S8SU2) Year 7: Statistics and Probability–Data Measures (M7SP1) Year 8: Number and Algebra–Calculation (M8NA3) Year 8: Statistics and Probability–Data Investigation (M8SP2) REFERENCES ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Lynley Matthews is a NSW High School teacher currently studying the integration of e-learning practices into the Science curriculum.

Matthews, Lynley