Science Challenge

I viewed and commented on Beth, Mariah, and Kerry's science activities.

Wow, this was a really cool activity for me because it taught me how to use technology to teach an entire lesson. We could leave this voice thread with a substitute if we can't make it to class and we can still teach without even being there. Or, the substitute can get direct instruction from us. Using the voice thread is a great way to pass on knowledge without having to be there in person. I also was extremely impressed with Stellarium. This technology is so effective because it allows the teacher to give direct instruction and then allows for the student to construct their own knowledge. Stellarium is a multimodal presentation that students can interact with and manipulate, allowing them to see the planets move across the sky after it has been explained to them why they appear to be moving like that. Thus, using Stellarium provides a learning experience teachers can't possibly hope to provide without that technology.

There is a downside as well. I went through three computers before I could get this program to work. Technology is not always reliable and I am convinced that we need to have a plan B, always, just in case technology doesn't feel like working when we need it. Also, I don't want students to pay more attention to the technology than they do to me. I want to work with the technology and if one is going to take dominance over the other, I want it to be me:)