P4- Practice the integration of appropriate technology within instruction.

P4. Practice the integration of appropriate technology within instruction. Teacher-candidates use technology that is effectively integrated to crete technologically proficient learners. Technology is an ever-changing aspect of modern life, included education. Technology can be used to entice and excite students, but in order for the use of technology in the classroom to be effective, students should be taught how to effectively use the technology that will be in their academic lives. To introduce bacteria, I showed two YouTube clips. One was about 2 minutes long and the other about 5 minutes. I showed both clips twice instructing students to watch and listen the first time through and then as we watched it again to answer the questions I wrote to go along with the clips.  I have included both the clips and the lesson plan I used for the day they were shown. By showing these clips I was able to accomplish several different tasks.  The clips bring up many interesting facts about bacteria, including antibiotic resistance and a short piece on evolution and natural selection, acting as a hook for the upcoming unit. In addition, I showed students how to use youtube clips effectively by watching them twice so they hear the information and then pick up the important ideas the second time through. From this lesson I learned that videos are a great tool to use when starting a unit. Once the unit begins, various concepts come up that can be referred back to the youtube clip so students have a reference point. Students  were not only introduced to bacteria in a way that they will remember, but they were also given an underlying lesson in learning from video clips. In the future, I want to make sure that I use video clips sparingly enough that they are thought of as a "treat" but often enough to enhance various lessons.

introtobacteria_LP

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zjR6L38yReE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcXdfofLoj0

Energy of Matter Unit

The first unit I taught in Chemistry was probably one of the hardest content areas of chemistry to teach. The entire unit is completely abstract. I am so thankful my mentor teacher is as prepeared as he is and literally handed me the material every day to work with. I was able to write several of the warm-ups, but only some. My personality definiely shined through in places as well, just ask the students about my bad energy equation jokes. I enjoyed teaching this unit becuase it is coherent and student progress is really easy to follow. One day they are complaining this makes no sense at all and the next they are writing electron configurations like pros. In the future, I would make sure that I spend more time gauging the algebra skills of my students. Maybe going slower through the light and energy equations to make sure students have a solid understanding of how to manipulate the equations to do what you want them to. I felt rushed through this portion of the unit, understandably becuase I needed to take the time to go through it myself and refresh my own understanding. There were also many instances of questions asked that I couldn't give an answer to, my chemistry skills are not graduate level.

O1- Offer an organized curriculum aligned to standards and outcomes.

O1- Offer an organized curriculum aligned to standards and outcomes. Teacher Candidates align instruction to the learning standards and outcomes so all students know the learning targets and their progress towards meeting them. One way to differentiate a classroom is to cater to different learning styles. Some students are visual and require learning goals posted on the walls. Other students may need the overall goal of the unit in front of them before they are able to delve into the details. O1 attempts to cater to multiple learning needs. By showing students what the learning standards are and helping them track their own progress, differentiation happens naturally in the classroom.  In chemistry, students are given a handout titled "learning goals" at the beginning of each unit (attached at the bottom). The front of the sheet includes the key ideas for the unit as well as space for students to check off the concepts as they learn them. On the back of the sheet there is space for students to ask questions and list what they are struggling with to turn in two days before the test. From student feedback we are able to compile questions to help students solidify any concepts they may not be fully confident in right before the test. This handout not only alerts students to learning standards and outcomes, but allows students to keep progress of their own learning and then identify their weak spots in their learning. As a teacher, I value these handouts just as much to gauge student learning as the unit progresses. While using this handout, I find that I am more in tune to the unit content myself at the end of the unit I find that I am more aware of how my students are comprehending the material. Students clearly benefit from learning goals presented in this way as they take time to reflect on their learning progress in preparation for the test. In addition to providing each student with a learning goals handout, I would like to incorporate a reflective time as a class to analyze various aspects of the unit and how far we have come as a whole. This could include analyzing pretests prior to the unit test or getting in groups and going over learning specific learning goals.

learning goals