Ted Lesson

Atronomy lesson TED

This astronomy lesson will be for 9th grade, the purpose of this lesson is to teach students to use critical thinking as well as understand the basic properties about the solar system and the universe. Nobody truely understands how the universe works, and this is why the student will learn to use critical thinking to develop his or her own theory of how the universe works. The video begins by explaining the origins of the universe, as well as how the terrestial planets are closer to the sun and jovian planets, being the gas planets are in the outer part of the solar system. This way the student will understand how solar systems can be organized. The video will help the student see examples of stars and see begin to develop the relation of how light travels through out the universe. When learning about the universe it is important for the student to see a visual representation of the solar system. This is because currently scientist do not have actual pictures of black holes and many pictures that we see on the internet are actually artist impressions of galaxies or planets. The video will help the student understand, engage in developing a theory of how solar systems works, and explain to the classroom why they think their example occurs in a black hole. I think the best videos are the ones that are available to use in the internet, which is the one i will be using. The main idea is that the student will be encouraged in the lesson because as of yet their is no wrong answer of what happens inside a blackhole, nor a definitive pattern of how a solar system is shaped. This is important because it will encourage a student to develop their own model and theory of planets and the universe. This lesson will inspire a students inner scientist, and encourage them to think critically of the universe. This can lead to the student even challenging popular theories of the universe and how they work. This will also help students relate the universe with art and mathematics and see the mathematical beauty of the universe and its symmetry. The video will also aid the student in understanding the similiarities they can see in their planets what they can see in planets, stars, and shapes of galaxies. This way the student can develop an idea of how the universe is connected.

using google photos in the classroom

Using google photos for learning can be a great way to organize your classroom photos throughout the semester. Especially for my classroom which will be 9^th grade science. I will be showing them about the galaxy and solar system. As I was using google photos I came to realize that all of the pictures that I had from previous semester was stored in my google photos account. This was because my tablet had my email synced and it saved every picture I took. Not only did it do this, it also organized it in a way that I could see which was the oldest and newest photo. This can be great when you are in the classroom. For my example I used astronomy examples such as, the solar system, a black hole, and how are local star (the sun) compares to the largest known star in the universe. I would organize them in chronological order so that instead of wasting time searching for other pictures on line, I can simply go to my album and select the photos there to have them ready for the classroom. A Second example of how google photos would benefit the classroom is by having students share their assignment photos in the classroom folder. Such when they are working in groups and they create presentations, they can upload the photos in an album in order to stay organized. This way they can always go back and ensure that their photos are saved in case they need to re use them. This is great because it leaves the classroom open for feedback, as well as the students can see each others assignment albums and have an idea of what to turn in. This way the class has less of a chance of getting lost. A Third example is regarding organization and timing. Google photos really help organize the teachers’ files and albums. This will ensure that photos for each class are kept in separate folder, resulting in the instructor saving time. Many teachers when they begin sometimes they teach different grade levels in the same subject. This can result in sometimes the teacher having files from different classes in a folder. Google photos allow you to access these files from any device with Internet capabilities as long as it has an Internet connection. This is vital because we cannot afford to spend time searching for things in the little 45 minutes we have for teaching.

google photos album

album photos 

Astronomy Album

articles

https://www.meritalk.com/articles/education-department-launches-ed-tech-evaluation-tool/

I think that a new tool for evaluation is a very large accomplishment, because sometimes teachers do not know what amount of technology is the right amount to use. This is a big problem sometimes, because I have seen classrooms where the teacher uses absolutely no computers and the entire classroom is based on a chalkboard. This can help the teacher assess the correct amount of technology they can use in their classroom, so that the students do not feel lost or their level of stress increases. The point of this is to find the most effective method of teaching to save time and ensure that students are not left behind. I think that every school needs to participate in this because we still have an issue where schools do not all rank at the same level. Schools no matter what area they are in should offer the latest technological tools available, as well as meet or exceed learning standards. Technology can help solve many issues with students not performing the same in the classroom, as well as be able to aid the students with their learning capacity. Technology is a tool that can enhance the precision of the instructor to teach the classroom, I think all schools should work together so that the students and teachers are benefited from this.

http://www.scpr.org/news/2016/11/02/65908/attorney-general-warns-tech-companies-to-follow-ne/

I think that the school districts need to be cautious of the applications that software companies make for the classroom. The applications need to be created to follow the districts guidelines, as said in the previous post that everyone needs to work in conjunction so that student learning is disrupted.  The article mentions that there are many companies that do not follow the specific guidelines, which are that they cannot use student data for business purposes. Yet many applications that were available in schools would collect data from students and sell them to third party vendors. There was no regulation to this in the past, but laws have been passed so now the software companies will face lawsuits if this happens again. I think it is excellent that we protect student information so that companies do not target them for illicit purposes. That being said, it is not easy to land a contract with a school district for software applications. The software companies need to be effective and ensure that applications help the students.

livebinders

Livebinders are essential in student learning especially when it comes to organization. However, in my classroom I think it would be great to have in the high school level. I will be teaching 9^th grade mathematics, and livebinders will be imperative to use because it will help save time. When I was doing my student teaching I realized that teachers that used livebinders in the classroom, allowed the parents to see how their kids were doing and also see what assignment their kids have turned in. This is essential when working with students and parents, because we can integrate the parents as a team. Also it features a lot of security features that can protect the students’ work and assignments so they are not deleted. I think for 9^th grade math this is great because livebinders allows you to use videos, and even research other notes so that you can expand the knowledge that the students learn. This means that students have the capacity to provide collaborations to the lesson, so that this way the students that do not understand can catch up. For my classroom, I think that this would need to be moderated so that the live binders applications can be used constructively and so that the students do not lose track of the assignment and zone away from the purpose of the lesson.  An example for a lesson I would use live binders for would be with critical thinking problems, such as word problems. I would include a brief history of were a certain mathematical formula orginated, such as the Pythagorean theorem, and I could use live binders to show videos and pictures of the culture of Pythagoras and his philosophy. It is a very stand-alone application because I can include grades, and the entire course assignments. This if used correctly can help the student and teacher save time, as well as reduce the amount of stress in the classroom by both the teacher and student. This can also help the teacher show the principal or parents the assignments that have been done, as well as the course participation from the students. This will not feel like work for the students, they will be very engaging and will be having fun. This is possible because the amount of tools available by livebinders. We must be creative and allow students to also be creative with their assignments. This will help increment student engaging, as teachers we still have to guide them.

Final Project Ideas

For my final project I would like to implement students to using Youtube, prezi, as well as google drive. My grade level will be in the 9^th grade, so students should have a strong foundation in using web 2.0 sites. I want to make my lesson fully interactive science lesson in which students will learn the different elements each planet consists of, as well as the different types of stars and scales of luminosity.  This is Prezi will be very ideal to use because it has the ability to zoom in and zoom out of different areas of a presentation. YouTube will be necessary so the student can add clips and do a voice over of the information he has found that can be relevant for his assignment.  I found that when using web 2.0 tools correctly, students are able to learn more and their level of engagement increases. However, when used incorrectly the student tends to not do the assignments correctly, and if it is a group activity the work will not be distributed equally. Just because I will use youtube, pezi, and google forms, does not mean my work, as a teacher will be minimized. I will still be present in the lectures, as well as ask questions to the students in order to understand how far they are in the assignment.  I will integrate the groups together at the end of the class in a discussion, to see how they are doing as a group. I will also have the groups ask each other questions to see if they are able to see things from a different perspective, depending on the problem I assign them regarding a planet.  I know astronomy is a very interesting subject, but I want them to be able to understand how to work together and ensure they do not zone away from the lesson.