MECHANISMS TO FIGHT DISEASE

1. MECHANISMS TO FIGHT DISEASE Lourdes Rueda-Lizarraga CUHS

2. Introduction • The following unit was designed to include technology into the lessons covering the immune system in an advanced placement biology class. • Contact information: Lourdes Rueda. Central union High School. lrueda@cuhsd.net

3. Actual Learning • I have included technology in my lessons before. The skill I gained from the program was the web page design. • The real gain from the program was the computers in my classroom. Now I can design a lesson knowing that the students who do not have a computer at home will be able to work in my classroom.

4. Reflection • The unit went very well. The students were excited to use a different approach to the regular curriculum. • The web-quest virus-monera was helpful at teaching a concept otherwise abstract. • The piece that created the most excitement was the Power Point presentation. Some students were very creative.

5. Reflection • The one modification I will do for next year is to assess the students’ computer skills before assigning the Power Point presentation. • The description of the project did not challenge most of the students who were already proficient at using the program.

6. DATA

7. DATA

8. STUDENT SAMPLES • Basic • Proficient • Advanced

9. Revisions • Assessment of the students’ computer skills is a must. They did not work to their potential. • To maximize the use of the computers, different stations can be organized where the students can work on different assignments daily. • Teams of four should rotate through the different stations.

10. Summary • Technology has been an asset in my classroom. Student participation and engagement increases while using computers to deliver the lesson and as an interactive tool. • It has also made available resources that otherwise will be difficult to obtain as are virtual dissections and laboratories.

11. Concluding Statement • I have always been an advocate for the use of technology in the classroom. • It is especially important to include it in the core curriculum since we all assume that the students are obtaining the skills somewhere else and that is not the case for everybody. • The students skills are varied and they are proportional with their socioeconomic level. • If they do not have access to technology in our classroom they might not get it anywhere else.