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USING TECHNOLOGY TO ENGAGE STUDENTS IN LEARNING. Why? Safety Tools types sources Materials types sources $. Processes problem solving Assessment & Evaluation Routines Material distribution class set up tool sharing cleanup. LOGISTICS. Why?.
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Why? Safety Tools types sources Materials types sources $ Processes problem solving Assessment & Evaluation Routines Material distribution class set up tool sharing cleanup LOGISTICS
Why? • “Hands on projects" can become an excellent answer to the “why do we have to know this stuff “ questions and are an great way to engage students • These types of projects are of high interest and can be “springboards” & provide relevance to literacy & numeracy activities.
Student Comments • “I had a lot of fun building the wind generator thingy! I feel great because I only had one day and I was proud when the wind made the light come on.”
“I really liked doing this project. Before I started to work on it, I was afraid even to pick up a tool. Even though my project could have been better I was still very proud of what I had made.”
“In science we learned about the different kinds of gears and how they worked but I never really understood it until we made the real life drawbridge project using real pulleys and gears”
“My parents loved the easel that I made for them. They couldn’t believe how good it looked. I told them it was structurally stable. They used it right away.. I had a wonderful time making it!”
“I really like doing these building projects they make school fun and interesting”
“At first I had a lot of trouble making my wind generator, nothing seemed to work right and I was really discouraged especially since everyone elses’ was good, but then you made some suggestions and I tried again and I got in to work. I think it was one of the best in the class. I have never been so proud of myself. I learned that the harder something seems to be the better you feel when you are successful.”
Abbey Lane Project • Improving Literacy through Technological Problem Solving
Safety • When using any tool students must: • Wear safety goggles • Remove jewelry • Tie long hair back with an elastic band • Roll up long sleeves • Use a clamp to hold materials in place • Keep fingers well away from drill bits & saw blades • Concentrate their attention on their task
Tools • Saw & mitre box (hacks saw are easiest to use) • Easy cutters for Junior/Intermediate students • Hand drill • Hot melt glue gun • Sandpaper • “Jinx joiners” • Layout equipment (rulers, pencils etc) • Scissors • clamps
Materials • Jinx wood • Dowels • Paper Gussets • Fibre wheels discarded CD’s make great wheels • Elastic bands • Straws • Gears/pulleys assortment • Lights, batteries, motors, wire etc • “Found Materials”
MATERIALS cont’d • Sources for tools & materials _Technology Application Carts • Torcomp - www. Torcomp.com • Kidder plastic - www. Kidder.ca • $
Processes • Problem solving: S.P.I.C.E. • S - state the problem • P -brainstorm possible solutions • I - investigate solutions • C - construct • E - evaluate strengths & weaknesses of the solution
Routines • Material storage • Material distribution • Student project storage • Class set up (centres) • Group vs. individual work • Tool sharing • Clean up responsibilities • Tool responsibility
Literacy • “Fostering students communication skills is an important part of the teachers’ role in the science & technology classroom. Students need to be able to use oral communication, reading, writing and media literacy skills to gain new learning and to communicate their understanding..”
Literacy & Numeracy Connections • Look for a natural fit • Don’t “force” connections clarify purpose and look for meaningful connections
Literacy Extensions Examples • - create a “How To” manual to explain how to build the project • develop an advertising campaign that could be used to sell your device • research the history of your type of project • reflections based on the project
Extensions Cont’d • create a story about the project • describe innovative ways that your project could be used
Teaching Science & Technology Through Literacy • Grade 7 • Literacy Text “The Shaman’s Apprentice” • Informational Text (Journeying into Rainforests)
Grade 8 • Informational Texts (The Ocean Around Us; Protecting the Seas)
Assessment for LearningFeedback • Students who are given comments only – rather than marks or marks and comments – make more gains in achievement and feel more positive about the experience (Butler 1998)
Feedback • Research indicates that oral feedback is more effective than written feedback, particularly for low- achieving, at risk students. (James, McCormick, & William)
Feedback • Effective feedback : • is anecdotal • is specific and focused • includes opportunities for improvement and follow- up
Evaluation & Reporting • “All curriculum expectations must be accounted for in instruction, but evaluation focuses on students’ achievement of the overall expectations” (p.22)
Projects • moulderr@HDSB.ca • cherlove@cogeco.ca