Follow Up to “Web 2.0 Resource for the Physics Classroom” – Was Pixton Worth It??

Back on October 12^th, I created an assignment on Pixton.com for my physics students to complete- demonstrate one of Newton’s 3 laws through an original comic. From there, students had to present their comic to the class and explain which law applied in that situation and how it is accurately portrayed.

I gave the students the rubric that I created, set up the classrooms on Pixton, and planned two days in class to create. I was very happy with the results; however, I’m not sure it was worth the time commitment. I wanted to only spend one day on creating the comics but it took quite a long time for the students to activate their accounts, find my assignment, and learn how to make something on the site. The students really enjoyed the assignment and seemed to appreciate the originality. I think it was a good way to have students demonstrate their knowledge while providing a creative outlet for the more artistic students. The only downside was the amount of time it took- two days to create and one day to present. I might do the assignment next year (assuming I can get another 30 day free trial) depending on the time that I have to get through the curriculum. We’re revising the curriculum guide for physics next year and if I have less time to spend on Dynamics then I would cut this assignment first. 

As a side note not related to the usefulness of Pixton in Physics- I was surprised at the violence that students used in their comics. Many students used explosions, guns, fire, and fights to show the laws. Nothing that I thought completely inappropriate for schools, just far more violence than I thought there would be. I have to wonder if that is because cartoons on TV are traditionally violent and students related the physics cartoon to TV cartoons.

Here are some of the comics my students produced. They’re just a sample- not the best ones or the worst ones. Notice the violent themes in most of these. The last one on the page makes me sad- the students explained in class how one of Newton’s Laws applied but the violence overpowers the physics content. 

Interactive Whiteboards in Physics

I’m always intrigued by new technologies but frankly, I didn’t see the purpose of an interactive whiteboard (IW). Yes, they’re cool and probably fun to use but do they truly enhance the learning environment? I had to do a presentation on gesture-based learning for one of my grad school classes and I chose to research IWs to see if they are worth the money. (My presentation had nothing to do with cost analysis- this was just for me to see if I think they’re worth writing a grant for.)

An IW is a “large interactive display that connects to a computer and projector. A projector projects the computer’s desktop onto the board’s surface where users control the computer using a pen, finger, stylus, or other device.” (Interactive Whiteboard) There are quite a few beneficial features to an IW that are not available with traditional whiteboards. (Bell)

 

Examples include:

• Accommodates different learning styles (tactile/ kinesthetic, visual, audio)
• Actively engages learners
• Assessable for students with limited motor skills
• Provides homebound students with remote access to the classroom lessons (because you can digitally save the notes from class)
• Can be interfaced with other equipment such as cameras and laboratory equipment and software

Interactive whiteboards seem like a great tool in any classroom- how about in my physics class? What can I do with an IW to help my students?  

Interactive whiteboards would help my students to learn physics by:

• Providing color-coding to separate different components of problems
• Providing visual representations of theoretical concepts
• Allowing students to work hands-on with a simulation or problem
• Giving access to the notes from class online for repetition of problems 

Interactive whiteboards have tremendous possibilities in a physics classroom because of software and simulations that demonstrate the laws of physics. At the high school level, there are many wonderful laboratory experiences that students are not able to participate in because of safety or cost. IWs provide opportunities for students to perform simulations or remote laboratory activities for these types of labs as a group allowing for the same social environment found in a laboratory setting.

Furthermore, there are laboratories that have sophisticated computer interfaces that can be used with an IW for whole class participation. PASCO Data Studio equipment already in use in my classroom would connect with an IW for more effective demonstrations with improved student contribution and participation with their devices. Below is a video that demonstrates how simple it is to connect the PASCO equipment with an IW. (PascoScientific)

Finally, an IW with the right software could be amazingly helpful for students to visualize information and predict outcomes. The video below is of an MIT professor demonstrating the "Assist Sketch Understanding System and Operation" program that they have developed. The video is approximately five minutes long. Within the first two minutes, he demonstrates amazing capacity of the interactive whiteboard-computer system in showing the laws of gravity. Although this program is not available yet to the public, those with IWs will be able to have their students design systems and test them out when the program becomes available. The ability to design and test an idea such as those shown in the video does not exist on a traditional whiteboard- only IWs provide this type of capability. This would be pretty cool to do in my class!

 

Bell, M. A. (n.d.). Why Use an Interactive Whiteboard? A Baker's Dozen Reasons! Retrieved November 2, 2011, from Teachers.net: http://teachers.net/gazette/JAN02/mabell.html

Interactive Whiteboard. (n.d.). Retrieved November 2, 2011, from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interactive_whiteboard

Interactive Whiteboards in the Classroom. (n.d.). Retrieved November 2, 2011, from http://rmtc.fsdb.k12.fl.us/tutorials/whiteboards.html

jm42892. (n.d.). Cool Computer Program. Retrieved November 5, 2011, from YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7eGypGOlOc

Panasonic Electronic Whiteboards- Interactive Whiteboard Smart Board. (n.d.). Retrieved November 5, 2011, from WordPress: http://enteractivewhiteboard.wordpress.com/

PascoScientific. (n.d.). SPARKscience on the Big Screen. Retrieved November 5, 2011, from http://www.youtube.com/pascoscientific#p/u/7/YWIY02TAp5s

SmartTechnologies. (n.d.). Interactive Whiteboards and Learning: Improving Student Learning Outcomes and Streamlining Lesson Planning. Retrieved November 3, 2011, from SmartTech: http://downloads01.smarttech.com/media/research/whitepapers/int_whiteboard_research_whitepaper_update.pdf

My Personal Learning Network

As an assignment for my grad school class, I was to design my own Professional Learning Network (PLN) or Professional Learning Environment (PLE). We looked at a website with multiple PLNs and PLEs and then we created our own and classified them. 

The purpose of creating a PLN or PLE is to become a better teacher though learning from others and collaborating that you wouldn’t normally have access to. “PLNs provide individuals with learning and access to leaders and experts around the world bringing together communities, resources and information impossible to access solely from within school walls.” (Nielsen)

It is actually quite simple to form a PLN or PLE. To start mine, I set up a Google Reader account so that I could subscribe to blogs. I also set up a Delicious account to share bookmarks. I have a Twitter account and I use Paper.li and Tweeted Times to organize. I also started curating information using Curated.by. Below is a video that describes the purpose of a PLN or PLE and how they are set up. (OurSocialVoice)

To start making mine, I went to the website that my professor had us view. I already had the tools in place but didn’t have a good visual representation. I looked at them and decided to work from there. Of the PLEs and PLNs on the website, I most related to Gabi Witthaus because of her organizational scheme and the fact that I use many of the same tools that she does. I like how she separated by categories but didn’t make the design too difficult to follow or minimalist in nature. 

I had a difficult time deciding whether to name my “Web” as a Personal Learning Network (PLN) or a Personal Learning Environment (PLE). I reviewed the suggested page and analyzed the PLEs/PLNs that others had shared, however I was still lacking a solid definition. I found a great blog by Dave Cormier that distinguished the two for me:

“The distinction, as i understand it, is that the folks who talk about PLN are focusing on the people that make up the learning that they are doing and believe that the PLE people are mostly concerned about the technology that makes up the learning space. (blogs, wikis, webpages, forums, broadcasts etc…)” 

While I do believe that the modes of communication are important, the true value of the interactions and merit of information is a direct result of the authors rather than the web tool that made it available. Because I believe people make my learning web, I decided to call mine a PLN. I believe that my PLN would fit in the “Use/Action Oriented “category because mine focuses on specific tasks and the resources that I use to accomplish those tasks. The other categories didn’t seem to split the tools by task as frequently.

When I designed mine, I went with a spider web background to show the interconnectedness of all of the categories. I also specifically used two-headed arrows to show that I contribute information as well as consume information.  I think that the greatest meaning in my PLN arises from the professional organizations that I am in as well as grad school/coworkers. I become a better teacher through learning from others and those two categories have really made an impact on my teaching. I am happy with my PLN because of this master’s program! Before this, my PLN was a barren wasteland. Now I actually have a network and it continues to thrive by the day. I would like to see it continue to grow, especially with more Web 2.0 tools.

My PLE on Prezi

Cormier, D. (n.d.). 5 Points About PLEs PLNs for PLENK10. Retrieved November 1, 2011, from Dave's Educational Blog: http://davecormier.com/edblog/2010/09/12/5-points-about-ples-plns-for-plenk10/

Nielsen, L. (n.d.). 5 Things You Can Do to Begin Developing Your Personal Learning Network. Retrieved November 3, 2011, from BlogSpot: http://theinnovativeeducator.blogspot.com/2008/04/5-things-you-can-do-to-begin-developing.html

OurSocialVoice. (n.d.). Sketchy Explanation: Starting a PLN. Retrieved November 3, 2011, from YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MqSH5TMYlz4

Curating my Interests

I had a difficult time choosing which curation site to use for this assignment. I viewed the video for Pearltrees and thought it was very similar to Delicious- where you can bookmark sites, share your bookmarks with others, and find people with similar interests to your own. Since I already have a Delicious account, Pearltrees seemed redundant. I checked out a few of the featured sites on Storify but I wasn’t a fan of the linear nature of the pages- I prefer the organization of a newspaper. I enjoy scanning through information, whereas with Storify I had to scroll down to view something new. Next I checked out Curated.by and I liked that it allows users to organize multimedia, bookmarks, and tweets- not just one form of content. With Curated.by, you can organize all of those different forms of information into “bundles” and share them with others. In the end, I decided to go with Scoop.it because I liked the feature where it suggests pages to you that you might be interested in. Usually iTunes Genius is correct and I do enjoy the music they suggest so I thought I would try Scoop.it for that very reason. 

Although I had decided on Scoop.it, that didn’t mean that I actually got to use that website to curate. I applied for an “invitation” on Sunday evening. When it didn’t arrive within an hour, I realized that something must be wrong. I spoke with my classmates and professor and they were going to send me invitations as well. I’m not sure of the process of sending an invitation; however, they never arrived…. I checked both of my email accounts and nothing.  It is now Wednesday evening and apparently I’m not cool enough for a Scoop.it account. :( Because of time constraints (parent-teacher conferences tomorrow night until 9:00 pm and the first football playoff game Friday night) I decided to use Curated.by instead. I was originally impressed with their ability to “bundle” multiple types of information so I chose it over Pearltrees and Storify. I will sign up for Scoop.it whenever they invite me just so I can check it out. 

Curated.by was super easy to join- no invitation mess! It took me approximately one hour to start following other curators and to set up my own bundle. It’s quite easy to bundle information; you just drag and drop websites or copy/paste the URL into a box. I like that I can chose which websites and information to include in my bundle. With paper.li and Tweeted Times, I didn’t have control over everything- all new twitter posts of individuals or companies that I followed were included. However, on Curated.by I can chose what I want in my bundle. All of the curation sites that I checked provided more freedoms and personal control than Paper.li or Tweeted Times. I will still use my Paper.li paper because it organizes my Twitter feeds, but I prefer Curated.by for true curation. 

What I like about curation is that I am able to organize the information that I find and share it with my friends/family, classmates, coworkers, and my students. It makes me the center of my personal learning network and allows me to be a part of other people’s personal learning networks. I’m not sure if there are any aspects of curation that I do not like because I can be creative and share what I find is important with others… there’s really no downside to that. 

I could definitely use Curated.by in my classroom because I am the one to pick out what information is or is not included- I don’t have to worry about inappropriate material. I could teach my students how to use Curated.by but I think the greatest benefit would be to use this for the “Science in the News” project so that my students have a place to go for valid references and current articles. 

Curated.by allows you to embed your curation into blogs or other websites. Below is my "bundle" and here is the link to my Curated.by page.

Web 2.0 Resource for the Physics Classroom

Although it seems odd, I chose to try Pixton.com to create a comic strip. I’ve never made a comic strip before, because I’m not artistic or funny, but I think it would be fun and useful in a Physics classroom. I was new to Pixton and the comic idea in general and thought it would be a fun thing to try. Comics allow us to think outside the realm of real life- creating our own reality with new universal laws of motion. Think back to “The Matrix” and how exciting it is to see what is possible without gravity and other laws we’ve come to know and love. A comic strip would allow students to create something outside of reality. 

I chose to make a comic strip project that my students will actually do this year when we start Newton’s Laws in a few weeks. (My free trial will end in 3.5 weeks from now so I’ll have time.) I am having my students create a comic strip that accurately portrays one of Newton’s Laws. I created my own comic (shown below) as an example. 

My students will each create their own comic and then present it to the class to show off their work as well as to explain their reasoning.  It was extremely easy to sign up on Pixton and to set it up for my classroom. Creating the project took about 5 minutes total and even provides a “rubric generator” so you can quickly and easily create a grading rubric for your project. Here is the link to my project. To view the project, you will have to log in with the username CTER1 and password of CTER11. You can also see the rubric that I made to fit my project so my students know how I will be grading them. Actually making the comic strip (and my avatar in front of the Eiffel Tower) took some time because there are so many options and the directions are not as simple as the video portrays. I imagine that it took me close to an hour to make my comic. Now that I’ve made one, it will take less time. 

I think that my students will benefit from this because they are able to demonstrate their understanding of Newton’s Laws without having to make a PowerPoint or take an exam. This is a nice alternative assessment and I imagine that my creative and artistic thinkers will greatly appreciate the opportunity. I also think that the students will benefit by being able to “free their minds” like Neo in the movie clip by creating something that isn’t possible on Earth. The only resources necessary are computers and the internet (if you’re using the free trial.) I will assess the comics using the rubrics provided to the students. 

frostysnowbro. (n.d.). Matrix: The Jump Program. Retrieved October 12, 2011, from YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXv3SSijPFc

Education in 2025

Education in 2025 will be vastly different from education today. I see my classroom set up the same but each student has their textbook in their laptop- I no longer need that bookshelf. I see my students doing simulations on their computers to gain background knowledge at their own pace rather than passively sitting in their desks taking notes as a class. My students are collaborating online rather than frantically copying homework problems before I get to their desk. My students don’t need to bring their textbook, notebook, binder, or calculator every day. I don’t have stacks of paper on my desk to grade nor do I have a paper grade book to write the scores in. I don’t have post-it notes, extra pencils, jumbo pink erasers, or five million red pens. However, I do have computers, Pasco/Data Studio hardware, interactive textbooks, web 2.0 tools, and students that enjoy participating, collaborating, and creating. 

In the future I will keep all of my old labs that serve their purpose- but make the reports collaborative in a wiki. I will keep my old presentations- but record my voice over them and make them accessible to my students. I will keep my grading scale (92% tests, 8% everything else)- but modify my assignments and tests to better suit my learners. Examples of modifications include more computer-based simulations, collaborative problem-based projects, and discovery learning opportunities. I will focus more on problem-solving skills, the ability to communicate, technology skills, and creating a personal learning network. My job will no longer be to transfer the ever-changing science knowledge into my students and to test their ability to regurgitate the content; my job becomes empowering my students to discover and decide on their own and to prepare them to be contributing members of a technological society. 

Other than a large amount of professional development to prepare teachers for the technology available in the future, the biggest change I see for teachers and schools comes from the availability of data. I believe that the advancements in data collection and organization will enable politicians and administrators to make more informed decisions regarding student learning and teacher performance. This data collection and organization will lead to better allocation of resources and more effective teacher preparation and professional development.

There are two videos below that summarize what I believe will be the future of education. The first is of the “Science Storms” exhibit at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago. The exhibit is interactive, exciting, truly engaging, and sparks curiosity in everyone present (especially with the giant Tesla coil hahaha.) All of the technology in the world can’t compare to the awesomeness of live demonstrations. I hope my classroom is even more interactive and exciting in the future- just as this exhibit is now.  The next video is an advertisement for interactive textbooks by McGraw-Hill. Notice how the books are available on cell phones too- not just computers! A year ago (and again last month) I sent information and the free trial to my department chair of the Kinetic Physics books that I got to try at the NSTA conference in 2010. We haven’t adopted them yet, but I’m excited because the change has to start at some point. Maybe it will start with me :D 

AllState. (n.d.). The Future of Science Education. Retrieved October 5, 2011, from YouTube.com: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_kEREMJbyk

MHEducation. (n.d.). McGraw-Hill Connect: Connect, Learn, Succeed. Retrieved October 5, 2011, from YouTube.com: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhpHEi8ILtc

Technology Acceptance in Schools

I’ve been having a hard time deciding what the topic of my last blog post would be. I’m sitting here at the car dealership waiting on my oil change to be completed. While I sit here typing I am also looking around at the people in the waiting room with me. It’s Saturday afternoon and it’s packed with people.  I see three other people on their laptops. There are two women reading from their Kindles. Four people are playing on their phones; one is an older man- probably in his 50’s. There’s an old woman in her 70’s with a Jawbone in her ear (it may be one of those hearing aids designed to look like a Jawbone but I’m going to assume that it’s linked to her cell phone.) There are only four people reading the magazines provided or watching the football game on TV.  I sit here saddened by the fact that the waiting room at the Hyundai dealership contains more technology than most classrooms in America.

The most depressing thing here is that the dealership provides free WiFi. In my district, there is WiFi, however it is only for the administration and they refuse to give the password to the teachers or students. Another science teacher paid about $900 for his new iPad but he can’t use it at school without paying for his own internet. Same for me with my new Sony Net Book -  I have to pay to use my cell phone as a Verizon wireless hotspot because the district does not give teachers the password.  We as teachers want to provide a better learning environment for students and often we’re willing to buy the materials out of our own money. I’m sure in the future they’ll provide the tools to help us but not in the previous few years. 

Technically, we’re not supposed to allow the students to use their cell phones in school. District policy states that cell phones are off and out of sight. I’m lucky that I’m at a district where the administration supports us if we’re using cell phones for educational purposes. I know of many other schools where the teachers must stringently enforce the cell phone policy.  I allow my students to use their smart phones in the laboratory as scientific calculators, magnetic field detectors, stop watches, compasses, and levels among other things. I really don’t understand why students aren’t supposed to use them at other schools. I get the fact that they can be a distraction but the benefits far outweigh the pitfalls. In just a quick Google search I found a multitude of free Android Apps that I am going to install on my phone that I think could be awesome in school! Right now I’m downloading Evernote on my cell phone which is an application that allows you to type notes, take pictures, and record audio files that can be synchronized with a desktop for free! That would have made my life so much easier when I was in school! I also found GTasks- a simple calendar/ to-do list that can sync with your home computer through your Google account. There is no need for my school to purchase the massive paper calendars for students anymore! I imagine that most students lose or throw away those planners by the end of the first quarter of school. Even traditional cell phones without the internet are capable of handling a to-do list or calendar… we should be teaching students how to use those effectively! It would save schools money! 

My district is very good about changing the lists of websites blocked if we can show how we’re going to use them in the classroom and why it’s educationally beneficial. However, there are many schools that are not so cooperative with the teachers. Just in this one course, I’ve learned of so many Web 2.0 tools that I’m sure are permanently blocked at other districts. In my district, Facebook is blocked from students but not for teachers (we shouldn’t be on it anyway during the school day but it’s nice they trust us.)  As teachers, we can get to YouTube, Twitter, blogs, and almost any other site that could be educational. Students can’t get to those sites but teachers can. I can’t even imagine how frustrated I would be if I couldn’t use the endless resources online in my classroom. Below is a fun representation of some of the Web2.0 tools that can be used in education (Grey). As a science person, I appreciate that it’s in the form of the Periodic Table. 

We as educators should be the gatekeepers of knowledge- the ones that know of and are aware of all the technological innovations that make everyday life better. As I sit here, I am saddened that the everyday people in the waiting room here have more tools and probably skills than most teachers. It’s not that we don’t want to have that technology and awareness of resources; it’s that our hands are tied. We want to bring education into the technological era but we can’t. Below is a nice image that I found of what the typical teacher should be in 2011 (What does a CFF Teacher Look Like?). Unfortunately a lot of those influences are not present in most school districts. My district is far more progressive than most districts (even without WiFi) so if anyone is looking for a job and is willing to move to the south suburbs, I’ll let you know of openings :D  

Grey, W. (n.d.). Periodic Table of the Internet. Retrieved September 11, 2011, from Flicker.com: http://www.flickr.com/photos/dullhunk/2053007240/

No Wireless Tower Clip Art. (n.d.). Retrieved September 11, 2011, from Clker.com: http://www.clker.com/clipart-no-wireless-tower.html

Parkin, L. (n.d.). Cell Phones in School. Retrieved September 11, 2011, from http://parkin09.wikis.birmingham.k12.mi.us/CellPhoneTeacher

Sadhu, V. (n.d.). 6 Ways to Open Blocked Websites. Retrieved September 11, 2011, from http://tipsforsocialmedia.blogspot.com/2011/08/6-way-to-open-blocked-websites.html

What does a CFF Teacher Look Like? (n.d.). Retrieved September 11, 2011, from Emmaus High School: http://www.eastpenn.k12.pa.us/teacherpages/CFF/Technology%20Resources.html