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