ASP Tech Club Visit #2

My second trip to Hyalite Elementary was a fun adventure into the world of actual teaching!  My partner Chantal and I were moved to the 2nd grade Tech Club, where we taught a lesson on local wildlife.  There are about 15 students and each one has a Macbook in class.  Our first lesson was to research one local animal species on the internet, and we will continue into next week, when the students will develop their personal experiences with wildlife into a digital story.  The students have been a joy to work with, and are very cooperative and smart.  They know the school better than we do, and are eager to help us out!  The teachers, personnel, and coordinators have been helpful and open to our ideas.  I have been surprised how smooth the transition has been from planning lessons in my classes to actually using them in a real class.    I really appreciate all the work the coordinators have done to make that possible.  The standards, curriculum, and methods are all a little intimidating, but I feel much more comfortable in the classroom than I expected.

Polleverywhere.com Podcast

Here is my podcast on www.polleverywhere.com, the internet poll website we used in class.

Digital Storytelling

EDU 370 Digital Storytelling Contextual Analysis

     My digital story follows the migration and life cycle of a common North American bird, the Swainson's Thrush.  The context where it would be viewed is a middle-school science lesson, preferably in late spring.  We are studying birds and their life cycles.  This project will come after a field trip into a local natural area.  The plan is for students to further investigate the birds that live around their home, and choose one to study more in-depth.  I will guide their research for a week or two while they discover facts about the bird through observation, books, and internet research.  Then each student will create a short but informative digital story covering nesting, migration, identification, and conservation in whatever style they choose that retains factual integrity.  The digital story will be an effective method of conveying this information because birds are visual creatures, and this medium will allow students to use a large number of photos or their own drawings.  The quick-moving format of a digital story would be an appropriate and more entertaining way of showing information among peers than simply writing or speaking.  Also the chronological element of a video would enhance the cyclic aspect of the subject.

Learning objectives:
Students will investigate the bird life in the local environment through observation.
Students will explain life cycles of local birds to their classmates.
Students will explain the effects of climate and habitat on wildlife.


Montana Science Content Standards:
1. Students, through the inquiry process, demonstrate the ability to design, conduct, evaluate,
and communicate the results and form reasonable conclusions of scientific investigations.
3. Students, through the inquiry process, demonstrate knowledge of characteristics, structures
and function of living things, the process and diversity of life, and how living organisms
interact with each other and their environment.

ASP Tech Club Visit #1

Setting:  Hyalite Elementary School, 2nd Grade Tech Club
Technology: Smart Board, Macbooks
Curricular vision: Focus on typing and use of internet for research.
What challenges me?  I do not feel prepared to teach young students, simply because I haven't thought about it.  I have the knowledge and skills, I just haven't put them into practice before.
What interests me?  I love how quickly and readily younger kids learn, so I am excited to work with children who are still fairly new to school and technology.
What scares me?  I am not sure how interesting I am to 2nd graders, but I also don't want to be overbearing.  Finding the right balance of enthusiasm will be a challenge.  I also feel a lot of pressure from the administration to perform well.  This is fun in a way though, because I feel very motivated by this pressure.