Thanksgiving Week .........HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYBODY!!!!!!!!!!

     Teachers are designers all the time. When creating lessons to engage their students they are designing what they are going to do and how students learn. Sometimes the teacher has to create on the spot when what he or she planned doesn’t work for the students. The teacher will have to have another way of teaching the material that way the student can learn. As a future science teacher I try to find labs that I can use to engage my students in science. Since many students aren’t excited about Science I have to find ways to make them see that science is fun.

       For me I would use the Trebuchet Simulator in my classroom. As a future science teacher I can see this being use during lesson like force and physics. So many students struggle in that area and they need something like Trebuchet Simulator to learn too.  Trebuchet Simulator is software that simulates a throwing device and the students have to manipulate it. (Jonassen, 2008) I think I would put my students into groups and each group will have certain distances and height to keep everyone’s data individual.

 

       Digital Storytelling is a software or program that put more focus on the activity than the technology. (Jonassen, 2008)  The students think up a story and put it together, it is work that is done by collaborating and team work. I would use this when the lesson is going over the time line of the earth and have to kids you facts and their imagination to do the activity.

      The tinkering with data sets that would be fun way to manipulate what we do in labs. I think this one I would use would be good. We could take the data that we did in lab on force or chemistry and change variables. By changing the variables the students can see how accurate they need to be in lab and how one thing can change everything.

     I think it is possible because people do it all the time. People watch the cooking shows, do it yourself shows and they learn the information. They try to do it and sometimes they are successful or they either have a fire in the kitchen or in their backyard. I don’t suggest that everything should be by learning on TV but some things need to stay in books or classrooms. I think TV and other things are going overboard and students should know both ways to learn whether in a classroom or on the computer.

Jonasse D., Howland J., Marra R. M., & Crismond D. (2008). Meaningful Learning with Technology. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.

Chapter 3

   One of the mains principles that are important is discovery. Many kids can't say focused if just learning a lecture. The average student spends at least 2 or more hours on a video game. On average the video game changes every 3 to 4 seconds. Its no wonder students focus so much on video games it keeps their attention. The discovery principle is the same. By having the students work on hands-on on a project your able to keep their attention and they are able to learn those problems solving skills need to succeed in future. The second one is Active, critical learning; students that are active in what they learn or accomplish is great for student to have. If they can feel great about what they are doing in the classroom while learning those skills need for the workforce and college. The last principle that I believe is important is committed learning principle. A student should never stop learning. As a future teacher i believe that learning is always important and never stops. There is no limit to learning and i believe that students need to learn everything can. There can never be enough knowledge in a child's brain.

I would have several simulations for each topic or most. For example I would give a student a simulation of the human body and whatever organ or system we where covering that week they would have to figure out the cause or think of a solutions. Or if the lesson for the week was habits then it would be working on how to keep a habit thriving the balances they need. It would be my job to manipulate the simulation to the best of my ability so that my students get what they need out of it.

The discovery principles and simulations go together. The both incorporate making the student work hands on to fix a problem or maintain something. with out the teacher influencing or helping the student realize what is going on; that give the students opportunities to think outside the box and make they're own discoveries.


Jonasse D., Howland J., Marra R. M., & Crismond D. (2008). Meaningful Learning with Technology. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.