Monthly Archives: February 2014

Using the MyWorld GIS  software took some curiosity and exploration before I figured out how to use the program successfully. Once I started experience the activities I could see how using this program could easily apply constructivist learning strategies. This type of learning is defined as “the process of constructing new knowledge structures and forging new connections between knowledge structures in an interconnected web” (Edelson, 2001). The initial activity of loading maps and layer different information overtop of them quickly connected to my understanding and knowledge of using image-editing software like Photoshop. I also needed to apply my knowledge of geography.

I decided to apply the activities I completed in MyWorld GIS by apply the LfU model used in the research paper. (Edelson, 2001)

I performed 2 separate calculations using MyWorld GIS. The first was regarding World rivers near Detroit MI. The other was regarding World Lakes near Detroit MI. The activities were a great inquiry based learning experience. I was able to add new map layers and see the information visually and then make the calculations and collect the data. The information I collected is posted below.

References:

Edelson, D.C. (2001). Learning-for-use: A framework for the design of technology-supported inquiry activities. Journal of Research in Science Teaching,38(3), 355-385.

Stylinski, C. & Smith, D. (2006, August). Connecting classrooms to real-world GIS-based watershed investigations. Paper presented at the ESRI Education User Conference, San Diego, CA.

For this discussion I chose to edit the WISE project, Designing a Detergent to Clean Marine Pollution.  I chose this project because it is a great challenge and inquiry based science activity and it has a lot of environmental information related to oil spill dangers. The content I edited or rather added to the lesson was a section relating to Enbridge’s Northern Gateway Project. This Northern Gateway Project was of particular interest where I taught last year since I was teaching on an island south of Prince Rupert that would be directly impacted by the proposed project. The science taught in the lesson is rich in chemistry and talks about covalent bonds and intermolecular attractions. It explains why oil and water don’t mix and how detergents work. It also teaches students to write a mock, or if they wished, a real proposal to the NOAA for thier own detergent design.

I felt the WISE Project was really well developed and did not want to change or delete too much of the information. What I did want to do is add some content related to Northern Gateway to make the content more relevant to those living in BC or elsewhere in Canada. This is a great way to utilize someone else’s content and make it fit the needs of your students. In the SKI framework, learners are viewed as adding to their repertoire of ideas and reorganizing their knowledge web about science. Students sort out their ideas as a result of instruction, experience, observation, and reflection (Linn & Hsi, 2000). I felt that the particular Chemistry lesson relating to cleaning oil spills contained a vast amount of instruction that could connect the science to personally relevant problems and prior knowledge.

WISE is a great utilization of education technology for teachers and students. It offers a personalized learning management system(LMS) for the teacher that is super easy to learn but more importantly as more teachers use it to post and generate content it creates a repository of lessons that any teacher can access, use, edit, and create for use in their own classroom. In this way WISE not only applies the SKI model for students interacting with science lessons but it applies the SKI model for teachers learning new practices and sharing and generating lessons and content.

Keith

http://wise.berkeley.edu/preview.html?projectId=5914

Anchored instruction “refers to instruction in which the material to be learned is presented in the context of an authentic event that serves to anchor or situate the material and, further, allows it to be examined from multiple perspectives.” (Barab, 2000)

The concept behind the Jasper Woodbury Problem Solving Series is rooted in this idea of providing a relevant context for seemingly abstract mathematical concepts. Jasper is also designed to set the stage for subsequent project-based learning. I think these videos can be a great way of solving the problem of visualizing abstract problems. Essentially what I gathered form watching the videos though is that they were identical to most math textbooks I have seen only put in the form of a video. In my experience presenting math problems such as the headwind and tailwind problems to students the struggle isn’t with visualization but more rooted in the inability to think critically behind the information. Many students or educators have an intuitive critical thinking skill set but there are a large number of students who need to be encouraged and taught explicitly to use critical thinking skills. This in my opinion is something that is missing from the Jasper series.

My question would be: Is Jasper just the same type of problem in a textbook presented in a different form of media or is there something educationally transforming about these videos?

References:

Barab,S.A. K. E. Hay & T.M. Duffy (2000), Grounded Constructions and How Technology Can Help, CRLT Technical Report No. 12-00, The Center for Research on Learning and Technologyn, Indiana University.

Cognition and Technology Group at Vanderbilt. (1992). The Jasper series as an example of anchored instruction: Theory, program description and assessment data. Educational Psychologist, 27, 291-315.

I don’t see why there needs to be a distinction between pedagogical content knowledge and TPCK? The knowledge part of PCK is not a simple concrete factual knowledge of textbook-like information. This knowledge includes knowing what teaching approaches fit the content, and likewise, knowing how elements of the content can be arranged for better teaching. This should include incorporating new technologies and applying them to learning.

PCK stands on a careful balance of content and pedagogy. It certainly shouldn’t be a simple consideration of both content and pedagogy used together but standing in isolation. The balance is rather an amalgamation of content and pedagogy thus enabling transformation of factual content into relevant teachable forms. PCK represents the blending of content and pedagogy into an understanding of how particular aspects of subject matter are organized, adapted, and represented for instruction.  Different subject areas in particular STEM education might put a higher emphasis on content than for example teaching children how to read which would have more emphasis on pedagogy. Regardless of the area pedagogy and content need to join together to create something that students can experience and grow from.

Keith