My technology: Mystery Science
https://mysteryscience.com/energy/energy-motion-electricity
The technology I chose to focus on is an academic website dedicated to elementary science education. It contains units ranging from the water cycle to the human anatomy. The units are organized kindergarten through 5th grade. Each unit is broken into a series of lessons. Each lesson is segmented into an exploratory video, a hands on activity, and extra resources/activities. It is a pay site with a free trial option.
Standard 6: Uses educational technology to promote student thinking/reflection to clarify students’ conceptual understanding
https://mysteryscience.com/weather/mystery-1/water-cycle-phases-of-matter/46?r=21781150
The exploratory portion of the lessons on this website begin by having the students watch a video. The videos are engaging and ask open ended thought provoking questions. A couple of examples of questions from the exploratory video in the 3rd grade Stormy Skies Weather and Climate unit are:
1. What is the most amazing cloud you have ever seen?
2. What are clouds?
3. If you touched a cloud what would it feel like? Why do you think it would feel that way?
Standard 7: Uses educational technology to make abstract content more accessible to students.
The relationship to this standard is where this website separates itself from other technologies and websites. After each exploratory video there is a hands on activity. The hands on activity gives the classroom a chance to make the concept more concrete. Where the videos already do a good job of making the content less abstract the hands on activities move the students understanding further toward concrete on the Representation Continuum.
The activity for the cloud lesson involves having the students pour hot water into a cup. The students then trap the steam coming off the water with a lid allowing them to observe the cloud like properties.
The hands on activities also relate to Standard 6 because they provide the students with another engaging opportunity for learning. As opposed to these lessons being only pencil and paper or only videos, the students would not be as authentically engaged to promote deeper thinking as they are with the lab activity.
Olson, J. (2008). The Representation Continuum. Retrieved from https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_71Z2hewMBFeHVTOVFmR3NEN1E/view
https://mysteryscience.com/energy/energy-motion-electricity
The technology I chose to focus on is an academic website dedicated to elementary science education. It contains units ranging from the water cycle to the human anatomy. The units are organized kindergarten through 5th grade. Each unit is broken into a series of lessons. Each lesson is segmented into an exploratory video, a hands on activity, and extra resources/activities. It is a pay site with a free trial option.
Standard 6: Uses educational technology to promote student thinking/reflection to clarify students’ conceptual understanding
https://mysteryscience.com/weather/mystery-1/water-cycle-phases-of-matter/46?r=21781150
The exploratory portion of the lessons on this website begin by having the students watch a video. The videos are engaging and ask open ended thought provoking questions. A couple of examples of questions from the exploratory video in the 3rd grade Stormy Skies Weather and Climate unit are:
1. What is the most amazing cloud you have ever seen?
2. What are clouds?
3. If you touched a cloud what would it feel like? Why do you think it would feel that way?
Standard 7: Uses educational technology to make abstract content more accessible to students.
The relationship to this standard is where this website separates itself from other technologies and websites. After each exploratory video there is a hands on activity. The hands on activity gives the classroom a chance to make the concept more concrete. Where the videos already do a good job of making the content less abstract the hands on activities move the students understanding further toward concrete on the Representation Continuum.
The activity for the cloud lesson involves having the students pour hot water into a cup. The students then trap the steam coming off the water with a lid allowing them to observe the cloud like properties.
The hands on activities also relate to Standard 6 because they provide the students with another engaging opportunity for learning. As opposed to these lessons being only pencil and paper or only videos, the students would not be as authentically engaged to promote deeper thinking as they are with the lab activity.
Olson, J. (2008). The Representation Continuum. Retrieved from https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_71Z2hewMBFeHVTOVFmR3NEN1E/view
I really enjoyed exploring this website! I thought it was a great example of some of the articles that we were supposed to read. I liked how you related it back to the Representation Continuum and showed how the site lead towards a greater concrete understanding. - Talia Raddatz
ReplyDeleteAfter looking at the technology you chose, I found that the activities on this site would provide students with great, applicable ways to better understand the topic at hand. Engaging as many students senses as possible is important for helping students make connections and better relate the concrete with the abstract.
ReplyDelete-Mary McDonald
I really like your website! And even more, the information that you have shared. "After each exploratory video there is a hands on activity. The hands on activity gives the classroom a chance to make the concept more concrete."-- I think that this is a great example of how we should be teaching our students. Giving them the chance to explore both through the activity and the video only helps them to be able to understand the concept being taught!
ReplyDelete-Emily Kautz