Tech Play 4

Tech Play 4
Content Objects

I chose to look at a few different items that I could use with my students.  Teaching Pre-AP students means I need to find resources that use the technology available while challenging them to use their minds to think deeper.  I have found many internet resources that do this, while making it fun for them to learn.

A few years ago, I ran across a website www.learningscience.org which houses several different interactive simulation games to teach the various concepts in science.  I love this website as it breaks the resources down by content, grade level, and concept.  For instance, I looked for simulations to use in the Human body unit we are currently studying in class.  This was under the Life Science link on the home page.  From there, I went to the 6-8 grade level section and found a variety of interactive games that allow my students to not only identify body systems, but also the organs in them.  This is more of a lower level Blooms activity, but they do have several others that allow students to think critically and some even have data to analyze.  The site is ran by a panel of science educators and scientists who evaluate all proposed sites and interactives for content and design before publishing them to the overall website.  They also use National Science Education Standards which means they do cover concepts students need to know.  A great website for new teachers who are looking for several concepts covered in one location.

I also found a website that was established by a science teacher in 2001.  It is called Biologycorner.com and from this site I used a Peppered Moth Simulation to help my students understand natural selection, adaptations, and variations in organisms.  The interactive allows the students to pretend they are birds eating moths.  They are able to choose the color of bark on the trees that the moths land on which changes which ones the bird eats.  If it sees a dark moth on a light colored tree, it is able to eat them easier and vice versa.  The kids loved playing with this one and it is actually one covered in the TEKS for their grade level.  The site does include the teacher's email address if you need to contact her, along with her facebook and blog site.  

Tonight, I played with an interactive simulation for natural selection called Charles Darwin Game on Science Discovery.  This site is run by Discovery Communications which houses Discovery Channel, Discovery Kids, and Science Channel to name a few.  The game gives an introduction by Charles Darwin and then allows students to learn a little more about natural selection before beginning the game.  Once the simulation begins, you choose three organisms from a fictitious species to add to the environment.  The simulation goes through 1 million years to see if your species will survive the test of time.  While it is processing, it adds catastrophic events, predators, and there was even a quarantine.  For some of these, you may use one of your two life preservers to add in an additional organism to see if it changes the chances of survival.  This particular game also has a quiz, biography for Charles Darwin, and glossary of terms.  There was also a credits selection which let me know where the information came from.  The credit went to Robert M Hazen, from Carnegie Institution of Washington's Geophysical Laboratory, and James Trefil who is a physicist at George Mason University.  Both are authors and speakers in their fields.  They also co-authored the book Science Matters which is referenced on the game site.  I read some of the comments and many of the people said they played for an hour or so before they were able to make their species survive.  I am happy to say I did it on my second try, but only with adding extra organisms into the mix.  

The Darwin game, I felt addressed all three of the TPCK sections of the model.  It allowed for learner-centered learning through them changing the species and mutations which covered the pedagogy.  The content knowledge was right on for our TEKS in 7th grade science.  It even expanded on the knowledge with a biography for Darwin.  Of course, the technology aspect of it allowed students to see the changes of their population of organisms over an extended time period.  Of course it all happens in minutes, but as simulations go, I believe it was pretty accurate in what does happen in different environments.  

I would also think that students might be able to later figure out their own simulation that relates to the area they live in and see if a specific species would live with or without variations.  While I know this was supposed to be more about creation tools, for my science classes, they want and need simulations that allow them to see what might happen instead of making a glog, blog, or even cartoon.  I love the idea of using those tools in my classes and will incorporate them into our normal routine.  However, most of the time, I am in search of things that allow them to play while learning about a concept.  

For my english classes, the glogs, blogs, and cartoons would be something I could add in and use when possible.  We do various research projects, book reports, and posters in and out of class.  These items would be a great way to incorporate the technology into a lesson that used to be completed on paper or poster board.