One cannot truly experience science without experiencing its technological dimension. As a result, emergent technologies have increasingly shaped students’ experiences with science as well as influenced their relationships with natural/physical world. (Oliveira et al, 2019)
This fall, I had the pleasure once again of working with two of our Science Ed instructors, Leslie Johnstone and Oksana Bartosh, to plan some class sessions intended to expose teacher candidates in Secondary Science (Chem, Jr. Science and General Science) to emerging technologies through a series of hands-on, play based stations. Our aim was for the students to begin to consider the role of these technologies and to uncover both the possibilities and challenges in their own teaching contexts.
Our Stations included
(NB: content of stations varied across the four sections of Jr. Science, General Science & Chemistry See the Prezi presentations slides below for specific content)
- Coding across Curriculum – data analysis and sensors:
- Micro:bits (impact sim, CO2 sensor by Eric) – Micro:bits kits available on load in Ed Library – see Yvonne to borrow CO2 sensor
- Simulations and Video (PHET, Annenberg Chem & ACS Virtual Chem)
- Video and Simulations in the Science classroom – afford the opportunity for students to try experiments that might be otherwise impossible or, perhaps, just inaccurate if done hands-on. Sims and video can also support varied learners including ELLs in pre-playing or re-playing hands-on experiments. Check out PHET for some free, open access sims. For some amazing video experiments, see: Olympian vs. Toaster and Evolution of Bacteria on a Megaplate.
- Science 360 – an app and website that houses a large database of science videos and content
- Consider the value of student (or teacher) created video
- *Camtasia for video editing,
- *VideoScribe for animation
- *both of these robust softwares are available free to UBC students!
- ShowMe app for quick multi-modal video creation & formative assessment) – there are many different apps in this class called ‘whiteboard’ apps
- Stop Motion Studio: storytelling in science contexts can help students make sense of science content and abstract ideas in personal and concrete ways. Another app you might try is iMotion.
- All class response & Collaborative tools
- Polling: Kahoot, Menti, Plickers (the free downloadable cards)
- Collab and co-creation: a Padlet wall, AWW online drawing app & Concept mapping using Mindmup
- During the session, we discussed the value of incorporating approaches including digital technologies that move beyond ‘teacher asks question’, ‘students raise hands and respond one at a time’. Students had the opportunity to put their ‘teaching hats on’ and explore Padlet or Kahoot. A few additional thoughts about these systems:
- Student privacy (Kahoot, Menti and Padlet do not require students to login or give personal info!)
- The system is only as effective as the questions posed! What constitutes an effective question?
- How might gaming and competition impact student learning and how might it be leveraged or tempered..
- Emerging Tech (a little more on Augmented and Virtual Reality at the bottom of this post)
- Theodore Gray’s Elements – interact with the periodic tables on a handheld device (this one is a paid app but very powerful and worth chatting with your school librarian about!)
- Leslie had fun sharing Curioscope Virtual-i-tee – a very cool AR T-shirt & accompanying App that allows students to peer inside the human body
- Merge Cube – this $15 AR spongy cube & accompanying free apps allow students to hold the the beating human heart, lungs, the earth and even the entire solar system in their hands! The ‘hologram’ that appears in your VR headset, ipad or smartphone is interactive to an extent (you can see different sides of an object by turning the cube or with a swipe or tap, adjust the view, see annotations, or even look inside of the object)
- StarWalk – allows you to see the night sky ‘in real time’ at any given place or time. Hold it up to view the horizon or sky above you; hold it down to the floor and see through to the southern hemisphere! This app is transformative in that without such an app, students really have a difficult time visualizing the movement of the celestial sphere (and we definitely can’t show them this during the school day!).
- Google Tour Creator (student and teacher created 360° VR environment that offers an immersive experience learners can explore on their own. Students found out how to use existing templates (ranging from human anatomy to the solar system) and how a group of learners can customize and annotate the template and use it as a collaborative storytelling tool.
- 360 video, VR content
- If you’re interested in checking out fully immersive VR environments, visit the UBC Emerging Media Lab in IKE Barber.
A word about groupings and stations:
In your classroom, especially if students are new to cooperative learning, we would advise creating groupings in advance of class. The groupings might be homogeneous or heterogeneous and based on any number of factors including ability or interest depending on the objectives of the teacher and the needs of the students. Sometimes, randomized groupings can be used and have the added benefit of introducing students to opportunities to interact with many different members of the class. There are many online options. GroupMind, a lovely little App developed by Louai Rahal an Education PHD student & instructor I met a few years ago, is free and open for you to use with no sign up required. For more on groupings, this article by Beatrice A. Ward (1987) is worth a read.
As a very science interested teacher, it is always a pleasure to work with subject area specialists! If you’d like to explore anything related to teaching, learning and digital technology further, please be in touch or click the ‘Ask a Question’ link in this blog. Sign up for a Scarfe Tea Party (Mondays 4-5:30), Gearing up for practicum session (Dec – Feb) or drop in to Scarfe 1007 one Wednesday this term. Schedule here.
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