Reflection 3

I learned today what Concord Molecular Workbench is about and how I was able to import it on Wiki. Molecular workbench is a great tool for chemistry, physics, and even Biology teachers to use in their class to show dynamic simulations of microscopic and macroscopic situations where students can construct activities themselves. It is a great tool that can be done at anytime, quickly and efficiently. Another great technological too that teachers can use to better the classroom experience by making science 3D!

WIKI Reflection

Today, I learned how to set up a wikia scratch pad page. My topic was the Concord Workbench. I've been playing around with the Concord workbench and find it very useful for the future in teaching chemistry. Many of the simulations are interesting and it allows students to see what I could not show them on a molecular level, considering my drawing stinks. I also learned how to set up the page and add pictures thanx to Todd. Before today, I never used wiki to make a page, only Wikipedia to access general things. This will be very useful for students to set up their own page and become a community and allow them to artistically set up what they find interesting in the class and what else they would like to learn about. Concord is great for physics and chemistry classes, and also gives the students the option to change the parameters of a reaction and see how different properties affect a particular situation. It allows students to actively construct knowledge by giving them a 3D view of what is happening.

Technology and Me

Not much interesting happened this week in terms of technology. Mainly used the web to send e-mails and pay my bill. I did establish my banking online. I have a power point presentation that will need to be done for my Seminar class in a few weeks and from what I've learned, I think it will make the presentation better. I was thinking in my last class how cool it would be to have a chalkboard or even a whiteboard where you could press one button and magically the whole board would erase itself! Didnt have to waste time erasing the whoel board or get chalk all over your clothes. I think that would be a great technological advance in the classroom that over time would save a lot of time!

Reflection 2

Today, I learned a little more about powerpoint than I did before. Last semester was my first real exposure to power point, so much of it was new to me. The big thing I learned today was how to differentiate between different software technologies that can be utilized in the classroom and where their optimal use can be used. Excel is great with grading and organizing data, but I wouldn't use it as a main tool to give a lesson. Vernier I found by mistake is a great tool for all science teachers that allows teachers to buy packets including software to do real experiments that correlate with the unit at hand. I will be interested in possibly finding more information about this program and other like programs that have chemistry related activities. I also am curious to find out programs where students can utilize an individual small computer and they can do things where I can view them from one computer. I remember my Organic Chemistry professor was thinking about implementing this and this can be very useful when you want your student to draw a structure and monitor their progress of how well their understanding the material.

Fun technologies

The first type of technology that I would like to further research and enjoy is YouTube because its popularity has grown so much so quickly and it is free for anyone to post news, video, and posters of all material. It's easy to access and can be viewed multiple times to allow students who may not be in class view it at some other point. The second type of technology that through this class that i've been introduced that is useful is blogs. It's free and students can personalize it the way they want. Students can have easy access to full communication with their teacher in and out of the classroom and can talk to the teacher publicly and privately. It's also easy to use and set up for people who are not computer literate. The third type of technology that I found useful was my personal search for Vernier Software and Technology which gives science and math teachers opportunities to use sophisticated software that was designed by teachers to implement fun and relevant labs that real scientists peform in the field.

Technology and Me

I have only had mediocre experiences with technology, mostly being computers. My new thing that I am always toying with is my Ipod. I hope that since my PChem lab class is my only computer requirement, this class will better aid me in using simple computer programs such as a blog. It seems similar to facebook? I am wondering what is the main difference, if any, or is facebook fancier? Learning to create a blog has been fun and has given me another window to explore on the internet. Hopefully, along the way, i'll learn some more technical stuff about computers and their use through education since whenever I have a problme with my laptop, I ask my friend and he is usually able to fix it. My D drive never seems to work properly, and I don't know if its because it's not properly installed, but I don't feel like sending it back to Dell and waiting, so I am tolerating it for now. Maybe I can fix that minor problem as well!

Reflection 1

Today, I learned who my teacher was and a little about his background. I learned what a blog is and how to create one. Also, doing minimal stuff with the blog, including creating a template and adding a picture. I also learned how to input a link from my blog to the course homepage.

Class Goals

Since this is my first computer/technology class, I hope to learn how to integrate phsyical science technology into the classroom, especially chemical reactions and simulations. I hope to learn what students expect out of classroom technology. I also hope to obtain a significant list of websites that aide teachers with computer visuals. If possible, I hope how to learn how to design or begin my own website I could create when I become a teacher.