Students will compete in an Organelle Campaign. Students will have to argue that without their organelle, the cell and its organism will collapse. Students are arguing this in hopes to win the title, “The Most Important Organelle in the Universe.” Students will first compete against others on our academic team before competing with others on other teams in a grade-level competition. Students will have the opportunity to choose how they will deliver their arguments: speech or poster and pamphlet. The speech will be recorded and edited on devices of their choice, and the posters/pamphlets will be either digital or paper. However, the delivery of the content to the students is all digital. Students will refer to a “To-Do List” Padlet for their step-by-step instructions, then refer to a class wiki page to access the Choice Board, Group Assignments, Rubrics, and Tech Help Tips.
The goal of this project is to have students realize that ALL organelles are important, as the cell cannot survive without any of the organelles because they all have a very specific purpose. To achieve this goal, students will use a variety of technology to communicate and express themselves using digital media of their choice.
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Symbaloo is a user-friendly tool that allows users to organize links onto one page for quick access, according to Solomon and Schrum (2014) (p. 339). Mimi, the author of 11 Ways to Use Symbaloo in the Classroom, suggests that the best uses of Symbaloo include: embed to class website to house online resources, use for curriculum mapping, create a personalized learning environment for students, and create a video playlist.
I have recently created my very first webmix using Symbaloo! My goal with this webmix is two-fold: embed to my class website to house resources and create a standard-specific video playlist. Currently, I use the OneTab Chrome extension to share video playlists because it is so quick to create. While I can share are OneTab link, I cannot embed the list to my website. The embed feature gives Symbaloo a benefit not found in other tools in my toolbox. I was able to create sections within my webmix to organize by topic, in this case, Cell Theory, Plant vs. Animal Cells, and Cell Structures. This will allow my students the choice of determining which videos they need to watch, or they can find the videos assigned based on areas of weakness. I can envision Symbaloo being used to support students with disabilities in an indirect way. Teachers could share a webmix that includes resources for support. There are webmixes with this intent already in the Symbaloo Gallery. For example, SMCISD Special Education’s webmix includes resources for autism, emotional disorders, traumatic brain injury, etc. Teachers could have immediate access to a variety of resources in one page, either by creating a webmix or visiting a webmix from the gallery. The future of Web 2.0 tools in education has the potential to tailor the web experience to the individual user, according to Kris Powers, author of What is Web 3.0 and How Might it Affect Education?. As educators, this means that the shift towards personalized learning becomes achievable. Melissa Delaney, author of What Is Web 3.0, Really, and What Does It Mean for Education?, outlines from her interviews that Web 3.0 tools will naturally lend themselves to a flipped classroom setting. This means that teachers will need to be knowledgeable in these Web 3.0 tools in order to provide students with the best chance of success after graduation. In addition, this means that a teacher’s role may become more of a facilitator than a trainer or lecturer. Instead of the teacher having all of the knowledge to deliver to the students in a one-size-fits-all setting, students will be able to explore, share, and create the knowledge through technology. It is apparent that technology is ever-changing and is leading to a more tailored experience for its users, especially as people become more proficient in their use of technology. This can positively impact education if educators can embrace these changes and keep up with them, so they can ensure a successful future for their students after graduation. I am excited to see what these advances will be! Delaney, Melissa. "What Is Web 3.0, Really, and What Does It Mean for Education?." EdTech. 26 Oct. 2012. Web. 5 Nov. 2016. http://www.edtechmagazine.com/k12/article/2012/10/what-web-30-really-and-what-does-it-mean-education Mimi. "11 Ways to use Symbaloo in the Classroom." The Edublogger. 9 Apr. 2014. Web. 5 Nov. 2016. https://www.theedublogger.com/2014/04/09/11-ways-to-use-symbaloo-in-the-classroom/ Powers, Kris. "What is Web 3.0 and How Might it Affect Education? | Ed4Online." Ed4online.com. n.d. Web. 5 Nov. 2016. https://ed4online.com/blog/what-web-30-and-how-might-it-affect-education Teachers must be aware of the risks that come along with their students using technology, not just in the classroom, but also in their personal lives. The first step for promoting safe, healthy, legal, and ethical uses of technology is to be aware of the dangers: invasion of student privacy, cyberbullying, sexting, plagiarism, etc. Once teachers are aware of these risks, they are able to extend this knowledge to their students. Second, teachers should be promoting healthy dialogues with their students about safety within the realm of technology, according to Sarah Muthler, author of Teacher’s Guide: Cyberbullying, Sexting, and Student Privacy. Open dialogue within the classroom is great way for students to safely explore possible scenarios they may experience. Netsmartz.org has a plethora of resources organized by age group for educators to use for these discussions. These resources include: videos, activity cards, presentations with presenter guides, safety pledges, and handouts regarding safety using technology. Another great resource to guide educators in these open classroom discussions is Christopher Pappas’s How-To Guide. Pappas guides educators through top-rated technology safety resources by providing tips for use with each resource.
These teacher-led discussions should lead to a development of strategies in which students can keep themselves safe by practicing healthy and ethical uses of technology. To encourage student participation and engagement, Muthler recommends that teachers allow students to develop their classroom’s computer-use policy. Computer-use policies should outline appropriate uses of technology within the classroom. Students, especially older students, will be able to appropriately identify acceptable online behaviors. This should be easy for students to do after their discussions or exploration of online safety resources, such as the FBI Safe Online Surfing game. Teachers can guide students in creating their classroom’s computer-use policies and have each student sign it. In addition to open classroom discussions and student-authored computer-use policies, educators should get parents informed and involved to keep our students safe, according to Robert Lucas, author of How to Keep Students Safe Online. Providing parents with tips on managing their child’s technology use will help educators achieve their goal of promoting safe, healthy, legal, and ethical uses of technology. In conclusion, educators have a great responsibility to promote safe use of technology within their student and parent population. Some strategies for educators to achieve this goal are: have open dialogue regarding risks, have students author classroom computer-use policies, and inform students and parents of ways to stay safe. Lucas, Robert. "The Teacher’s Guide to Keeping Students Safe Online - eLearning Industry." eLearning Industry. 11 Sept. 2013. Web. 5 Nov. 2016. https://elearningindustry.com/the-teacher-guide-to-keeping-students-safe-online Muthler, S. (2016). Teacher’s Guide: Cyberbullying, Sexting, and Student Privacy . Edudemic.com. Retrieved 5 November 2016, from http://www.edudemic.com/the-teachers-guide-to-keeping-students-safe-online/ Pappas, C. "The 5 Best Internet Safety Resources for Teachers - eLearning Industry." eLearning Industry. 17 Feb. 2014. Web. 5 Nov. 2016. https://elearningindustry.com/the-5-best-internet-safety-resources-for-teachers |
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