12 Sept 12 Question - Technology - Message Boards - From Learning to Research

What technology do you expect to use this year for your teaching and your L2R project? How and why? Is there anything you are excited or worried about with the technology?

We have already used the digital thermometer and compared that to the hand held unit. We have done the same when measuring dew point. It also gives students a chance to use the new technology. I am working with the students more as a coach and allowing them to read directions and figure it out. They eat, drink and sleep technology!

I plan to use: GPS, electrical conductivity meter, computers, and cameras. My biggest concern with technology is when it does not fuction in a way I expect. It seems to take forever to get the technology back on track and it loses valuable time.

Our department has a mobile lab that I have used to have the students enter surface temperature (IRT) and cloud data onto the GLOBE website, which proved to be a technological nightmare. I spent 5th period with each student trying to define their sites including their individual GPS coordinates. Massive failure! Then adapted 7th period, but still didn't work. After contacting the Help Desk, I discovered that there is a glitch that will not allow the students to enter their own coordinates, that they need to use the coordinates already on file. I spent all weekend defining each student's site so that I wouldn't waste more classtime. I tested one students data to find out that it still wouldn't work! Frustrated I sent off an email. The response said that I needed to further define the site in the Surface Temperature link which I spent another day doing. Finally the students successfully entered their data onto the GLOBE website yesterday! They will also be entering Green Down data soon. I'm hoping that I can use one of the sites already defined for our surface ozone and green down data. Along with the website issues, some of the computers wouldn't connect to the internet or the students couldn't log on! Technology is wonderful when it works and makes you want to throw the computer across the room when it doesn't!

The students have already started working with the GPS units we borrowed from Purdue University. They pick up on technology so quickly. Hopefully, we will get the grant so we can order pH meters and temperature probes. To do the research on the water in our area, I plan to use the labtops that the science department has. The only problem with technology is that it doesn't always work the way we want it to.

We have access to a computer cart that we share between the 6 science teachers - we used these to do the pre-test and we will use them for entering the data. All of us science teachers also recently got iPads to use in the classroom (1 per teacher). We are still learning how to effectively use these in class, but it's been hard to truly take advantage of this technology because we haven't had much time for training or practice time. Basic technologies that will be used for the project also include the digital cameras, Flip cameras, time-lapse camera, and digital thermometer & hygrometer. The biggest challenge for me personally, is that it's hard for me to find the time both with my classes and on my own to practice using the technology so that it can be used effectively and without all the issues that typically come with the first time using new technology.

I completely agree--they are light years ahead of me when it comes to technology and I have no problems asking them to teach me about it. However, they don't generally use it for educational purposes and I feel like their guide--they know HOW to use it but not necessarily how to use it correctly for learning. So to answer the question....I had them do the pretest on our department laptops, and they used these again today to look up MUC codes.. They will also be using these to enter the data we take. We do have some little hand-held data collectors with probles that we use for some of our labs--we might bring these out into the field with us. I can't wait to get started using the new equipment.
The one thing I am most concerned about is the webinar situation. I don't find computers all that reliable, especially the one at home, and it seems like it never works just when I need it to. I felt "lucky" that I was able to participate last night--I only just got wireless hook-up at home this week and was very unsure about whether or not it would work for me last night.

Carol,

I also find that allowing students to work to solve problems is a meaningful skill for them to have and they are usually very adept at solving the technology issues that we encounter.