NETS STUDENTS

I think these standards would be ideal in a school setting. First off, the teacher needs to be held to tech standards, before being able to implement these standards for students. I would consider my role as the teacher to be a facilitator of these standards. I would need to be particularly fluent in the Technology Operations to teach to this standard. This would be important because although I would like my students to be able to trouble shoot their own tech issues, I will be the one to help guide them through their problems. My favorite of these standards is Creativity and Innovation, because it is through creativity that we can draw in our students. I could implement this standard when creating a lesson plan for a group project. I could give my students technology option with which they may present their project. They could create a lesson using the smart board, guiding through an interactive website, or even edit and create a video. In the end, I think that all of these standards are realistic and possible to implement in a classroom. Maybe not every day, but sometime during the school year.

TECHNOLOGY

Technology is a crucial tool in the classroom. In this lesson, the students will be using a website FROGUTS.COM to do a virtual dissection. While navigating through this DEMO, students will be hear a narration that will instruct the students through this dissection. The students will be able to use tools such as a scalpel to open up the frog and then pin each flap of skin back to secure the frog. The students will be asked throughout the DEMO to locate 8 organs and to click on them. During this process, the narrator will explain the function of each organ. Once navigating through the dissection, the students will draw and label the frog organs on the FROG DISSECTION HANDOUT (pg. 6-7). This website is very interactive and a fun alternative or in conjunction to a live dissection. 

FINAL PROJECT LESSON PLAN

Final Project – Lesson Plan

Virtual Frog Dissection- 7^th Grade Science

This lesson plan is for 7^th grade students who are studying anatomy and physiology of a frog. The students will use the use the website FROGUTS.COM to do a virtual dissection of a frog. They will be using the free demo version. This demo will allow them to know what tools to use during the dissection eg: scalpel or scissors and also identify each of the organs.  The students will be doing this dissection twice, the first time just going through each of the steps of the dissection and the second time filling out the FROG DISSECTION WORKSHEET and labeling the organs. *** This virtual dissection can be completed in conjunction with or instead of a real dissection, but may assist in overcoming some ethical issues faced by students.

Please click on the links below to review my final project and then complete the evaluation survey listed below.
1.Content Standards
2.Content Instruction
3.Lesson Structure
4.RUBRIC/ASSESSMENT
5.Technology


EVALUATION: SURVEY MONKEY

CONTENT STANDARDS

Content Standards:

Students will learn about the anatomy and physiology of the frog. They will be able to visually identify each of the organs and its location within the body structure of the frog. During the dissection, the students will discover the function of each individual organ. The students will be using digital tools to explore the anatomy and physiology of the frog.

Structure and Function in Living Systems

5.The anatomy and physiology of plants and animals illustrate the complementary nature of structure and function. As a basis for understanding this concept:

a. Students know plants and animals have levels of organization for structure and function, including cells, tissues, organs, organ systems, and the whole organism.

b. Students know organ systems function because of the contributions of individual organs, tissues, and cells. The failure of any part can affect the entire system.

c. Students know how bones and muscles work together to provide a structural framework for movement.

ISTE:

1. Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity

Teachers use their knowledge of subject matter, teaching and learning, and technology to facilitate experiences that advance student learning, creativity, and innovation in both face-to-face and virtual environments. Teachers:

a.	promote, support, and model creative and innovative thinking and inventiveness.
b.	engage students in exploring real-world issues and solving authentic problems using digital tools and resources.

CONTENT INSTRUCTION

Content Instruction

The lesson would begin with a powerpoint or smartboard if available. I will show the students two different pictures of livers and ask the students if they know the difference. I will then explain that one is a liver of a person and the other of a frog. I will explain that a liver looks the similar whether it is from a frog, cow, or even a human and that the function is all the same. I will explain that they will be doing a virtual frog dissection and how one of the organs that they will be seeing is a liver. Then I will ask them what other organs do they think they will see during the dissection?

The next step will be to show them the website that they will be visiting- FROGUTS.COM. I will show them how to get started using the website and what link they will be clicking on to start the DEMO version of the virtual dissection. I will then pass out the worksheet (FROG DISSECTION WORKSHEET), which they will be filling out during the dissection. As a class we will read over page 3, which gives background information on the frog. They will be filling out the last two pages of the worksheet. 

The goal is for the students to locate each organ directed by the virtual dissection, and then draw the organ with its label in the correct location on the worksheet.

NOTE: PAGE 4-5 will be completed on a later class date when we do our actual live in class dissection.  

LESSON STRUCTURE

Lesson Structure:
Day One


The students will be broken up into pairs and the class will be in the computer lab. The students will receive a Handout that was previously discussed in class. Each pair will sit in front of a computer which would already be on and have the website up. The next step would be for the students to click on the DEMO version and choose a person within the pairs start the virtual dissection.


Once the students have gone through the dissection once, the other partner would have a chance to do the virtual dissection. The students will be filling out their handout during this part of the dissection(FROG DISSECTION WORKSHEET). They will be filling out the last two pages (pg 6-7) within the packet. These pages have a picture of the frog and the students will answer the following questions:


1. On your frog diagram, label the major external body parts (parts of the face, abdomen, thorax, limbs and digits).
-Mark with a circle the location the pins should go to secure the animal during a dissection.
- Using a symbol, suggest which tool would make incisions, and draw a dotted line along the lines of incision.


2. On your frog diagram, label the major internal organs identified in your online dissection, and briefly state the role of each organ.

RUBRIC/Assessment of Student Performance

Rubric/Assessmet of Student Performance:
Day Two


Objective: We will review the material from the other class make sure that the students were able to get through both dissections smoothly and that every student was able to have a chance to operate the virtual dissection. I will make sure that the students are free of technical problems and will walk around to monitor student progress. Once the students are finished with the dissection, I will give them a few extra minutes to finish up on the labeling.


Assessment – I will monitor whether the students are able to navigate through the DEMO, through clicking on the navigating links. I will also collect the worksheets and make sure that the following was filled out correctly (THE POINTS WILL BE DISTRUBUTED AS FOLLOWS):
FROG DISSECTION WORKSHEET (pg. 6 and 7)


1. On your frog diagram, label the major external body parts (parts of the face- eyes, nares, tympanum, abdomen, thorax, limbs and digits). 7pts
- Mark with a circle the location the pins should go to secure the animal during a dissection. 6pts (6 pin locations)


-Using a symbol, suggest which tool would make incisions, and draw a dotted line along the lines of incision. 2pts (2 locations)


2. On your frog diagram, label the major internal organs identified in your online dissection, and briefly state the role of each organ. (HEART, LIVER, STOMACH, SMALL INTESTINE, LARGE INTESTINE, LUNGS, BLADDER, KIDNEYS) 8pts- label 8pts-loaction= 16pts total


TOTAL POINTS: 31 points

RSS Feeds

I think that the RSS feed is absolutely amazing! It is like having all the latest news and information from the sources you want to hear from delivered directly to you. I feel like it saves a huge amount of time because I don't need to keep revisiting all the websites that interest me to see what new information they’ve added. It is a simple way of gathering and sharing information without all of that time consuming activity involved in actually going to look for it. All the latest news comes to me rather than having to go looking for it. I was able to subscribe to all of my favorite sites: such a Glove Slap (Humor site), foody websites, and even tasteless entertainment websites such as US weekly.

Powerpoint: Science- Describing Animals

A powerpoint I found on "Describing animals." I have also embedded a link within the slides to an interactive animal website. This powerpoint is one that I would definitely use with my first grade class.

Youtube Video: The Magical Classroom

This video, "The Magical Classroom," shows a little glimpse into the Smartboard world. I have not yet worked with one, but am very intrigued as to how to use one. My friend uses the Smartboard in her classroom all the time and for all subjects. I witnessed her math lesson, using the Smartboard, where the kids were able to match correct vowel sounds to the correct picture. The students would drag the vowel to the correct picture. It was a very interactive lesson and great for those kinesthetic learners.

FACEBOOK in the classroom

I think that Facebook could be extremely effective in the classroom setting. I’m not just saying this because most teenagers probably spend at least an hour on Facebook everyday, but because the tools available on Facebook can make for some great collaborative work. Like we did in class, TEACHERS can create a group specific to a particular class. In this group, teachers can post HW, educational videos, or even invite an expert (who also has FB) to contribute to a topic. I know that in my undergraduate classes we used WebCT and Moodle, which always seemed like a pain to log on. While, at least the teacher knows that with FB… A) Students access this site on a regular basis and B) When students are on FB the group title will be in clear view, therefore hard to ignore. In addition, teachers can send out a mass email to the group. In my opinion, I think that students would be stoked to use FB in a educational setting.

One key factor that an instructor would have to take into consideration with the implementation of FB use for school is the need to make sure that it is being used appropriately with STUDENT usage. If I was going to use FB in my classroom I would first have the class brainstorm some “Facebook Ground Rules.” These could include: no inappropriate language and be respectful of differences of opinion. Nevertheless, the students would come up with these. That way they will be taking ownership for their behavior.

PARENTS need to also be on the same page as the teacher and students. It is understandable that some parents do not want their kids on FB and the teacher needs to respect that. If I were the teacher I would send home a letter of intent to the parents. I would suggest that the parents who are hesitant with FB know their child’s password, so he/she can monitor the usage. However, I think that most if not all parents would be on board. As long as the communication barriers between student, teacher, and parent are open, FB can be a wonderful educational tool. 

Google doc: ELL Language Subsystems

This is a reflection paper that I wrote for my E.L.L. class here at NDNU. It discusses how language is acquired and all the technical aspects that we see through the subsystems. The ones in particular that I address include: semantics, pragmatics and the phonological system.

This topics applies to me because I am working in a 1st grade class where 50% of the students are E.L.L.

ISTE Standards

Reading the ISTE National Educational Technology Standards (NETS•T) and Performance Indicators for Teachers, it reminds me a lot of the Essential Conditions piece that I just wrote about. However, these standards seem a lot easier to follow and seem a little more realistic to touch on each standard than that of the Essential Conditions. In comparison, with the conditions I would need to worry about all the external factors and it’s not always that easy to make sure that people are on the same page. I can relate to the ISTE standards, because the Essential conditions rely on more than just the educator, which can make things more challenging. I know that I could embrace these standards such as “facilitation and inspiring student leadership and creativity,” and to “engage in professional growth and leadership.” I think the ISTE standards are very reasonable.

I do think that these standards can for the most part, apply to all grade levels. However, when teaching “digital model citizenship,” it would obviously be taught to the middle/high school levels in more depth. I know that when I took a computer class in high school, we had a whole unit based on how to use the Internet ethically and how to be safe. I had many friends at that time steal term papers from online sources and because the Internet was relatively new none of them were caught. Yet, when I reached college I was aware of two students in my program who were expelled from the school for stealing papers online. I also new a student who was expelled for trying to hack his teachers computer to change a grade. With this being said, technology can be used for ethical and unethical practices. I believe that it is our job as educators to model ethical behavior, and also warn our students of the consequences of these unethical behaviors.

On a lighter note, I think that “Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity,” can relate to a teacher’s everyday life. My favorite key point in this particular standard is in regards to “model collaborative knowledge construction by engaging in learning with students, colleagues, and others in face-to-face and virtual environments.” I love love love how we learned in class yesterday about the google docs, where we can essentially edit and collaborate simultaneously. Another example, of this face-to-face environment would be with Skype or Facetime, if one has a Mac computer. This is so amazing and makes email look ancient in comparison. Because, I am currently in a first grade class I would not be using this, but if I were teaching middle school or high school I would definitely use this technology.  

Necessary Conditions to Effectively Leverage Technology for Learning

After reading the necessary conditions to essentially implement technology in the classroom, I think that in an IDEAL world all should be present. However, with budget cuts and the obvious realities of the Education crisis in public schools, technology has been put on the back burner. I also believe, that the idea of a SHARED VISION between all stakeholders is completely unrealistic. However, the bottom line should be that technology is our future and regardless of budget cuts and lack of school resources, a teacher can always find a way to use technology within his or her classroom to teach a lesson. I don't feel that a teacher necessarily needs a Smartboard to teach a lesson.

I feel lucky to have worked in a school that had support policies and external policies set in place to make sure the the students had the most when it came to technology in the classroom. All the classrooms had Smartboards and were also, most importantly, trained to use them. Each classroom also had at least two computers and a printer. In the third grade class I worked in, the teacher would have the students hand write their 1st and 2nd and then the final draft would be typed. The children were excited to type their work and because of how much use they had on the computer, their keyboarding skills seemed pretty advance.

I understand that most public schools in our district do not have smart boards or access to more advance mediums of technology; however, I think that even if these districts could fund one computer in each class it would make a huge difference. A lesson would be more interesting to students if a YouTube was shown or if a child was able to play an interactive online game. However, one step at a time is key when taking all of these conditions.