Jessica

Journal 5
Agency and Gambare are two words that may be new to you this summer. What do you think they have to do with teaching science? What other words or phrases would you add that sums up your experience in this class? To me these words mean motivate and apply. Teachers need to motivate students to want to learn and apply what they have learned to their lives. Once students are encouraged to learn on their own, they are more responsible for their learning and how they can incorporate what they have learned to the world around them. This gives kids the sense that learning does have a meaning and what they are doing does have a purpose. Other words that sum up this class is model, be open-minded, hands on learning, teach how to think.

If you answered the question above, you are being reflective. How can reflection help you be a better (science) teacher? I think that it is important to reflect as a teacher bescause there is always room for improvement. What works for some students may not for others and it is important to always see what aspects of teaching can be changed or improved to benefit both the teacher and the learner. As teachers we are lifelong learners and reflecting helps us discover things about ourselves that we did not know.

What have you noticed about the classroom where we meet each week? What aspects do you like and what would you change, add, or remove if it was your classroom? I love the space and how it used. I like how there is room to meet as a group, to have different centers, and to work individually. The shelves are covered with different types of resources and posters cover the walls. I like how there is a door that leads directly outside to the garden and rooftop and how evrything you need is directly at your fingertips. I would be greatful to have a room set up such as the one we were in for this class.

Journal 4
How does promoting logical and critical thinking fit into a science curriculum? Does this save time or waste time? Of course it fits into science curriculum because science involves both critical and logical thinking. Students need to be enabled to think criticaly about the world around them. They need to ask questions and develop their own beleifs and understandings. At the same time, their understandings and beliefs should be logical so they need a structure base to their thinking and problem solving skills. As long as they are thinking I do not think is wastes any time. It can however save time by having the set thinking skills to be able to grasp new information faster and have a better depth of knowledge to what they have learned.

Is a textbook needed all the time? When is it needed and when is it not needed? I do not think a textbook is needed all the time. It is a good tool to use as a resource when they have questions about things or even if they run into a word they are unsure of. They could also read little pieces of the text for an introduction to a lesson but I think most of their learning is going to be hands on and not rely on the book for everything.

What would be the most interesting science topic to share with another subject? How would your students prove mastery? Well, I think weather can fit into many subjects. My students would prove mastery for instance by taking what they learned in science and appling it in a new sense to Geopgraphy. They could say well we learned that tornadoes occur more in flat lands and then they could see that Iowa was a flat land state and think that tornadoes probably occur a lot there.

Start a list of community science resources (institutions or agencies/ people, materials, or websites) that could be used to support the unit you are planning. Books:
 * [|You Can Be a Woman Meteorologist] by Kim Perez (Nick's on-air partner) and Judith Love Cohen, published by Cascade Press 2002
 * [|Meteorologists (Community Helpers)] by Sandra J. Christian, published by Bridgestone Books 2002 (Nick helped with this book)
 * [|Can It Really Rain Frogs?] by Spencer Christian, published by John Wiley & Sons
 * [|The Weather Wizard's 5-Year Weather Diary] by Mary Hunt, Robert Rubin
 * [|1001 Questions Answered about Hurricanes, Tornadoes and Other Natural Disasters] by Barbara Tufty, published by Dover Publications Inc. New York 1987, ages 12-up
 * [|1001 Questions Answered about the Weather by Frank H. Forrester,] published by Dover Publications Inc. New York 1981, ages 12-up
 * [|The Weather Book] from USA Today by Jack Williams, ages 15-up.
 * [|Eyewitness Books Weather] by Brian Cosgrove, published by Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. New York 1991
 * [|101 Reasons Why I Watch The Weather Channel] by Kathleen Collins Rooney
 * [|Lord of the Skies] by Alan Winfield, published by Winepress Publishing 1999. God reveals Himself in weather, ages 15-up
 * [|National Audubon Society Field Guide to North America] by David M. Ludlum
 * [|How the Weather Works] by Michael Allaby
 * [|The Weather Wizard's Cloud Book] by Louis D. Rubin

[|www.wxdude.com/guide.html] [|www.theweatherchannelkids.com] [] [] [] [] [] This is a constant argument in education right now. Kids have learned that they should only do what is going to get rewarded instead of realizing thereward should be self gratification. What gets rewarded are the kids who get money for good grades and what is rewarding are the kids who want to get good grades. It is not just with school anymore either. Kids get money for doing chores or doing good in sports and are doing things because they get a material in exchange. They should be doing things because it is self rewarding to know what they have accomplished is important to them. Journal 2: Did technology help you understand buoyancy? If it is still unclear, how could you find out now that we are not in class? I liked how we experimented first and then watched the videos on buoyancy. That put a new perspective on what we did hands on. I thought the smart board is a good tool to use because you can stop it and discuss things and ask questions by simply touching the board. Plus i think it keeps students interested because it is not a typical television that they sit and watch. If it is still unclear i could research it more on the computer or do more floating experiments around the house. How could you do this without technology? Take a trip to the library and research the old fashion way or do more hands on things like more experiments or working in groups and learning through peers. How can technology leverage learning? Well for one, you have to learn how to use the technology and for some it comes easier than it does for others just like everything else. But technology leverages learning by keeping kids attention on the material which can be quite difficult. What exactly is technology? What is available? Do I need the Internet? Technology is anything with media. it is aiding in globalization and making it easy to stay connected with the world. There are so many things available like computers, television, ipods, smartboards...the list can go on and on and everyday something new comes out. You do not need the internet but with today's standards it is a pretty important tool. Our youth needs to learn about how to use the internet since it has pretty much taken over our way of life in society. Do I need a bunch of computers? It seems as though today's schools have many computers but you can have computer times when different kids can share or work individualy. I think the computer is very important in today's economy but a bunch of computers even though nice is not needed in order to learn. What role does technology play in schools? Is it used too much, too little? Depends on the school. The richer the school, the more technology is used. Also depends on the teacher. Some want things typed others do not so you cannot answer for every school in the same way. Is it the teacher’s responsibility to teach the tech or expect a certain level of expertise on the part of students, or should tech be avoided? Hard to say. Again technology is a big part of society and in order to thrive in society, students are going to need those skills. But who does teach it? You can't expect a student who does not have a computer at home to know how to use it and you cannot expect a teacher to teach the tech on top of everything else they need to cover. How does technology fit into pedagogy and curriculum? It seems as though everyone is walking around with their cell phone or laptop these days. It is kind of a way of life and that is part of the curriculum is applying what you have learned to your life. Technology no matter how much and fast it changes is going to be around and it is important for students to learn how to use toward their advantage. Like research, communication, and information.