Science Autobiographies.....

• What are the skills and strengths that you bring to the schoolscience experience?

I now bring excitement and diversity to the school science experiment. I will use inquiry as a main focus while curriculum planning. Technology will be used as often as possible, and if possible, all of my activities will be hands on, minds on. Doing is learning.

• What are the areas in which you would like to improve as you set about doing science with students?

I would like to improve in my timing and knowledge. There is so much out there to learn, and there are so many interactive activities and ideas that I want to learn. I will never stand in front of the room to lecture followed by a test ever!!!! My timing needs improvement as far as lesson plans being carried out during a specified time frame, however, I believe this will come together with experience.

• How did your scientific self develop during this course?

My scientific self developed ten fold during this course. Dr. Smirnova brought me to a different world of learning, through technology and inquiry. I see the world of learning through a different set of eyes now thanks to this course. I went from hating science to wanting to be a science teacher! I love it!!!

• How do you define “science” now as you prepare to teach it?

Science is a process. Science is observing, exploring, applying, constructing, and asking questions followed by reflections. Science is everywhere, and it is everything that could be posed as a question. Science is AMAZING!

• What is your favorite science web site?

One of my favorite science websites is exploratorium.com this site is a science archive site that you can find information almost about anything in the wonderful world of science. It provides you resources, activities and numerous ideas for everything! 

• What contemporary science news event most interests you?

stem cell research and cancer research. Being a mother of three and a daughter to someone who is battling cancer, I want to know what new advances are coming about in both of these issues.

• What do you think is your greatest challenge in teaching science?

My greatest challenge is keeping my students engaged through differentiation, I need to ensure I stay current not only with the curriculum but also with technology so I can be sure it is integrated in my curriculum as much as possible!

• How will technology help you stay current and teach science in an innovative way?

It will keep me current and teach in an innovative way through attending webcasts, following blogs, and other science websites, as well as being able to have the world at my fingertips. I will have to do explore regularly and technology will help me by RSS feeds,  internet, blogging, workshops, interactive classrooms, virtual field trips, gaming etc. My students will not be strangers to technology by any means, I will ensure they know so much about technology that they will be teaching their future teachers about it!!!! What would this world be without technology?! 

Putting it all together.......

A PowerPoint presentation that represents my philosophy of teaching science would include:
Hands on minds on crucial part of curriculum planning
Reciprocal Questioning: students work together to ask and answer questions 
Jigsaw Classroom: students become "experts" on one part of a group project and teach it to the others in their group
Structured Controversies: Students work together to research a particular controversy

Learning need to be an active, social process

Scientific method

Collaboration among learners

Knowledge should be discovered as an integrated whole 

Engaging and challenging the learner

**Provide learners with an opportunity to discover and collaboratively construct meaning as the intervention unfolds. Learners are respected as unique individuals, and instructors act as facilitators rather than as teachers.

I would be interested in the certifications offered by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards because their site sums it up wonderfully:  

• Teachers are committed to students and their learning.
• Teachers know the subjects they teach and how to teach those subjects to students.
• Teachers are responsible for managing and monitoring student learning.
• Teachers think systematically about their practice and learn from experience.
• Teachers are members of learning communities

http://www.nbpts.org/become_a_candidate/what_is_national_board_c

 “We teach who we are” 
Students know the teachers feelings and level of compassion one holds about the content being taught. It it up to the teachers to really gain an understanding and passion for everything they teach, because the more engaged they are about something, the more engaged their students will be. Students pick up on EVERYTHING





Reflection is crucial to being a great teacher and student. Teachers never stop learning therefore we should never stop reflecting. Reflecting is a way to think about what was done, what was successful and what wasn't. What should be done differently. How can something improve, how can one expand on this, etc. Reflections are some of the starting points for your next step in your curriculum planning.

Interactive Solar System

You have to check out this site!!!!! This is the coolest site ever!!!! It is an interactive 3D model of our solar system! Kids would love to explore this I bet!!!! This would be perfect to integrate into a science lesson really neat!!!! Check it out!!!!
3D Model of Solar System

SMART board literacy

This video amazed me! A four year old girl was interactively learning literacy concepts on a SMART board. I really really hope when I get hired as a teacher that I have the opportunity to have one of these boards in my classroom, because it will only enhance my student's learning! All students love interactive lessons, this little girl went to the board and moved the letter 'R' to pictures that started with that letter! I love SMART boards,  this will definitely be something I find out availability before I take a position! Crucial to have!!!!!

Plugging into the Web

 

"As a new teacher, you will experience excitement, confusion, and indecision when you think about whether or not to use technology, such as the Internet, in your classroom. Many factors come into play as you consider this issue. Is your classroom wired? Do you have access to computers? Do you know how to use the Internet? Do you have time to use the Internet? What about student safety? The list of questions goes on and on. 

This WebQuest will make you be able to make informed decisions as to how and when to use the Internet and other forms of technology to support your standards-based curriculum in your classes". (Debi Tisdell)

This is a very intensive exploration project that will familiarize teachers with how and when to integrate technology in the class. This site has teachers work together to explore a number of resources and tools at the fingertips of us teachers. It is very interesting how you can have such a complex assignment on the web such as this that forces teachers to collaborate with one another and gain a better understanding of the world of technology and its place in our classes. WebQuests are amazing tools all in themselves for teachers to have the students use on a regular basis. This allows students to participate in active research projects related to their current curriculum, as a part of class and home work all while learning with technology, brilliant!

cool tools for school is cool!!!!!!

I love this site!!! I am so exciting after reading through it, I am even more anxious to get into my very own classroom! These resources are AMAZING! If there is someone who is not up with the times, they need to start to explore or they are gonna be left behind!!!! I love it! This site has EVERYTHING you could imagine to develop, implement, instruct, reflect, etc. Very intriguing I must have went through this site five times already! This is a great resource for students and teachers alike! love it!!!!
Check out the site by clicking HERE

Video games in the classroom hmmmmmmm.....

I think video gaming in the classroom can be amazing! It is a way to incorporate technology in the class. You can also observe and assess how the students react to different situations such as group or team effort, confidence in content, winning and losing reactions, how they react to the immediate feedback and whether or not they change their actions according to the immediate feedback. This is something that is great and would keep students very interested and excited about content. Children need interactive play, and when it is related to content, most of them don't mind they just like to 'play' while the teacher incorporates learning! This also a way to teach children how to set goals and move towards attaining them!
I love it, just think it should be done cautiously with close monitoring and maybe the teacher can incorporate some kind of journal entry after each time played for reflection purposes.