Don't do it just 'cause

My academic adviser came out to observe me today. It was a Physics 20 lesson on wave interference. First I had them investigate interference with slinky's. Then we went back into the classroom and discussed the students observations. We verified/disproved their hypothesis about what happened with in constructive interference and destructive interference by showing internet applets that modeled both types of interference. Following this I discussed a real world example of destructive interference, mufflers, through the site, howstuffworks.com. After this we applied the principle of superposition through two examples on the overhead with waves. One example was waves that were in phase and one with the waves out of phase. My adviser really liked my use of technology to do the job that it is designed for. Often times we get a new toy or new piece of technology and we make the lesson fit the technology instead of using the technology to fit the lesson. When it comes right down to it we want the students to learn what we are trying to teach them. Whether or not there are bells and whistles is irrelevant when it comes to students learning. If it will help clarify a concept, engage a student or inspire more questions, use it. We have to be careful not to use something just because it might be cool!
See my adviser's blog on the same event: Differentiated instruction

The Strength of Weak Ties: To Integrate or to be Integral?
Misuse of Technology

A venture out...

As I sit at the edge of my internship experience I am looking over the edge. Over the edge of the traditional style of teaching peering into the abyss that is where the profession of teaching is heading. Where that is nobody knows, but what we do know is that the days of desks in rows and dusty chalkboards are numbered. The only thing is can we hang on for the ride? Sometimes I find myself overwhelmed with all the options that are out there to bring into the classroom. For a sample check out Mr. Alec Couros' wiki on Web2.0.
My venture has started out modest but effective...I think. I've created a wiki that allows my students to ask questions outside the classroom and have the opportunity to get an answer before they get back to the classroom. With the help of sketchcast (sketchcast.com) I am able to respond to my students questions visually and verbally. As well, I can keep my students up to date with assignments and what topics we have covered each week with links to websites with extra help and examples. So far the response has been mediocre. Check it out.