Activity 3: Screencasting & MV YouTube

I chose to make an instructional video about how to transcribe and translate DNA into a protein using an amino acid chart.

I was originally trying to do this from home and used 2 different screen capture programs, but could not get the programs to record sound on my Macbook.  As I reread the descriptions of the screen capture programs I realized how easy snagit seemed.  I emailed a teacher at school to see if I could borrow her chromebook and was able to easily get my film completed after a few trial runs testing out the different aspects of the app.  I am pretty pleased with the final product, but wish that I could figure our a way to display my screen more attractively than just being in google slides.

I think this type of video could be really helpful when explaining a complicated process that the students might want to re-watch before a test or quiz.  I also think this could be useful if I wanted them to make a graph using google sheets for a lab.  The kids do not have a lot of experience with that and it would be more helpful for them to have the video streaming while they are trying to complete the task.  They can watch a segment and then pause it while they complete the task and then move on to the next step.  We are going to try to make our biology labs paperless next year, but the graphing is a roadblock.  I can see this as a way to help student learn that process and re-visit it each time we need to graph and not have to be caught up in explaining it to each student.

Activity 2: Engagement

Here is the link to the Pear Deck presentation I created for protein synthesis.

Protein Synthesis Pear Deck


I had a really hard time uploading my own slides from powerpoint into Pear Deck.  I watched the instructional videos on how to do it, but could never get them to upload.  Once I gave up on adding my own pre-made slides I started to make a new Pear Deck.

I really like the student engagement of this.  I can see using this with students instead of kahoot or clickers.  It is truly an interactive tool and requires more thought out of them.  I like the option for students to answer in all types of ways (dots, text, circling, multiple choice).  A process like protein synthesis is a great application for this type of slide show because students need to really visualize it and that is hard to assess from simple multiple choice questions.

I highly recommend watching the instructional videos of Pear Deck.  I think they helped me realize that it is more appropriate for certain topics than other.  I still would really like to figure out how to turn my own powerpoint into Pear Deck presentations because I wouldn't want to create something like this for every set of notes we do, but would find it valuable to add a couple questions here and there or a question or two at the end as an exit slip of sorts.

I also like that I can control the pace of the presentation and that students can have the detailed images and video clips right in front of them on their Chromebook screen.  I think this would also help with student engagement.

This isn't something I knew about at all, but I can see my PLC using this for many of our formative assessments.  I am sold!

Activity 1: Communication

We use a similar video to this blue-footed booby courting dance when we discuss natural selection and sexual selection during our evolution unit.  This would be useful to use a blog to post other interesting and quirky animal behavior videos relating to sexual selection.  This is often an area where students have a lot of interest and it would be fun to center an assignment or classroom/online discussion around them watching a series of these types of short videos.

A blog could be a useful place to post assignments, have students comment on videos, link quizzes/videos/pictures.  I also think a blog is a great place to host supplementary videos or homework help.  Since it is updated with blog posts often students will find it easy to navigate to the most recent information.  Then students can use the comment capabilities to ask questions of each other or the instructor.  I also think a blog could be useful for sharing examples of proficient student work that students can use as a target for their own work.

Some students might also find it valuable to watch small instructional videos that tie in with the curriculum.  Some ideas of small videos that students may use in a biology class would be creating a graph, writing a hypothesis, writing a data/observation driven conclusion, and creation of flowcharts connecting some of the big ideas within each of our units.

Kickoff:

What motivated you to become a tech nerd this summer?

I was really excited to hear that our PLC was going to be getting Chromebooks next year.  I have lots of ideas on how I foresee using the Chromebooks in the classroom, but I want to make sure they are feasible and to find out many more options. 


What you hope to learn about in Tech Nerd Camp 2.0?

I hope to learn how to use applications available through the Chromebooks effectively in my classroom.  I would really like to get to the point where our Biology Lab Handbook is completely paperless using google classroom.  I would also like to utilize the speed and efficiency of the Chromebooks to implement formative assessments using google forms or other applications.  I would also like to learn a variety of strategies for using the Chromebooks in class.  I think there are a lot of areas I don't even know about that would easily be manipulated to fit my subject area.


How would you describe your current comfort level with technology?  What tools do you use already in your classroom (if any)?

 

I feel really comfortable using technology.  I feel like my technological skills go way beyond what I can actually use in my classroom because of limited student access.  The things I use in my classroom now are clickers, smartboard, Microsoft office, google applications (docs, slides),