The
matrix that my final projects is based upon a lesson that I planned for
my students in Newark a few weeks ago. I could not find my lesson plan
adaptations from CURR 310 or 312 because I took those courses over a
year ago, so please excuse me for not using them. This lesson was
purposely designed not to have technology in it because the kids were at
the computer for the week beforehand. So this project gave me the
opportunity to add technology into the lesson to support the teaching
strategies that were already in place. This is a long lesson and
stretches over 3 days.
The lesson opens up with the Do Now which was just to get the students
to remember what they learned about Mitosis. Mitosis is a component of
Meiosis so in order for the students to understand Meiosis better,
Mitosis is reviewed first. The students can be in groups of 3 or 4 and
come up with what they remember and then enter it into a PowerPoint
slide so that they are making the slides with their own information and
of course I would check to make sure the info is accurate.The first standard is to have the students understand that gene combinations from the male and female are what determines genetic variation. The teaching strategies are lecture, group discussion, and guided notes. The technology that I infused these strategies with are PowerPoint, YouTube, and the SmartBoard. With the PowerPoint it allows me to make the material more visually appealing to the students while still getting the information across to them. YouTube gives me the chance to find a video that encapsulates the concepts that they are going to learn in a different way. With the SmartBoard I can add notes to slides and even write on the YouTube page to help explain things that the students may not understand right away. The students can also circle key terms and concepts on slides with the SmartBoard also.
The second standard also has the students understand that genetic variation comes from the genes of the male and female parent. The corresponding teaching strategy is something I call a “Glen Diagram” which is just a Venn Diagram but with rectangle because I hate writing in circles. The technology that corresponds with this is social networking. I would have the students get on Facebook or something of the like and collaborate for homework to fill out the diagram instead of doing it in class. This would also save class time by having them do it at home.
The next standard is a NETS-S standard to have the students apply existing knowledge to generate new ideas. I created an Application Sheet for this to have the students apply what they learned into drawings to help them understand everything in a different form. This would change with the blogging technology. I would have the students create a blog entry explaining Meiosis in their own words with the impact it has on genetic variation. Also included in this blog post would be a picture that the students found that best summarizes what they view Meiosis as.
The last standard is also a NETS-S standard which has the students create original works as a means of expression. I have the students performing Meiosis in front of the classroom as the teaching strategy but the technology totally changes that. The technology for this strategy that I chose was a SmartBoard and a video camera. Instead of having the students perform the processes in front of the class, I would have them go home and make a video of their group performing it any way they want. This would give the students greater freedom in the ways that they express their knowledge.
Like I said, this lesson was specifically planned not to have technology in it but with the additions that I made to it, the technology definitely opens up the learning even more to the students. It allows them to express their thoughts and ideas in new ways and allows them to customize their learning.
Check out my matrix!
