Happy Computer Science Education Week!

Hello All,

This week, Dec. 9-15, is Computer Science Education Week! Most schools offer a weak attempt to interest K-8th students in computer programming.  From what I have seen, a number of high schools lag in up to date technology offerings.  There's a class being offered at a nearby high school that causes me to reminisce of the old RadioShack Trash80s and early Apple IIs.  It even gives me the urge to introduce my own children to the version of  Oregon Trail that I recall playing on an Apple II. There are also many high schools producing quality courses with students well prepared to continue their technical education after graduation. Let's face it, the pathway for educators to receive a computer science license is fuzzy in many states and contributes to the issue of varying quality among K-12th tech programs along with funding.  Statistics seem to show there are many jobs available in computer science and the universities are not producing enough graduates to fill them.  If you would like to introduce a student to computer programming visit http://csedweek.org/learn. There are options to participate in the festivities this week and information on how to continue spreading the joy once the event is over.  If you are considering offering a class, there is also a free suggested curriculum. If programming isn't your strength, most offerings require the instructor to have little previous programming knowledge.  I can tell you both my children (late elementary and middle school) were able to easily manipulate Scratch without using the tutorials on the side.

Have you hugged a computer today{ }?

Celebrating tech time!

Mrs. A

MOSART

Misconceptions-Oriented Standards-based Assessment Resources 

for Teachers

Hello All,

Teaching and tutoring science and mathematics, I have learned students can have some interesting misconceptions.  Many misconceptions are fairly common, not necessarily tied to current or past instruction.  Sometimes it is easy to see how a student came to a certain way of thinking, other times it requires the teacher to question.   MOSART tests are distractor-driven multiple choice tests developed to assess understanding of science concepts within the National Science Education Standards (NSES) in grades K-12 in the areas of Life Science, Physical Science, Earth Science, Chemistry, Physics, and Astronomy/Space Science.  MOSART tests have the potential to be a powerful diagnostic tool for determining the level of understanding of each science concept along with determining where misconceptions may be hiding allowing teachers to differentiate instruction to meet the needs of a class or individuals.  At a later date, if desired, a parallel test could be administered as a post-test to check for students' growth during a course.  Teachers must take the short tutorials that explain how to use and understand the tests before being allowed to select tests.  After, the selected tests can be emailed to the teacher.  The key at the end of each test connects each question to a standard which may be used for more in-depth analyses.  This is followed by a list of common misconceptions for the grade level and subject.

Happy analyses,

Mrs. A

From the Classroom to the Garden

Hello All,

Seeing cucumbers and zucchini sitting on a counter recently led to some kids discussing their home gardens.  In our community, there are advertisements running to plant a row for a local food pantry.   Why not extend what students are learning in the classroom? Why not encourage students to start their own home gardens if some families are not gardening already?  Maybe it could turn into a service project to give back to the community? Why not use the grocery store as the source of seeds and recyclables as the source to start the new plants?  If going this route, it is best to select produce for home that is heirloom over hybrid if the intention is to save or plant the seeds.  We have had success planting the bases cut from celery and green onions.  Varieties of dry beans we have tried sprouted.   We even have had surprise extra tomato plants grow from our past garden compost.  There are many online articles and videos listing fruits and vegetables to try and information on seed and cutting care.  Depending on the zone one lives in, the options for what will do well and when vary.   Here, I have found the UW- Extension helpful in providing information about planting and harvesting.

Happy late gardening,

Mrs. A

Local Nature Resources

Hello All,

When my kids were much younger I enjoyed taking them to parks, state parks, and nature centers. I had the peaceful outdoor time I craved and they had vast areas to explore and run around.  As a science teacher, I have found state parks and nature centers to be a wonderful resource for pamphlets, guides, workshops and a valuable connection to other government resources.  Recently, I was able to score some guides on common forest trees in our state and pamphlets referencing invasive species in our area.  There were a few books available for review and purchase showcasing regional wildlife.  If your school is strapped for providing resources, it may be time to look for some low cost and no cost alternatives and training other places.  Great local places to check are nature centers, state park offices, museums, departments of natural resources/environmental protection/agriculture, and university extension programs.

Cheers to appreciating nature locally,

Mrs. A

On Standards

Hello All,

http://www.corestandards.org/assets/Appendix_A.pdf

I haven’t taken the time to sit down and read the Center on Education Policy’s Year 3 of Implementing the Common Core State Standards: An Overview of States’ Progress and Challenges.  I made a quick scan of the 20 page report after reading the article, Admins Predict Changes in Rigor, Instruction Under Common Core by Laura Devaney in eSchool News August 8, 2013 that referenced it.  While there is no ground breaking information in the article beyond the link to the report, it does remind me that the CCSS have a direct impact on science education.  After all, I have spent time tying CCSS into a unit plan with state standards and local learning targets.  The CCSS have me paying more attention to where and how colleagues work literacy into their content areas, not necessarily science.  I’ve been much more aware of the role literacy plays in my own preparations.  I cannot deny the changes in rigor seeing the increase in Lexile range for grade levels and the writing emphases.  Being associated with some that provide professional development, I’ve been able to hear about the challenges and progress being made in school districts in our state.  I realize my thoughts are focusing more on the Language Arts side of the Common Core State Standards; I appreciate and value math in science education as well. It seems the math side of science has had more attention with STEM in the news for many years.  As an educator, I am thankful there has been effort placed in referencing the Common Core State Standards in the Next Generation Science Standards as I expect there to be a push to align curriculum with NGSS over the next few years.  I have to admit including that information may make the transition to NGSS move along faster coming out so close to the implementation of CCSS.

Happy reading,

Mrs. A

Sharing Works

Hello All,

By LuMaxArt

There’s much concern and conversation over how to protect one’s own work and how to know which type of permissions are allowed when considering the use of others copyrighted work.  As educators, there is a site that can remove some of the guess work for us and for our students. I recommend spending some time becoming familiar with Creative Commons.  If you are looking for media to use, Creative Commons allows one to search media through different search sites selecting certain permissions.   If you are looking for ways to protect or share your own work, Creative Commons provides a number of licenses to help clarify what the creator has allowed or not allowed.    

Happy sharing,

Mrs. A

Free Introduction to Web 2.0 Tools Mini E-course

Hello All,

Powerful Learning Practice is a site geared more toward paid for professional development.  There is an Intro to Web 2.0 Tools mini-course offered for free through the site.  The learner receives an email each day for two weeks highlighting a different Web 2.0 tool.  The mini-course introduces blogging, wikis, social bookmarking, Twitter, Ning, videos and so much more.  The course content is easy to follow and relevant. At the end, the learner receives a nifty badge like the one to the right to add to a site, blog, or other space determined to be worthy and of course to advertise for PLP. By no means do I consider myself a Web 2.0 Tools Master, I did gather some new ideas and resources during the journey.  In the store there are also two free resources under Free Stuff, the Connected Educator Starter Kit and the Connected Teacher: Powering Up. 

Happy exploring,

Mrs. A