Lesson Plan for TPACK Integration and Reflection

                                                 Lesson for TPACK Integration

Learners: My learners for this lesson would be students in a Science class from Grades 5-8, but is more geared toward the upper level of students.

Learning Outcomes: At the end of this activity, students will be able to identify the signs and symptoms of high and low blood glucose/sugar and other pertinent facts about Diabetes Mellitus and its' effect on the human body.

Assessment: The students would be assessed informally through the introduction and KWL through discussion, and would also be assessed formally through use of the Kahoot application for review of the content, and finally, the students would be assessed on their final infographic poster made through the InstaGrok application.

Breakdown of lesson:

This Science lesson would begin with introducing the topic of Diabetes, and I would inform the students that we would be learning about the ways that this disease affects the human body, and most specifically, the signs and symptoms of high and low blood sugar. I would then use the presentation to complete a KWL chart as a whole-group, where I will dictate what the students "Know" about the topic, and what they "Want" to learn about the topic. Next, I would play the short, informational YouTube video introducing Diabetes. Once the video was complete, I would introduce the visual displaying an easy rhyme to help them remember some easy signs and symptoms of high or low blood sugar (hot and dry=sugar high, cold and clammy=need some candy) and would then launch into a slide about the differences between hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia. On the next slide, the students would be asked to come to the SmartBoard and drag and drop the correct rhyme and signs and symptoms of both hyper- and hypo-glycemia. We would then review this information, and complete a quick game regarding the information utilizing the Kahoot application. Finally, I would introduce the InstaGrok application, and complete a bubble map on the site as an example before explaining that, as an extension activity and assignment, the students would be required to complete research using the app and create an infographic poster to present to the class which explains what they have learned about Diabetes. To conclude the lesson, we would complete the "L" section of the KWL and I would dictate on the SmartBoard what the students had learned through the lesson.

Reflection

1. How well he use of this technology may support your teaching strategies in this activity.

The use of technology in this activity would be supportive in assisting students to receive a visual display of this complex disease, as well as a video which explains the topic in an easy-to-understand manner. Furthermore, the Kahoot app would serve to review the students on the content and engage them to want to complete further research on Diabetes. Lastly, the use of InstaGrok would be more of a student-centered activity, in which their final products would all be diffferent, allowing the students to complete the project in a way that is unique to them.

2. How effectively the use of this technology may enhance students' understanding of and learning from your particular content in this activity.

I believe this technology would be effective in enhancing the students' understanding of and learning from the content in this activity because Science concepts are often difficult to learn, therefore, students can learn through a visual graphic, video, and other visuals and concepts which will help them hopefully retain and comprehend the information.

What are your strategies and why do you think your strategies are appropriate to teaching this specific content? What makes you believe it would help your students comprehend this particular content? Give specific examples from your described activity.

My strategies in this lesson include accessing student's prior knowledge and scaffolding information, as well as engaging students through informational videos, review games, and interactive apps. I believe the rhyme would also assist students in comprehending the information because it is simple and easy to remember, but can also assist them in determining other signs and symptoms based on the wording of the rhyme.

What would be some conceptions and pre-conceptions that students of different ages and backgrounds bring with them when learning this particular content? What would you be concerned about students' prior knowledge, experiences, motivation? 

Today, many students are aware of at least one person who suffers from Diabetes, so I am sure there would be a plethora of conceptions and pre-conceptions that students would bring to the topic. Also, some may believe that Diabetes is solely a disease based on a lack of diet and exercise, rather than the complicated disease it really is. I would be concerned about the student's prior knowledge and experiences to assist me in planning further lessons, and possibly use student's personal experiences as learning opportunities in the classroom as well.

What main instructional strategies would this technology use serve in your activity? How would using the technology support the way you teach this activity? Please give examples and be specific to your described activity. Think about your main teaching strategies that this technology would support.

The technology for my lesson serves to basically teach the entire lesson, aside from "teachable moments" and classroom discussion that may occur. The KWL at the beginning of the lesson, and dictating what the students know and want to know about the topic helps to activate their prior knowledge and set a purpose for learning.  The use of a YouTube video, as well as the Kahoot game, offer an interactive way for the students to learn the content.  

What different classroom management strategies you might need to consider when using this technology in the activity? Give examples and be specific to your described activity.

Regarding classroom management, I would need to consider the student's age group and ability to use technology appropriately, especially while using the Kahoot and InsaGrok applications. I would monitor the students closely while they were engaged in these activities to ensure that they remain on task. 

In what different ways students practice or understand the content in your activity that would otherwise not be possible without the use of the technology? In addition to motivational benefits what else can students do with this technology as they are learning the content?

Without the use of this technology, the students would have a more difficult time understanding the complex nature of this disease; through watching the video, receiving hands on practice with identifying the signs and symptoms of Diabetes, and playing the interactive Kahoot review game, the students would otherwise be forced to learn about the topic through reading it out of a textbook or simply taking notes. 

3D Printing Reflection/Flipped Classroom Reflection

     The plethora of possibilities that the 3D printer provides is absolutely amazing to me, as I had never actually even heard of this device prior to taking this course.  However, after reading the article and viewing all the different ways this technology can be incorporated in any STEM classroom, I have learned much more about this amazing advancement. I believe that 3D printing can easily be integrated into the curriculum of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics in numerous ways, and should be included to engage and motivate students further through this technology.
     After reading the Smithsonian article about the flipped classroom, I have become much more interested in this approach to education.  I have heard of a flipped classroom prior to reading the article, but I was able to learn much more in-depth information about the purpose and use of a flipped classroom, as well as the benefits.  I think that it would be amazing to be able to allow students to obtain the needed information in a way that tailors to their individual needs, and I think the flipped classroom would be a great way to allow those students to learn the content knowledge and then be able to receive feedback from the instructor after applying and synthesizing that information.  I can definitely see the benefits of the flipped classroom approach, and hope to see more of this approach in the future.
    To conclude, the amazing technology available today ensures that students are able to learn in a way that is easiest for them, and the 3D printing technology would be a great way to reinforce and enrich concepts learned in the classroom. The flipped classroom is something that I will continue to research, as it appears to be a very effective way to deliver instruction to students and spend more time applying the knowledge to retain it better.

TPACK Reflection

     Although I was absent from the class discussion regarding TPACK, after reading the article about this framework, I can definitely see the benefits of following those standards in today's classroom.  The three main knowledge sources, which include technological tools, teaching methods, and subject matter, are all areas which have been discussed in many of my methods courses, but I do believe that I personally lack in the area of technology. Therefore, as the article suggests, to become a more well-rounded educator, technology is an area that I need to focus on to be able to deliver the content knowledge in a way that engages all the students I encounter.
     The second article I reviewed was Field Experiences, which discussed the use of technologically-enhanced/virtual field experiences versus the traditional field experience. Thus far, my field experiences in classrooms have been somewhat limited, and I do agree with the article in that, through the use of virtual field experiences, we can become better acquainted with a variety of teaching styles and methods.  Furthermore, the virtual field experience sounds like a great tool to offer pre-service teachers the ability to discuss shared experiences with their peers. I personally have had great experiences in the classroom thus far, with the exception of one teacher, and I do think that I would have benefited greatly from observing other educators that may have had more experience, or more of a longing to develop themselves as an educator. However, on the same coin, I believe that nothing can compete with hands on, personal contact with a teacher, students, and classroom.  
     In conclusion, while the virtual field experience would be beneficial for pre-service teachers to ensure that they are exposed to a wide variety of classroom settings, I think that the one-on-one contact with an actual teacher, and being able to pose questions and interact with the students, is the best way to prepare us for a career in education. Regarding the TPACK framework, I believe it is very interesting and definitely requires attention, because, at the end of the day, technology is here to stay, and we must remain vigilant on every aspect of education, including technology, to be the best educators we can possibly be.

Technology has become such an integral part of our society that, as with any "advancement", carries with it both negative and positive aspects.  Within Education, however, most of my observation in classrooms integrated heavily with technology have been extremely positive, with the students actively engaged in daily lessons and allowing educators to meet the many needs of a diverse range of students while also providing unique opportunities to assess their progress.  Because children are learning how to operate technology at an increasingly early age, school-age children in the classroom create the need to have greater access to the amazing technology available today.  It is my opinion that, with regard to Education, technology is an excellent means to engage this new generation of very visual learners in the classroom through the endless resources available at our fingertips.  These resources keep the classroom interesting and fun for the students, while also serving the purpose of reinforcing important concepts and enriching their knowledge base.
  While I have very little experience with technology aside from the most basic applications, I definitely see the need to become proficient with all that the world wide web and other media has to offer.  However, I do believe that, with regard to society a whole, technology does pose the possibility of creating a huge deficit in social interaction, and I agree somewhat with Einstein's notion--but I believe that, if we continue to depend on technology or social media to obtain all of our information, or use social media to experience socialization, we will miss out on all the opportunities that the actual world has to offer. 
 I grew up in a very small town in Kansas, and we were always quite behind technologically--I didn't have my first cell phone (a Kyocera flip-phone) until my Junior year of High School, and we had very few online resources at our disposal back then.  Therefore, while I was in school, we had to rely on actually talking to one another in person to make plans, see what was "going on", or simply just to see how someone's day was.  I almost long for those days because it forced shy people like myself to get out there and socialize, and today, I feel that many people hide behind social media and do use it as a crutch, because I know that I do.  Conversely, I think that technology is amazing because of the huge amount of information available, and the ever-expanding means with which we can socialize with others all over the world absolutely baffles me.  I hope to learn more about technology, as I know it will be very useful in the classroom, but I know that I will continue in my "old school" ways and probably only use technology when I absolutely need to, because I personally enjoy experiencing the world up close and in person!