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.