The “Great Teaching; Great Tools” gift card giveaway is off to a robust beginning, thanks to an anonymous donor who has given the Westerville City School District two $50 gift cards per month to use in a random drawing for teachers submitting ways they are integrating technology into their classrooms. More than 30 submissions were received the first month. Chris Henricksen of Mark Twain Elementary and Bridget Cargin of Westerville Central High School were the first randomly drawn winners of the gift cards.
Henricksen’s entry was for a science unit on ecosystems. He utilized a Moticam X wi-fi microscope camera to remotely broadcast images of a variety of biotic and abiotic factors from a microscope to the SMARTboard, so that all students could share in the exploration. Students compared and contrasted crystals of salt, sand, sugar, and sodium polyacrylate (fake snow/diaper polymer). Small insects, human hairs, and scat from the classroom pet mouse were also examined. When appropriate, students were challenged to place the items viewed within the larger context of an ecosystem food chain or web, thereby enhancing and extending the science learning standards.
Cargin’s entry was about greater use this year of the district’s Learning Management System, Schoology. She said she was thrilled with the online discussions her advanced placement students had regarding Toni Morrison’s novel, Beloved. Since it is such a difficult book, she said it was wonderful for pupils to be able to use each other as a resource to grapple with the challenging content and storytelling. Traditionally, students have kept journals when they read novels, but the Schoology discussion enabled a more in-depth analysis. Cargin’s lesson planning was formed around ideas being discussed online. Teachers and staff who would like to submit an entry for this month can do so by clicking on this link by Thursday, December 18:
http://tinyurl.com/GreatTeachingGreatTools.