i do not have a classroom right now... but last year i did a "virtual" station rotation for a plate tectonic unit. A station rotation was a series of activities designed to lead the learner through different aspects of a topic building their knowledge and experience.
with a plate tectonic activity, i found a virtual volcano on the discovery website and then added paper and pencil assignments to locate volcanoes and earthquakes, calculate the speed of the plates moving, and a performance assessment to create a power point presentations.
My ideal project would be for you all to look at this station rotation document and get your feedback. However, i realize we are all too busy with our own projects. whew!
I think i saved some of the power points from my last group of students- could i review those and consider this my source of data... any thoughts on doing such a thing?
I wouldn't have a problem looking at it. But to get a true kid experience you would need kids - do you have access to any kids? Maybe nieces/nephews, a past colleague, or even neighborhood kids? That would give you a much more realistic picture for your project.
Hey Group! Libby, I'd be happy to take a look as well at your station rotation but if you're looking to analyze the students from last year, my question would be, "will the powerpoints tell you about the effectiveness of the simulation itself, or of the educative experience it presented?" It sounds like the performance assessments you have are more like if the students understood what was going on. I think what Melanie is saying about snagging any kids to try it out would be a good idea. Even though it would be a small sample size, you would get some quality data. I think that's probably more along the guidelines for this project, but perhaps you should inquire with Dr. Wong.
Hello again, My project is fast approaching so let me tell you about it.
Topic- quantum mechanics of chemistry. So basically we are learning about electron behavior within an atom. Specifically, what happens to electrons when electrons absorb energy, and what happens to this energy when the electrons lose it.
Simulation and Follow up activity- the simulation is an internet based model of an electron that orbits the nucleus of an atom. It is very simple. The controls allow a person to manipulate the amount of energy a particle has that will eventually slam into the orbiting electron. The electron (depending on how much energy it absorbs) will make a jump to a higher energy state. What is important about the simulation is that when the electron returns to a lower energy level, it emits different colors, proportional to the amount of energy it absorbed. (This is the relationship I am hoping the students will grasp. In the past, students have struggled with this basic concept). The simulation gives an extremely visual experience of how color is produced in atoms. The follow up instructional activity will have students in lab observing specific colors of metal ion solutions as they are put through a Bunsen burner flame. Students will also have spectroscopes (similar to a prism) which take the light and break it into characteristic bands of light, corresponding to the amount of energy taken in and thus, given off. I am interested in how the internet simulation enhances their microscopic conception (explanation) of the macroscopic colors observed.
Educative Experience- The educative experiences involved are the ability to manipulate the energy settings from the demonstration and the overall outcome (colors) the electrons produce. The experience from the lab day is simply the hands-on and the opportunity (through guided questions) to draw a parallel between the previous day's simulation and the macroscopic observations they are witnessing.
Hypothesis- My hypothesis is that the educative experience of the simulation will increase the understanding of the concept and create a stronger, deeper, and more correct explanatory response from my students.
We live in very different teaching worlds! Your topic sounds so complicated compared to mine, but that is the differenc between fifth grade and high school!
The simulation you have chosen sounds very interesting. Could you provide a link to it? I'd like to see it. I think the fact that it allows the user to control how much energy a particle has, and thus see the end results of that quantity of energy, sounds like a pretty powerful learning experience.
Have you used simulations like this in the past?
Libby,
I'd also be glad to take a look at your project, but do agree that having some students might provide more powerful insight. Let us know how we can help!
All,
For the simulation aspect of the project I will be having my students visit two different simulations on the water cycle. The first gives an overview of the water cycle by making students "create" each stage of the cycle. The second simulation is more specific in that it lets students choose different pathways which explore where water goes in various stages of the cycle.
I think this concept will be powerful to students because it is not one you can visually see occurring. My students are aware of the various processes of the water cycle (precipitation, evaporation etc.) but do not connect them as one cycle yet.
The follow up activity will invovle creating a model of the water cycle in the classroom. It involves setting up a paint tray with sand on the elevated end and water in the lower end. A lid is put on the tray and a light is shown over the end of the tray containing water. This allows evaporation to occur. As this water vapor travels to the other end of the model, it encounters a cool atmosphere due to a bag of ice placed above the sand on the lid. The water vapor turns back into water and "rains" down on the sand. The students have the opportunity to look at the evidence left behind and infer what was happening at each point in the model.
I'm hoping to see them connect the three major pieces of the water cycle as a cycle and to understand one way the Earth works to recycle materials naturally.
You guys are awesome! I really, really appreciate the offer to help! It would be really cool to get your input.
I just moved into an apartment complex and maybe I could get some kids if set up a table in the lobby.
I need to firm up some ideas here but I will try to get kids and promise to only ask for your critique on a piece of the station rotations if they kick me out of the lobby.
I have put a little too much energy into getting mindomo to work. I have done everything possible to get it to work but no luck – update, restart, change browsers, try a different computer, try a Mac, try to get a new account and weep. At this point the only thing I can think of is my Norton settings are interfering in some way. Maybe the desktop version will work?
Is anyone using Gizmos?
Jen - I really like the paint tray experiment idea. Sometimes using a bigger container and no sand makes it hard to see the condensation. Are you using thermometers in each spot? Do your simulations use temperature change?
Jeff- I too would like to know which simulation you are using. I use a video of the flame tests when we talk about astronomy. At the beginning of the year in 6th grade we talk about different types of atoms. From Teacher’s Domain we watch a short clip about how each of the different elements is made in stars. The flame test helps to explain how pictures of stars and nebulas can help us understand what stars and nebulas are made of.
Group, Hope everyone's work is coming along! Jen, your project sounds super sweet. I would like to know how you plan to monitor/evaluate the "connection" they will make? Also, how are you going to elicit feedback from the simulation? I feel like my simulation is going to be a total let down when you ladies see it...seriously. It is super simple, but after searching high and low, this literally has the essentials for what I am trying to get across...plus it's simple and the results are boom, right there. Like I said before, the experience is in the "connection" between the microscopic and the macroscopic (fireworks, northern lights, "neon" lights, and flame tests!) In thinking about the use for lower grades, this might not be what you're looking for, but I attached another link for something else I found that I might incorporate as well! Have a good evening! And Libby...best of luck with your computer issues.
This is the one I am using: http://www.upscale.utoronto.ca/GeneralInterest/Harrison/BohrModel/Flash/BohrModel.html
This is the one I found while poking around: http://www.cs.sbcc.edu/physics/solar/sciencesegment/bohratom.swf
Hey everyone...here's mine. In 5th grade we are studying the earth, sun, and moon. Brand new GLCE's for us! Right now we are learning about phases of the moon and need to know the reason why there are different phases of the moon.
Prior to starting the inquiry I am going to have kids answer 4 questions for me: what fraction of the moon is always lit up by the sun, why can’t you see the new moon, what motion causes the moon to change phases, and then explain the reasons for the phases of the moon using drawings and words. This data will give me a baseline for prior knowledge and help determine what misconceptions the kids might have. During the first phase of the inquiry students will be working with me to model the different phases of the moon. Students will be moving around the room a lot as they work on understanding the different phases of the moon. After lots of discussion and modeling students will answer the four questions again. This will allow me to determine who has the concepts and who doesn’t. Then students will head to the lab and work through the simulation. I’m planning on using the simulation (http://sunshine.chpc.utah.edu/labs/moon/lunar_phases_main.html?ASPIRE_Session=592d714d6d11fb8bb5545b0be755ea58#part2). In the simulation the students are determining what part of the moon should be lit up and what part should be in shadows as well as determining which phase of the moon you would see depending on where you stood on Earth. The simulation also has some additional questions for the students that we will be able to print at the end. After the simulation the students will answer the same 4 questions for a final time. I am hypothesizing that the data will show that the simulation helped to solidify the concepts for the students. And that the simulation in conjunction with direct instruction allowed my students to fully understand the reasons behind the moons phases.
Jeff- I totally agree with Jen…very different worlds! I love how you are using the simulation as an introduction to your lesson. It will be really interesting to see if that helps. Too bad you didn’t have access to another group of students who either didn’t use the simulation at all or used it after your lesson.
Jen- I like how you are using the simulations and the hands on activity at the end. The water cycle can be a tough one for kids to get especially since it is not an easy thing for them to “see.” Its not like you can travel up to the clouds! But love how you have them make a mini water cycle. What data are you going to collect? And how are you going to do that?
Libby – Sorry to hear you are having problems with mindomo. I have a mac and didn’t have any issues – other than the fact that I couldn’t use my msu email account to log in. Good luck with finding some kids for your project.
here is the Gizmo site http://www.explorelearning.com/
there are free trials available. i thought the graphics were too abstract for earth science with sixth graders but some of the genetics stuff is great for middle and high school. you can sign in your class roster for a free trial too. i think to buy full access is lots of money.
here is the website for my volcano sim http://dsc.discovery.com/convergence/pompeii/interactive/interactive.html
I plan to do as Melanie is doing and ask a few pre-simulation questions before beginning the lesson. Then I plan to ask those same questions again after the lessons. I'm thinking of using survey monkey or something similar afterwards to collect students' responses regarding their feelings about learning via the two different methods. Specifically, I plan to ask them what they liked/did not like about each of the two lessons and which they felt they learned better from and why.
I had not thought of using thermometers Libby. That is great idea! It would help with understanding evaporation and condensation.
Melanie,
I like your simulation and that students have to choose different answers. Are you thinking that you will have students complete the simulation totally independently, or that there will be time for class discussion too throughout? I'm worried that some students will get confused without checkpoints together.
Libby,
Have you tried emailing Dr. Wong or Chiharu about your Mindomo issues? I was fine too once I used an email that wasn't my MSU email.
I have not used Gizmo before. Have you used it previously? It looks interesting, but I'm always leery of "free-trials"!
It's neat that you can change the amount of gas and viscosity in the volcano simulation. I think this will help students to understand the various ways in which a volcano might erupt. I also think the cross-section of the volcano is a great visual for helping understanding.
Jeff,
I too searched high and low for simulations. I learned that much of what is called a simulation on the Internet is really some sort of video, not something that students actually interact with.
It's been a while since I've studied anything like you are teaching. In the follow up activity, do different amounts of energy demonstrate themselves using different colors? I can't believe after five years teaching, I'm already saying, "It's been a while..." My high school chemistry class wasn't very interesting though. Your lesson sounds much more exciting!
Hey Group, Melanie, I totally dig your idea, and the pretest/post-test is a great way to judge the overall effectiveness of the activity. I might suggest that somewhere in the post-test (or maybe in another set of questionnaires all together) you probe the students about the overall effectiveness of the simulation itself in their learning/understanding. You could ask them to explain what specifically helped/hindered them in the sim. That way, it gives you some general understanding of the sim itself. Otherwise, maybe the sim wasn't all that effective and the direct instruction is what helped students the most, but the post-test just showed that they understood the concept in the end... does that make sense? Just a thought!.
Jen, The surveymonkey sounds like a solid idea regarding the survey specifics. Can you tell me, is the survey completely open ended (I assume you can set it up for it to be)? Also, is it (survey) something fairly easy the students can do? Like access wise to the internet, is it integrated into your computer time, or something you set up separate? Just curious. And to answer the question about the follow up activity, yes, essentially in the follow up they will observe different colored flames or gas emission tubes set up around the room. The big connection though will be when they view these flames, or tubes with their spectroscopes. The scopes break the visible light into its characteristic frequencies and they show up as bands of light in the scope. The connection (hopefully) will be an, "Aha! so the simulation and what I saw there is essentially what I am observing now. The colors correspond to electrons making specific transitions. At least, that's what I'm hoping for. The simulation we did today was promising. Students filled out a sheet of questions and predictions as well during the simulation, so I've got some initial data. Tomorrow, they are going to fill out the remaining questions on the sheet which will ask them to describe how effective the simulation was at helping them conceptualize the macroscopic examples of the follow up...I hope...I'm keeping my fingers crossed.
You all are giving awesome feedback! THANK YOU! But I have to say this format can me tough to follow and track all of the information.
During the sim part students will each be at their own computer, however there will be lots of stopping and discussing what is going on while they are working on it. So we will have those checkpoints throughout. Thanks for reminder for the probing questions about the simulation itself. I will probably add some additional questions pertaining to the sim onto their exit survey. But I really like Jen’s idea of the survey too…so I might incorporate something like that. Right now I am teaching 3 sections of science – and not sure why – but decided to use all 96 fifth graders for my project. So we started today our project today. As students were answering the initial set of questions, I noticed I had a great number of students leave answers blank. Which is what I expected. Tomorrow while the kids are MEAPing I’ll go over their questions and start recording the data. Wednesday and Friday we will finish the in class modeling part of the lesson. Then we should actually be in the lab on Monday completing the sim portion of the inquiry.
Jen - I love the idea of the survey. You can also make a survey in google docs using forms and then you can easily print and manipulate your data. I’m sure you can do that with survey monkey too.
Libby - that is a great site! Wish I had that when was teaching about earthquakes and volcanoes to 4th graders in CA! Have you been able to find some kids yet?
Jeff – Can’t wait to see how the rest of your project goes. I’ll keep my fingers crossed for you too!
My survey will be open-ended because I think that will be the best way for me to truly gauge students' responses. With survey monkey you can choose the type of questions you want to use, which includes open-ended.
I think your lesson idea sounds very interesting Jeff. It will definitely bring to life the concept viewed in the simulation.
I look forward to hearing about everyone's results later this week/next week!
melanie - like your suggestion of google docs for a survey. surveymonkey is easy but limiting if you want more than 10 questions. could you clarify one point for me - you have a a better grasp on this than i do - what happens when you change your position on earth relative to the moon phases?
jeff - do you talk about the EM spectrum with this activity? does that fit here?
jen- i like an open survey, too. I ask a lot of those on an end of unit test. although sometimes you get the wild response.
i have not used gizmos for a class because the high school was using the best ones for their bio classes. i did not want to repeat. although i hear you about the free trial aspect. for me the sims were hard to understand from 6th grade perspective - for earth science anyways. but beautiful graphics and great ones for bio. they gave a good feel for experiemental design and various outcomes.
still no go with mindomo. i can see your posts but can't respond. maybe i will add my two sense here. waiting to here back from Dr.Gao.
I did the first part of my lessons, which was the simulations. About 80 percent of my students liked the simulations because they were able to play a game about the topic or actually see what was happening. For the ones who didn't like it, they thought it was too simplistic. Another thing I heard that students didn't like was the surveys they had to take before and after the lesson...haha. They didn't know that was for research purposes.
Overall, students had a very small awareness of the water cycle before the simulations. A few knew some of the major parts, but hardly any students were able to put the entire cycle together. A majority of the students had a much more complete explanation after the simulations. Some commented that they enjoyed them too because they could go through them more than once.
The in-class lesson comes next week. We'll see how it goes!
jen- that is a really good point - that your students could go over the simulations again and again. that might be the beauty of simulations - the learner is in control of the information.
When you change your position on earth you will always see the same phase of the moon. This is in part because it takes approx 29-30 for the moon to complete one rotation as well as one revolution around the Earth.
Hey Gang, I have been looking over my survey and in particular, the main questions I asked the students were, "Was this simulation helpful in the understanding of this concept?" and, "What made it helpful/not helpful?" I plan to follow up with a more in depth discussion of what components make for an excellent simulation. Anyway, back to the data. Overwhelmingly, what I am finding is that my students stated that the basic simulation was simple, visual, easy to understand, and when asked to explain it, they were in many cases able to provide a very accurate explanation of what was occurring. All of these had hoped for. Now, my question is this: the students who said this was not helpful stated that it was too complicated and they did not really "understand the point" or what was actually going on. The couldn't necessarily tell me why it wasn't helpful though. Consequently, these students are also receiving lower grades (D's and E's) in this course. How do I rationalize this scientifically? I mean, bluntly put, for the more intelligent kids who pay attention, it appeared to be effective, and those that don't appear to see little value or understanding of it. How can I explain this? Please help me out! Insights, etc? What angle can I take this and what further questions can I ask? Thanks!
I think this is where educational research and inquiry gets tricky. There are so many variables. Do you believe these students were trying to understand the simulation? I ask because it is interesting that they weren't able to be specific about their reasons for thinking it wasn't helpful. Could it have helped them, but they chose not to engage? I'm not trying to be negative. Maybe it really was complicated for them...just asking.
Can you take the angle that simulations can be useful with a certain group of students but that you would need more time to investigate if this could be true for all students? Or could you look at it percentage wise and tell how many thought it was an effective learning tool and how many didn't? I'm not sure all of your data has to point the same direction.
All,
I also did not receive feedback on my plan and am mostly done with my lessons.
did you actually see everyone complete the sim? i find sometimes the kids without a comment are the kids without the experience.
i think your question is a great one but only they can really answer you... can you get them to sit down with you and do the activity? it would be very interesting to see their perspective as they are definitly seeing or not seeing something others are not.
Jen, The students that indicated it wasn't helpful are also the students who always complain, "They don't get it"...how frustrating, you know what I mean?? The angle I am considering is the fact that this simulation was completed as a class, so students viewed the simulations with the narration from me. Not the most engaging of simulations, however, I am also interested in what qualities contribute to effective simulations. Having found one article online recently, it drew an interesting parallel between having an actual audio narration versus a teacher narration and the data pointed to detraction from understanding when the teacher acutally got in the mix. Secondly, I am also considering the timeframe in which the simulation was presented. It was presented on the first day of a new unit, in hopes that a connection could be drawn immediately between the microscopic and the observable macroscopic experiment they completed the following day. Lots to consider, and lots to still inquire about...
Libby, I'll read through the informational folder in Angel about the specifics of the Podcasts and get back to you.
Were those students just as engaged as the others? Or where they wanting to look like they were engaged? I noticed that my students who struggle with directions randomly clicked to mkae it look like they were doing the activity. I've also noticed that those same students don't realize they don't get it. Can you pull them aside and work through the sim with them? Maybe the question you need to ask is how does one modify simulations for students with special needs? jsut a though.
My project is coming along. Tomorrow is the big day for me. I"m taking 96 5th graders to the lab (3 classes, 3 different times!). I might be biting of more than I can chew...but I also wanted to have the ability to tweak it as I go if needed for the different classes. I'm hoping that the simulation will help solidify the concepts for the kids. So I'll have more to report tomorrow!
Libby- I read through the information tonight. Doesn't look like we have to - but you probably could especially to help with vivid details/dramatic tension portions of the podcast.
Anyone else think it will be a challenge to get all of our project into 5 minutes?
Melanie, Those students were in fact engaged. Participating, yes, getting it, definitely not. I am thinking of coming back to the simulation for those particular students since the unit is now over and ask them to explain the simulation to me. This would help to provide a plausible explanation...the simulation was too earlier in their conceptual development of the idea involved.
Five minutes might be short, but it'll be a heck of a five minutes though! Me, being a completely unoriginal person, is actually kind of excited for this opportunity to get creative.
A question I have. How/where do we upload this mp3 into Google Blogger? Anybody know. What I might do is just create a post here with a link to my podcast through gcast, which is what I usually use for podcasts.
I conducted the second part of my lesson yesterday, which was the in class lesson part using the water cycle model with the sand, water, ice, and lamp. My survey results were very interesting. About half of my students said they really liked the combination of the simulations in the computer lab and the in-class demonstration. About 30% said they preferred just in class lessons and about 20% said they preferred computer simulations for learning.
This really surprised me! I think at the elementary age the concrete experiments and demonstrations really leave a lasting impact though. I'm wondering if it is harder for them to wrap their minds around a simulation at a younger age? Or perhaps since many of my students do not regularly use computers at home maybe they aren't as inclined to feel comfortable learning via technology?
Just some ideas....I'm still tossing it around in my head!
interesting ideas emerging from your comments... that the use of computer simulations is both time and age dependent. that timing during the lesson or unit is important and that the real deal might work better for certain age groups.
melanie,
thanks for the moon phase info and good luck tomorrow!
Libby, I checked out the volcano simulation. Very cool. Easy to use, lots of good, quality, and most important, succinct, information for your students. Now let me get this straight, the topic is how the Earth is changing (changed), because in the Google Doc I see fossil evidence and what looks like Pangaea? So each station is a different aspect/evidence for Earth changing,w ith Volcanoes being on piece of evidence? If so, I think the simulation is extremely powerful. Each station asks them to complete a separate task, so they are constantly doing something different. I know from my experience in chemistry, the most engaged labs are the station rotation labs. I think the simulation is a winner, but now I would ask you to begin to think about the focus of the lesson, what do your students concieve of the simulation? Benefits and drawbacks in their eyes?
No questions to the Smithsonian for me.
Does anyone know where we post the Podcast so others can listen?
Well, I emailed Professor because the directions aren't explicit about where to post the test, so... the link below is my audio Podcast test. Scroll down the page to "CEP 806 Audio Test 10-25-09"
Your podcast is clear and crisp! I too was watching the game, but was working on Christmas cards rather than homework. I thought for sure that MSU was going to stop Iowa. :(
Melanie, Congratulations to your puppy! I have not used gcast but a few times. More of a time constraint issue of not using it more than anything else...just so busy all the time:(
A QUESTION... Are any of you looping music to go along with the Podcast, or are you just sticking to you talking? Breaking it up into sections? I am just brainstorming on how to get the story told and not put anyone to sleep. I was considering getting a bunch of friends to do voices, or pull sound bytes from the internet and import them like the tutorial showed how. I just don't know about how much time I can/should invest in this. How is everyone putting their projects together?
On a separate note, I read my final article for Appreciating the Reading and it took my thoughts in a different direction than my research was heading. The article focused around the complexity of the simulation and the extent to which students have prior knowledge. Before (last week) my comments were of frustration because the usual students who "don't get it" and whatnot were the same ones giving negative feedback of the sim. Now, instead of being frustrated, I tried to look at the sim from a complexity angle and find a parallel between the students who did not find it effective and their level of prior experience. In most cases, these same frustrating students have low prior knowledge AND perhaps the simulation which I interpreted as simple, is actually more complex than I first thought. So, currently, this is what I am looking into. Should be an interesting week leading up to the project turn in. Comments? Feedback? Thanks!
I think its great that a reading had the opportunity to challenge the direction of your thinking. I say go with what makes the most sense. There really is no right or wrong answer--just what you can make out of the situation. Helpful advice, huh? :)
I may add some music and break my podcast into sections, but will not be using sound clips/voices etc. It did say to not make it too technologically complex in the directions. I'm just trying to look at it from the angle of a storyteller. I'm sure it will ever make it into the exciting category though!
jeff- the affect prior knowledge has on sims is an interesting angle because i think it opens up questions to how pictoral representations are interpreted. do we see what we want to see- do we see only what we know? i wonder if the same kids which have trouble with or don't like sims are the type of person which prefers to read directions for something like putting a bike together rather than see how i's done. could you explore that angle? thanks for the feedback on my station rotation. in general, the students did like the volcano sim. at times a few were confused about how to make the changes and then how to relate cause and effect to their changes. i would next time do a little hands on activity with visosity of different liquids rather than a talk. in the end they were to make a power point prestenation to show how they tied all the stations together.. what connections did they make and then to talk about how or if these ideas could demostrate how a theory is created. it was a lot of work.... on everyone's part.
Thanks! I totally understand the time constraint. I finally played with garage band on my mac...way cool. I won't have to use audacity now!
I will probably add some music to break up into sections. I do have some audio from student interview that I "might" add if it helps tell the story. More thank likely I won't be putting mine together until saturday.
So much to do this time of year. Fall conferences are just 2 weeks away! Yikes!
hello all!
ReplyDeletei do not have a classroom right now... but last year i did a "virtual" station rotation for a plate tectonic unit. A station rotation was a series of activities designed to lead the learner through different aspects of a topic building their knowledge and experience.
with a plate tectonic activity, i found a virtual volcano on the discovery website and then added paper and pencil assignments to locate volcanoes and earthquakes, calculate the speed of the plates moving, and a performance assessment to create a power point presentations.
My ideal project would be for you all to look at this station rotation document and get your feedback. However, i realize we are all too busy with our own projects. whew!
I think i saved some of the power points from my last group of students- could i review those and consider this my source of data... any thoughts on doing such a thing?
I wouldn't have a problem looking at it. But to get a true kid experience you would need kids - do you have access to any kids? Maybe nieces/nephews, a past colleague, or even neighborhood kids? That would give you a much more realistic picture for your project.
ReplyDeleteHey Group!
ReplyDeleteLibby, I'd be happy to take a look as well at your station rotation but if you're looking to analyze the students from last year, my question would be, "will the powerpoints tell you about the effectiveness of the simulation itself, or of the educative experience it presented?" It sounds like the performance assessments you have are more like if the students understood what was going on. I think what Melanie is saying about snagging any kids to try it out would be a good idea. Even though it would be a small sample size, you would get some quality data.
I think that's probably more along the guidelines for this project, but perhaps you should inquire with Dr. Wong.
Hello again,
ReplyDeleteMy project is fast approaching so let me tell you about it.
Topic- quantum mechanics of chemistry. So basically we are learning about electron behavior within an atom. Specifically, what happens to electrons when electrons absorb energy, and what happens to this energy when the electrons lose it.
Simulation and Follow up activity- the simulation is an internet based model of an electron that orbits the nucleus of an atom. It is very simple. The controls allow a person to manipulate the amount of energy a particle has that will eventually slam into the orbiting electron. The electron (depending on how much energy it absorbs) will make a jump to a higher energy state. What is important about the simulation is that when the electron returns to a lower energy level, it emits different colors, proportional to the amount of energy it absorbed. (This is the relationship I am hoping the students will grasp. In the past, students have struggled with this basic concept). The simulation gives an extremely visual experience of how color is produced in atoms. The follow up instructional activity will have students in lab observing specific colors of metal ion solutions as they are put through a Bunsen burner flame. Students will also have spectroscopes (similar to a prism) which take the light and break it into characteristic bands of light, corresponding to the amount of energy taken in and thus, given off.
I am interested in how the internet simulation enhances their microscopic conception (explanation) of the macroscopic colors observed.
Educative Experience- The educative experiences involved are the ability to manipulate the energy settings from the demonstration and the overall outcome (colors) the electrons produce. The experience from the lab day is simply the hands-on and the opportunity (through guided questions) to draw a parallel between the previous day's simulation and the macroscopic observations they are witnessing.
Hypothesis- My hypothesis is that the educative experience of the simulation will increase the understanding of the concept and create a stronger, deeper, and more correct explanatory response from my students.
Jeff V.
Jeff-
ReplyDeleteWe live in very different teaching worlds! Your topic sounds so complicated compared to mine, but that is the differenc between fifth grade and high school!
The simulation you have chosen sounds very interesting. Could you provide a link to it? I'd like to see it. I think the fact that it allows the user to control how much energy a particle has, and thus see the end results of that quantity of energy, sounds like a pretty powerful learning experience.
Have you used simulations like this in the past?
Libby,
I'd also be glad to take a look at your project, but do agree that having some students might provide more powerful insight. Let us know how we can help!
All,
For the simulation aspect of the project I will be having my students visit two different simulations on the water cycle. The first gives an overview of the water cycle by making students "create" each stage of the cycle. The second simulation is more specific in that it lets students choose different pathways which explore where water goes in various stages of the cycle.
I think this concept will be powerful to students because it is not one you can visually see occurring. My students are aware of the various processes of the water cycle (precipitation, evaporation etc.) but do not connect them as one cycle yet.
The follow up activity will invovle creating a model of the water cycle in the classroom. It involves setting up a paint tray with sand on the elevated end and water in the lower end. A lid is put on the tray and a light is shown over the end of the tray containing water. This allows evaporation to occur. As this water vapor travels to the other end of the model, it encounters a cool atmosphere due to a bag of ice placed above the sand on the lid. The water vapor turns back into water and "rains" down on the sand. The students have the opportunity to look at the evidence left behind and infer what was happening at each point in the model.
I'm hoping to see them connect the three major pieces of the water cycle as a cycle and to understand one way the Earth works to recycle materials naturally.
You guys are awesome! I really, really appreciate the offer to help! It would be really cool to get your input.
ReplyDeleteI just moved into an apartment complex and maybe I could get some kids if set up a table in the lobby.
I need to firm up some ideas here but I will try to get kids and promise to only ask for your critique on a piece of the station rotations if they kick me out of the lobby.
I have put a little too much energy into getting mindomo to work. I have done everything possible to get it to work but no luck – update, restart, change browsers, try a different computer, try a Mac, try to get a new account and weep. At this point the only thing I can think of is my Norton settings are interfering in some way. Maybe the desktop version will work?
Is anyone using Gizmos?
Jen - I really like the paint tray experiment idea. Sometimes using a bigger container and no sand makes it hard to see the condensation. Are you using thermometers in each spot? Do your simulations use temperature change?
Jeff- I too would like to know which simulation you are using. I use a video of the flame tests when we talk about astronomy. At the beginning of the year in 6th grade we talk about different types of atoms. From Teacher’s Domain we watch a short clip about how each of the different elements is made in stars. The flame test helps to explain how pictures of stars and nebulas can help us understand what stars and nebulas are made of.
Group,
ReplyDeleteHope everyone's work is coming along! Jen, your project sounds super sweet. I would like to know how you plan to monitor/evaluate the "connection" they will make? Also, how are you going to elicit feedback from the simulation?
I feel like my simulation is going to be a total let down when you ladies see it...seriously. It is super simple, but after searching high and low, this literally has the essentials for what I am trying to get across...plus it's simple and the results are boom, right there. Like I said before, the experience is in the "connection" between the microscopic and the macroscopic (fireworks, northern lights, "neon" lights, and flame tests!)
In thinking about the use for lower grades, this might not be what you're looking for, but I attached another link for something else I found that I might incorporate as well! Have a good evening! And Libby...best of luck with your computer issues.
This is the one I am using:
http://www.upscale.utoronto.ca/GeneralInterest/Harrison/BohrModel/Flash/BohrModel.html
This is the one I found while poking around:
http://www.cs.sbcc.edu/physics/solar/sciencesegment/bohratom.swf
Jeff V.
P.S.- Never heard of Gizmos...tell me more!
Hey everyone...here's mine. In 5th grade we are studying the earth, sun, and moon. Brand new GLCE's for us! Right now we are learning about phases of the moon and need to know the reason why there are different phases of the moon.
ReplyDeletePrior to starting the inquiry I am going to have kids answer 4 questions for me: what fraction of the moon is always lit up by the sun, why can’t you see the new moon, what motion causes the moon to change phases, and then explain the reasons for the phases of the moon using drawings and words. This data will give me a baseline for prior knowledge and help determine what misconceptions the kids might have. During the first phase of the inquiry students will be working with me to model the different phases of the moon. Students will be moving around the room a lot as they work on understanding the different phases of the moon.
After lots of discussion and modeling students will answer the four questions again. This will allow me to determine who has the concepts and who doesn’t.
Then students will head to the lab and work through the simulation. I’m planning on using the simulation (http://sunshine.chpc.utah.edu/labs/moon/lunar_phases_main.html?ASPIRE_Session=592d714d6d11fb8bb5545b0be755ea58#part2). In the simulation the students are determining what part of the moon should be lit up and what part should be in shadows as well as determining which phase of the moon you would see depending on where you stood on Earth. The simulation also has some additional questions for the students that we will be able to print at the end.
After the simulation the students will answer the same 4 questions for a final time. I am hypothesizing that the data will show that the simulation helped to solidify the concepts for the students. And that the simulation in conjunction with direct instruction allowed my students to fully understand the reasons behind the moons phases.
Jeff-
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with Jen…very different worlds! I love how you are using the simulation as an introduction to your lesson. It will be really interesting to see if that helps. Too bad you didn’t have access to another group of students who either didn’t use the simulation at all or used it after your lesson.
Jen-
I like how you are using the simulations and the hands on activity at the end. The water cycle can be a tough one for kids to get especially since it is not an easy thing for them to “see.” Its not like you can travel up to the clouds! But love how you have them make a mini water cycle. What data are you going to collect? And how are you going to do that?
Libby –
Sorry to hear you are having problems with mindomo. I have a mac and didn’t have any issues – other than the fact that I couldn’t use my msu email account to log in. Good luck with finding some kids for your project.
And what is Gizmo?
here is the Gizmo site
ReplyDeletehttp://www.explorelearning.com/
there are free trials available. i thought the graphics were too abstract for earth science with sixth graders but some of the genetics stuff is great for middle and high school. you can sign in your class roster for a free trial too. i think to buy full access is lots of money.
here is the website for my volcano sim
http://dsc.discovery.com/convergence/pompeii/interactive/interactive.html
I plan to do as Melanie is doing and ask a few pre-simulation questions before beginning the lesson. Then I plan to ask those same questions again after the lessons. I'm thinking of using survey monkey or something similar afterwards to collect students' responses regarding their feelings about learning via the two different methods. Specifically, I plan to ask them what they liked/did not like about each of the two lessons and which they felt they learned better from and why.
ReplyDeleteI had not thought of using thermometers Libby. That is great idea! It would help with understanding evaporation and condensation.
Melanie,
I like your simulation and that students have to choose different answers. Are you thinking that you will have students complete the simulation totally independently, or that there will be time for class discussion too throughout? I'm worried that some students will get confused without checkpoints together.
Libby,
Have you tried emailing Dr. Wong or Chiharu about your Mindomo issues? I was fine too once I used an email that wasn't my MSU email.
I have not used Gizmo before. Have you used it previously? It looks interesting, but I'm always leery of "free-trials"!
It's neat that you can change the amount of gas and viscosity in the volcano simulation. I think this will help students to understand the various ways in which a volcano might erupt. I also think the cross-section of the volcano is a great visual for helping understanding.
Jeff,
I too searched high and low for simulations. I learned that much of what is called a simulation on the Internet is really some sort of video, not something that students actually interact with.
It's been a while since I've studied anything like you are teaching. In the follow up activity, do different amounts of energy demonstrate themselves using different colors? I can't believe after five years teaching, I'm already saying, "It's been a while..." My high school chemistry class wasn't very interesting though. Your lesson sounds much more exciting!
Hey Group,
ReplyDeleteMelanie, I totally dig your idea, and the pretest/post-test is a great way to judge the overall effectiveness of the activity. I might suggest that somewhere in the post-test (or maybe in another set of questionnaires all together) you probe the students about the overall effectiveness of the simulation itself in their learning/understanding. You could ask them to explain what specifically helped/hindered them in the sim. That way, it gives you some general understanding of the sim itself. Otherwise, maybe the sim wasn't all that effective and the direct instruction is what helped students the most, but the post-test just showed that they understood the concept in the end... does that make sense? Just a thought!.
Jen,
The surveymonkey sounds like a solid idea regarding the survey specifics. Can you tell me, is the survey completely open ended (I assume you can set it up for it to be)? Also, is it (survey) something fairly easy the students can do? Like access wise to the internet, is it integrated into your computer time, or something you set up separate? Just curious.
And to answer the question about the follow up activity, yes, essentially in the follow up they will observe different colored flames or gas emission tubes set up around the room. The big connection though will be when they view these flames, or tubes with their spectroscopes. The scopes break the visible light into its characteristic frequencies and they show up as bands of light in the scope. The connection (hopefully) will be an, "Aha! so the simulation and what I saw there is essentially what I am observing now. The colors correspond to electrons making specific transitions. At least, that's what I'm hoping for. The simulation we did today was promising. Students filled out a sheet of questions and predictions as well during the simulation, so I've got some initial data. Tomorrow, they are going to fill out the remaining questions on the sheet which will ask them to describe how effective the simulation was at helping them conceptualize the macroscopic examples of the follow up...I hope...I'm keeping my fingers crossed.
You all are giving awesome feedback! THANK YOU! But I have to say this format can me tough to follow and track all of the information.
ReplyDeleteDuring the sim part students will each be at their own computer, however there will be lots of stopping and discussing what is going on while they are working on it. So we will have those checkpoints throughout.
Thanks for reminder for the probing questions about the simulation itself. I will probably add some additional questions pertaining to the sim onto their exit survey. But I really like Jen’s idea of the survey too…so I might incorporate something like that.
Right now I am teaching 3 sections of science – and not sure why – but decided to use all 96 fifth graders for my project. So we started today our project today. As students were answering the initial set of questions, I noticed I had a great number of students leave answers blank. Which is what I expected. Tomorrow while the kids are MEAPing I’ll go over their questions and start recording the data. Wednesday and Friday we will finish the in class modeling part of the lesson. Then we should actually be in the lab on Monday completing the sim portion of the inquiry.
Jen - I love the idea of the survey. You can also make a survey in google docs using forms and then you can easily print and manipulate your data. I’m sure you can do that with survey monkey too.
Libby - that is a great site! Wish I had that when was teaching about earthquakes and volcanoes to 4th graders in CA! Have you been able to find some kids yet?
Jeff – Can’t wait to see how the rest of your project goes. I’ll keep my fingers crossed for you too!
My survey will be open-ended because I think that will be the best way for me to truly gauge students' responses. With survey monkey you can choose the type of questions you want to use, which includes open-ended.
ReplyDeleteI think your lesson idea sounds very interesting Jeff. It will definitely bring to life the concept viewed in the simulation.
I look forward to hearing about everyone's results later this week/next week!
melanie - like your suggestion of google docs for a survey. surveymonkey is easy but limiting if you want more than 10 questions. could you clarify one point for me - you have a a better grasp on this than i do - what happens when you change your position on earth relative to the moon phases?
ReplyDeletejeff - do you talk about the EM spectrum with this activity? does that fit here?
jen- i like an open survey, too. I ask a lot of those on an end of unit test. although sometimes you get the wild response.
i have not used gizmos for a class because the high school was using the best ones for their bio classes. i did not want to repeat. although i hear you about the free trial aspect. for me the sims were hard to understand from 6th grade perspective - for earth science anyways. but beautiful graphics and great ones for bio. they gave a good feel for experiemental design and various outcomes.
still no go with mindomo. i can see your posts but can't respond. maybe i will add my two sense here. waiting to here back from Dr.Gao.
I did the first part of my lessons, which was the simulations. About 80 percent of my students liked the simulations because they were able to play a game about the topic or actually see what was happening. For the ones who didn't like it, they thought it was too simplistic. Another thing I heard that students didn't like was the surveys they had to take before and after the lesson...haha. They didn't know that was for research purposes.
ReplyDeleteOverall, students had a very small awareness of the water cycle before the simulations. A few knew some of the major parts, but hardly any students were able to put the entire cycle together. A majority of the students had a much more complete explanation after the simulations. Some commented that they enjoyed them too because they could go through them more than once.
The in-class lesson comes next week. We'll see how it goes!
jen- that is a really good point - that your students could go over the simulations again and again. that might be the beauty of simulations - the learner is in control of the information.
ReplyDeleteLibby-
ReplyDeleteWhen you change your position on earth you will always see the same phase of the moon. This is in part because it takes approx 29-30 for the moon to complete one rotation as well as one revolution around the Earth.
Were we supposed to get feedback from Dr. Wong on our inquiry plan?
ReplyDeleteMelanie,
ReplyDeleteI thought so, but for me, by the time I got feedback, I was done with my simulation and doing wrap up on it...so oh well!
Hey Gang,
ReplyDeleteI have been looking over my survey and in particular, the main questions I asked the students were, "Was this simulation helpful in the understanding of this concept?" and, "What made it helpful/not helpful?" I plan to follow up with a more in depth discussion of what components make for an excellent simulation.
Anyway, back to the data. Overwhelmingly, what I am finding is that my students stated that the basic simulation was simple, visual, easy to understand, and when asked to explain it, they were in many cases able to provide a very accurate explanation of what was occurring. All of these had hoped for. Now, my question is this: the students who said this was not helpful stated that it was too complicated and they did not really "understand the point" or what was actually going on. The couldn't necessarily tell me why it wasn't helpful though. Consequently, these students are also receiving lower grades (D's and E's) in this course. How do I rationalize this scientifically? I mean, bluntly put, for the more intelligent kids who pay attention, it appeared to be effective, and those that don't appear to see little value or understanding of it. How can I explain this? Please help me out! Insights, etc? What angle can I take this and what further questions can I ask? Thanks!
Melanie,
ReplyDeleteI need to clarify, my first comment made it appear I actually got feedback...which I did not.
Jeff,
ReplyDeleteI think this is where educational research and inquiry gets tricky. There are so many variables. Do you believe these students were trying to understand the simulation? I ask because it is interesting that they weren't able to be specific about their reasons for thinking it wasn't helpful. Could it have helped them, but they chose not to engage? I'm not trying to be negative. Maybe it really was complicated for them...just asking.
Can you take the angle that simulations can be useful with a certain group of students but that you would need more time to investigate if this could be true for all students? Or could you look at it percentage wise and tell how many thought it was an effective learning tool and how many didn't? I'm not sure all of your data has to point the same direction.
All,
I also did not receive feedback on my plan and am mostly done with my lessons.
jeff,
ReplyDeletedid you actually see everyone complete the sim? i find sometimes the kids without a comment are the kids without the experience.
i think your question is a great one but only they can really answer you... can you get them to sit down with you and do the activity? it would be very interesting to see their perspective as they are definitly seeing or not seeing something others are not.
hi all,
ReplyDeletei was not able to get fresh data from my apartment complex....rats.
sounds like you have some frustrations about getting data, too? yes? i think i will need to mine my old student work file.
are we supposed to add student voices to our podcast?
Jen,
ReplyDeleteThe students that indicated it wasn't helpful are also the students who always complain, "They don't get it"...how frustrating, you know what I mean??
The angle I am considering is the fact that this simulation was completed as a class, so students viewed the simulations with the narration from me. Not the most engaging of simulations, however, I am also interested in what qualities contribute to effective simulations. Having found one article online recently, it drew an interesting parallel between having an actual audio narration versus a teacher narration and the data pointed to detraction from understanding when the teacher acutally got in the mix.
Secondly, I am also considering the timeframe in which the simulation was presented. It was presented on the first day of a new unit, in hopes that a connection could be drawn immediately between the microscopic and the observable macroscopic experiment they completed the following day. Lots to consider, and lots to still inquire about...
Libby,
I'll read through the informational folder in Angel about the specifics of the Podcasts and get back to you.
How is everyone else's projects coming along?
Jeff-
ReplyDeleteWere those students just as engaged as the others? Or where they wanting to look like they were engaged? I noticed that my students who struggle with directions randomly clicked to mkae it look like they were doing the activity. I've also noticed that those same students don't realize they don't get it. Can you pull them aside and work through the sim with them? Maybe the question you need to ask is how does one modify simulations for students with special needs? jsut a though.
My project is coming along. Tomorrow is the big day for me. I"m taking 96 5th graders to the lab (3 classes, 3 different times!). I might be biting of more than I can chew...but I also wanted to have the ability to tweak it as I go if needed for the different classes. I'm hoping that the simulation will help solidify the concepts for the kids. So I'll have more to report tomorrow!
Libby- I read through the information tonight. Doesn't look like we have to - but you probably could especially to help with vivid details/dramatic tension portions of the podcast.
Anyone else think it will be a challenge to get all of our project into 5 minutes?
Melanie,
ReplyDeleteThose students were in fact engaged. Participating, yes, getting it, definitely not. I am thinking of coming back to the simulation for those particular students since the unit is now over and ask them to explain the simulation to me. This would help to provide a plausible explanation...the simulation was too earlier in their conceptual development of the idea involved.
Five minutes might be short, but it'll be a heck of a five minutes though! Me, being a completely unoriginal person, is actually kind of excited for this opportunity to get creative.
A question I have. How/where do we upload this mp3 into Google Blogger? Anybody know. What I might do is just create a post here with a link to my podcast through gcast, which is what I usually use for podcasts.
I conducted the second part of my lesson yesterday, which was the in class lesson part using the water cycle model with the sand, water, ice, and lamp. My survey results were very interesting. About half of my students said they really liked the combination of the simulations in the computer lab and the in-class demonstration. About 30% said they preferred just in class lessons and about 20% said they preferred computer simulations for learning.
ReplyDeleteThis really surprised me! I think at the elementary age the concrete experiments and demonstrations really leave a lasting impact though. I'm wondering if it is harder for them to wrap their minds around a simulation at a younger age? Or perhaps since many of my students do not regularly use computers at home maybe they aren't as inclined to feel comfortable learning via technology?
Just some ideas....I'm still tossing it around in my head!
hello all
ReplyDeleteif anyone as time here is the link for my virtual exploration of plate techonics
http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0Ad8K3FjU8iXhZGR2djRyYnZfMGY5bXJqZmhx&hl=en
before we started this rotation students placed the location of several earthquakes and volcanoes using their longitude and latitude on a world map.
also they made a short power point animation showing heat rising from the core of the earth.
some of the formating changed while converting this to google docs but hopefully this will not be a distraction for you.
each station was given as a short mini lesson each day. so more direction was given in class each day.
if you have time... please let me know how the simulation i use in the last station works into the project.
many thanks!
jeff and jen,
ReplyDeleteinteresting ideas emerging from your comments... that the use of computer simulations is both time and age dependent. that timing during the lesson or unit is important and that the real deal might work better for certain age groups.
melanie,
thanks for the moon phase info and good luck tomorrow!
i live in D.C. for the moment... we are planning to go down to the smithsonian nat. history museum this weekend to compare with the virtual tour...
ReplyDeletegot any questions you would like me to find out for you?
Libby,
ReplyDeleteI checked out the volcano simulation. Very cool. Easy to use, lots of good, quality, and most important, succinct, information for your students. Now let me get this straight, the topic is how the Earth is changing (changed), because in the Google Doc I see fossil evidence and what looks like Pangaea? So each station is a different aspect/evidence for Earth changing,w ith Volcanoes being on piece of evidence? If so, I think the simulation is extremely powerful. Each station asks them to complete a separate task, so they are constantly doing something different. I know from my experience in chemistry, the most engaged labs are the station rotation labs. I think the simulation is a winner, but now I would ask you to begin to think about the focus of the lesson, what do your students concieve of the simulation? Benefits and drawbacks in their eyes?
No questions to the Smithsonian for me.
Does anyone know where we post the Podcast so others can listen?
-Jeff
Jeff-
ReplyDeleteI think we will have to post it somewhere else - maybe edublog or even msu space and then share the link on here.
I'll be doing my test run tomorrow.
~Melanie
Well,
ReplyDeleteI emailed Professor because the directions aren't explicit about where to post the test, so... the link below is my audio Podcast test. Scroll down the page to "CEP 806 Audio Test 10-25-09"
http://www.gcast.com/u/vogt4soc/main
-Jeff
Jeff-
ReplyDeleteYour podcast is clear and crisp! I too was watching the game, but was working on Christmas cards rather than homework. I thought for sure that MSU was going to stop Iowa. :(
~Melanie
Here is my test podcast. Don't forget to add yours to the drop box in Angel.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.gcast.com/user/graymela/podcast/main
Jeff- I tried out gcast for the first time. Way easy to use!! Have you used it often?
Here is a link to my podcast:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.msu.edu/~hagerjen/podcast/Newman.test.mp3
I tried using Gcast, but it was having difficulties creating a new account this morning. I'll give it another try on a different day.
Both of your podcasts are nice and clear!
Melanie,
ReplyDeleteCongratulations to your puppy! I have not used gcast but a few times. More of a time constraint issue of not using it more than anything else...just so busy all the time:(
A QUESTION... Are any of you looping music to go along with the Podcast, or are you just sticking to you talking? Breaking it up into sections? I am just brainstorming on how to get the story told and not put anyone to sleep. I was considering getting a bunch of friends to do voices, or pull sound bytes from the internet and import them like the tutorial showed how. I just don't know about how much time I can/should invest in this. How is everyone putting their projects together?
On a separate note, I read my final article for Appreciating the Reading and it took my thoughts in a different direction than my research was heading. The article focused around the complexity of the simulation and the extent to which students have prior knowledge. Before (last week) my comments were of frustration because the usual students who "don't get it" and whatnot were the same ones giving negative feedback of the sim. Now, instead of being frustrated, I tried to look at the sim from a complexity angle and find a parallel between the students who did not find it effective and their level of prior experience. In most cases, these same frustrating students have low prior knowledge AND perhaps the simulation which I interpreted as simple, is actually more complex than I first thought. So, currently, this is what I am looking into. Should be an interesting week leading up to the project turn in. Comments? Feedback? Thanks!
How's everyone else coming along?
-Jeff V
Jeff,
ReplyDeleteI think its great that a reading had the opportunity to challenge the direction of your thinking. I say go with what makes the most sense. There really is no right or wrong answer--just what you can make out of the situation. Helpful advice, huh? :)
I may add some music and break my podcast into sections, but will not be using sound clips/voices etc. It did say to not make it too technologically complex in the directions. I'm just trying to look at it from the angle of a storyteller. I'm sure it will ever make it into the exciting category though!
jeff- the affect prior knowledge has on sims is an interesting angle because i think it opens up questions to how pictoral representations are interpreted. do we see what we want to see- do we see only what we know?
ReplyDeletei wonder if the same kids which have trouble with or don't like sims are the type of person which prefers to read directions for something like putting a bike together rather than see how i's done.
could you explore that angle?
thanks for the feedback on my station rotation. in general, the students did like the volcano sim. at times a few were confused about how to make the changes and then how to relate cause and effect to their changes. i would next time do a little hands on activity with visosity of different liquids rather than a talk.
in the end they were to make a power point prestenation to show how they tied all the stations together.. what connections did they make and then to talk about how or if these ideas could demostrate how a theory is created.
it was a lot of work.... on everyone's part.
Thanks! I totally understand the time constraint. I finally played with garage band on my mac...way cool. I won't have to use audacity now!
ReplyDeleteI will probably add some music to break up into sections. I do have some audio from student interview that I "might" add if it helps tell the story. More thank likely I won't be putting mine together until saturday.
So much to do this time of year. Fall conferences are just 2 weeks away! Yikes!