Blog Post #8

iCivics

Author: Kristie Bell

The tool that I chose to tell my readers about is called iCivics. Justice Sandra Day O’Connor actually founded iCivics in 2009 out of concern that students were not getting the information and tools they need for civic participation, and that civics teachers need better materials and support. This project has truly grown and now has volunteer teams in every state. Anyone can have access to iCivics and all of their resources are free.

Identifying iCivics and the Benefits

iCivics is a web-based education project designed to teach students civics and inspire them to be active participants in our democracy. iCivics has a variety of lesson plans designed to fit your classroom. The lesson plans are also relevant to the student so they can captivate their interest. The best part about the lesson plans is that all iCivics games, lesson plans, and web quests have been linked to standards from all 50 states. This means you can easily find out if the lesson plan fits in with your state's curriculum standards. All you have to do is search iCivics content by using the “Curriculum Finder” function. iCivics also has educational games that offer printable instructions or an in-game tutorial if you are a first time user whose experiencing difficulty. Students gain achievements, compete on leader boards, and earn points that they can use to vote on different “Impact Projects.” Students can make a real-world difference because the Impact Project that earns the most collective points will receive a $1,000 donation from iCivics each quarter. If you ever have an idea for a new game iCivics actually has an online form that you can submit and it is possible you could be chosen to have your game created.

Why I choose iCivics and My Future Intentions

iCivics would be a perfect technology tool to use in my classroom because I will be teaching History. I also chose this tool because it is a free resource and anyone can have access to it without having to pay a fee. This tool has relevant information that appeals to students and my goal is for them to be engaged. I believe that tools such as iCivics are very beneficial to educators because we can make learning enjoyable. I think Sandra Day O'Connor came up with a very resourceful tool and I have every intention on using it in my future classroom. I would like to incorporate the lesson plans that focus mainly on politics, international affairs, civil rights for now. iCivics plans on adding more units and hopefully by the time I am an educator the options will be endless. I feel that my students could greatly benefit from this tool and enriching their knowledge about History is my main goal.

21st Century Learning and Communication Tools

Author: Kynyetta Barren
I want to teach Pre-Algebra, Algebra, or Algebra II to middle or high school students. To help with my teaching, I would like to use a software called FluidMath. FluidMath is a software used on Tablet PC or Interactive Whiteboards. I can use this software to assist in creating instructional learning experiences. For my students, It will help them explore and understand the concepts in mathematics. It animates, graphs, creates, and solves math problems. FluidMath graphs equations and animates them by allowing teachers or students to change pieces of the equation to show how each section of the equation can be affected by the graph appearance. I can use the animation to show the shape changes on a graph. It will be easier for me instead of having to draw a new graph to show the differences in how they look. FluidMath can be used on different platforms such as:

Smart Board
PC with a keyboard
Promethean Board
Hitachi Starboard
Mimio
Polyvision

I choose FluidMath because most students learn better with technology and hands-on experiences. It will be a great source for clarifying abstract concepts in math. I want my students to feel comfortable in what they are learning and I think using this software will help tremendously. I will be using this software and other tools that I discover throughout my journey as an educator. I have provided a video below as an example of how FluidMath works.

Blog Post 8: Tools for Tomorrow’s Classroom

EcoMuve

Summary by Douglas R. Jarvis Jr.

    EcoMuve is an exciting new way to teach biology lessons. Centered on teaching ecosystems to the middle school age science student, this product allows students to be consumed by the science of ecosystems. EcoMuve was developed by the Harvard Graduate School of Education. It is a two week learning module that uses a 3-D virtual world to allow students to explore every aspect of a pond or forest ecosystem.They can see changes that take place over time to understand the impact of pollution or population change of endemic species. This product is an amazing way to prepare your students to go into the field and truly understand the world around them. See more here.

Ecosystem Concepts	Causality Concepts	EcoMUVE Design
Conservation of matter Decomposition	Non-obvious Causes Cyclic causality	Submarine tool Atom tracker
Inquiry and measurement	Inquiry over time Balance and Flux	Water measurement tools Calendar tool Data table and graphs
Ecosystem boundaries, watershed	Effects over distance Distributed causality	Spatial layout of virtual world – pond, housing development, golf course
Photosynthesis and respiration	Effects over distance Non-obvious causes Cyclic causality	Water measurement tools Atom tracker

Chart courtesy of http://ecomuve.gse.harvard.edu/