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Great resource if you have students needing makeup or home-bound. Virtual Chemistry Experiments are a collection of interative web-based chemistry tutorials. The tutorials employ Physlets and Chemistry Applets to simulate experiments or depict molecular and atomic structure. The guiding concept is to involve the read in making observations and acquiring data, and then using this information to draw conclusions and infer chemical principles.

I find these are best as additional to traditional lab experiences or, as I posted earlier, I use these for the students that can't be at school for usual labs. Understanding limitations of their own lab technique and evaluation of errors does not occur with simulations. Similar to difference between multiple choice assessment and free response.

I agree with Anna, virtual experiments wouldn't be my first choice in methodology for lab experiments, but there are somethings that you just, can't do in the classroom. Whether it is from limited resources, limited class time, or simply the experiment is too dangerous for the classroom, virtual experiments are a good alternative. I had a chemistry professor in my undergrad who was making a dvd textbook with lectures and experiments and there was a lot of cool experiments on the dvd that he would have never been able to do during his lectures.

One of the newest and greatest innovations continues to be video games. In the past, educational games have never quite met expectations, but with grants and contests such as this one, hopefully the games improve and students can learn something while playing video games.

This looks like a great tool for kids today- especially considering how attached some kids are to games. Children need to know how they get sick and what is going on inside of them when they are sick. One concern I have is that the game may be giving the message that all bacteria are bad and will make them sick. This is a common misconception that has led to the over use of antibiotics and hand sanitizer. Children should be taught that although some bacteria are pathogens, most are not, and they actually help other animals (ie. Humans) carry out every day functions. Bacteria ≠ Pathogen.

About four years ago, I went to a facility planners conference and they said the most improperly used space in the school is the library. It should not be filled with stacks of books, but it should look more like a media center where you have gaming centers, areas for public wi-fi access and a small section for books, but it would not be the dominant feature of the media center. It would also not close with the school, but be an area that would be open to the general public after hours. We will probably not build another school in Spotsylvania in the next decade, but it will be interesting to see if divisions will be starting to convert what we currently see as a library into something else.

10 of the best apps for education As iPhones, iPads, and iPod touches become included in curriculum, here are several education apps you might enjoy As iPhones, iPads, and iPod touches become more integrated in classrooms, educators and students are looking for new ways to apply them to the learning process.

Ipads and Ipods are becoming a huge part of education. Unfortunately there are a limited amount of devices in my school, but whenever I can get them, my students love playing and creating on IOS devices. At the EdTech conference this year, they discussed BYOD (bring your own devices). I thought this was an interesting way to keep students up to date without stressing the schools budget.

Great video that explains the concepts of TPACK in a more simplistic manner. I think is does a great job of showing how not integrating such a model could harm our current/future learners- learners of the 21st century.

This is a beautiful presentation, and I know it's purpose is not to teach you everything about TPACK, but you also don't want to dishearten learners or veteran teachers with overloading them with what they should be doing. If I told everyone right now that by next Friday you all should be playing golf and be good at it, most of you would look at me and say no way or I cannot. If I said I want to show you how to putt a golf ball one day, then the next day we are going to work on chipping a golf ball... I am slowly building the foundation of playing golf. For TPACK to work with teachers who are not tech savvy, you have to slowly build the foundation. Maybe designate one piece of technology, and for some it might be something as simple as a digital camera, and properly work that into a lesson. If you want all teachers to be successful using the TPACK model, baby steps might be needed for some, just like some of our students need baby steps and others hit the classroom running in full stride.

The video "TPACK Framework" definitely portrays the most important message of TPACK which is successful implementation of TPACK is not an easy process; rather it is a process that will require creativity from teachers. I really like what Stephen stated with his golf analogy and I feel like the video is great for teachers who are new to the framework by explaining TPACK in a very simple format: you need to have knowledge of the content you are teaching, knowledge of how to effectively teach as well as creative ideas of how you will use technology to tie in the content effectively. Through this video, I can see how the subject being taught can be considered as a resistant force to the framework. It is absolutely possible to apply TPACK in every content area however I feel that it is easier or more obvious to apply it in science curriculum as oppose to language arts (I am in no way saying that it is impossible). In order to make TPACK successful introducing teachers to this framework and ensuring them that is okay if they run into a brick wall because this not a 1-2-3 fix and it will require creative solutions.

This definitions draws a lot on the history of TPACK with Shulman but breaks it down very nicely at the end of the article. Excerpt: "Doering, Scharber, Miller and Veletsianos (2009) reference a doctoral paper produced by Cox (2008). Through this paper, Cox identifies over 89 definitions of TPACK. Through these definitions, Cox creates an expansive definition of the true nature of TPACK: TPACK is the knowledge of the dynamic, transactional negotiation among technology, pedagogy, and content and how that negotiation impacts student learning in a classroom context. The essential features are (a) the use of appropriate technology (b) in a particular content area (c) as part of a pedagogical strategy (d) within a given educational context (e) to develop students' knowledge of a particular topic or meet an educational objective or student need. (p. 317)"

The article "What is TPACK" most certainly gave me a better grasp on the framework as well. What stood out to me the most was the following statement: "The essential features are (a) the use of appropriate technology (b) in a particular content area (c) as part of a pedagogical strategy (d) within a given educational context (e) to develop students' knowledge of a particular topic or meet an educational objective or student need." I think this statement beautifully ties all the concepts and shows how important it is to connect these concepts. This reminds me of our STEM discussions and how in order for it to be effective all four disciplines had to be integrated, not isolated. I think TPACK is making the same statement loud and clear. We need to develop ideas to connect all three components as oppose to focusing on them individually. I think the "Tpack(age)" can strike some teachers as very inspirational and others with a feeling of change and overwhelming. I am glad to see that more and more districts are starting to introduce and rely on this framework, which will definitely help it become a future trend. However, in some cases it upsets me that some teachers are so close-minded to change. Don't get me wrong-I know that in some instances it may be a huge learning curve but having an open mind to the concept can at least instigate more support for the TPACK framework (which could include funding, proper training, etc.).

My view: The increasing necessity for STEM education Print Font [+] [-] 11 Comments » By Sidharth Oberoi For the Deseret News Published: Thursday, Feb. 20 2014 12:00 a.m. MST Share71 Share52 Tweet4 0 0 A closer look at U.S. unemployment statistics shows that even with unemployment still at historically high levels, large numbers of jobs are going unfilled. Most of these jobs have one very important thing in common - the need for STEM education. Shutterstock Enlarge photo» Summary A closer look at U.S. unemployment statistics shows that even with unemployment still at historically high levels, large numbers of jobs are going unfilled. Most of these jobs have one very important thing in common - the need for STEM education. There is a distinct educational disconnect that we need to resolve today. 1 The real word application of science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM, is increasingly important in the workforce while science and technology are becoming less emphasized in today's classrooms. The ability for students to gain access to the critical skills these subjects offer is critically important as the future workforce is projected to be dominated by those possessing technology and science skills over the next several decades.

A brief 10-minute video describing the importance of STEM education and its implications. Posted by Chesterfield County Public Schools (ccpsva). 19 Dec 2008

I completely agree with Tristan, it is always awesome to see stuff that we talk about in our coursework being implemented in the field. I feel like sometimes important topics to me are forgotten when we translate them into teaching in the classroom, but this proves me wrong. And makes me feel great about the future of STEM education.

I had never heard of "STEM" until a Chesterifield CPS principal mentioned it. I had to stop her and ask what "STEM" was, which, as a scientist, was very embarrassing. I think it is great that CCPS has embraced the synergistic effect of STEM subjects functioning together. Awesome!

PBS Kids has activities that do a good job of linking engineering to science, math, and technology. The website has many characters which my students identify with. Many of the activities and concepts, that are covered, are for younger students, but some are for the upper grades.

Great website- it is very "children" oriented due to the nice colors, drawings and simplicity. I love it for the content that is accessible by young learners but I appreciate it even more because it has very innovative classroom activity suggestions (as well as lesson plans) for teachers. Even more importantly, there have a listing for family activities for each subject, which I think is great because learning can be even more meaningful when it is done outside of the classroom.

Segments that particularly jumped out: - "there are three main components of teachers' knowledge: content, pedagogy, and technology. Equally important to the model are the interactions between and among these bodies of knowledge, represented as PCK, TCK (technological content knowledge), TPK (technological pedagogicalknowledge), and TPACK." -"Many approaches to teachers' professional development offer a one-size-fits-all approach to technology integration when, in fact, teachers operate in diverse contexts of teaching and learning." -"three key components of teacher knowledge: understanding of content, understanding of teaching, and understanding of technology. The complexity of technology integration comes from an appreciation of the rich connections of knowledge among these three components and the complex ways in which these are applied in multifaceted and dynamic classroom contexts."

This video is long, but it breaks down all parts of TPACK and provides examples. This video stresses the importance of using the TPACK model to solve "wicked" problems. The presenter also discusses the importance of creativity in this process. There are many great examples provided in the video. My favorite example was about the third grade teacher who used technology to enhance students understanding of maps. The class took a trip to DC and used cameras and mapping software to record their journey. The main points of the video are: teaching with technology is a wicked problem, wicked problems require creative solutions, and that teachers are the designers of the Total PACKage, and that solutions need to be novel, effective, and whole,

I have shared this with my technology integrated group, since we has cited TPACK as the basis for our school's program. This video does a beautiful job of conveying this information and I hope we use this to assist our staff as we struggle to implement technology uses for learning. I particularly like the acknowledgment of the difficult nature of this. The humorous nature of the presentation along with depth of scholarly foundation contained is excellent!

National Science Teachers Association - NSTA

I do not think I am doing the sticky note correctly. Can someone please comment on this and let me know if I am getting it correct?

I liked reading this article. The author reminded me of Lantz.

Innovation with implications in currciulum areas of Physics, Chem, and Env. Science

I really like how the website provides "featured articles" that are very current and pertain to "hot issues" going around currently. It's great to have a wide variety of information in terms of subject so that student's can learn more; however, being able to read up on something more recent might intrigue them a bit more because they are familiar with it.

I use the website all the time for student independent research idea generation! For our students seeking to enter ISEF, Siemens, and other science competitions new & exciting ideas energize them and get them to push to the next level - find mentors and perform high caliber science.

This site shows STEM in action! Showing kids that STEM disciplines are not foreign to each other, but rather that the combined effort of many fields culminates the scientific process is paramount to the success of the next generation. STEM subjects should not be approached as separate entities. They are intricately intertwined with each other for the advancement of knowledge. The project shown in this video is an awesome example of STEM subjects coming together.

Noteworthy statements in this document: - "the three sets of activity types (conceptual knowledge building, procedural knowledge building, and knowledge expression) are presented including compatible technologies that may be used to support each type of learning activity" - "technologies listed in the tables are meant to be illustrative" this work is based upon : Millar, R. & Driver, R. (1987). Beyond processes. Studies in Science Education, 14, 33-62. National Research Council. (2000). Inquiry and the national science education standards.Washington, DC: National Academy Press. This article's citation: Blanchard, M. R., Harris, J., & Hofer, M. (2011, February). Science learning activity types. Retrieved from College of William and Mary, School of Education, Learning Activity Types Wiki: http://activitytypes.wmwikis.net/file/view/ScienceLearningATs-Feb2011.pdf

GREAT website for computer simulation of the inside of a typical cell, how mitochondria function,, and more! The Harvard team puts together great videos to show in class. I use these as a G.A. to show that although the 2D diagrams in the text book are static, in fact the cell is moving constantly. Great resource for the biology classroom.