Day 10

As we are nearing the end of our writing process blog, i've realized how much I have taken in over the past 2 and a half weeks in this course.  Teaching high school science I didn't often think about either the reading or writing process of students; however, I will be making a concerted effort to be more cognizant of some of my students needs in the future.  Although I already own an ipod touch, I think I'm going to save some pennies to splurge on an ipad 2.  There is a ton of upside to the increased size of the interface.  I have also looked into some things for my biology classes that I teach. 

I have found an app that is FREE called the lab timer that is going to be so beneficial!  I always struggle to have the kids focused on timing as they’re focused on the task at hand.  So this app allows me to keep track of 4 groups at once. 

Another app I have come across is called the plant names and flash cards app.  It is 1.99 but I will be able to use it for both my gr. 11 and 12 classes.  I can use it in the photosynthesis section of the course as it has leaf pictures where you are to label different structures, and also a plant science section of the course as well.  I’m really excited about having this as a unit summary tool, or mid-class quiz, etc.  I can also incorporate it into a kinesthetic quiz.

Another great app I’ve found is called The Chemical Touch.  I will be suggest
ing this app to the chemistry teachers and general science teachers.  It has every piece of information you would need about the elements but it also has a great section on amino acids that I will be using. 

I know I should be focused on what we learned in this course but I feel as though I’ve had my eyes opened for simple ways to incorporate great technology into class.  We have a well established learning differences centre at our school and I will be sure to pass on information (especially the writing task blog) to the people that work there as well as the rest of the faculty.   I am keen to be able to help support certain students in my classes through information that I’ve learned.