Fun and Effective Science Apps

It is no mystery that technology has transformed the way that we approach science content in the classroom- it makes it possible to investigate and bring to life topics that can be otherwise challenging, complex, and abstract.  There are a multitude of science-related Apps available through the App store- but in my experience you have to weed through a few dissapointing ones in order to find the ones that will be both engaging and effective in your classroom.  Listed here are the apps I have had the most success with in my science classroom.

Rat Dissection and Frog Dissection by Emantras Inc.  [$3.99 each]
If you are teaching Life Science then these 2 Apps can allow you experience anatomy and human body systems in an engaging, and incredibly cost-effective way.  Both dissection apps walk you step by step through an accurate, real-life dissection and not only allow you to see the inside of both organisms, but experience the process (cuts, pins, and all!) of a real dissection.  The Frog Dissection app is slighly more comprehensive- complete with video footage, information on frog species, and a quiz.  Both apps can be used in conjunction with a real-life dissection (use as a pre-dissection activity to preteach the proper cuts and use of tools). 


EMD PTE by EMD Chemicals  [free]
There are several apps available that showcase the periodic table and all of the information that it possesses.  Few are as comprehensive as this one however- and EMD PTE is completely free.  The app is simple and easy for students to use.  Click on an element and it pulls up the basic information (Atomic number, mass, symbol, etc).  Double click on it again and it pulls up a multitude of details including a photograph of the element or something made from it (see images of Copper below).  The toolbar that opens to the left allows you to dig even deeper into the Periodic Table.  Manipulate the temperature under the "State at Room Temperature" tab and see how the state (phase of matter) of each element changes.  The "Discovery" tab pulls up a photograph of the person who discovered each element, and the "Glossary" is complete with a multitude of relevant vocabulary terms. 

OnScreen DNA Model by OnScreen Science Inc.  [$3.99]
This app provides a beautiful 3-dimenstional model of DNA and its structure.  Complete with labels and pairing nucleotides, this app is great for review and basic understanding of DNA's unique structure.  "Denature" your DNA strand and see what happens when DNA unwinds and then zips back up again!


Physical Sci by CPO Science  [free]
If you are a Physical Science teacher or student, this interactive glossary can be incredibly helpful!  Not only does the app provide definitions and visual support for its terms- it contains hundreds of video clips with explanations and examples.  The glossary is organized into 6 main Physics topics (see the home screen below).  Each of its vocabulary terms is found within the interactive glossary, but also in flash card format for quick studying and practice. 

iLab Timer HD by Negative Ninth  [$0.99]
This timer app is perfect for the science classroom!  It is student friendly and easy to use, and has the cabability of running up to 10 timers at once.  Set the timers to count down or up, and modify the buzzer with dozens of options to choose from.  There are several timer apps on the market- and while I have other favorites for teacher use (Timer+), this is the best for students and science labs.

iPhoto by Apple and Camera+ by tap tap tap [free]
Encourage your students to document their science experiments using the iPad's camera feature and iPhoto.  I prefer Camera+ to the regular Camera app because it allows for quick shots and easy editing.  Students can use photographs to showcase experiment results, or document the process of their experimentation.  Perfect for science fair but useful for documentation of students daily experimentation as well!

Visible Body 3D Human Anatomy by Visible Body  [$29.99]
There are dozens of human anatomy apps, and from a variety of price ranges.  This app obviously comes with a bigger price tag (though not the biggest!) but is well worth the price if you are teaching anatomy or human body systems.  Your students will be able to experience the human body in a truly interactive way.  The app not only showcases each system independently, but also how it interacts with other body systems.  Visit Visible Body's website at http://www.visiblebody.com/atlas_overview for more detailed footage on the app if you want to know more before spending $29.99.

HudsonAlpha iCell by HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology  [free]
This free app will allow your students to experience the animal, plant, and bacteria cell in a 3-dimensional way.  Not only does it help them conceptulize cells and their organelles, it describes the function of each organelle in a differentiated fashion.  For middle schoolers, the "basic" description is simple and not overly complicated!  Higher-level students can digger into organelle function through the "intermediate" and "advanced" descriptions.  This app is simple- but excellent for the price tag and students find it fun! 

*also available for free online at http://hudsonalpha.org/education/digitaleducation/icel

Using QR Codes in the Classroom

Thanks to the world's obsession with smartphones, QR codes are becoming more and more popular.  QR codes, which stands for Quick Response codes, are trending because of their ability to read quickly and hold large capacities of information.  Anyone with a smart phone, iPod, or tablet device can scan the funny little square barcode. Afterwards a number of things may happen- an email may open, a photograph may appear, or most commonly, a webpage will pop up.  The number of things you can do with a QR code is actually quite incredible!  With the best generator applications, you can create QR codes that link to a facebook page, send contact information and calendar events, pull up a location in Google Maps, or even start a transaction to purchase something using PayPal. 

QR codes can serve several puposes in the classroom!   Every teacher has experienced what notoriously happens in a classroom when you ask your students to visit a particular website and the URL is a mile long.  Students can spend alot of time typing in the URL, only to have one letter wrong and the entire process stalled  QR codes eliminate that part of the process, especially when using iPods or iPads as instructional tools.  Print out the QR code and make copies. Teach your students how to use the scanner by modeling it with a VGA cord (from the iPad to your computer/projector).  After my students practiced it a few times, it became 2nd nature.  They are even downloading QR scanners on their own personal devices! 

QR codes can also be amazing communication tools.  If you have your own personal wiki or classroom blog generate a QR code for the URL using a free online application like Kaywa's.  When you send home a permission slip, progress report, or letter home, add the QR code and remind parents of your classroom website and the information they can find there. 

In order to continue to develop skills necessary for the 21st century- much of the work we do with students these days is digital.  For this reason it is sometimes challenging to display our student work.  If your students create an outstanding piece of digital work- whether its a wikipage, well-written essay, or an animation- have them create a QR code that can then be posted in the room.  It may not have the same effect as having something nice to decorate the walls but at least anyone interested in viewing it can see it in its digital format.

There are several great QR code scanners out on the App market- and a few of them also serve as QR generators.  If you are looking to stay strictly free, try Scan App or Easy QR.  Both are scan-only, but you can generate a code for free online using Kaywa's generating application.  They suggest a small donation if you are a frequenter, but it is not required. If you prefer an app that does both reading and creating, Qrafter is the way to go.  It is initially free, but a $2.99 upgrade is required if you are looking for both features. 

Try QR codes and be creative!  If you are unsure of ways to utilize QR codes in your class, search the web to read about what other educators are doing.  Here are some of my favorites:

http://www.edutopia.org/blog/qr-codes-education-mary-beth-hertz

http://www.edutopia.org/blog/QR-codes-teaching-andrew-miller

Starting a Classroom Blog

Blogging has made it big in the world of education- and this article is designed for newbies who need some tips on how to start up their own classroom blog. 

Choosing a Platform

There are a multitude of free blog hosts out there on the web- and based on my experience, anyone is as good as the other.  Wordpress and Blogger are amongst the biggest names.  Both offer free blogging and a variety of templates and widgets to dress up your blog.  If you already have a Google account then getting started is a piece of cake (it is a Google application).  I prefer both of these for personal/professional blogging- but use a different platform for my classroom blog.

Edublogs hosts my classroom blog.  Like Wordpress and Blogger, it offers free blogging, but also has optional upgrades for special features that may benefit your classroom.  One thing that I like about Edublogs is the fact that you can keep it secure from the public:should you want your classroom blog and the postings made by your student to remain private, you have that option and it is easy to initiate.  The simple interface makes it really easy for students to comment and post- and I like that as a whole the plat form has an educational theme- it helps set the tone for your classroom blog.  Also with an educational theme is Edmodo, which students enjoy for it's clear resemblance to Facebook.  If your future blog is going to serve as more of a classroom website- this might be a good option for you. 

Setting Expectations

Like any new technology you introduce to your classroom, students need to be taught how to properly use it.  Blogging is easy for students- and it doesn't take long before their are proficient commenters and posters.  Clear classroom expectations need to be set in advance- and I like to have students become part of the process.  As a class we create a list of blogging expections, and I help my students come up with some "big hitters" I know we can miss.  Create a poster of these expectations and don't forget to review them with your students the first few times you blog in class. 

Teach your students how to demonstrate "digital citizenship" and make sure to review your students postings and check for any bullying or inappropriate commentary.  Tell students that they are responsible for anything they post- and remind them that their postings can be seen by all because a blog is traditionally a public forum (unless you've opted for private settings).

Uses

The best part about starting a classroom blog is the number of purposes it can serve in your classroom.  Many teachers use blogs as an extension of learning.  Linking photos, video, articles, and other online sources connected to your classroom content can help students make connections and establish relevance to their everyday lives.  This is how I started blogging in my own classroom.  The blog provided an extension to our daily curriculum, and my students were practicing higher-level thinking skills, like questioning.  My students have enjoyed using a classrom blog- it is a forum for them to communicate with one another and form an opinion.  In one activity around the blog and some commenting or posting they are writing, questioning, and developing key 21st century skills all while being highly engaged. 

If students are new to blogs they will likely need you to model high quality blog commenting.  I like to share other high-quality educational blogs with my students and go through examples of good commenting.  I also provide my middle school students with blogging sentence starters.  This provides scaffolding by starting out their first sentence and opening up the door for a higher-quality, detailed response. 

Blogs can also serve as an assessment tool.  If all of your students in your classroom have access to a device (laptop, netbook, iPad, or even and iPod touch) your blog can immediately turn into an individual response system.  At the end of class give students an "exit ticket" and ask them to answer the day's essential question.  When all students have responded, project the thread on the board and reflect on high quality responses with your class.   

Because blogs are easy to construct and modify, they also make for excellent classroom "websites" with links to important documents, homework calendars, and a forum for parent communication.   

Starting a classroom blog can be quick and easy- let your students do the work!  To see what other tech-savvy educators are doing out there, visit Scholastic's list of the Top 20 Teacher Blogs.  Check out the other resources listed below and stay tuned for more ideas from 21st Century Classroom.

Resources

• Visit my wiki at http://libbygraybrien.wikispaces.com/Instructional+Supplements for my instructional supplements on blogging in the classroom including a handout for blogging sentence starters and examples of expectations I set with my students.  Your classroom expectations may change depending on the learning objectives associated with your class' blog. 
• Blogger in the Classroom information manual.
• Bloom's and Blogs
• 33 Ways to Use Blogging in the Classroom

Using Google Docs: Evaluation and Feedback

Google Docs has an infinite way of being useful in the classroom.  Apart from being completely free, Google applications are also available for use from any device with Internet.  While I have infinite ideas for use of Google Docs on the classroom... This post is going to center around using Google Docs for evaluation and feedback.

More than ever before, reflection and self-evaluation are a critical part of the learning that occurs in our classrooms.  When used properly, Google Docs can be an incredible tool for facilitating this process.  One of my favorite ways to use the "forms" feature of Google Docs is for group evaluations.  The "forms" feature allows you to construct a survey or test and then organizes the results in a spreadsheet.  After a group project, use a computer, iPad, or iPod touch to distribute a survey asking kids to reflect on the collaborative process, their effort, and their partner's effort. Students will appreciate the opportunity to have a say in their grade.  If a group member has contributed more than their partners, this is an easy way for them to present the issue without feeling like a tattle-tale. You will find that most of the time students are honest and realistic about their own effort.  Even though we are observant and likely already have an idea about who did what, this can shed light on how students work in collaborative groups.  Make group-evaluations a habit in your classroom and your students will be more accountable.

Creating a survey on Google Docs can also be an easy way to better understand student perceptions.  A completely transparent teacher will ask her students to evaluate her teaching methods. What does Ms. Brien do well? What helps you learn best?  When students feel like they have a say, they buy-in.  Next time you get a chance, ask your students what would make you a better teacher- their insight will surprise you.   Anonymous surveys can also be good way to dig deeper into personal issues.  In attempt to learn more about my students true college-going perceptions, I gave them a survey.  The response I need got told me more about the truth than I had ever learned in front of our whole class.  

Within your school, use Google for teacher to teacher or admin to teacher evaluations. Build a school wide template emphasizing school-wide goals and professional development initiatives. The form will provide structured look-fors for the evaluator, and instant feedback for the teacher being observed. 

Despite your use for it, Google Docs provides a free domain to save all the data that you gather in its use.  When you are done distributing a survey or evaluating peer teachers, find the "form" tab and go to "show summary of responses". You will find an item by item analysis of your results that makes defining the next steps simple and clear. 

Need more guidance on setting up first Google Docs survey? Check out my Teacher Quick Guide on Surveys and Tests available @ My Wiki

Hints and Tips

• Unless your survey or evaluation is anonymous, make sure to start out your survey asking for the student's first and last name.  Make this a "required field" to ensure a name on each response! 
• Be transparent! Show your student the results of the survey and follow through with any changes it may request. 
• Embed the survey into an email or on your class webpage for easy access.  You can also use TinyUrl http://tinyurl.com/ to shorten the web address and post on your board if necessary. This will ease the process of students typing a long URL into a browser.
• Want to use Google Docs from your iPad or iPhone?  Download the App GoDocs from the App Store for $4.99. 

Welcome to 21st Century Classroom

This blog is written by a tech-savvy classroom teacher hoping to use this information as a platform to inspire other teachers.  Regardless of the age, proficiency, and content area, technology is an engaging classroom tool that our students love to use!  When used properly, it can inspire creativity and help students reach higher levels of thinking.  The power of technology is at our fingertips- yet most teachers are confused on how to best use it.  This blog will document the experiences of one teacher, and hopefully inspire you to use some of her instructional methods in your own classroom!

Stay tuned for upcoming blog postings on the iPad and how it can be used for: professional development, productivity, progress monitoring, project-based learning, and content support.