Script for page 3 curator activity

Add caption

Accidentally found this website, they have a pretty neat on-line virtual lab for classification that I think maybe we can reference from.


http://glencoe.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/0078778066/student_view0/chapter1/virtual_lab.html


Just record some ideas I just thought of.

1.  We can make only one video for "transition" between page 3 and page 4, also, the videos should be in a continuous way that more like showing the students around in the museum. On page 3, the speaker stay in the hallway of the museum asking the students to place the new arrival items into different "exhibit halls"; while on page 4, the speaker would walk upstairs and enter the birds exhibition hall to do the main activity to further classify the birds based on a 2-tiered classification.
2. on Page 4, we would provide printable sheet for students to fill out their results, etc. In this way, they can double-check and justify their classifications on Page 6; in addition, teachers can have a copy of the records.
3. 
   

I'm sure I got more ideas during this Thur's class, and I'll catch up more for this post.


Next Thur. is Thanksgiving, so between now and then, I will start to compose the scripts for page 3 video. Cathy is in charge of script on page 4 video. Denice will go test the 4th graders in her husband's class to see the possible ways this age may classify the birds. (We took some pretty nice pictures this Thur in the learning lab located at the basement of the museum. The girl showed us around is very pretty by the way. :P But none of us know her name. LOL)

Meeting with Madlyn and Heather

Below is the notes I took during this meeting with Madlyn and Heather on Nov 21, 2010 for future reference.

page 4
a few things that they can select from, not too many choices.

Select the grouped items, container/not container. Then, by materials/time(morden/antique).

Three different areas for the students to pick. Go quickly to the main content. Not cognitively busy which is time/energy consuming.

Start from small, and add to it later. Quality. Less choices, high quality.

12 – 15 specimens. Kids like dinosaurs, animals, minerals, plants, insects (number of legs)

Visually interesting.

Tool box. Connect to their own lives, currently making,

page 5

Curator, format, how sam came back in observation. Add justification, why you justify them like that. Select which group


timeline 15-20 minutes.

Utah core links.

Umnh.org

Educators—resources

“I like to study insects…”

Anchored Instruction class notes 10.7.10

Relate on-line experiences to the real museum touring later.

Put the learning activity into a possible real life situation, so they may apply those knowledge and problem-solving skills, which is classification, they learned from this learning module to their tours in museum. Easier transfer on knowledge.

notes:
do need to learn the basic knowledge and skills, but do not stop there.
not the end, but the means to the end.
it helps
1. better and deeper understanding of the learned knowledge;
2. remember longer and retrieve easier;
3. can apply the knowledge to other situations.

Problem-oriented v.s. Factual format

Subjects who received information in a problem-oriented form may have generated their own ideas, maybe within half a second, before scanning the latter sentences of the answer.

For me, it's like the question helps the learners to set a very clear learning goal at the first place, which can activate the thinking process of the learners, rather than passively reading and memorizing some plain "facts".

p. 121 Under these circumstances, subjects have an opportunity to first reconstruct their initial learning context and then find the relevant answers for each problem that they see.

Bransford et al. (1990) Anchored Instruction  

This gives me some inspiration on our final project design. How you do modeling to the students? Based on this statement, preferably, we may design the classification process to be a "problem-oriented" form, by
firstly given the goal of classification,
then observe main features (similarities/differences) of provided objects,
then draw conclusions based on some criterion.
In this way, the students may experience "problem-solving" thinking process to further establish their own problem-solving abilities.

Besides all the above, I found it's a very good way in marketing/advertising to catch the audience's attention by asking a question. For a very simple example, compare these two sentences and ask yourself which one may stimulate your curiosity?
1. Frito Lay grows the best snacks on earth.
2. Who grows the best snacks on earth? Frito Lay!
Same strategy can apply to many other field, such as article titles, book names, etc.

In the above case, you may remember "the best snacks on  earth" in the first statement, while in the second one, you remember "Frito Lay".

Teaching strategy - Modeling

Below is some random thoughts for our EDPS 6431 final project on Classification for Utah Museum of Natural History.

Just for my personal notes  

I’m not sure where to put these stuffs in this document. I’m thinking about Modeling.
(1) to teach students on classification. The learning module would firstly show examples on classification, (e.g. demonstrating the thinking process to observe an object with wheels and motor, it’s classified as vehicle.)
(2) let the learner draw their conclusions on how the thinking process goes through
(3) let the students develop their own system or concept map of classification
(4) provide practices on classifying different objects in different ways (the criterion needs to be discussed later).
Put it in a simple way, 1. Model the problem-solving thinking process of classification; 2. Practice and test their own classification system.

Barron Q3

 With all the benefits that Barron listed, why do you think some administrators, teachers, and parents are reluctant to support educational technology? How can this be addressed in the future?

lose control

Kids like computers, kids like fun stuffs. However, let's do a research on this, instead of learning knowledge from a computer(or Internet), how much time the students are playing WITH the computers and looking for fun stuffs from Internet?

Yes, I understand that nobody has control over anything, but this technology thing really provides a huge amount of opportunities for young kids to be exposed to the explosive information when they are not old enough to discipline themselves and understand how to use them properly.

Not like the older generations before, who has time to read a good book at hand, to concentrate on doing a research, to learn more subjects?

This just reminds me some similar issue for young kids. Education experts do not recommend students study abroad by themselves at a young age (proximately under high school). I was 24 when I first came to the U.S.. I thought i was mature enough to face and handle anything in the totally brand-new living/learning environment, but I was lost. I was kind of lost the standard of right and wrong, good and bad, to do and not to do, etc. I also witnessed many pity cases that how those young kids got lost and chose the wrong ways before they were grown up. (living abroad without their parents)

I'm not saying technology totally something negative. It does enable people to live and communicate more conveniently, but for young kids, it does draw many people back from stepping forward.

Subject: Cultural Change 

Author: Ashley Crockett

Date: January 27, 2010 7:40 PM

I think one reason teachers, administrators and parents are hesitant to apply technology into their classrooms is because that wasn't what it was like for them when they were getting their education. It is a big cultural change and cultural changes are always met with resistance. They might be scared that the use of technology in schools might change the fundamental quality of education in a negative way.

I think one of the ways this fear can be addressed is through educating parents, teachers and administrators on the benefits of technology in the classroom. Address their specific fears and help them understand the potential technology has in helping their children learn.

Also, technology should be implemented slowly and with precision. Technology shouldn't be implemented before teachers are trained on how to use it or else it becomes a negative experience for everyone. It would also let those who are hesitant about technology adjust to it slowly.

I agree.

There is a universal principle that it's very hard to change one's first impression. Without enough both inside and outside drive, one will stick to his/hers "traditional" notion as before. Same idea applies here.

Technology changed the education field dramatically during the past decade. However, most of the teachers are not equipped that way.

I'm thinking, maybe 10 years later, when this generation raised "by technology" become the educators, it would be much more easier for them to apply hi-tech in their teachings. But who know how the world would be like 10 years later? maybe the majority of people still having a hard time to catch up the development of technology?