The participant has become more skilled and sophisticated in his or her use of appropriate technology in classroom practice
Technology is to be interpreted broadly, including computer software usage (Chem. Draw in my reflection) web quests, and lab equipment. The emphasis is on my growth in technology.
At Al- Huda school our students have no internet access. Teaching situations offer no possibility for our students to participate in using technology. The emphasis in this reflection is on my growth in technology. I still try to convey my knowledge by saving work like the Chem. Jeopardy power point on a thumdrive and use it in class.
Enduring Understanding
Information technology and computer skills are valuable tools in both the teaching and learning of chemistry.
Content topics & skills:
· Creating, maintaining and using (searching, ect.) web pages
· Using Excel
· Using PowerPoint
· Using computational chemistry codes
· Using Library and reference resources
1. WHAT, WHY, HOW
Experiment number 2, Chem 502: Information technology and experimental chemistry with Dr. Dails, dated July 14th of the summer of 2007. Named Lipid: Fractional Distillation. Simple Distillation, we were to compare two plots from fractional distillation and simple distillation. The two plots were volume vs. temperature. I was supposed to use Excel for a more accurate plot and easier to compare, I could then have every plot in the same diagram.
2. Baseline Evidence
My first year in college, 1982, I was proud to take a course in computers named “Basic” and “Fortran” where we translated words and numbers to zero’s and ones. We also learned how the computer does it!
The Baseline evidence I present here are the two plots, hand drawn with Dr. Daily’s question marks “What about Excel?”. We had a session on excel later that week where I gained the basics of how to use this tool, but I wanted to mention here that I’m not alone. There are many teachers my age who don’t know how to use excel. I personally spend hours trying to figure it out. I had reached my frustration and anxiety limits before I handed in this assignment, but I came back strong because as you see in later evidence I used Excel to plot, draw tables, and even to find t-test and p-value for Chem. 505 and 536.
When I started the MCE program I was proud I had some of my tests typed ( at that time I typed 5 words a minute). My hands were too heavy in using the mouse to drag and drop I still remember Doug Balmer sitting next to me saying, “I learned this in third grade!” So I was competing with the next generation. I was and am not a computer major nor was it my interest to be good at it. I honestly felt like I came from a different world, but I still had to shape up to level up to what I put myself into.
3. Later Evidence
I think that by the end of Chem. 502 course I was comfortable using Excel (despite the challenges), I was also enjoying Chem. Draw when I had to use the mouse, as shown in the below flow chart for experiment: Two Basic Extractum.
Another later evidence is the Electrolytic Solution Lab. Environmental Chem. 505, July 23, 2008, where it shows group data, plot of concentration vs. conductivity, regression analysis after removing the outlier, the summary output, including t-test and p-value, all using Excel.
As a later evidence I presented my power point for my thesis. This is what I can do now starting from nothing. As for my students, The new technology implementation in my classroom is the jeopardy powerpoint (Please refer to the slide show powerpoint below). I used to review for the unit test, chapters included were; Atoms, the building blocks of matter and the Arrangment of Electrons in Atoms.