MERLOT Evaluation

For the MERLOT evaluation, I chose to evaluate a website. The site was called "Awesome Science Teacher Resources" and AWESOME they were! The site focuses on biology and chemistry topics in the classroom. All of the topics were completely relevant to the class that I am currently teaching, from cellular transport to photosynthesis. The site is broken down by subject area, topic, and finally, activities, labs, and links. There is a plethora of information on the various topics, including different activities that students can do, experiments that they can perform, and other websites they can look at to get additional information.

Any of the material on the site could be used in the classroom immediately. While I was browsing the site, I found a few activities that I'll be trying immediately in my next class. All of the national standards for biology are listed, so it's easy to see how the activities listed link to the standards. Most of the activities have a clear objective/purpose for the lessons listed. I did find a couple that didn't have the objective listed, but overall, most did. There were a lot of interactive type of things that students and faculty could use; for example, there was a Jeopardy game that teachers could use for a class game, or students could use in small groups to test their knowledge. I could use this immediately in my class because I have enough computers to divide my classes into small groups. Looking at all the assignments, I see that most would be easily incorporated into my classes.

The website is visually pleasing, and it has a lot of information. It's extremely easy to use. I like the site because it's laid out in an efficient manner. One click allows users to download something they want to see. Some activities are in PDF and some are in Word. I like both; either can be edited if need be. Students could use this site, but it is a better tool for teachers who are looking for supplemental information on certain topics.

Personal Learning Reflection

CEP 810 has helped me learn a lot about technology that I can incorporate into my teaching. I have learned about RSS feeds, and although it is not something that I like to use, I have envisioned some uses for it in the classroom. For example, it can help students create a list of credible sources for different topics. I also really liked learning how to embed a Google Calendar into a blog or website! I like to give my students as much notice as possible about upcoming and future assignments; I realize that they have a lot going on in theirs lives (much like me) and sometimes need more advanced notice of assignments, tests, and projects. Even though our SIG project wasn't exactly what was expected, I learned a ton about Google and all the possibilities that Google can be used for in a classroom! I had no idea about Google Scholar and Google Docs and Forms; it really opened my eyes. Using a bookmarking tool was genius, so I could find information easily. The last thing that really struck me was doing the Creative Commons Lab and making sure that I register media that is put on the Internet. I thought that was very informative. Everything that has been taught in this course is great because it can all be used from the Internet, and I don't need certain programs to run them on school computers. Making specific requests for school computers is a hassle because sometimes software isn't free or it's blocked or any number of excuses why teachers can't have it. This course allowed me to see how a number of things can be done on the Internet without dealing with those problems.

I'm very proud of the lesson that I devised for teaching Osmosis in collaboration with my sister's biology class in a different school. This lesson combined a lot of what I hope to accomplish with technology. I want to encourage students to collaborate with others, but I don't want them to be limited. I want them to think broader and I hope that working with students from Chicago while we're in Germany will help them think big! It really showed that technology can unite people.

I feel that I have accomplished some of my goals. I learned how to integrate more technology in my class. I used Google Docs to have students collaborate on projects with people in other time zones. I embedded a Google Calendar into my class website. There are a few goals I have not accomplished. The big one is that I wanted to learn how to create a site where I could have each student log in and create their own blog on a universal class site. It's all right, though; you can't win them all. I'll get to this eventually.

Newer goals, for me, just mean thinking bigger! How can I get more computers in my classroom? How can my school increase the bandwidth so we don't have as many Internet problems? When will I have time to develop that class blogging website? How can I reach out to teachers all over the world to try to skype or facetime with them and create new global lessons? I will accomplish these goals by talking to people. It's amazing what can be learned or done when one simply talks to people. People have great ideas, and I need to draw from them all.