Science Fridays by Mariana Hernandez Martinez https://padlet.com/hernanm6/dtykfy2850a7 Integrating Virtual Reality Technology into Middle School Classrooms to Encourage Student Engagement en-us 2017-11-29 02:37:46 UTC 2017-12-06 02:49:03 UTC hello@padlet.com a. Staff lgrosale https://padlet.com/hernanm6/dtykfy2850a7/wish/213104928 Before: 
  • The IT department will be asked how they believe the VR tech can affect the curriculum and the students. 
  • Teachers will be asked more detailed questions like:
    • do they have any previous experience with this type of technology?
    • do they like the technology?
    • how do they plan on using it?
    • what problems do they expect to see?
    • how do they think students will react to and interact with the technology?
    • do they expect the students test scores/retention be higher after engaging with the program?

After:
  • Teachers will be asked to reflect on how the implementation of the technology went.
    • Were their plans for the project successful?
    • Were students more engaged?
    • What were the pros and cons?
    • What problems did they face?
    • Did they see an improvement with test scores?
    • What can they do differently next time?
  • Teachers will also have the important task of evaluating the work that the students present.
]]> 2017-12-04 22:50:08 UTC https://padlet.com/hernanm6/dtykfy2850a7/wish/213104928 b. Students lgrosale https://padlet.com/hernanm6/dtykfy2850a7/wish/213105388 Before: Students will be asked their opinions on the technology and their expectations of it.

After: Students will give feedback on whether or not they:
  • liked or disliked the technology
  • learned and retained information better
  • felt more engaged
  • were comfortable with the technology
  • liked the manner in which technology was incorporated into their classroom and curriculum
  • Students will also be asked to give their honest feedback on how teachers can do better and for their ideas about how the technology can be used in different, innovative ways.
]]> 2017-12-04 22:53:11 UTC https://padlet.com/hernanm6/dtykfy2850a7/wish/213105388 a. Leadership skills, roles and responsibilities lgrosale https://padlet.com/hernanm6/dtykfy2850a7/wish/213105558
  • The science department at the school
    • All the teachers at the school need to be taught how to properly use the VR technology. Our program may be intended for Fridays but other teachers can use it during the week as well.
    • This may also provide teachers a community to turn to for innovative ideas and discussions about the use technology. As well as make it easier for teachers to be able to help each other with problems
  • The School's IT department
    • The IT department will be responsible for the initial set of the routers and equipment.
    • They will also need to be familiar with the technology in order to be able to troubleshoot any problems that there may be with the technology and be able to answer questions that the teachers may have.
    • ]]>     2017-12-04 22:54:19 UTC https://padlet.com/hernanm6/dtykfy2850a7/wish/213105558     b. Staff skills, roles and responsibilities lgrosale https://padlet.com/hernanm6/dtykfy2850a7/wish/213105598 Teachers
    • Teachers will be learning to use and teaching with the virtual reality in order to benefit their students learning experience. 
    • They need to be:
      • willing to learn to use the technology.
      • confident in their ability to work with the technology.
      • be able to integrate it into their lesson plans successfully.
    • Teachers will also be the primary evaluators for the project because they will be observing first hand the students interactions with the virtual reality program. 
      • They need to be able to evaluate what works/does not work for their students.
      • They also need to keep track of the each students progress in order to see the benefit of the program.
    ]]>     2017-12-04 22:54:34 UTC https://padlet.com/hernanm6/dtykfy2850a7/wish/213105598     a. Activities to support project goals and objective lgrosale https://padlet.com/hernanm6/dtykfy2850a7/wish/213105645
  • Students begin the class with a warm-up activity recapping the topic they previously learned throughout the week
  • Teachers can introduce their topics, choose a picture or site already available on the virtual reality application, and then use this to further explain their topics    
  • Allowing the students to choose the sites that they would like to learn about and have the teacher incorporate the student-chosen sites into their lesson plans and then  elaborate on them    
    • ]]>     2017-12-04 22:54:56 UTC https://padlet.com/hernanm6/dtykfy2850a7/wish/213105645     b. Project timeline and resources lgrosale https://padlet.com/hernanm6/dtykfy2850a7/wish/213105687
  • Weeks one and two:
    • Training the IT department of the school as well as the teachers and having them familiarize themselves with the kits    
  • Weeks 3 - 6:
    • Teachers will be discussing the topics they believe require further reinforcement and introduce the topics to the class as a whole.     
  • Weeks 7 - 9:
    • Teachers will have the discussion with their students about the topics they had the most difficulty understanding    
  • Weeks 10 - 12:
    • Students will be given the opportunity to explore various settings on their own based on their personal needs. At this point the students will be expected to come to class fully prepared with the pre-work material on the subject they have chosen. 
  • Weeks 13 - 15:
    • Students will give their own presentation on the topic they personally found meaningful to themselves. This will involve describing how they would evaluate their use of the technology and how the incorporation of this device in the classroom was useful in their own learning experience. 
    • ]]>     2017-12-04 22:55:11 UTC https://padlet.com/hernanm6/dtykfy2850a7/wish/213105687     lgrosale https://padlet.com/hernanm6/dtykfy2850a7/wish/213106441
  • Google Expeditions Kit for 20 Students - $6,999
  • (10) Google Cardboard Virtual Reality Headsets - $150
  • Remaining funds will be used for professional development and maintenance of the technology
    • ]]>     2017-12-04 23:00:53 UTC https://padlet.com/hernanm6/dtykfy2850a7/wish/213106441     lgrosale https://padlet.com/hernanm6/dtykfy2850a7/wish/213107051
  • Target Population:
    • Sixth grade students
  • Why we are targeting these students:
    • Research has demonstrated that there is academic achievement loss with the transition from elementary to middle school (Alspaugh, 1998).
    • According to David Lui, a Ph.D. student at UC Irvine, children start to think of themselves as scientists during fifth grade and this later reflects the potential for them to enter a STEM field (2017).
      • As sixth graders it is still within their critical period of learning, and therefore we can still shape the way students understand and view science. 
    • ]]>     2017-12-04 23:05:55 UTC https://padlet.com/hernanm6/dtykfy2850a7/wish/213107051     lgrosale https://padlet.com/hernanm6/dtykfy2850a7/wish/213108310 Our Technology:
    • Virtual Reality
      • Virtual reality has been around for a couple of decades for entertainment purposes, only until recently has it become affordable for mass use in educational settings.
      • The virtual reality kits will serve as a tool to scaffold topics that might need more real life experiences in order for the students to completely grasp the concept.
    • Google Expeditions Kit
      • These kits can be used for engaging, innovative procedures such as, traveling through the solar system, visiting different ecosystems, and diving into the depths of the ocean
      • These kits students can form a more vivid picture of the topic being discussed and its components as well as capturing their interest through real life experiences.
      • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n29VQwW-03o
    ]]>     2017-12-04 23:10:40 UTC https://padlet.com/hernanm6/dtykfy2850a7/wish/213108310     cduribe https://padlet.com/hernanm6/dtykfy2850a7/wish/213152808
  • Goal:
    • Due to fact that technology outside of the classroom is becoming an essential part of the students’ daily lives, we intend to incorporate this technology into the classroom to prepare students with the twenty-first century skills that are now vital in any career they choose to pursue.
    • We want to be able to promote engagement in students.
    • The technology we will implement will not be considered a primary teaching tool, rather a supplementary tool available for the teachers. 
    • ]]>     2017-12-05 05:27:21 UTC https://padlet.com/hernanm6/dtykfy2850a7/wish/213152808     cduribe https://padlet.com/hernanm6/dtykfy2850a7/wish/213157521 https://b.socrative.com/teacher/#import-quiz/31748706]]> 2017-12-05 06:19:11 UTC https://padlet.com/hernanm6/dtykfy2850a7/wish/213157521