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| Standard III The overall objective of the unit was to utilize technology in order to enhance the students understanding of rocks and minerals. Since we had limited time in the lab, our technology unit was a means of supplementing our activities within the classroom. These lessons built upon a foundation based on experiments and readings within the classroom, and added excitement and interesting information to our overall unit. We were also able to introduce topics that we were unable to without technology, so this unit was extremely beneficial to the students and teachers alike. Technology Incorporated- Garfield Elementary has a brand new computer lab with many programs available for student use. I was familiar with many of these programs, but Mrs. Auler and myself performed additional research and experimented with each program to decide which programs would best meet our objectives. We thought that the students would benefit most from Kidspiration 2, KidPix Deluxe 3, Microsoft Word, and a PowerPoint presentation. We also knew that we wanted to create a webquest of our own based on rocks and minerals, so the internet would also be incorporated within our lessons. I felt that it would be a good experience for the students to use a digital camera, so we incorporated that into our plans as well. Not only did the students use the technology hands-on, I also demonstrated many different types of technology within my teaching and incorporated it across the curriculum. I utilized the LCD projector both in my classroom and in the computer lab to enhance lessons with technology.
This first lesson began with a PowerPoint presentation about the Rock Cycle in Michigan. This is a great resource from the Michigan Office of Geological Survey, and details the complete rock cycle as it pertains to Michigan. It also highlights mineral properties, and was well received by the students. As I walked the students through the presentation, the students took notes in their science journals that would later help them create their own diagram of the rock cycle. I believed this presentation benefited the students because they were able to see pictures of rocks and mineral that they might not have been able to see and it provided a visual means of learning the information. The second portion of the lesson involved the students working independently to create a rock cycle diagram with the program Kidspiration 2. Using the notes that they had taken during the first portion of the lesson, students then put their knowledge of the rock cycle and making web diagrams to work. Each student designed their own diagram, although they had some constraints to follow. While we did not give them a checklist in their hands, the expectations were posted on the projector while they were working on their projects. Creating their own diagram benefited the students greatly because the ownership of the project kept the information in their mind. I believe the technology allowed the students to become more creative and taught them problem-solving, simply because they could not just draw the pictures they needed but had to pick from existing pictures. Students had to "think outside of the box" so-to-speak because they had to find pictures that they thought best fit their diagram. If they had used pencil and paper, they could have just drawn the picture they wanted without really problem-solving or thinking creatively. Lesson 2- Rock and Mineral Webquest Part 1 Mrs. Auler and I created the web quest that served as the basis for both the second and fourth lessons in our unit. For the first portion of the web quest we asked the students to work in teams of two to search websites and answer questions about rocks and minerals. These questions were on a special worksheet that was created to fit the needs of our students and the websites that were chosen for the quest. While the students were not navigating the internet independently, they still had to navigate the sites that were offered to them and scroll through the sites looking for information. Once they found the information, the "scribe" would record the information on their worksheet. Follow the link for some examples of completed student worksheets. Without technology, this lesson would not have been possible. The web quest allowed students to view pictures, mini-movies, and read information they might not have gotten to view otherwise. The students loved the websites we chose, and in general the web quest lesson was one of their favorites! Lesson 3- Pet Rock Project and Journals This lesson was probably the most fun for the students out of all 5 of the lessons. Students were to pick a favorite rock or find a rock to become their pet for the week. Then the students had to complete a Pet Rock Packet with information about their rock, including a four-day journal. These completed packets were extremely creative and included a lot of hard work. Students had to pick their favorite journal entry to type in Microsoft Word, and included a picture of their pet rock. Many of the students wanted to type up all of their entries because they recognized that it looked neater and they got to include a picture of their rock. The lesson concluded with each student presenting their project to the class using a microphone. The technology in this lesson benefited the students' skills with a word processor. Not only did the students get to practice their keyboarding skills, but also experimented with font color and size, the spell-check tools, and importing pictures. The presentations were also enhanced because the students loved to speak into the microphone and agreed that it made the presentations better. Lesson 4- Rock and Mineral Webquest Part 2 The second portion of the web quest was completed as lesson 4 of the unit. Like the first part, students were to work in teams of two to complete the given task, but the second part was centered on human interaction with rocks and minerals. Students were able to delve into the mining history of Michigan and Wyandotte. In addition, students also research one mineral each to be used for the 5th lesson during this web quest. As before, they completed worksheets that were written especially for the websites on this web quest. Follow the link for an example of students' written worksheet. Just as with the last web quest, the second portion really opened up a new world to the class. They got to see different pictures of the minerals they have been studying, and learn where in the world their mineral could be found. In addition, they learned facts about Michigan mining that they never knew, and were excited to see amazing pictures of the salt mines below Detroit. In this case, technology made integrating subject areas across the curriculum possible. The final lesson built off research completed in the previous lesson. Each group was assigned two minerals to research, and with this lesson they are putting that research to use and each picking one of the two minerals to write about in KidPix. We gave them a checklist to follow that had the guidelines for creating a page all about one mineral; then, these pages combined create a classroom mineral book that the students can enjoy. They were told to include the mineral's name, where it can be found, possible uses of that mineral, 4 identifying characteristics of that mineral, a picture of the mineral, and two other pictures or clipart that represent the mineral. They created their pages in KidPix, then organized and decorated their pages as well to create a final product fit to be inserted in the mineral book. As with the first lesson using Kidspiration, KidPix provided an excellent tool to serve the purpose of this lesson. It has many drawing and coloring functions, as well as numerous pictures including state and country flags. It also provides a little challenge because it does not have specific pictures regarding minerals, and the students had to be creative in deciding which pictures could represent their mineral the best. They had a lot of fun with this lesson, and many students now choose to play on KidPix during their free time.
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Cassandra Golembiewski University of
Michigan- Dearborn III.
Teaching, Learning, and the Curriculum. Teachers:
Tools to View Exhibits: Click to download a free trial version of WinZip:
You can also follow this link to the WinZip website to download the program. Click to go to the download page for Adobe Reader:
Working in the Computer Lab during Lesson 1:
Students working hard on the first web quest during lesson 2:
Click to go to the page of our Pet Rock pictures!
Lesson 4:
Lesson 5:
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