Content-Specific Technology Integration Project

This Titration Lab and Sample Lab Report is my final product.
I feel like it is something that the students can use to internalize how acids and bases are apart of their everyday lives, and to probe into students natural curiosity about the things around them. This lab can only be used really the second half of the year because it requires them to stretch themselves and use the knowledge that they have acquired throughout the year. After teaching acid/base titrations, maybe using VCL to expose them to titrations and after doing a titration lab in class would I assign this. I could also see this being an extra credit project for students because it requires them to go beyond themselves to explore their world.

The CONTENT of the nature of acids and bases and the PEDAGOGY of using students natural curiosity to design their own open-ended experiment are complimentary with the TECHNOLOGY of a pH probe helps to obtain a specific and accurate reading of the solutions around the house. I hope I have shown an appropriate integration of technology and pedagogy, as well as that this activity is based on a specific content I am trying to teach. If I have done so, then this assignment shows that I have TPACK.

Content-Specific Technology Integration Project

To address the Core Standard 6 Objective 3, as noted below, I will be designs a titration lab using pH probes, logger-pro, and titration equipment - the technologies available - to help students see how titration curves and concentrations of acid and base relate.

Standard 6: Students will understand the properties that describe solutions in terms of concentration, solutes, solvents, and the behavior of acids and bases.

Objective 3: Differentiate between acids and bases in terms of hydrogen ion concentration.
a. Relate hydrogen ion concentration to pH values and to the terms acidic, basic or neutral.
b. Using an indicator, measure the pH of common household solutions and standard
laboratory solutions, and identify them as acids or bases.
c. Determine the concentration of an acid or a base using a simple acid-base titration.
d. Research and report on the uses of acids and bases in industry, agriculture, medicine, mining, manufacturing, or construction.
e. Evaluate mechanisms by which pollutants modify the pH of various environments (e.g., aquatic, atmospheric, soil).

To do this I will have to be able to manage and use pH probes, logger-pro, and titration equipment, but more than just knowing the technology, but know how to use this technology to help students gain more from their learning experience. In this way I hope to prove that have TPACK.

To accomplish this, my product for this class is going to design a lesson/experiment that students are required to demonstrate their understanding of what happens at the molecular level by using the technologies. This is going to include student instructions, and an assignment to complete.

TPK vs TPACK

Technological pedagogical knowledge (TPK) is the knowledge of how technologies can be used in a general teaching context. TPK may involve an understanding of how technology can be used to support teaching strategies and methods that can be used in any content area. Some examples in chemistry might include:

• A teacher who knows basic rules for how to present information clearly using PowerPoint, and other Office tools.
  
• A teacher who knows how to manage a classroom that has pH probes, logger-pro, and titration equipment for each of the students.
• A teacher who has her students create a class website to record for parents and students what they are learning in class.

Each of these examples demonstrates a teacher’s ability to use technology to help with general teaching strategies that are not specific to teaching chemistry.

Technological pedagogical and content knowledge (TPACK) is the knowledge of how to use technology to support content-specific pedagogical methods and strategies. Some examples in chemistry might include:

• A teacher who designs a titration lab using the technologies available to help students see how the titration curve and the pH relate.
  
• A teacher who uses chem draw to help students visualize molecular interactions by modeling representations of them.
• A teacher who uses Virtual Chem Lab to allow students to explore in a lab, while not having to worry about the liability of such potential problems, while still allowing students to go through the scientific method of thinking through problems.

Each of these examples shows an appropriate integration of technology and pedagogy, these activities are based on a very specific content area, and require teachers to target specific pedagogy strategies.

Synchronous and asynchronous communication

Synchronous communication


Asynchronous communication

Another synchronous shot - this took forever to figure out where it was saved to, I really think that it was use error that caused this fault, but it will be easier now in the future.


I certainly preferred the synchronous communication because it allows there to be instant feedback, and less video like. It allows for a greater span of information to be shared because questions can be answered and addressed immediately, you don't have to wait for it. Asynchronous communication is nice because like we have seen on our class website, it can answer mass questions that many students may have, or to give instructions. So, really they both have their advantages and disadvantages, you just have to choose which one is best for you.
In my classroom it could be possible to include video communication to help students with homework, or on assignments that they have to complete. It could also be nice to record experiments done as 'proof' students have to submit to you or that are done in class that can't be repeated for those students who were absent one day.

Discovering New Tools

Guess what? I learned what a wiki is, and how to start to navigate it.... that is exciting. I am excited to get a webpage started, I am going to have to play with it more before I am excited about what I have created, but it is a start. This is the biggest thing that I said that I was excited to learn, so here we go.
It is difficult getting started with these new tools and not really knowing what they can do, so you don't really know how you are going to use them despite that you know they could be useful to you. But I have seen classroom websites that are really useful, so I am excited to get going with this one. I can see that it can be useful to have a place that students and parents can go that has a calendar with assignments/events past and coming up for the class. I can also see that it could be used as a great tool to feature future careers in chemistry or chemistry related fields.

O.k, another tool I learned how to use: Qualtrics - a free survey builder software. I am so excited to come up with good questions to use all of the question types.... like rank the order and side by side. I am so excited about this.

Well, I am just getting started for now, but here is my class website: Everydaychemistry

Teaching Limiting Reactants

The purpose of this video is to use it as an introduction to limiting reactant products so that students see that it is similar to things in their everyday life, and to see that life issues are sometimes harder than the chemistry behind figuring out these problems. There should be a worksheet to accompany the movie that has a list of the lanyard options, it holds students accountable for the information, and gives them an opportunity to start the thinking process for the day. Hope that you enjoy.

Finding How to Reach Students

There are many challenges that teachers have to face in order to teach the the core standards to students. One approach to overcoming this is to incorporate multimedia projects - especially when it can help to better explain a concept. As a teacher it is important to recognize what is legal to show or not, and honestly I had never really thought about the seriousness of this, but I am glad that I went through a copyright tutorial so that it
a) brought the issues to my attention, and
b) described what is allowed and what is not.
I found the most useful piece of the tutorial was the fair use video. Anyways, I decided that I wanted to demonstrate learning through multimedia and help show how limiting reactant problems are all around students, sometimes even in more complex terms than you find them in chemistry. But that they are still important and they help us to function in the society we live in. Hopefully it turns out well, but here is my idea....