No Phone Booths, No Problem – Save Your Students With These Super 21st Century Tools

Mobi™ Mobile Interactive Whiteboard, CPS Pulse™ responders, TI-Nspire™ calculators, and multimedia can help spark student engagement in the classroom. On November 3, 2011 at the Georgia Education Technology Conference a group of my colleagues and I will be showcasing these 21st Century tools being used in our classrooms. The presenters are Keelan Seabolt, physics, Chris Cannon, economics, Beth Sims, 9-12 math, and myself in computer science.

The following are the resources, tools and lessons we will be showcasing during our presentation at the GaETC.


Economics
Lesson Topic: Opportunity Costs and Production Possibilities Curves
Standards: SSEF1d, SSEF2a

This lesson is used as an introduction to the concept of opportunity cost and Production Possibilities Curves. Students use the MOBI pad to interact with graphs as the class creates their own production possibilities curve based on a fictional "Robinson Crusoe" story.

Physics
Lesson Topic: Newton's Laws and Scientific Observation with a Classroom Responder System
Standards: SP1a,e, SCSh1a,b,c, 3e, f

The CPS Pulse™ responders presentation will show various uses of the responders in a science classroom. First, will be a demonstration on collecting and organizing useful student information through the responders. Second, a lesson on free-fall acceleration and scientific observation and hypothesizing will be shown that utilizes the verbal engagement and instant feedback functions of the responders. Finally, a more formal assessment (similar to a ticket out the door activity) will be shown that is used during a lesson on Newton's Three Laws of Motion (GPS Standards - SP1d) and allows for quick grading and breakdown of student responses.

9-12 Math
Lesson Topic: Transformation characteristics of the five parent functions, using graphing technology.
Standards: MM1A1b, MM1A1c, MM1A1e

This lesson is used as the introduction to the staticconcept of graph transformations among the different parent functions using the TI-Nspire™ software and CX Handhelds

Computer Science
Lesson Topic: Networking 101
Standards: BCS-CMW-8, BCS-CMW-9, BCS-CMW-10, BCS-CMW-11

In this lesson students used digital video cameras to create tutorials on how to setup a wireless home network. First students storyboarded their video and wrote down the steps to setting up a wireless home network. They used How Stuff Works and other online resources to help storyboard and then write their scripts. Students also used cue cards to remember the steps to setting up a home network. A rubric was listed on Edmodo where they could look up the guidelines to complete their video tutorials. The following are programs they used to edit their video:
Stupeflix
Windows Movie Maker
iMovie