EDUC 5313: Blog Post 1

 

    Hello! My name is Stephanie Tretina and I am in my fifth year of teaching. I started my career in Maryland teaching integrated science to sixth-grade students. I now have had the pleasure of teaching high school Biology in Delaware. I am currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction with a focus in Science education from Southeastern Oklahoma State University. Once I earn my degree I plan on incorporating new strategies and methods learned from my Master’s in my classroom. I also have a desire to one day work for a curriculum developer and help other teachers learn to implement new curriculum strategies.

    There are seven ISTE Standard Indicators that are deemed necessary for students to develop. For instance, being an Empowered Learner, Digital Citizen, Knowledge Constructor, Innovative Designer, Computational Thinker, Creative Communicator, and Global Collaborator are all the standard indicators that students and teachers alike must work to strongly develop in the classroom. I teach science and with science comes a lot of out of the box thinking and creative ideas.

    The lesson that I want to explain regarding the ISTE Standards and my own content standards is the Creative Communicator standard indicator; more specifically the standard 6c. Standard 6c essentially states that students are responsible for being able to communicate ideas clearly by use of various technological methods. This specific ISTE standard aligns with the Delaware State Standards of HS-LS2-1 in which students “use mathematical and/or computational representations to support explanations of factors that affect the carrying capacity of ecosystems at different scales” and HS-LS2-2 in which students “use mathematical representations to support and revise explanations based on evidence about factors affecting biodiversity and populations in ecosystems of different scales.”

    In High School Biology I teach my students about ecosystems among many things. For ecosystems, most of my students simply think it is just all about animals and food chains. I must explain that this is not the case. Within the curriculum that I follow, we incorporate storylines. These storylines help students grab hold of something interesting that they want to know the end result of; know the end of the story. Students are asked why the buffalo population has increased dramatically in the Serengeti over such a short period of time. Students work collaboratively in groups to try and figure out the answer. Students incorporate their use of technology by utilizing Google Maps as well as Google Earth. These visualizations and models via Google Map and Google Earth help students piece together the answer to their initial complex question. This lesson idea aligns with state standards because students are trying to determine a serious issue regarding the carrying capacity of the buffalo using data from a graph along with the two real-time models. It is important to note that with many of the lessons I teach there are many moving parts. I make sure to strategize and plan my lessons to where I am only having students focus their attention on one particular aspect of the lesson at a time. I believe that pinpointing certain key points to tie all together at the end is vital for student comprehension and success.

Liz Kolb illustrates a multitude of key points regarding student’s responses to technology. Within the lesson I briefly explained above, students are utilizing real-time information from Google Maps and Google Earth. It was vital for myself, as well as teachers in general, to foresee issues that could arise from incorporating technology into lessons (Kolb, 2020). Students must continuously be engaged with what they are doing, otherwise, they will lose interest, focus, and ultimately not learn anything. The technology that students are utilizing in the classroom should be technology that has lasting effects on them. For instance, technology should create opportunities for students in and out of the classroom. Most technology that is incorporated should have twenty-four, seven usage ability (Kolb, 2020). It is evident that Liz Kolb holds technology and teachers utilizing technology to a high standard in education. Technology can take students to new worlds and dimensions with their learning as long as it is used effectively. 

References

Kolb, L. (2020). Learning first, technology second in Practice: New strategies, research and tools for student success. International Society for Technology in Education. 

Science / next GENERATION science standards. Next Generation Science Standards. (n.d.). https://www.doe.k12.de.us/Page/2530.