Ian D. Jones
Science Strong and Tech Savvy
SHOWCASE OF WORK
Work can be defined as activity involving physical or mental efforts to accomplish a goal. Work sometimes is a labor of love and other times is just plain labor. Although I have felt the struggle of these tasks, I can truly be proud of my products.
These are some examples of work I have created. The topics include science lessons, reading analysis, research on educational issues and more. It is organized into The Written Word, Solutions to the Problem, Sharing with the World and Classy, No Matter the Location.
The Written Word:
Literacy Learner Analysis
I selected a student to work with on reading skills. This student was a new addition to my classroom from China and English was not his primary language. We worked on some simple methods to improve his reading, writing and understanding. The paper produced was broken into 3 parts for submission, see below.
Research Skills: The Impact of Divorce on Education
I learned about educational research and wrote a paper about how domestic divorces impact students over the course of their K-12 education. This topic was of significance to me, as I was going through a divorce and have 3 school age children. With this knowledge, I might better be able to help them.
Concepts of Inquiry: J. Robert Oppenheimer
Oppenheimer was one of our great american scientists. His work at Cambridge, UC-Berkeley and as a leading mind on the Manhattan Project fostered and supported his brilliance. Additionally, they allowed him to show the integrity with which he carried himself and respect he gave others, even when faced with tough decisions.
Solutions to the Problem:
Wicked Problem Project
Powerful Experience: Mitosis and Meiosis
For the Wicked Problem Project I implemented the use of a new technology, Socrative, to aid students problem of reviewing for assessments. This is a quizzing/polling managment website which allows teachers to create many types of questions for students to answer. Both Wifi capable handhelds and personal computers/laptops can be used to submit responses (no "clicker" needed). Students and teachers can get immediate feedback in a fun, productive way!
The Powerful Experience: Mitosis and Meiosis was created to showcase a new method of delivering information to my students. I found that students often struggled with Cellular Division, so I decided to change how it was being taught. Students started with a better reading note guide for their textbook. Then classtime was spent in greater discussion of the topic in both small and large groups. Finally, I used some new manipulatives to illustrate the actions taking place inside of a cell.
Sharing with the World:
Stand Alone Kiosk
Cell Type Discovery
For this assignment, I took an already existing Microscoft Powerpoint used to help students to learn about the 3 types of cells and created a stand alone kiosk-like presentation. I used Google Slides so that any updates would be live linked to my Moodle course for my freshman class. I created the buttons with a website called CoolText. Students have the option to proceed through Cell Type Discovery at their own rate, spending more time in some sections than others and also visiting the additional explorations and animations.
Personal Manifesto
To be a leader, one needs to have a strong understanding of their own strengths and weaknesses. Everyone has a certain set of knowledge and understandings that aid in doing whatever it is that we do.
My Personal Manifesto gives a look inside of me and shares how I think about my "job," being a teacher and being a father. 9 questions guide this inner journey and there are many resources included that I have used to get to where I am now. The walk is never ending, but am glad to know that I have a path to follow.
Classy, No Matter the Location
Content Management System for Online Learning
Moodle was used as a mode of interaction with students in an Online Learning course. One unit was created to act as a hybrid, marrying the conventional classroom meetings with a more defined out of class experience. Students completed a multiple choice pre-assessment online. There were multiple reading assignments with small quiz check-in's along the way. Students completed an in-class laboratory investigation, wrote up the discussion at home, then brought back for peer evaluation. Peer scores were kept track of using a GoogleForm posted on the Moodle page.
