Assignment #3: Incorporating Technology into a Lesson

My grade five class is learning about weather in science. Today we are going to learn about clouds in an activity titled “All about Clouds.” First students will have to search two web sites (http://www.weatherwizkids.com/cloud.htm and http://www.eo.ucar.edu/webweather/cloudhome.html) for information, such as, how clouds are formed, and the different types of clouds. They will record their answers on a worksheet that I give them before they begin their research. After the students researched clouds I will have them present the information they learned. I'll allow them to choose how to display this information. They may decide to make a poster or brochure, write a poem about clouds, make a power point, draw a picture, etc. to demonstrate what they have learned.

The general and specific learner expectations, from the grade five science curriculum, that would apply to this activity are:

General learner expectation:

Students will observe, describe and interpret weather phenomena; and relate weather to the heating and cooling of the earth’s surface.

Specific learner expectation:

Identify some common types of clouds, and relate them to weather patterns.

The general and specific outcomes from division two of the ICT curriculum, which would best be met by this activity are:

General Outcome:

C.1 - Students will access, use and communicate information from a variety of technologies.

Specific Outcomes:

2.1 access and retrieve appropriate information from the Internet by using a specific search path or from given uniform resource locations (URLs)

2.2 organize information gathered from the Internet, or an electronic source, by selecting and recording the data in logical files or categories; and by communicating effectively, through appropriate forms, such as speeches, reports and multimedia presentations, applying information technologies that serve particular audiences and purposes

By incorporating technology into this lesson it would allow the students to take more control of, and be more responsible for their learning. As the teacher I could have the students sit quietly in their desks and listen while I taught a lesson on clouds. I feel however, that using computers and the internet would be more engaging to the students. There are many colourful, illustrative pictures and games about clouds on these pages which provide students with multiple ways of learning the information, making this lesson more suitable for many learning styles.

References

UCAR, Web Weather for Kids. Retrieved Septemper 29, 2007, from Clouds Web site: http://www.eo.ucar.edu/webweather/cloudhome.html

Wicker, Crystal Weather Wiz Kids. Retrieved September 29, 2007, from Clouds Web site: http://www.weatherwizkids.com/cloud.htm