Apps and Technology

Technology has many positives and negatives when used in the classroom. My peers and I experienced this last day as we taught one another a lesson based off of an app or website. We had planned to use our website on the SMART Board but unfortunately it wasn't working so we had to adapt and modify our lesson. Instead we just used a laptop; however, in an actual classroom setting using a projector would have been more optimal. The website we used is called Science for Kids and we focused on the game called "Changing State of Water." This is a fun, interactive simulator that shows how varying temperature changes effect the state of water.

During our lesson we got our students to make predictions (hypothesis) on what they thought the water was going to do while following the prompts in the game. This worked very effectively for what we wanted our students to learn as trying to do this process in real life would take much longer and they wouldn't be able to see the changes as rapidly as they did in the simulator. I think this would be a fun way to either introduce a new concept or wrap up and clarify an existing one. Obviously, doing experiments in person and having that hands on experience is often more valuable; however, that is not always possible to do and this can still be a fun and engaging experience for students to learn. I also like that they can be done individually, in groups, or as a whole class. I could definitely see myself using these sorts of games and other apps in my future classrooms as they can be great tools for students to practice and get engaged with a variety of concepts and ideas.

Here's a link to our lesson plan if you want to check it out!

 

 

States of Water