1) How did the lesson go?

It seemed that the lesson went quite smoothly with only a few minor glitches. The material was presented in an organized manner and therefore made it easier for the students to understand.

The introduction went particularly well and served to inform the students what the significance of the lesson was going to be and also explained the technology material that was going to be used in the activity. The example of Titanic worked well because most of the children understood what she was talking about and therefore it provided a concrete image of the ability of the technology. It was also effective because it was the students who determined what methods could have possibly located the ship. When the technology was demonstrated and explained the model of the ship and the sonar worked well to show the function and capability of the motion sensor.

The main portion of the lesson, which was taught in small groups, also went well. The overhead served as the main source of information for the lesson but I think next time this lesson was taught it could have been used more effectively. I think instead of teaching this portion lecture style, the lesson could be more student directed by asking them what they know about the ocean floor first. Then perhaps we could ask them more specifically what shapes are found on the ocean floor. After a brief discussion then the overhead could be presented and ask the students what they think the forms are.

When the motion sensor is used I think it would have been valuable to ask the students what they thought could affect the readings that were being taken by the device. This however, was not influential on the outcome of the lesson.

2) How well did the students do in meeting your objectives?

The students met all of our objectives with moderate variations among the students. The first objective, students will be able to use the motion detector to produce a visual in the form of a graph, was met and demonstrated in the packet. This objective was tested and assessed by having the students actually use the motion sensor over a box and then read the computer screen. After this the students mad a copy of the graph in their packets.

The second objective, which states, students will be able to interpret the graphs to describe an ocean floor, was also met in the packet. Although the packet was not actually graded it served as an form of assessment because we were able to see what the children took away from the lesson as far as ocean shapes, graphing and interpretation were concerned.

The third objective, students will be able to design questions that could be answered by using the motion sensor was met at the end of the lesson after all of the other portions were discussed. This objective required combining all the knowledge that was involved in the lesson such as the functions and capabilities of a motion sensor. The students also met this objective but were slightly helped by being asked a leading question.

3) What evidence do you have to support your conclusions?

The evidence that supports the conclusion of the students meeting the first objective is found in the fact that when the students used the motion sensor they were able to do so with relative ease. In fact, they actually used the materials as effectively as the teacher to produce accurate readings. The students avoided the possible errors when taking a reading such as going too fast, shaking, or moving it up and down.

The evidence supporting the acquisition of the second objective is seen when the asked to produce and interpret a graph based on their reading were able to do so and recognized that it was inverted. This ability was also seen in the packet that was handed out to the students where the graph in the middle was completed and was the general shape of the inverted objected.

It is apparent through analysis of the discussion and packet that the students met the third objective because they understood the function of the motion sensor and therefore were capable of developing relevant uses. The uses that they came up with were using to discover ships, using on ships as a preventative measure and also to find sea life.

4) What puzzling questions/issues come to mind about this experience?

The main thing that I am wondering after looking at the video of the lesson is to question if this lesson would be feasible if it was presented in a full class of 25 students. I think that this lesson would probably be ok in that scenario but I am not sure if they would need more supervision and guidance.

One issue that I am curious about is how to encourage participation if a student does not want to use the technology or really get involved? The student was allowed to not take part and go through the motions but he probably did not walk away with the same experience as the other students.

5) Based on my STEPS experience and my other experiences this semester two specific teaching actions I wish to take during my CI495B field experiences are:

The first action that I wan to take in the CI495b experience is to use more student centered lessons and actively engage them when it is more teacher centered. I have used this a couple times already in my school but I would like to use it more frequently so that I may become more comfortable with this method. While teaching math I have allowed the students to answer and explain their own questions, and solutions and it has worked very well. The activities involved the students and extend their thinking.

The second action that I would like to take is to introduce more forms of technology into the classroom. It is clear from the experiences I have had that using technology with a lesson can really help to reinforce an idea for students. It was stressed however that technology should not be overused. This means that if technology only complicates an activity it should not be used.