Project Pollution 1st Video

Who was using the technology, students or teacher?
The technology was used by both the teachers and the students. The teacher was learning how to make technology use more effective for her students. The teacher then taught her students how to use it to interact with students from other schools to compare results.
How was class management maintained?
The class seemed really interested in what they were doing and they had a good time interacting with the other classes. It seemed as though it made the teachers job a lot easier.
How was the technology integrated into the lesson plan?
They were talking about pollution, and so they did some testing and compared there schools pollution levels with those of the schools that they were corresponding with. They were able to show all of their results on the web, making it easy for them too see how it worked for all the groups. It also made it easier to update and monitor their results.
Was the focus on the technology or on the subject?
I think that it was mainly focused on the subject. I think that they were trying to show the kids the importance of keeping pollution levels down, and it also taught them how to compare and contrast the conditions that affect various people.
Did the teacher follow any of your "rules of thumb"?
The teacher wasn’t really on the video that much, but she did provide the students with some skills that were similar to ones that I think are beneficial. She basically taught them the importance of working together and coordinating their efforts.
What barriers do you think might have made using technology in this lesson difficult?
I think that the program was probably a little difficult for the teacher to get familiar with. In fact she mentioned at the beginning that she didn’t have a lot of experience with technology and that it took her a while to learn it.
How could you overcome these barriers?
You could have the teachers teach each other once they have gotten the grasp of how to use it, they could instruct each other and make it easier for each other to learn.
What other technologies or methods could have been used instead?
They could use a lot of other types of technology to get their students involved, but this program really seemed to help the students grasp these concepts. I don’t know any other programs dealing with pollution, but having the kids corresponding is essential.

How could you teach this same lesson with limited access to technology? (For example, maybe in a one-computer classroom)
It would probably not be as effective if you only had one computer, but you could project the images from the results onto a screen and have them fill out worksheets about the other groups information.
How could you use this same technology in your own teaching? What learning activities could this technology support?
I think that I wouldn’t really need to use the pollution part of this teaching plan. But I could use the idea of interacting with other classrooms to help get the students familiar with each other and other parts of the world. As technology continues to grow, so does the ease of communicating with those in different places.
What other things should teachers be able to do with this technology?
With technology increasing as fast as it is, we have been making huge strides in helping students identify with other areas around the world and so it would be interesting especially with History to have them learn how to implement technology into their own lives.