Week 7

My technology-enhanced science activity will involve students using the "virtual pond dip" resource to learn about various microorganisms. During the main part of the activity, the teacher will take on more of a supervisory role, allowing students to explore the technology and take charge of their own learning.
• Firstly, the teacher will guide students through a brief lecture/discussion about what microorganisms are, and what role they can play in our environment. Students will be allowed to make comments and ask questions.
• The teacher will then transition them into the next part of the activity by leading them to the computers and then through to the "virtual pond dip" program. The teacher will instruct the students to read and explore the information given about each of the microorganisms in the “jar”. They will be advised to explore some of the additional links provided for certain microorganisms, and they will also be asked to make notes (using a Word Processor) on things they find especially interesting or important (copying and pasting not allowed).
• Specifically they will be asked to make note of the following things:
- How the different shapes, sizes and structures of the microorganisms compare to each other
- What characteristics of the different microorganisms might help them fulfill their individual roles?
• Students will then be free to explore the program on their own.
• After students have had adequate time to explore and make notes, the teacher will then lead a discussion on some of the things students may have learned in their exploration, specifically focusing on the two questions listed above.
• As a follow-up assessment, students will be asked to further research one of their favorite microorganisms and present a 1-page report/poster.

1. We will focus on the grade 6 Science area, Standard 5, Objective 1 (observe and summarize information about microorganisms).
2. The pedagogical measures used will include observing, classifying, and acquiring and processing data. These will specifically be accomplished through reading text, taking notes, viewing images/objects, and discussing. I feel that these things work well for the content area because they encourage students to not only take in information, but to also make sense of the information. They will also help them make connections between bits of information, compare and contrast microorganisms, and understand concepts about microorganisms more effectively than if they just listened to a lecture.
3. The technology used will include the “Virtual Pond Dip”. This is a good fit for the content area and pedagogy because it provides both visuals and texts for observation, as well as plenty of information to process, classify, and discuss. It provides a way for students to take charge of their own learning and exploration.
4. The representation produced by the technology is both visual and textual. This will serve to meet the objective by allowing students to make observations about microorganisms without having to go to an actual pond. It will allow them to make comparisons about basic bits of information provided through text. The representation will meet the needs of those who are more visual learners rather than auditory learners.