JOURNAL # 9 CONCEPT MAP-kidspiration

S E C T I O N 3 • C U R R I C U L U M I N T E G R A T I O N • S C I E N C E
Home Sweet Home
Science
Primary Grades PreK–2
Purpose
http://cnets.iste.org/students/pdf/preK2HomeSweetHome.pdf
Young scientists learn from the world around them by observing habitats and their organisms and by
recording data in scientific journals. Such exercises help develop the intellectual methods of scientific inquiry.
Description
Students enjoy investigating and becoming aware of the habitats around them. They record their
observations in scientific journals. Data collection can take the form of a simple drawing or taking digital photos or videos in the habitats of their choice. Students reconstruct the facts in their journals, in an electronic format, or edit original recordings to share with other children and adults.
Activities
P R E P A R A T I O N
Identify safe areas around the school for student investigations
􀀔Using multimedia-authoring or Web page creation software, students
replicate the observed habitat. They may animate their electronic habitat
to duplicate their observations. Students use the software’s text function to describe the habitat.
For software evaluation I chose Kidspiration. I created a science lesson plan for pre k-2.This was very simple and it did not take too much time to put a picture board to go with my lesson on animal habitats. I liked all the pictures available on this website. The name is so appropriate that all the kids interested in visual learning can create their own games and activities. They can share with their peers. The drag and drop and clicking on the pictures makes this software easy to operate. Research has shown that visual learning is one of the best methods for teaching thinking skills and creativity. http://search.live.com/results.aspx?q=kidspiration.com&form=QBRE
The following are some benefits we receive from the program:
Graphic idea organizing software.
Global classroom activities.
Downloadable templates.
Free tutorials on how to use the software.
Supports curriculum
Best practices of technology integration.
Brainstorm ideas with words and pictures.
Strong thinking skills.
Educational software for schools, students, teachers and parents.
iMovie is another very interesting technology project we completed in the classroom. The editing of clips given to us was very educational because we had to think about what we need to do in a story form for our video. The video clips given to us had different times on each one of them. We had to think of a theme for our iMovie. We edited the clips and added transition in between each slide to make the movie interesting. We were able to add music to our iMovie and layered some special effects to complete.
http://www.apple.com/support/imovie/ We can learn more from this web site
I found iMovie easy to use once I understood the process. I was surprised at how quickly I was able to select and organize the clips. The special effects were also easy to incorporate into my assignment. I was amazed that there was a program that would enable a novice like myself to produce a very short subject video presentation in a short amount of time. The most challenging portion of the assignment was to add the audio to the video, however, by following the clear instructions I was able to complete the project in time.
I think my students would enjoy creating an audio- video presentation in the classroom. They would be thrilled to use their own clips and select a sound track of their own choosing. Students could use iMovie for a variety of classroom assignment as well as collaborative projects with their classmates. I can incorporate iMovie into my curriculum with almost any project. Students would like using iMovie and consider it as something innovative and challenging. I think this would be an excellent tool for my RSP students.
I enjoyed using the iMovie tutorials found at Atomic Learning. It was very easy to view and it really helped me to understand the process of using iMovie to make a short audio-visual presentation. I was also amazed to see just how many tutorials there are for educational and technology software there are in Atomic Learning.

Responses
1. I enjoyed using this software to create a simple lesson plan on journal writing for my Prek-2 lesson plan for life sciences. I used this for the first time and I felt very comfortable. I think this will be easy to use by the students in a Pre k-2 situation. The students can work individually or in small groups to create their electronic journals. The pictures available are very real and helps my visual learners to understand the lesson concepts better. I would like to use these creative software with my special education students to help them understand the lessons better. This will provide their hands on experience. I also like the fact that we can download the program free for a trial period and experiment with it before we buy it, this is a great way of giving everyone an opportunity to try it and decide if they want to invest in it.

2. I will be able to use this program in my classroom in the following ways to enhance my student learning. The students can use this program to create many different assignments.
· Electronic journal writing with pictures.
· Picture poster creating.
· Writing a summary of the trip to the zoo through pictures.
· Creating new puzzles and games with pictures.
· Writing research papers with pictures.( The students that have writing problems can illustrate and summarize their projects.)
· Make science, math, reading and other projects.
· Prepare music grams for each other.

3. I really enjoyed visiting the atomic learning. It is applicable to all tech coordinators so they don’t have to be in every place at the same time. This can be viewed from anywhere on the world where internet access is available. This atomic learning site has technology driven online learning tutorials and support which can be used with almost any subject, professional training, development of students and teachers. There are 25,000 tutorials available which are accessible 24/7.This site is updated with new tutorials all the time. Administrators can use this as a training tool to train their staff globally. This reduces costs of travelling and time. Students and parents can use this to create their own blogs to communicate with their friends and family. This increases the technology skills for everyone. The atomic learning sites can increase the quality of assignments.