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Science teacher promotes technology

Megan Yeiter , The Park Record

Incorporating technology into the classroom is one goal Weilenmann School of Discovery teacher Megan Black made a priority. Earlier this spring, Black applied for the CenturyLink’s 2011 – 2012 Teachers & Technology Grant. She was awarded $2,478 in May and will use the money to buy Vernier interfaces for sixth, seventh and eighth-grade science and math classes.

"I think technology has a huge place in the classroom as long as it’s seen as a way to get students thinking and spending less time on easier tasks and more time thinking critically," Black said.

The interfaces are data loggers that look like hand-held computers, Black explained, adding that the devices collect data in real time. attaching probes to the loggers, students will be able to detect motion and light and measure temperature.

"The students can be graphing at the same time they are collecting the data. It increases the amount of data that students are using," Black said, adding that she used the data loggers at a school she worked at last year. She plans to order the devices and probes over the summer and integrate them into the curriculum for next school year.

"We want to come up with some projects so students can see that math and science are connected," she said. "There is a huge push on science reform in the classroom."

The data loggers will help students collect data so they can spend more time thinking about what that data means. Black said students will also be able to change hypotheses and conclusions during their experiments.

"There is the engagement factor and being able to feel like you’re really doing science and getting to ask and answer questions," she said, adding that labs at the middle school level are mostly for student discovery.

"It’s my hope for the future to get additional grants," Black said. Vernier also makes carbon dioxide and gas sensors, pH sensors, and oxygen sensors that could also be incorporated into labs.

Black said a lot of middle school students struggle with understanding the relationship between evidence and claims. She said they have to collect enough evidence to make a claim, and the data loggers will encourage this.

"I’m hoping by having richer data and more data, students will be able to understand that connection better," she said. "The students have an opportunity to use technology in the fullest and if used correctly all sorts of technology can really enhance students learning."

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