SECO 2015 Takeaways to Share

On January 26-27, 2015 I presented as well as attended the Science Educator Conference of Ohio. I think one of the best things was to be amongst so many educators that have the same passion as I do and love to teach Science.  I had some great learning opportunities and takeaways.

Instruction that Works Blending the goals of NGSS, CCSS, and STEM Using the Research from Cognitive Science

 "If it's your job to develop the mind, shouldn't you know how the brain works?"         Kenneth Wesson

One of my favorite Sessions was from Kenneth Wesson (www.sciencemaster.com).  He was fascinating and I thought I would  share one of the biggest takeaways related to technology.  Blended learning is a new initiative that has taken education by storm.  I embrace this method within my classroom, and I have always tried to maintain a balance. One thing he said that has stuck with me is that when kids just type on a computer they are like a court stenographer just "hearing" what is being said, however, when they listen to the speaker, think/process/discuss, then write notes deeper learning occurs because they have processed the information in order to create meaning. There is research to support it and I felt it important to share because we have shifted learning to technology driven so quickly we often don't have time to reflect and analyze why kids aren't performing as we expected them to. This was one of my favorite take aways because my gut new the writing was integral, not just where technology is concerned but with how kids learn and are able to communicate. He was also a master at optical illusions and shared that when you combing stress with multitasking no learning takes place.  Could be why I am so forgetful these days,, queen of multitasking isn't always a good thing.

Wolves and WEBCAMS using the 5 E Learning Cycle

This was presented from a teacher who just graduated from Kent State University and I was highly impressed with the depth of learning and integration within this unit from a teacher who just graduated.  The 5 Es were explored using live webcams that were left on all day. Activities were designed to be aligned to the third grade content standards in Science as well as in ELA and Math. One of the key points she made was how important it is to ask yourself and your learners if they completed the task or activity for each of the 5 E's, before moving to the next part of this learning cycle. It was imperative to look for any confusion and correct it before moving forward, and to check for understanding as the inquiry progressed.  During this inquiry students went on a habitat walk in their own building, writing down observations as part of  their explore section and then  making inferences regarding their findings in relationship to the wolf observations they had observed on the live wolf webcams(for example they always drank from the same stream on the cam, in school drinking fountain centrally located, why is that important? what can we learn about this behavior?).  In the explain section they explained how the wolves  physical traits enabled them to survive in their environment. This inquiry was extensive, differentiated and covered all the E's flawlessly. I hope to share her google presentation so stay tuned!

NEAR POD ON THE ISLAND

In this session I had the pleasure of learning about Ohio State University's Stone Lab on Gibraltar Island in Put in Bay. The presenters used Nearpod to gather assessment data on the island. They have different locations on the island to gather data to understand the difference between climate and weather. One of my favorite instruments that they used with the Near pod App are the solar panels and the energy they generate on the island. These are maintained by Dovetail Solar and Wind. Talk about analyzing data here is the link to see the solar energy generated throughout the year at the Stone Lab https://enlighten.enphaseenergy.com/pv/public_systems/nEqu88321When you visit the link click on the icon on energy being used by different items, what a great way to show kids the difference the seasons make in producing solar energy.

KEY NOTE SAM KEAN

I also got to hear the Key Note Speaker Sam Kean who never in a million years would I have thought I would understand his content.  He ended up being a fascinating story teller. I found a video of one of his stories on You Tube: http://youtu.be/KkaXNvzE4pk.  He has written three books: The Disappearing Spoon, The Violinist's Thumb, and The Dueling Neurosurgeons. My dear friend Amy Roediger would love the Violinist's Thumb because it's a story book format but deep in science, facts and stories that are so fascinating, you can't believe they are scientifically true, it's crazy but super interesting. If you click on the next You Tube video you will get a glimpse as to what his stories are all about! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEqwLYF2Yfw 

In the Violinist's Thumb he even refers to Darth Vader,, I guess the force is with all of us!!

It was a fabulous conference and when I wasn't attending I was presenting and volunteering, as well as, attending my Regional Network Leader Meeting to be updated on all the Science Testing Changes. I met several teachers and was able to share the Science I Love the Best! Great Conference with Great Takeaways. Keep it in mind for next year. 

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