Sample Lesson with Tech in the Classroom
In this sample lesson, students will study a science unit on planetary systems and understand the application of gravity on planet orbits. By the end of the lesson, students will be able to explain how mass and distance affect gravitational pull, and how mass, distance and velocity create planetary orbits.
This lesson aligns with the ISTE Standards for Students #3: Knowledge Constructor. This standard has students critically curate a variety of resources using digital tools to construct knowledge, produce creative artifacts, and make meaningful learning experiences for themsleves and others. (ISTE, 2021).
First, the teacher will conduct a powerpoint presentation on gravity. Included in the powerpoint is an interactive website that demonstrates gravity and the orbit of Earth around the sun - PHET
Students will have their version of the slides on paper to fill in the blanks to create notes. The teacher will lead a group discussion on the powerpoint and ask questions for understanding.
The first formative assessment is a quick question and answer in Plickers to assess student understanding of the key terms and concepts. Student will have their laptops to answer the questions. Feedback to the teacher will be immediate for the teacher to know if the students can move on, or if more review is needed.
Students will then create their own model on gravity. They will have their own Chromebooks to search for information on the gravity model they want to create. As the teacher monitors, the teacher will ask questions about how students are searching for answers to their questions, how they know the sources they are looking at are relaible, and how they are using the information they find to construct their model for demonstration. They have their choice in how they want to create their model and what question about gravity they want to answer. This allows students to choose what is importnat to them and provide a more self-directed activity and independent learning.
Students will present their model and findings to the class.
A summative assessment will be conducted through a Google Form. The Google form will provide data on each student so the teacher can eaisly determine if the terms and concepts of the learning abojective have been reached.
Tech for Summative Assessments
Using Google Forms to create a summative assessment as an Exit Ticket to the lesson allows the teacher to quickly gather data on student learning. If the class enjoys games, a Kahoot! Would be a fun and engaging way to conclude the lesson. Teachers can create their own questions on a Kahoot and can set the game to be more or less competitive. The results for each student is recorded and displayed after completing the Kahoot so the teacher can access information on individual students and evaluate the learning outcomes for the class.
Tech for Evaluating Learning Outcomes
All these technology tools for assessments record data and graph results. Teachers can look at the class overall, and see individual student results to determine the learning outcomes of every student. Data would be analyzed and evaluated to know if the learning objective was met, or if the assessment indicate further lessons need to be planned to help students better reach the learning objectives.
Tech for Formative Assessments
Teachers can use technology to quickly attain data to evaluate student progress and level of understanding. Having the access to data for formative assessments provides teachers with immediate feedback on student learning and know if the lesson objectives are being achieved or if additional instruction and practice is needed. Programs like Plickers (plickers.com) or a Google form are quick detect tools for teachers to gather data with formative assessments.
References
ISTE. (2021). ISTE Standards for Students. Retrieved from https://www.iste.org/standards/iste-standards-for-students
Teaching Channel. (n.d.). Using tech tools for formative assessment [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.teachingchannel.org/video/student-assessment-with-tech