Mo Physics Mo Problems

Summative assessment can be a bit tricky in distance learning when relying on traditional pencil and paper test. One of the assessment options I have allowed students to use in the past was an evidence presentation in which they created a 1 on 1 presentation demonstrating their mastery of the unit standards by presenting artifacts from the unit. I'm trying something similar with my students as we wrap up our momentum unit. This unit was done completely via distance learning. We had several different activities and I made sure that students had opportunities to cover our main 4 science skill outcomes as they related to momentum. I can plan and carry out investigations I can analyze and interpret data I can use mathematics and computational thinking I can construct explanations The goal for the summative assessment is for them to provide evidence for each of these 4 outcomes. I didn't want the technology to be the barrier. So, I choose Flipgrid which is a very simpl...

This week my building principal gave me the opportunity to provide virtual PD for our district on 3 tools that I think are great for supporting virtual learning: Pear Deck, Scientifically, and Flipgrid. I created informational slide decks and recorded one of the webinars I did for each of the three tools. I won't go one much more, but wanted to make these resources available to all. If you have any questions about the tools feel free to reach out to me on twitter @mo_physics or email at mohammam@elmbrookschools.org Please note that these webinar videos were the first presentations I've ever done using Google Hangouts Meet so please forgive the informal nature of the presentations. They are the raw video from the session. I could easily have spent hours making them perfect, but I figured the true purpose was not aesthetic perfection but timelessness of the information. Pear Deck Use Student Paced mode to provide asynchronous instruction or formative assessment in ...

My school district will be out next week to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Over these days students will be assigned virtual learning assignments to be completed at home with the assistance of their Chromebooks. I'm designing a series of daily activities for my students using a number of resources. I just wanted to do a quick share and provide some 1 minute videos just in case you were interested in trying these tools out. Pear Deck I will be providing guided content instruction and videos through the use of student paced Pear Decks. These are Google Slide decks with added interactivity via the Pear Deck for Slides add-on . Some slides have videos embedded and others have the ability for students to respond to prompts. In student paced mode, students join the deck via a link and progress at their own pace. The teacher is then able to view their progress and responses to prompts in real time. To learn more about using Pear Deck for virtual learning, check out this post b...

As we move to skills based standards, many times a traditional test may not be adequate to demonstrate mastery of all standards. Over the past few years, we have been implementing a new state of science standards which incorporate both skills and content. These new state standards were designed with the Next Generation Science Standards as a guide. In our physics course we are targeting 4 different science skills. Planning and carrying out investigations Analyzing and interpreting data Using mathematics and computational thinking Constructing explanations and designing solutions Students are asked to apply each of these practices to specific pieces of content knowledge, Disciplinary Core Ideas. In physics, these are Force and Interactions Energy Waves and Electromagnetic Radiation At the end of a unit, we still have summative assessments that include tests. But this semester, I’m attempting to build in a better understanding of these different practices. So, I am alterin...

Pear Deck has just released a series of Slides Templates related to science and you can get them by clicking here. They can also be accessed from the Pear Deck Sidebar in Google Slides or PowerPoint The slide templates are free to use and edit by all and are a great way to start digging into the NGSS Science Practices. If you are unfamiliar with the Science Practice you can read more about them here. In this post, I’d just like to highlight how some of these slides could be used as another way to bring the science practices into your classroom. Developing and Using Models When students create and use models they are creating representations of phenomenon. Models are a great way for students to communicate ideas beyond simple text explanations. These can take a variety of forms and that’s where some of these different slide interactions can come in. Slides like the Draw an Atom give students an opportunity to practice applying atomic models for different elements. It’s simple for t...

As we prepare for our 4th EdCamp Elmbrook , I realize how every year it seems like the number of first time EdCampers continues to grow.  I love this because I feel that EdCamps are an amazing source of PD. But, that puts greater responsibility on those of us that are EdCamp veterans to help model what a great EdCamp can be.  EdCamp Elmbrook is March 7th in Brookfield Wisconsin at Brookfield Central High School. We'd love to have you there.  Click here if you'd like to register. I will always remember sitting in my first EdCamp opening session in 2013 and having no clue what I was in for. So, I’d like to take this space to go over some of the basic rules of EdCamp. No One Will Pitch It for You EdCamps are unconferences. By this I mean that they have a blank slate of sessions for the day. There may be a few predetermined sessions, but ultimately the session topics are determined by attendees during the pitch & plan session that opens they day. If an idea ge...

I’ve finished my 9th cycle of Google Site Portfolios with my Physics students. There have been major iterations, for example when the new Google Sites came along. There have also been smaller iterations as some practices in my classroom have changed. Before starting a new batch of portfolios with my students (I have one major change I am making), I wanted to just give an overview of the structure for those interested in using Google Sites for portfolios in their classroom. I've included screenshots of student portfolios. Click on the images to access the student portfolios. End at the Start, the Home Page The home page of the portfolio is not something we do until the very last days of class once the portfolio is complete. In the past I’ve had students write a brief welcome note to the portfolio. As a part of my master’s coursework, I was required to make a portfolio. On the home page of that portfolio, I was tasked with creating a short video introducing the portfolio and w...