Technology in the Content Areas Option B: Science
Building Pangaea
Personal Opinion: Personally, I love this simulation. Far to often in the classroom, I want to do a manipulation lab to show how Pangaea looked, but unfortunately I do not have the tools at hand to be able to do this. Now with the use of this website, I am able to show my students how it could work, and allow them to manipulate the continents as well.
Ease of Use: This simulation is very easy to use. All the information you need is right in front of you. You can see evidence of fossil records, rock samples, and glacier deposits to help reconstruct Pangaea. You are able to move continents to see where they would have fit together, and even place arrows on the picture to show where the landmasses have moved.
Educational Value: This simulation has great educational value. Not only will the students be learning about the theory of Pangaea, they will be able to use an interactive model to aid in their learning. Many times we can talk about different theories, Pangaea more specifically, and just talk. We can show pictures and explain how it all can "fit" together. With the use of this simulation, students will be able to see how it fits to gain a better understanding of Pangaea.
Age/Developmentally Appropriate: This simulation is age and developmentally appropriate for 3rd - 6th grade.
Applicability to Theme: This simulation applies perfectly with my theme of Earth's Changing Surface. There is not greater definition of Earth's changing surface than the Theory of Pangaea.
http://www.explorelearning.com/index.cfm?method=cResource.dspView&ResourceID=633
Ease of Use: This simulation is very easy to use. All the information you need is right in front of you. You can see evidence of fossil records, rock samples, and glacier deposits to help reconstruct Pangaea. You are able to move continents to see where they would have fit together, and even place arrows on the picture to show where the landmasses have moved.
Educational Value: This simulation has great educational value. Not only will the students be learning about the theory of Pangaea, they will be able to use an interactive model to aid in their learning. Many times we can talk about different theories, Pangaea more specifically, and just talk. We can show pictures and explain how it all can "fit" together. With the use of this simulation, students will be able to see how it fits to gain a better understanding of Pangaea.
Age/Developmentally Appropriate: This simulation is age and developmentally appropriate for 3rd - 6th grade.
Applicability to Theme: This simulation applies perfectly with my theme of Earth's Changing Surface. There is not greater definition of Earth's changing surface than the Theory of Pangaea.
http://www.explorelearning.com/index.cfm?method=cResource.dspView&ResourceID=633
Rock Cycle
Personal Opinion: Personally, I was hoping to get a little bit more out of this simulation than just an interactive chart. However it does serve it's purpose and gets the job done very well. With the assessment questions to aid the chart, students will be able to gain quite a bit of information out of this simulation.
Ease of Use: This simulation is very easy to use, however I did find a bit of a learning curve. I was expecting some fancy animations, but they simply were not there. This is more of an informational simulation.
Educational Value: The rock cycle is always a pretty tough cycle to teach. Students can and do understand the cycle but it is a cycle that takes thousands of years to complete. Because of this, we do not have any video or any pictures of this happening. Through the use of simulations like this, we are able to show them how it works.
Age/Developmentally Appropriate: This simulation is nothing fancy, but it is grade and age appropriate for 3 - 6th grades.
Applicability to Theme: The rock cycle is a great part of Earth's changing surface. This applies to my theme very easily because of this.
http://www.explorelearning.com/index.cfm?method=cResource.dspView&ResourceID=436
Ease of Use: This simulation is very easy to use, however I did find a bit of a learning curve. I was expecting some fancy animations, but they simply were not there. This is more of an informational simulation.
Educational Value: The rock cycle is always a pretty tough cycle to teach. Students can and do understand the cycle but it is a cycle that takes thousands of years to complete. Because of this, we do not have any video or any pictures of this happening. Through the use of simulations like this, we are able to show them how it works.
Age/Developmentally Appropriate: This simulation is nothing fancy, but it is grade and age appropriate for 3 - 6th grades.
Applicability to Theme: The rock cycle is a great part of Earth's changing surface. This applies to my theme very easily because of this.
http://www.explorelearning.com/index.cfm?method=cResource.dspView&ResourceID=436
Plate Tectonics
Personal Opinion: I honestly had a little bit of fun doing this simulation myself. I like moving the converging boundary together until the volcano erupts. This is a good simulation for students to see as well. We have movies and other animations that can show the same information, and they do a good job with it. This would be a good interactive lesson for students to do when they are done with their other work, and with the accompanying assessment, it can easily be used as a grade.
Ease of Use: This simulation is very simple to use. You have 4 plate boundaries to manipulate. You click on one and then the accompanying arrow to see what happens when the plate moves.
Educational Value: This simulation will take a bit of background knowledge for students to really be able to gain from doing this. But, after they have the knowledge they will really have some fun with this simulation. They are able to see how 4 different types of plate boundaries and see how they affect the surface of the Earth.
Age/Developmentally Appropriate: This simulation is appropriate for 3 -6th grade.
Applicability to Theme: Plate tectonics are a huge part of Earth's changing surface. Because of plate tectonics, we can proved evidence to support Pangaea. This simulation goes hand in hand with the Pangaea simulation and easily fits into my unit theme.
http://www.explorelearning.com/index.cfm?method=cResource.dspView&ResourceID=446
Ease of Use: This simulation is very simple to use. You have 4 plate boundaries to manipulate. You click on one and then the accompanying arrow to see what happens when the plate moves.
Educational Value: This simulation will take a bit of background knowledge for students to really be able to gain from doing this. But, after they have the knowledge they will really have some fun with this simulation. They are able to see how 4 different types of plate boundaries and see how they affect the surface of the Earth.
Age/Developmentally Appropriate: This simulation is appropriate for 3 -6th grade.
Applicability to Theme: Plate tectonics are a huge part of Earth's changing surface. Because of plate tectonics, we can proved evidence to support Pangaea. This simulation goes hand in hand with the Pangaea simulation and easily fits into my unit theme.
http://www.explorelearning.com/index.cfm?method=cResource.dspView&ResourceID=446
Rock Classification
Personal Opinion: I like this simulation. It is definitely upper level thinking but I can see how those students that are in the upper portion of the class could benefit from it. I had a little bit of issues with this simulation, but as a challenge it served its purpose for me.
Ease of Use: This simulation is very easy to use and it provides a few options for how to categorize the rocks. You are able to classify the rocks based on both characteristics of the rocks and the location where they are found. To do this, you simply grab the "rock sample" and drag it to the appropriate category or location.
Educational Value: This has a very high educational value. Rocks are something that one would need a lot of information for to get a better understanding of them. With this simulation, users are able to see a microscopic view and be able to categorize the rocks based off this information.
Age/Developmentally Appropriate: This simulation is definitely meant for 5th or 6th grades. This simulation takes a lot of background knowledge and something that won't be covered until you reach the upper grades.
Applicability to Theme: This simulation relates to the rock cycle which is a part of Earth's changing surface. This will also aid the rock cycle and allow the students to get a better understanding of it.
Ease of Use: This simulation is very easy to use and it provides a few options for how to categorize the rocks. You are able to classify the rocks based on both characteristics of the rocks and the location where they are found. To do this, you simply grab the "rock sample" and drag it to the appropriate category or location.
Educational Value: This has a very high educational value. Rocks are something that one would need a lot of information for to get a better understanding of them. With this simulation, users are able to see a microscopic view and be able to categorize the rocks based off this information.
Age/Developmentally Appropriate: This simulation is definitely meant for 5th or 6th grades. This simulation takes a lot of background knowledge and something that won't be covered until you reach the upper grades.
Applicability to Theme: This simulation relates to the rock cycle which is a part of Earth's changing surface. This will also aid the rock cycle and allow the students to get a better understanding of it.