Virtual Tour Using TPACK Principles

For my virtual tour assignment, I am relying on TPACK principles to fit the pedagogy to the content I will be teaching and the technology to the content and pedagogy.



Content: 4th Grade Social Studies

• Standard 1: Students will understand the relationship between the physical geography in Utah and human life.


• Objective 3: Analyze how human actions modify the physical environment.


• a. Describe how and why humans have changed the physical environment of Utah to meet their needs (e.g. reservoirs, irrigation, climate, transportation systems and cities).

Pedagogy: I am helping my students to learn material about the Transcontinental Railroad visually by providing them with materials that allow them to see firsthand the geographic features that permeate the path and stops of the Transcontinental Railroad. I am also allowing them to feel as if they are part of the journey through journal entries in which students write from the point of view of travelers and spectators. These elements help the students feel as if they are really part of the entire experience. This way, the students learn more and better appreciate the struggles and experiences associated with the Transcontinental Railroad.



Technology: I will be using Google Earth for this lesson. Google Earth is the perfect enhancement of my lesson about the Transcontinental Railroad. It allows the students to view the locations used for the Railroad firsthand, thus helping them to understand the physical environment and the distance between stops through visual means. Additionally, Google Earth allows my students to learn the material in a fun, creative way!

Google Earth Virtual Tour Plan

Location	Activity	Google Earth Content
1. Omaha, Nebraska	Give each student a copy of a map from 1860. Have them draw railroad tracks following the path of the Transcontinental Railroad on their maps. Using colored pencils, have the students outline the territories and color in the desert, mountains, rivers, and other geographic features.	Have a link in which students can read a Wikipedia article about an overview of the Transcontinental Railroad. Then, have them measure the length of the Platte River.
2. Promontory, Utah	Using pictures and other visual aids, discuss the logistics of the train -- its appearance, what made it run (steam), the materials required to build it, the groups of people who built it, etc. Discuss how the train made it possible to ship materials quicker and easier, and how it made travel much safer for passengers.	Have the students measure the length of the distance from Omaha, Nebraska to Promontory, Utah.
3. Sacramento, California	Discuss how it took only 6 days to arrive at one's destination on the train from beginning to end, as opposed to the 6 months it took in a covered wagon. Have the students write a journal entry from the point of view of a person riding the Transcontinental Railroad for the first time. In the entry, have them describe which provisions they would take with them, in particular outlining how their supplies were adapted this time for a much shorter trip.	Have the students measure the length of distance between Promontory, Utah and Sacramento, California.
4. Washington, D.C.	Discuss the activities that occurred in Washington, D.C. to celebrate the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad ("The Star-Spangled Banner" playing, bells ringing, cannons going off, etc.). Have the students write a journal entry from the point of view of a spectator at such an exciting event, describing their emotions.	Have the students measure the distance of length that it would take someone in Omaha, Nebraska to travel to the celebration in Washington, D.C.
Details of image overlay / path / polygon:	Connect the three stops of the Transcontinental Railroad with the celebratory site in Washington, D.C. Teach about the enhancement of this form of travel.

PhotoStory Video

Storyboard

For our first grade lesson, we are using Shel Silverstein's humorous poem "Messy Room." We intend to incorporate TPACK principles into this lesson plan as follows:

Content: We are using first grade Health Standard 1, Objective 1, that emphasizes the importance of using responsible health and safety practices. Specifically, "Messy Room" will teach students to take responsibility for keeping their rooms -- and our classroom, as an extension -- clean and safe for everyone. As an added bonus, students will be able to learn from an excellent poem -- thus making this lesson a literary delight!

Pedagogy: Students will have a strong connection with this lesson, as it is a fun, exciting, and unique way to learn; it will be particularly beneficial to visual and auditory learners. It is a good fit with the content because students learn most effectively when they are personally invested in the topic studied, and thus it is incredibly important that we help motivate the students to take responsibility for their personal and classroom environment. This lesson will encourage students to follow principles of health as we help foster student connection to the topic.

Technology: This lesson uses PhotoStory, a computer program that allows us to digitally display our poem and the corresponding photos we took on our digital camera. The students will watch our video of the poem, and then they will have the chance to create their own group videos. PhotoStory is a good fit with the content and pedagogy studied. The technology deeply enhances the content we will teach, as the images presented help convey to the students the negative effects that occur when people do not show responsibility for their personal environment. This technology also enhances the pedagogy, as it provides us with the wonderful opportunity to present the lesson in a unique way that increases student interest and investment.

Here is our storyboard:

TPACK Principles Enhance Lesson Plans

We really enjoyed incorporating TPACK elements into our lesson!

Our lesson followed the guidelines of the Sixth Grade Science Standard 1:Students will understand that the appearance of the moon changes in a predictable cycle as it orbits Earth and as Earth rotates on its axis, Objective 1: Explain patterns of changes in the appearance of the moon as it orbits Earth, a.: Describe changes in the appearance of the moon during a month. We discussed the various phases of the moon that occur throughout a month's time, exhibited in our observations.

In teaching this lesson to students, we used guided learning. We taught each concept essential to their understanding of the moon and its phases prior to performing this experiment. We oversaw the students' progress as they used Stellarium to conduct this task, answering questions and helping them to develop their thinking.

We used the computer program Stellarium in this experiment. It was a wonderful technological tool! It really made it possible for us to view and take pictures of the moon as it appeared for a month. It allowed us to accomplish our objectives; it allowed us to observe the moon and record our observations. It was a perfect fit for our lesson!

Our understanding of TPACK helped us to create a successful and exciting lesson for our students!

Tech Savvy Teacher -- Stellar Observations

Star light, star bright, first star I see to…day? That’s right – thanks to the free computer software program Stellarium, we can view the earth, moon, and space at any time and any place – including during the daylight hours and inside! This technological marvel is ideal for stargazing; but more importantly, it is perfect for use in elementary science!

To get a better idea of just how exceptionally this software can enhance the elementary classroom, we turn to Lindsay Priday and Charla Teaford, both sixth grade teachers at Provo Elementary. “We were elated with the implications of Stellarium’s use in our astronomy lessons,” says Teaford. “But we decided to collaborate to try this program for ourselves before introducing it to our students.” The teachers were thrilled to learn that Stellarium allows users to view Earth and space at any date, time, and location. Intending to test Stellarium for classroom applications, Priday and Teaford decided to conduct an experiment that employed nighttime observations. “Astronomy lessons have often been difficult in the past. The students understandably want to personally observe the moon and space, but it is just not possible to perform such experiments because of the daylight during the school hours,” explains Teaford. “We were really hopeful that our experiment could prove that Stellarium can be used to study the moon in a more exciting, observable way!”

Priday and Teaford’s experiment was to observe the phases of the moon that occurred during a one-month period and record their findings, using Stellarium. Priday and Teaford set up Stellarium so that they could observe the moon in Provo, Utah at 10 p.m. on January 1-31, 2009. They soon found that the moon was waxing, or becoming more visible to viewers on Earth due to its rotation, at the beginning of the month. It continued to wax until January 11, when there was a full moon. During the next several days, the moon underwent the process of waning, or becoming less visible to viewers on Earth, due to the earth’s rotation. The moon became smaller and smaller until there was a new moon on January 26. The moon then began waxing again. The teachers used Stellarium to take pictures of the moon’s phases for several different days of the month. (Their photos appear below.) Priday and Teaford were incredibly impressed with the way Stellarium enhanced their experiment. “Stellarium was easy to use, and the images were so clear! I really felt like I was observing the moon outdoors!” exclaims Priday.

January 1

January 5

January 11

January 13

January 26

January 31

The teachers were anxious to use this experiment as a science lesson in their classrooms. They divided their students into groups and had them conduct their astronomy experiment using Stellarium. The experiment was a complete success! “My students told me that they were so excited to be able to view the moon while it was still light outside, and to make their observations inside our warm classroom,” Priday comments. “They thoroughly enjoyed being able to view the moon from their fingertips. An additional benefit was that the students could make their observations in one sitting – not over the course of 31 days. They were able to observe the moon’s phases during the entire month of January in less than one hour.”

Indeed, Stellarium is an ideal asset for any elementary classroom. It provides both teachers and students with the opportunity to observe the earth, moon, and space for any date, time, and location. Stellarium allows them to conduct astronomy experiments inside, during the school day. Normally lengthy experiments can be performed in short periods of time. The program is free of charge. And Stellarium is just plain fun! Third-grader Rachel Borrow from Provo Elementary sums it up best: “I love to look at the moon! Stellarium is so cool – I give it five stars!”