Zach Paul's ePortfolio
Post #1
Post #2
After watching the Ted Talk "How Algorithms Shape Our World", I find myself relating the speaker's ideas to the movie "Money Monster". The general plot of "Money Monster" is that a Wall Street analyst is held hostage in order to try to find why millions of people lost money on a certain stock. The analyst tries to blame the loss on an algorithm that sold too much money; however, it is later determined that the owner of the company altered the algorithm to steal the money for himself. I think this highlights the importance of human influence on algorithms. Algorithms can be used to increase efficiency and find solutions to extremely difficult problems, but ultimately they depend on the human that programmed the algorithms. This is very important, because algorithms can be used for amazing things and can make a lot of money, but only if humans create and use them properly.
As mentioned in my first blog post, I need to be careful when teaching algorithms because my students could easily be overwhelmed. Because algorithms are heavily math-based, I think it would be fun to incorporate them into a math lesson. Activities that require students to create mathematical directions could include a scavenger hunt or even creating a recipe for how to cook their favorite meal. Algorithms could also be taught as a puzzle for students to solve, which would help keep the material fun. I really like the real-world example of the Roomba drawing lines on the ground. I think this would help students visualize how an abstract concept like an algorithm can actually be applied to their daily world. I would enjoy teaching algorithms because so much can be taught with and without an actual computer. This would be beneficial if I work in a school that does not have very many resources, so I could still teach the students about technology.
My professional learning goals in the CEL program:
1. Become more confident in my computer science abilities by learning more about coding and html.
2. Develop strategies to create lesson plans that incorporate computer science into the classroom.
3. Become an advocate for computer science by understanding its importance, and sharing that knowledge with others.
My professional learning goals align with ISTE Standards 1a, 2a, and 4a. Not only do I want to improve my skills in computer science, but I also want to become more aware of why it should be taught in schools. Because I want to teacher younger grades, like 2nd or 3rd, I need to make sure that my students are not overwhelmed by the content. My students will automatically be engaged with the material, because like Hadi Partovi states in his Ted Talk, children already utilize these concepts when they play a game or search the internet on their devices. By using unplugged activities, or activities that are like games, I can make sure my students enjoy learning about computer sciences. This is important, because I don't want my students to be discouraged and think computer sciences is too difficult. Partovi also mentions the lack of female representation in computer sciences, so I need to be especially careful when teaching my female students. I want to build their confidence so that they want to continue to challenge themselves when the material gets harder. In my EDUC-W200 class last year, my professor Dr. Leftwich mentioned that computer science education could become mandatory in the next few years. I want to make sure that I, as well as my students, are prepared for the upcoming changes, so that we can work together to be optimistic and successful.
Post #3
1. After teaching the unplugged activity, I learned that computer science concepts can be taught without the use of technology. I think this is very beneficial knowledge to take into my future classroom. Ideally, I will be able to teach at a school that is fortunate enough to have one-to-one devices like laptops or iPads; however, I know that this might not be the case. My future school could have very few financial resources, so I know that I have to be adaptable. The unplugged activity gave me the confidence to teach concepts like functions and loops, without the use of a computer. I think this activity forced me to become more flexible, because even when a computer is available, something could go wrong which would require me to teach other non-coding activities unplugged.
2. After I saw the unplugged activities from my colleagues, I learned that there are many different ways to teach concepts. While our instructor provided us with a starting lesson plan, many students in the class, including my group, chose to adapt the plan or create our own from scratch. This shows me that I should be open to new methods, especially when a particular way is not working or is not as effective as I want it to be. My colleagues also demonstrated how technology can be useful as a tool, but can also become a crutch. Our assignment was to teach an unplugged activity, implying that little to no technology should be used. While my group decided to play music videos, this easily could have been done without technology, by having students sing the songs themselves. Other groups defaulted to using a PowerPoint to teach their activity, which reveals how we occasionally depend on technology in situations where our teaching would be just as effective without it.
3. After the unplugged activity, I learned that I value having a wide variety of resources available to me. This can include my own creativity when devising a lesson plan, but it is also beneficial to have ideas from past teachers or lesson plans. I believe that I am able to adjust to new situations well, but it was nice to work with another student to bounce ideas off each other. I think this highlights the importance of teamwork between staff members at a school. I often like to work independently, but working with others allows me to give and receive assistance. This unplugged activity not only taught me many useful activities for my future classroom, but also made me appreciate how technology can be used effectively in an educational setting. I will most likely use one of these activities as an introductory lesson, and then proceed to use technology to demonstrate the computer science techniques in action.
Post #4
This was my second year of completing the Hour of Code, so this time I decided to try the Disney Infinity Play Lab activity. The concepts that the activity covered were fairly basic like moving up and down, and pausing for one second. All of these actions only required using one or two elements of code, so I think this activity would be very good for younger kids like 1st grade. The Disney characters are also engaging for younger kids, so this would be fun to use in the classroom. One thing I did learn, is that you can use coding to give you access to the arrow keys on the keyboard. I previously thought that you could only move an onscreen character by using code like "move 100 pixels to the right". I think it is very cool and helpful to be able to program so that keyboard buttons can be used. This would make completing tasks much easier in my opinion, and I can see how many computer games are therefore programmed.
Post #5
We did not end up completing a field placement...instead we participated in STEM night.
In order to teach students about the Internet, I would want to assess their existing knowledge first. Many of my students will already use the Internet in their everyday routines, whether it involves watching videos on Youtube, or playing online games. A basic questionnaire of key Internet words could help me determine which areas I need to focus on. After I know my students' starting knowledge, I think the best way for them to learn would be through exploration. I could provide specific sites for my students to visit, and then incorporate the proper terminology for everything that they are doing. A formal PowerPoint or video could also add to my instruction, but the students will understand better if they are navigating through the Internet themselves. I want to emphasize Internet safety, so I would make sure that I monitor or control the students' online exploration.
I think that, if used properly, an unplugged activity could be beneficial, but perhaps not as helpful as it would be for coding. One idea I have is similar to the way I was taught about the Internet. My school had a program of educational videos about the Internet that used cartoon characters. While I would not necessarily need to use those exact videos, I think that having characters to represent different elements (e.g "Victor Virus" or "Riley Router") would make the lesson more engaging, especially for younger students. I want to make sure that the students are not bored or overwhelmed by having them memorize a lot of technical jargon, so interactive games or matching activities would help keep the material interesting. Overall, I think that learning about the Internet is very important, especially for children who are growing up in such a technological society. I hope that by teaching the Internet in an isolated and cross-subject setting, my students will see the importance of knowing how the Internet works.
Post #6
Post #7
After watching the TED Talk called "Let's Teach Kids to Code", I have a better understanding of how to use the program Scratch in my classroom. Scratch is a program designed by MIT specifically to teach children how to program and code. Children can create projects that include games, artwork, animated stories, and more. The student using Scratch is able to click and drag different coding blocks, connecting them together similar to a puzzle. This reduces the intensity of typical coding formulas and language, to make programming more accessible to children. I had never heard of Scratch before watching this video, so I am glad that this educational opportunity was brought to my attention. After watching the TED Talk, my W210 classmates and I will create our own projects using Scratch.
While I agree with the speaker that children should be taught coding and computer science in schools, I am not entirely convinced that coding should become a separate subject in itself. This means that I would try to incorporate programming skills into other content areas like math, science, and even reading or art. I want to teach in a traditional elementary school classroom, so I would probably wait to introduce Scratch until middle or upper elementary grades (Scratch recommends ages 8-16). I most likely would use Scratch as a creative platform for students to develop a project. Students would gather the information based on the lesson and content area, and then they would be able to program a project of their choice. This project would need to include the relevant material, but the type of project each student creates is up to him or her to decide. Using Scratch would allow students to have control over their learning process, while still teaching them critical thinking skills through an engaging technology resource.
Post #8
For this blog post, I have decided to review robotics from a teacher's prospective. I will analyze the pros and cons of each type of robotics and provide examples of how I can use the robotics in my future classroom.
Robotics #1: Dash and Dot
Dash and Dot are robots that can be controlled through various apps. By using a tablet, students can move Dash and Dot by using a simple joystick and arrow keys, or they can use block coding to create instructions. They can turn the robot's head, tell the robot to speak, and even change the color of its lights. I like the adaptability of Dash and Dot, because students who are struggling could use the simpler controls so they do not feel left out when the more advanced students grasp the concept of block coding. I also like how the Dash and Dot apps use very similar block coding to Code.org. This means that I could teach students through Code.org and allow them to practice their new knowledge with the robots. One limitation of Dash and Dot is that they cannot perform some of the more difficult functions without becoming overly complicated. The makers of Dash and Dot recommend ages 6+, and I would agree that first or second grade would be most appropriate to start working with these robots. Overall, I really like Dash and Dot and would highly recommend using them to teach computer science concepts.
Robotics #2: Bee-Bot
Bee-Bot is a robot that is controlled by pushing the arrow buttons on top of its body. The students press the buttons in the order that they want the robot to perform them, and then press start to watch Bee-Bot carry out the actions. My main criticism of Bee-Bot is its limited functions (you can only move forward/backward and turn), and that you cannot change one component of your code. In order to change the code, you have to clear the entire code which means you would have to rewrite it all. In this way, Bee-Bot is beneficial in teaching the importance of step-by-step directions. Students will be able to use trial and error to see what the robot can and cannot understand. The simplicity of Bee-Bot is also great for beginning or younger students who might not have had any previous exposure to coding and robots. Bee-Bot could be good for schools that do not have iPads or have less funding to buy robots, because it is less expensive than options like Dash and Dot. The robot is also very solid so you won't have to worry about younger students breaking it, so I think Bee-Bot would be appropriate for younger grades like K-2 (recommended by the makers as well).
Robotics #3: Ozobot
Similar to Dash and Dot, Ozobot uses block coding to allow students to control the robot's movements. Unlike Dash and Dot, however, Ozobot uses a more passive approach where students preset different colors on an app to control the actions of the robot. The students can then draw their own path or use a premade path to direct Ozobot to various locations. I like Ozobot because it allows for a lot of differentiation. Students who have not yet grasped coding could be given an Ozobot that has preset instructions, set by me. Those students would then be able to explore and try to guess what I coded the robot to do, rather than worrying about why they can't get their robot to work. Ozobot also promotes teamwork and creativity as students create their own unique codes and paths. Ozobots can also be customized with different colors and styles, so students would feel more personal connection to their robot. One drawback of Ozobot is that it looks more like a "real robot" compared to the other robots listed above. While students will probably think this is cool as they see themselves being actual programmers, less confident students might be turned away because they think Ozobot is too difficult. For this reason, I would want to use Ozobot at 3rd grade (the makers recommend ages 6-10) and higher to make sure students have the coding knowledge and greater belief in their abilities.
Post #9
(video of my group's robotics lesson plan for using Dash in 3rd grade)
After teaching giving a robotics presentation on Dash, I now feel more comfortable using robotics in my future classroom. My classmates provided me with some great ideas on how to use robotics beginning in kindergarten and going all the way to high school. I primarily want to teach at the elementary level, so I will discuss some strategies for teachers who are looking to use robots in a K-6 setting. I really like activities that use an integrated curriculum to connect computer science like robotics to other subjects and real-life scenarios. Beginning in kindergarten, students can use code to drive a robot to the correct spelling of a word, image, or simply a letter. This allows students to practice information that meets academic standards, but also gives students a fun opportunity to engage with technology. Another idea is to have students code a robot to go through a maze or reach a certain checkpoint. Once the robot is at that destination, students will be asked to answer a question on a current science, math, or social studies topic.
For teachers who may not have a lot of resources available to them, I suggest using unplugged activities to teach students the computer science concepts. While the students would most likely enjoy playing with the robots themselves, you could still play a video or use one robot as the teacher's model to show students would their codes would accomplish. Those schools that are fortunate enough to have multiple robots available to them could use partner or group work, because one-to-one robots could quickly become expensive. Any robots that can be operated without another device (e.g. iPad) would be great for teachers who are new to robotics. These robots are often less expensive and don't break as easily so the teacher can learn along with the students. This robotics project showed me that there are many ways to adapt of differentiate based on students' abilities. Teachers can provide more scaffolding like writing the code with or for the students, but then more advanced students can be given freedom to explore concepts on their own. The main point of this reflection is to show that robotics does not have to be limited to "technology time", and that robotics is accessible to teachers and students with a variety of computer science skills and knowledge.
Post #10
Before we even started this project, we learned that it is important to be flexible when it comes to technology. We found out that the Lego Mindstorms kits were unavailable, so we had to adapt and complete the project without actually building the kits. I think this shows that if even your school has few resources, you can still teach programming concepts in other ways. When we were taught by a computer science student about how to use Lego Mindstorms, I was somewhat confused and did not completely understand how everything worked. I would advise teachers to find step-by-step instructions on how to build and program the robots before allowing students complete freedom to build as they please. A screencast or instructional video on using the coding app would also be helpful because there are very specific elements that you need to have correct in order for the code to work. For our project, we were required to analyze the benefits and drawbacks of Lego Mindstorm. Although we found the technology to be slightly difficult to use, there are many science and math applications for the robots. More time and effort would be required to successfully integrate this technology into a Social Studies or English classroom, so I think that secondary math and science are the best settings for Lego Mindstorms.
One thing that I was surprised about was the difficulty of using Lego Mindstorms. Because I often see younger children building with Legos, I assumed that the technology would be accessible to a wide variety of ages. Lego Mindstorms recommends ages 10+, and I would agree that 5th or 6th grade would be an appropriate grade to begin teaching with Lego Mindstorms. I think that Lego Mindstorms is a logical transition after learning how to code with Dash and Dot or Code.org. All of these programs use block coding, so you could use the simpler code of Dash and Dot as scaffolding for Lego Mindstorms. When introducing unfamiliar or difficult computer science concepts, working with a partner or a group can be helpful. For this project, we were allowed to work in larger groups of 3-4 students. Because there are so many videos and materials available for Lego Mindstorms, it was nice to have multiple group members to sift through the information. Many school districts have a technology specialist or consultant, so this would be a great resource for teachers who want to learn about a new technology. Team teaching or collaboration would also ease the work load as teachers are able to bounce ideas off each other.
Post #11
For the STEM night my group is planning to have two stations set up. One station will be an introduction/preview to our Osmo coding activity by playing a game similar to Simon Says, but instead called Osmo Says. This game will help the students gain exposure to the knowledge they’ll need for the activity, by learning simple commands such as functions, loops, and other various commands. The students will be asked to jump, turn, step, etc. using functions and loops. The students will be coded like robots, so they will have an understanding of how to code during the Osmo game at the second station. The only materials required are the iPads, the magnetic base mirrors, and the coding pieces. Assembling and disassembling the materials will be fairly easy, we just need to make sure the iPads are fully charged. We also will consider bringing large poster boards or a whiteboard to write commands down for the Simon Says game. This will help students remember the functions and loops that they have learned. The students will not be making anything themselves, but we plan to make business cards or a list of resources for them to play at home. We could have an extra iPad with these apps to show parents what they cost and what they look like.
In order to prepare for STEM night, we need to focus on scaffolding and differentiation. In order to support the students, they will begin on the first level of the Osmo game. This level has a tutorial on how to use the app, but the person leading that station will also be able to clarify confusing issues. We will introduce concepts like loops (and show the blocks required), and ask the older children to use these concepts to complete the levels more quickly. Younger kids will play the Simon Says game first, so they are able to physically enact the coding concepts first. When these younger kids play on the iPad, we can provide an example for them, and then ask the students to replicate it. Another way we need to prepare is to have proper questions for reflection and assessment. We will incorporate scaffolding by drawing on student previous knowledge, based on their age or familiarity with coding concepts (see the differentiation section for more information). Our activities automatically support reflection/assessment when students rotate from one station to another. When the students go to the Osmo station, they will have to recall the concepts they learned when the played Simon Says. The students can take turns being the leader for Simon Says, which means they would have to know what the coding concepts are, in order to check if the other students are correct or not. We also want to support reflection during the Osmo game by asking students to explain their reasoning for the steps that they took. For example, a student should be able to tell us that a loop of 5 steps forward is much more efficient than using 5 different single steps forward. Before the students leave our stations, we can also ask them what they learned or what a loop specifically is.
Post #12
STEM night on Thursday was a lot of fun! I was surprised how fast the time flew by. Our practice run in class on Tuesday could have gone better, so I am glad that we were able to improve for Thursday. On the night of the event, our station was constantly busy with kids who wanted to play the Osmo game. Although we only had three iPads, there was never more than two kids waiting at a time. We tried to be fair and allow the students to complete as least one level before they left, and whoever had been playing the longest was the first to switch out. A few times, students worked together as one of the more experienced students showed his or her classmate how to use the pieces. I oversaw the station the entire time, helping the students start from an easier level and providing any additional pieces that they needed. Olivia was able to talk to parents and bring in more families to our station, which was helpful to make sure our station was never empty. We ended up only using the Osmo coding, and not the Simon Says game, because we did not have enough interest in Simon Says. Our station rarely had more than five students at a time, so we felt that it would be more valuable to focus on the Osmo game. It was also helpful to work with students one-on-one rather than one person helping all of the students.
One thing I was surprised about was that a few families had already heard of Osmo coding. The first kid who came to our station said, "Look! It's Awbie!" The families said that they had seen advertisements on TV, but the students had never actually played the game. For that reason, it was nice that the students were able to try Osmo for the first time to see if they enjoyed it or not. Many students did not want to leave our station because they were having so much fun, so it was nice that we had the business cards of games to play at home. I was also glad that I had researched the price of Osmo before we came, because many parents wanted to know if it was reasonable. A few even mentioned that it could be a Christmas present for this year! As students were playing the game, I found that we began to focus on the math and problem-solving aspect rather than just coding. Explaining concepts like commands and loops became a little complicated and disengaging for the students, so it was better to explain the problem-solving skills. The parents were also able to see how Osmo is educational when they helped their child think logically about which pieces to use. Overall, I had a great time and would enjoy running a station at STEM night next year!
