Week 4: Material Generators

Many different options exist to help teachers with material generation -here are a few that I have used in the past:

Test generators - Most textbooks come with an exam generator - I used Holt's Examview software - it was great for suggesting a starting point for test questions - I usually modified the questions some from the suggestion, but it save tons of time.  I was also great for generating a study guide of questions for students to use to prepare for the test, or even sometime I would pass them out at the beginning of a section for students to follow along and guide them in note-taking.

Graphic Document Generators - Used to create certificates - I find that Powerpoint and/or Word are fine for this.  Powerpoint works especially well - you can import graphics (either found or created) and really make a pretty good looking certificate with it.

Graphics Programs - I used lots of diagrams and images and Photoshop is not only very expensive, but has a pretty steep learning curve.  For 99% of what I needed to do day-to-day, Paint.NET (freeware - available online) was a great easy to use tool for making diagrams, cropping & editing pictures, etc.  It's only available for Windows,  so on a Mac, the closest program is GIMP - again, available free online.

Week 3 Blog: Online tools

Week 3 Blog:

This week we had to use several new tools on the web to create various items illustrating the use of technology in the classroom.

1)  Bubbl.us - This is a nice little web-based tool for creating concept/mind maps.  The application was reminiscent of visio, but with a more specific purpose.  The mind map I created on Matter - Pure Substances vs. Mixtures:

 Not too bad, easy to use.

2)  Glogster - education focused blogging tool?  I found this too restrictive in use and too difficult to build.  The create tools were less than intuitive to me.  It may be just a personal viewpoint for me, others may find it a really good tool. (I'm biased because I actually work on web development for several years before becoming a teacher.)  The Glog I created is located at:

http://coachgill.edu.glogster.com/gills-glog

3) Animoto - Used to create videos.  I'm just not a fan of videos for presentations.  The interface was easy to use, but the pop-up messages from the app were distracting and hard to work around.  The video I made is located at:

http://animoto.com/play/x3boRZDLkBby6zm8CBZlIA

4)  BigHugeLabs - miscellaneous mini apps, nothing all that useful though.  I have attached 3 items created using the site:

Week 2 Blog:  Hot Topic...Wikipedia as a resource...

Should wikipedia be used as a resource? Yes.

Should wikipedia be the ONLY resource? Absolutely NOT!

Wikipedia is a good starting point for students to get general information about a subject and to engage the student.  Is is trustworthy? usually - but the idea is that students get a start on learning and then verify the information with further research.  One of the ideas I try to get across to my science students is to never take anything at face value.  For data to be valid, it must be verified and repeatable - one-off results are not verified.

Week 1: Introduction

                 My name is John Gill, and I have been a science teacher at Central High School in Phenix City, AL for 2 years, but am currently transitioning to a smaller private school nearby.  I teach chemistry, physics, and physical science, and I also coach football and soccer.

                  I grew up in a small town in Middle Georgia and went to the University of Georgia where I received a degree in Chemistry.  I spent 3 years as a Chemist, went back to school to get a degree in computer science, and then worked in the corporate world for 14 years before leaving to teach. This is my second year teaching and I have loved every minute of teaching thus far!  I suppose it is in my blood to teach, considering that my mother was a teacher as well, and actually began teaching at the same age as I did – 39 years old! 

                  I am married (just celebrated 17 years) and I have two boys, one age 14 and the other 4 years old.  My hobbies include reading, hunting, and…well, with teaching full time, coaching year round, and a family at home, who really has time for a hobby?  Actually, teaching still seems more like a hobby than a job to me; after all, a job can’t be this much fun, can it?  I’m looking forward to teaching many more years.

                  My most rewarding moment, and thus far greatest contribution to education, was when I told my class the first week of school that it would “behoove” them to take notes…and them explaining what the word “behoove” meant.  A couple of weeks later I was on the sidelines at a football game.  After a particularly good hit on the field, one of my students, a football player, told me “it would behoove [the other player] to get out of my way!”   Finally, proof that someone is listening and learning in my class!