Exploration

One of the science technologies I explored was google sky. I have used google earth before, but I had never even heard of google sky. I was amazed at how much detail there was and how far you could zoom in on the pictures. It was really fun to explore all of the different galaxies. They also have a link where you can explore the solor system and all of the planets. This would be useful to show all of the students where all the planets are located and what they look like. You can also explore all of the different constellations. I think this would be a helpful tool in the classroom and that children would love having a virtual tour of the sky!

Week 3 TPACK

TPACK stands for Technological Pedagogical And Content Knowledge. I had never heard of TPACK before so I learned a lot! Basically, TPACK is a integreation of pedagogical, content, and technological knowledge. Pedagocial knowledge is the knowedge that teachers have about teaching. Content knowledge is knowing facts about something specific. Technological knowledge is knowing how to use different technologies. Putting all of these together gives you TPACK. It is the knowledge of how to use technology to teach a specific topic while meeting pedagoical needs. It is necessary for teachers to have this knowledge so that can use the right kind of technology to teach specific topics in their classroom. By using the correct tools, they can hold their students attention. It will also help them teach in a variety of ways. Teaching with technology tools helps the students be hands on with their work. It is more likely that they will remember what they have learned if they have done the experiment themselves.