Plants are Perfect!

Spring! What teacher doesn't love it? Days are getting warmer, flowers are blooming, we're getting closer to summer break....I especially love this time of year for teaching science. Get the kids outside and be environmentalists and biologists. I will admit, life cycles are my favorite units to teach. Here are some great interactive websites for teaching plant parts and plant life cycles.

1. BBC- Bitesize interactives- Parts of a Flower
2. University of Illinois- Trees are Terrific
3. WI.gov Environmental Education- Eek! Dichotomous Tree Key
4. For Interactive Whiteboards- Life Cycle of Plants
   

image- http://creativecommons.org/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/jenessalynn/990650008/

Digital Natives and Immigrants...Again!

In preparing for my M/AT, ED 5210 Educational Technology, I'm reading some articles and blog posts related to this discussion topic. After candidates read Marc Prensky's article that defined this issue, they investigate into other's opinions in the teaching/technology field. We look at Jamie McKenzie article "Digital Nativism" and find quite a contrast in thinking. I do this exercise with both undergraduate and graduate students. As you can imagine, the "older" group is typically highly agitated by Prensky's comments. I find myself agreeing with principal, Chris Lehmann, who responded in 2007, but is still applicable. How do we engage students to do hard work and think deeply? These are the questions good teachers should be asking.