Guest Blogger: Mr. Tony Johnson - 8th Grade Science Teacher
Mr. Johnson re-designed his weather unit this year by welcoming the idea of exposing students to more 21st Century as well as authentic learning opportunities. The newly named unit is now called a Newscast.
What a great opportunity for me to make my way into Mr. Johnson's classroom and model some great applications of technology to help students complete their Newscast projects.
A variety of technology tools were used to facilitate the project. A Padlet wall was created for each news station and Google Toned out to each group so they could collaborate their thinking and gather needed resources for the project. iPads and the movie making magic of iMovie was introduced as well as students learning the concept behind a green screen production using the green screen app by Do Ink.
The unit/project tied into the following Common Core Standards for Science and 21st Century Learning
ES.6-8.12
Understands and applies knowledge of atmospheric properties and how they influence weather and climate.
21.6–8.TL.2
Collaborate with peers, experts, and others using interactive technology.
21.6–8.TL.6
Understand the underlying structure and application of technology systems.
21.6–8.ES.1
Communicate and work productively with others, considering different perspectives, and cultural views to increase the quality of work.
Mr. Johnson reflects, "We turned our weather unit into a newscast after collecting weather data and news articles from KCCI. The students used summarizing skills with the articles and then had to reverse the process by taking summaries and producing news stories. Their news cast had to have a weather segment including an extended forecast. The videos turned out quite well. The students also had to write their own scripts and learn some new technology in this unit."
Mr. Johnson also shared his resources he gave his students.
Thanks Mr. Johnson for sharing your students with me!