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Technology Application #2 - A Conversation with Koko

Art Goes to School (AGTS) is an art enrichment and appreciation program sponsored by the Charles Street School PTA. At AGTS meetings we brainstorm ways to present art to each class in a fun and interesting format. This year we have decided on introducing students to Project Koko.

Project Koko has become one of the longest running interspecies communication studies in history, the only one involving gorillas. It has taught Koko and the late male (silverback) gorilla, Michael, to use sign language, fostered both gorillas’ artistic abilities, and changed the world’s perception of gorillas from that of “King Kong” to “Koko’s Kitten”.

Koko is a 35 year-old lowland gorilla who learned to speak American Sign Language when she was just a baby. Her teacher, Dr. Penny Patterson, began working with Koko as a Ph.D. project at Stanford, thinking it would only be a 4-year study.

Thirty-some years later, Penny and Koko continue to work together at the Gorilla Foundation in one of the longest interspecies communication studies ever conducted, the only one with gorillas. Koko now has a vocabulary of over 1000 signs, and understands even more spoken English.

To present the program to 550 students required the creation of a video using Microsoft Movie Maker. This 15 minute video was presented along with various artwork Koko and Michael painted. The lesson plan is the Art Goes To School Program can be found here.

Journal 12

Worked on creating a powerpoint presentation that incorporates a video clip of the PBS/Nature video "A Conversation with Koko". This entailed taking a video and converting the file from a VOB format to a MPG file format using MediaCoder. Then I used Chopper XP to actually edit the video.

This powerpoint presentation will actually be part of a lesson for the Art Goes to School Program during May 7 through May 11th. The Art Goes to School Program is presented to Kindergarten to 6th grade classes for one week during their art class.

Reflection 12

In today's class I got to see what others have been working on to incorpate technology into their lesson plans. It was really interesting to see the various applications and types of technology available. The internet is really an amazing tool that lends itself to lots of available simulations that will help students learn.

Technology Application #1 - Photosynthesis Vernier Probe

Photosynthesis Unit-- Photosynthesis is concept few students being taught by traditional methods can understand or crasp let along appreciate it's vital role for almost all of life on Earth.

The goal of our unit on Photosynthesis is to have the students practice the nature of science through the process of developing a theory and model of how an alien species is obtaining its energy. Since the mechanism for the aliens is analogous to how plants obtain energy, the alien scenario is providing a hook, based on inquiry to further study the process of photosynthesis. The students will move from their alien scenarios to plants on earth and incorporate this “new” knowledge into the revision of their alien models. The major concepts are the conversion of energy, how photosynthesis occurs, and the importance of the products and waste products of photosynthesis for all life.

Students are directed to focus on the alien data concerning light, O2, and glucose as a possible input or output. Students investigate the data supporting or refuting these elements as possible sources of energy. The chart and their models should be worked on to completion.

This particular lesson has students explore what the bubbles being release from a samples of skin are. They do this by analyzing the gas using Vernier probes. This is activity 3 of Lesson 2.2 from our backbone

On Screen Questions

For my on screen question I would like to ask the following:

Koko a lowlland gorilla communicate with human's by:

1) Pounding on her chest
2) Various grunting sounds
3) American Sign Language
4) Morris Code
5) Gorilla Sign Language

Answer: Gorilla Sign Language which is a combination of the American Sign Language and a gorilla's natural sign language.

Reflection 11

Learned how to edit an htm page using pagemaker rather than editing the html file. This is a lot easier! Do not have pagemaker at home but will download enu and us

Journal 11

I am trying to figure out how to take a copy (not the original protected copy) of a DVD movie and edit it. I would like to create a small film clip of the original version. This is a presentation that we are trying to put together for ART GOES TO SCHOOL. The PBS/Nature DVD "A Conversation with Koko" is a great film about Koko who communicates via American Sign Language. She can sign 1000 words and understands 2000 works. She can also paint and does photography. In fact she has been rank one of the tp 40 professional photographers by National Geographics. Any way we have tried Cinamagic and Moviemaker and have not had any success. Does anyone know what we can do?

Journal 10

I wish I had better technology skills then I currently have. I wish I had more time to explore and learn to become more comfortable with the assignment.

Reflection 10

I learned to convert my word document to pdf format by using a free web site on the internet called pd. I also learned how to create a web home page and edit html to create a web page. I viewed two demos on Frontpage and Dupal. Now I will be creating a web home page for homework.

Reflection 10

I learned to convert my word document to pdf format by using a free web site on the internet called pd. I also learned how to create a web home page and edit html to create a web page. I viewed two demos on Frontpage and Dupal. Now I will be creating a web home page for homework.

My Resume

Here is my resume in word format.
Here is my pdf resume document resume in pdf format.

Journal 9

This week my cooperating teacher for my observation shared two really good internet sites. One is www.biocourse.com and the other is www.accessexcellence.com. I looked at both sites and they have really good resources for simulations, powerpoints and handouts that would are great resources for life science teachers. Check them both out.

This made me that we should create a link on dtse.org blog page for great internet resource we have discovered that would be great to share. Chris what do you think?

Reflection 9

This evening I learned how to use excel and create formula in excel and to create a graph from data in excel. I also learned to use an algorthem tool in word.

Journal 8

We have finished our unit and my group needs to update our latest work on our unit. I am thinking about how we can incorporate what we have learned through the class to easily do this.
We have a lot to do because our unit was 167 pages printed. Wow! How are we going to get this all on line? Hope we can use technology to do this.

Reflection 8

In tonight's class I learned not to Word but Powerpoint to draw and create diagrams. I learned different features of the tool that will enhance my speed and profiency using powerpoint. I liked the edit past special feature for art create. I also liked the feature of how to save my drawings as jpeg files. I was actuall able to create the diagram you see to the left.

Journal 7

For an Art Goes To School committee that I am chairman of, we conduct a program for one week in the art classroom. We would like to take a Nature/PBS dvd and create a 10 minute edited version of the dvd. Is this possible? I had missed the last class where you worked with video's due to my daughter breaking hand an I had to take her to the ER room.

Reflection 7

It was really fun to learn the various commands to format styles and tables in Word. This will come in handy when I work with Word which is a lot. I also learned how to create a bookmark and hyperlink to the bookmark.

I also like how I was able to update my resume with a new and improved style. It looks much more professional.

Journal 6

This week I learned about software called efax that you can use to take an image and fax it someone (a fax machine) without having a fax machine available on your computer.

I would also like to learn how to use a link in a word document where you click on the link and it takes you to another place in a document.

Reflection 6

We learned all about the vernier logger Pro and the various sensor that can be used to bring cutting edge technology to classroom. We went the Venier web site and found all the various type of applications can used for a classroom. I am working on the unit for Photosynthesis and my group found labs that are published on their web site for photosynthesis that use the Veneir sensors Co2 and 02 sensor

Journal 5

I feel so computer illiterate. I have no idea what it is we will be doing in class this evening...I have updated an instructional video that shows how to crosspost videos from blip.tv into your blog. What does this mean.

I liked what Elizabeth had expressed in one of her blogs about the value of having simulation and film clips in classes to break up the monatony.

I like MaryRose's posts on having pictures and comments. That's very clever.

Anyway I hope I can follow along pretty well tonight and not fall behind as usually and miss stuff which makes it stressful.

Journal 4

I really like the idea of hosting our unti work for Ravit in one place thus providing a central location that we can all have access. I really like the idea of the community where we are all working together to achieve several common goals.

Since I share a computer, I usually work with someone who is learning like I am I usually do not get to perform some of the things we do in class on my own because of the timeframe and difficulties encountered. So what I have been doing is during the week I go back over what we learned in class and try and do it by myself.

Reflection 4

While following Joe and his instruction on uploading files to the hosting server we ( I share a computer with someone because there is not enough for everyone) encountered some problems and fell behind. We were only able to only upload one file to the host which is fine but in the meantime Joe had gone ahead and instructed on how to change the html to modify the displaying of the picture and its associated text which I thought was pretty cool. I was wondering if there was any way for Joe to document some of what he had done with the html during last class? Thank you.

There was also a bit of confusion and frustration in my group because we were unable to display our unit plan for Ravit like we wanted to. The help facility for Wikipedia was limited in the direction it provided. There was concern on how we would be graded on what we were able to accomplish with the Wikipedia editing tool. I communicated what I understand to be that we would be graded based on attempts at performing the assignments given as best we could. Perhaps clarification is needed on the grading of projects we will be working on so that there is less anxiety and students can focus on learning?

Reflection 3

I had to repost this after class because when I submitted before I left class there was an error that received something about "subserver not found".

My reflection is on how many variations there are for the same tools and services. There is a whole plethora of stuff out there to choice from for a particular tool. Like Wikipedia I see as very similiar to google blogging.

Journal 3

I am debting whether I think Wikipedia is a good tool to use in the classroom or not. I have been hearing from parents that teachers do not allow their children to site Wikipedia as a source of information. Therefore, I wonder if using Wikipedia only confuses students saying well it's ok to use Wikipedia as a tool but not for it's content? I think there are other tools that provide the same services and features as Wikipedia and not have a double standard. Does anyone else have this concern as well?

I started by observation today and found out the high school where I will be doing my observation does not use technology. They do not even use powerpoint presentations only white boards. It really makes a difference in how to present the material to students. I noticed she used a lot of shorthand notations for words like for instance increases she used an up arrow. This did not seem to really effect to speed or the content of the information provided. The 3 classes I sat in on were reviewing for the most part and she got through a lot of material pretty quickly.

Journal 2.2

I learned that you can actually edit a wikipedia page. I thought the pages were read only and created by individuals who were employed by Wikipedia and had the talent and knowledge to create the page. That basically they were experts in the content in what they were writing about. I didn't realize anyone could edit a Wikipedia page regardless of their knowledge, education or background which seems to me questionable. I could go and edit the page on physics and yet my physic knowledge is limited it is scary. Now this makes me question the use of Wikipedia. I thought Wikipedia was a good resource to go to learn more information about any subject and it was a valid resource.


What I still want to learn is how to use it in the class room to be beneficial because at this point I am wondering if it is even beneficial for me let alone students.

I actually learned about animations and how cool they can be to teach a child very quickly about a complex topic. The child can play the animation over and over and by repeating the animation have the material committed to memory by a fun and simple method of learning.

Journal 2.1

I really liked creating the PowerPoint presentations from last week. I would however like to have access to the various PowerPoint presentations everyone created. The reason why I would like to have this access is, it would allow me to go back and see what they did again thereby allowing me to better glean new ideas on how to create better PowerPoint presentations now and in the future. I could also review the content again as to what others selected as interesting and innovative technologies and what they thought was cutting edge. It also allows me to see what the settings were to provide additional features not included by default in their PowerPoint presentations.

Refection 2

I am really amazed at all the technology that is available on the Internet or through a few Microsoft tools that can be used by a teacher. I am also really amazed at all the technology that is so easy and quick to use and free. I really like the PowerPoint, excel and interactive tools such as smart boards and simulation labs.

The use of sound in PowerPoint is a nice feature that you really don't see used much. I had seen it where frog indigenous to this area were shown and then the sounds they make were played in the background.

I want to find out about a lot of the tools we talked about tonight in class such as smartboards, ecobeaker, gnuplot, etc.

3 Things I learned

Three new uses for technology that I learned from the powerpoint presentations we created today in class.

1) Vidoeconferencing - I liked the videoconferencing to use in a classroom to talk with someone who might not be able to come to the classroom. I think this is useful to interface with someone who might have a busy schedule or be in a remote location. For example maybe I might want to videoconference in my classroom with someone like Hillary Clinton.

2)Ecobeacker - Where you can follow populations of animals and learn a lot about ecology following real populations

3) Lab simulations - Where students can learn and perform labs without especially dissections without having to perform the actual lab but a virtual version of it. There are a lot of students who had to dissect animal. I happen to be one. I hated the smell of the formaldehyde and felt the dead animal didn't really help me learn anything about their anatomy because the species was so shrivelled.

Dorothy Sperock

Bonus

New Orleans is struggling to find teacher here is the story

http://www.comcast.net/news/index.jsp?cat=GENERAL&fn=/2007/01/24/569845.html

Journal 1

This week I learned about subscription lists, feed readers, aggregator programs etc. Blogging is all new to me however i am finding it is a fun way to communicate and share imformation and I love that it is free. I actually went and successfully subscribed all 24 of my classmates blogs into my google reader account at once.

Reflection 1

I learned how to sign up for myblobber.com and create a blog.
I created a goolge.com account and I meet my professor and his assistant is.
I learned how to join a group on yahoo.
Hopefully I will remember all this next week.

What I expect to learn from class.

I am hoping to learn as much as possible about the various technology tools available to help assist teaching students about the life sciences. I want to learn powerpoint to provide great powerpoint lessons. I also want to learn excel to help with grading and assessment of students.
To become as savy as possible with the latest educational technology.

To be able to use advanded technology such as GPS and incorporate it into a lesson that the students can get hands experience with and learn both about GPS technogy and life science.

I want my students to become as technology savoy as possible and feel comfortable with its use.

To be able to create really interesting and sophisticated powerpoint presentations to my students.

Be able to perform really good internet searches.

First Blog

Try to estabish the first blog of my class Demonstration and Technology in the classroom.