Final Report
When I began planning my ImagineIT project, I was unsure how students would receive it. However, I was pleasantly surprised through the planning and implementation. My students inquire more about this project than anything else. Having their input in the design process has been helpful. With about 8 weeks left in the school year, I have learned that changing your vision is completely okay. It’s more important to take the learning and make adjustments, for myself and students. They’ve struggled with understanding some of the issues that have been brought to their attention but have grappled with it and provide accurate and thoughtful insight. I hope to continue this project again next year. I’ll have less restrictions as I’ve decided to not mentor, so some of the time constraints won’t be there. I’m also eager for next year because I’ll have some student samples from this year to provide to students to reference exemplar blogs or PSAs.
Throughout this process, I’ve made numerous adjustments. Most of the adjustments had to do with the scale of the work students are doing within the time I have. Using the feedback from students and colleagues, I made the tasks for student learning more bite-size, as opposed to numerous layers. Students have stated that they like the single assignments because they can learn about multiple societal issues instead of one. All the students within my focus group did make it a point to mention that they wish we were able to work on our ImagineIT more often but know that it’s hard because of the new schedule. The teachers from my focus group also stated that students enjoy learning about the relationships between science and society, “students come to class excited about the learning and proactively thinking about how they can make change,” said a colleague.
Overall, I have grown from this project in a couple ways. The first way is it’s okay to deviate from my unit and work on a culminating project. Not only do students find interest in it but they made the connections from the science to society. I have become more flexible and responsive, which was hard. The other influence from teaching my ImagineIT project was that I was very hands off in the learning. For the most part, I posed the issues and students researched and discussed their thoughts on their own. I provided some of their structure for how they would share their learning, I think next year I’d be more strategic in providing them more variety of sharing their thinking.
Throughout this process, I’ve made numerous adjustments. Most of the adjustments had to do with the scale of the work students are doing within the time I have. Using the feedback from students and colleagues, I made the tasks for student learning more bite-size, as opposed to numerous layers. Students have stated that they like the single assignments because they can learn about multiple societal issues instead of one. All the students within my focus group did make it a point to mention that they wish we were able to work on our ImagineIT more often but know that it’s hard because of the new schedule. The teachers from my focus group also stated that students enjoy learning about the relationships between science and society, “students come to class excited about the learning and proactively thinking about how they can make change,” said a colleague.
Overall, I have grown from this project in a couple ways. The first way is it’s okay to deviate from my unit and work on a culminating project. Not only do students find interest in it but they made the connections from the science to society. I have become more flexible and responsive, which was hard. The other influence from teaching my ImagineIT project was that I was very hands off in the learning. For the most part, I posed the issues and students researched and discussed their thoughts on their own. I provided some of their structure for how they would share their learning, I think next year I’d be more strategic in providing them more variety of sharing their thinking.
Timeline Update
This semester poses a whole new bag of tricks I have to juggle. Instead of my classes reducing to three with longer periods of time, I now have five periods in a double block (where I'd see students every other day). It throws my pacing into somewhat of a loop, as students would implement our imagineIT work on Friday, when student teachers were attending classes. Now, since the block schedule will be revolving, I'll have to adjust my thinking, essentially pacing out lessons and projects around two week loops. However, this block schedule does give me thirty minutes more a period than I had before. In the sense of our imagineIT projects, we'll be losing a half hour, essentially. From my Fall reflection I would like to pose two societal issues to students around our units. I believe it will allow for student choice and buy-in but also create some dynamic conversations around science in our society, especially in our countries current "struggles" around science.
I believe this project can grow by sharing more of our learning within our school community. I'm thinking that instead of providing students one path to communicate their learning, I provide many. For example, I thought a blog would be best, but now that I'm planning for the semester, why not offer podcasts or screencasts and let students decide to build within their chosen topic. Speaking of topics, the last two topics we'll cover this year will genetics and ecosystems. We will link genetic modification or variation in society of our genetics unit and climate change to our ecosystems unit.
My biggest goals for this round of my imagineIT is to guide students to be empowered to affect change in our country and our world. I think that both the topics we'll cover this unit are very controversial, which will allow for students to not only test their beliefs but push themselves to focus on the facts and principles science provide. I hope that students become advocates of their learning within their community to inform and education our community, inside and outside our school walls.
I believe this project can grow by sharing more of our learning within our school community. I'm thinking that instead of providing students one path to communicate their learning, I provide many. For example, I thought a blog would be best, but now that I'm planning for the semester, why not offer podcasts or screencasts and let students decide to build within their chosen topic. Speaking of topics, the last two topics we'll cover this year will genetics and ecosystems. We will link genetic modification or variation in society of our genetics unit and climate change to our ecosystems unit.
My biggest goals for this round of my imagineIT is to guide students to be empowered to affect change in our country and our world. I think that both the topics we'll cover this unit are very controversial, which will allow for students to not only test their beliefs but push themselves to focus on the facts and principles science provide. I hope that students become advocates of their learning within their community to inform and education our community, inside and outside our school walls.
Spring Update
The Ethics of Science
Within my imagineIT project, I'm currently working with students to make them more socially aware of the science happening around the world in relation to what they're currently learning in science. This semester the focus will be to push students discussion around the ethics of some science and society topics. With our new schedule, it's been challenging to carve the time out to have students engage in these topics. I've decided that I'll be able to streamline it to one class now, my homeroom. Well center the learning around data (both qualitative and quantitative) to inform our opinions around the ethical issues in our society dealing with science.
Lifespan
When first presented with our imagineIT project, I knew that I wanted to make students more socially aware of science in our society. Not only were my intentions to help students learn the content and skills in regards to the standards, but also to make them aware and informed to understand the societal issues related to science. Peaking students interest in hope to create action is the longterm goal. After learning and discussing different issues, students will begin to curate their own blog, providing their opinion and supporting their views with evidence. While many different topics are to be covered before the year is out, I'd like for students to develop their own day of action in which they are making informed decisions to help and positively impact their society.
Within my imagineIT project, I'm currently working with students to make them more socially aware of the science happening around the world in relation to what they're currently learning in science. This semester the focus will be to push students discussion around the ethics of some science and society topics. With our new schedule, it's been challenging to carve the time out to have students engage in these topics. I've decided that I'll be able to streamline it to one class now, my homeroom. Well center the learning around data (both qualitative and quantitative) to inform our opinions around the ethical issues in our society dealing with science.
Lifespan
When first presented with our imagineIT project, I knew that I wanted to make students more socially aware of science in our society. Not only were my intentions to help students learn the content and skills in regards to the standards, but also to make them aware and informed to understand the societal issues related to science. Peaking students interest in hope to create action is the longterm goal. After learning and discussing different issues, students will begin to curate their own blog, providing their opinion and supporting their views with evidence. While many different topics are to be covered before the year is out, I'd like for students to develop their own day of action in which they are making informed decisions to help and positively impact their society.
Science & Society Work
Blog
Check out my student's thinking about the following topics:
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