For this assignment, I listened to several different pod casts pertaining to STEM in education. I have been the robotics coordinator for our county for the past 7 years, and one of the main components of our robotics program is to bring real-world applications to the activities of the students. In order to accomplish that, we use LEGO Mindstorm robotics kits. The students work in cooperative learning groups to build robots and successfully complete challenges using the robots. We have partnered with the local defense base for mentors, so scientists and engineers from Dahlgren Base come to the school and work with the students during robotics activities. See the pictures below, taken by me, during our robotics implementation last year:
Long story short, I found the following podcast--the Engineering Commons--very interesting. It includes a group of 4 engineers who discuss current issues in engineering and how to solve problems for the good of humanity. One of the main component of our robotics program is to introduce engineering as a career option to the students. Most students incorrectly think that an engineer is just the guy who drives the train! And if a student doesn't know that a career exists, they can't exactly prepare in middle and high school to take the classes that would be beneficial for a specific degree. So we talk about engineers and what they do for a career, and the students are fascinated. They often don't realize that engineers design roller coasters, create new makeups and perfume, build skyscrapers, or design the rail gun (which is what our defense base is famous for). Listening to the pod cast during our robotics program and throughout the year could give students a first-hand account of what it's like to become an engineer for a career.
Audio tools seem like a great way to give students a hands on experience when learning the content. I have taken several professional development classes that are meant to help incorporate more technology into our lessons. One of our technology instructors really prides herself with keeping up on the latest "technology in the classroom" trends. She introduced me to Voki, so I had a little experience with that program in the past, but this time I was able to take my time and really explore it. I visited http://www.voki.com and created an avatar that I had recite information about different classifications of arthropods. Next, I handed over the microphone to my four year old and she filled several recordings while talking about her upcoming gymnastics recital! So the program was very easy to use! I could see using the avatars to explain scientific concepts or giving historical speeches in the classroom. The next program I explored was https://clyp.it/. The program seems very basic. I was able to record my voice and save the file. This program lacked the flashy additions that I have seen in other programs. The next program I tried out was Blabberize. I had heard about Blabberize from another teacher but never used it myself. As a test run, I downloaded a picture of a flower and had it "talk" about where pollen is created. I could see myself using this program for several units of life science, including a cell talking about its organelles and the functions of the organelles (example: "This part is the nucleus, and it holds the DNA so it's the control center of the cell!"). We could also use it when classifying organisms or describing the characteristics of vertebrates and invertebrates. Students could also take pictures of our scientific equipment and have the equipment "blab" about what it's used for and how it can be used safely in the science classroom (example: "I'm a compound light microscope and I have 3 different objective lenses to help you magnify your view. Carry me on the arm and base for safety!") I used blabberize.com to create a talking flower that describes which part of the flower produces the pollen. The image was found at funcrisp.com
