Synopsis
Learn the ABCs of working with contemporary tools that will help you integrate technology-based inquiry into your classroom practices. Activities featured in this new compendium, a collection of 26 articles published in Science Scope, NSTA's member journal for middle school teachers, will show you how. Technology-Based Inquiry offers fresh approaches that you and your students can use to explore physical science, Earth and space science, life science, and more. It covers the necessary skills to get hands-on experience with graphing calculators, calculator- based labs (CBLs), personal digital assistants (PDAs), global positioning systems (GPSs), graphical information systems (GISs), and other emerging technologies. Each chapter provides a list of online resources, including where to purchase the devices, where to download programs (often at no cost), and where students can go to conduct further research. And there s an important bonus feature: Because technology changes so quickly, Editor Edwin Christmann has developed a related website with updated chapter reviews, outlines, sample test questions, and activities. It even includes a PowerPoint presentation you can download as a supplement for teaching the text. But never fear--you won't need a PhD in IT to use this book. The articles are written in a non-threatening style and translate technology-based instructional processes into simple classroom applications. The practical tone makes this collection beneficial to inservice science teachers as well as pre-professionals taking methods courses. Technology-Based Inquiry will give you the confidence that comes with deeper understanding of how to use the latest technology to increase science learning.
Review
Technology-Based Inquiry for Middle School published by the NSTA contains easy-to-follow lessons for science teachers that incorporate technology into the science curriculum. This book focuses not only on the latest technological devices, but also on helpful websites that teachers can use. The book is divided into five sections, each section focusing on a particular science field. Each chapter in a section is a technology-based lesson. The chapter begins with a brief summary of the material to be covered. The introduction also includes background information that a teacher might find very useful especially if he/she is not as familiar with a particular concept. It then moves into the suggested activity and procedures that should be followed. Some of the lessons also include extension activities for students to follow up on what they have just learned. Some of the technological devices that are used throughout the lessons are graphing calculators, personal digital assistants (PDAs), global positioning systems (GPS), geographic information systems (GIS), and calculator-based labs (CBLs). The great thing about these lessons is that technology has a way of getting students motivated and involved in what they are learning. Students love hands-on lessons where they actually get to do something rather than just watching the teacher do something. Another nice feature about the lessons in this book is that they involve more than just science disciplines. Some of the lessons extend into math, reading, language arts, social studies, and art. Since many middle schools use the team concept , these lessons would be a great tool in developing team-wide thematic units One hard part of incorporating technology is getting the money that is needed to buy the necessary equipment. Teachers only have a small budget to work with and it can be a challenge getting the funding to buy such high-tech equipment. Most schools have a computer-lab that teachers and students can use so the lessons based on websites would be a great way to incorporate technology without spending the extra money on special devices. One downside to this book is it will eventually become obsolete. Websites are not maintained or are updated. When trying some of the suggested websites, I found that some of the sites are no longer available or a particular feature is no longer offered. Equipment also becomes old and unusable. The latest technology that is mentioned throughout this book will eventually be old technology. Overall, I felt the book offered good ideas for science teachers to gain new approaches for covering the content. I do feel, however, that many technological features mentioned in this book will only remain functional for a few years. --Reviewed by: Heidi (Chambersburg, PA) on May 5, 2008
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