Here is a link to a pdf. of my CSTA Presentation:
Science Practices in the Chemistry Classroom
Here is a link to the folder with my handouts
Handouts
Thursday, October 20, 2016
Saturday, October 15, 2016
A Letter to My Students After a Long Day Creating with iPads
Dear Students,
I had a dream last night that I came to class and said that we are going to do another project with iPads and YOU ALL REVOLTED against it! Ha!
So, let me say a few things. Thanks for your hard work on Thursday! Several of you worked many more hours than I had expected. You took this assignment very seriously. I have watched several of the videos and they are good presentations!
But remember the goal of this whole project was learning (not just a grade) so let me give you some reasons why we did it.
1) There is a hierarchy of knowledge and expression of knowledge. For example, simple recall of things like ions is the lowest form of knowledge. Recall is totally necessary, but it is not very deep nor does it require much thought. A first grader could memorize the formula for carbonate. Application and understanding are higher. Much higher kinds of knowledge are analysis and evaluation. That is why I have you analyze your experiments and evaluate your technique and write about it. This requires maturity. The highest form of knowledge is creativity. This takes skill, maturity, along with integration of the lower forms of knowledge. Creativity requires producing something that never existed before. It requires a plan (not just throwing paint on a canvas) and it requires a design. You did all of these things on Thursday....with chemistry! Producing new materials that will go into the 12th generation of the iPhone or designing an experiment that will lead to understanding the cause of cancer takes creativity. Creativity is also one of the highest and best things we can do as humans. We are most human when we create for good. My goal is to create an atmosphere where those types of students (good chemists) can flourish.
2) I think when you have to explain something in detail you have to take your understanding to a whole new level. This makes new connections in your mind that are longer lasting. Learning is much deeper when you have to explain something. That is why when you sit in the study room and explain dimensional analysis to some poor Chem. 110 student, you understand it better yourself.
3) I think it is good to interact with the latest technology tools. Now they are just tools and not the be all end all, but it is good for you to learn to solve the problems that arise. I saw you help each other out, this is good. Learning is relational. And you developed your problem solving skills. Life is full of problems. That is not necessarily a bad thing.
All of this is good learning that goes way beyond chemistry.
Thanks for being such willing learners!
JB
I had a dream last night that I came to class and said that we are going to do another project with iPads and YOU ALL REVOLTED against it! Ha!
So, let me say a few things. Thanks for your hard work on Thursday! Several of you worked many more hours than I had expected. You took this assignment very seriously. I have watched several of the videos and they are good presentations!
But remember the goal of this whole project was learning (not just a grade) so let me give you some reasons why we did it.
1) There is a hierarchy of knowledge and expression of knowledge. For example, simple recall of things like ions is the lowest form of knowledge. Recall is totally necessary, but it is not very deep nor does it require much thought. A first grader could memorize the formula for carbonate. Application and understanding are higher. Much higher kinds of knowledge are analysis and evaluation. That is why I have you analyze your experiments and evaluate your technique and write about it. This requires maturity. The highest form of knowledge is creativity. This takes skill, maturity, along with integration of the lower forms of knowledge. Creativity requires producing something that never existed before. It requires a plan (not just throwing paint on a canvas) and it requires a design. You did all of these things on Thursday....with chemistry! Producing new materials that will go into the 12th generation of the iPhone or designing an experiment that will lead to understanding the cause of cancer takes creativity. Creativity is also one of the highest and best things we can do as humans. We are most human when we create for good. My goal is to create an atmosphere where those types of students (good chemists) can flourish.
2) I think when you have to explain something in detail you have to take your understanding to a whole new level. This makes new connections in your mind that are longer lasting. Learning is much deeper when you have to explain something. That is why when you sit in the study room and explain dimensional analysis to some poor Chem. 110 student, you understand it better yourself.
3) I think it is good to interact with the latest technology tools. Now they are just tools and not the be all end all, but it is good for you to learn to solve the problems that arise. I saw you help each other out, this is good. Learning is relational. And you developed your problem solving skills. Life is full of problems. That is not necessarily a bad thing.
All of this is good learning that goes way beyond chemistry.
Thanks for being such willing learners!
JB
Wednesday, July 13, 2016
Using the iPad Pro in Chemistry Lecture
Finally the iPad as I originally hoped it would work!
My original intended use of the iPad was as a platform on which I could write and create chemistry videos to upload to the web. The first few generations of iPads allowed this, but using the stylus or my finger made my writing look awful. With the new 12.9 inch iPad Pro and Apple Pencil I am able to write on the iPad in a way that looks much more like my natural hand writing. I don't have the best hand writing by any stretch, but now at least it looks the same as if I had written on paper. In fact it might even be easier than writing on paper. In this post I am going to give a description of the uses of the iPad in chemistry class and then I will give the pros and cons and future goals.
Description of use of 12.9 inch iPad Pro in Chemistry class
In my career I have gone from using a blackboard to a whiteboard to an overhead to a document reader to a Wacom tablet and now an iPad as a lecture platform. I guess I have been teaching a long time. In chemistry there are a lot of formulas so it is hard to simply type notes on a computer. Most of the notes need to be hand written for efficiency. There is some recent research here and here suggesting it is important that students take notes by writing long hand rather than on a laptop. I also don't like PowerPoint because although it is a good presentation platform it is hard for students to know what they need to know and write down. I post my "lecture outline" on the internet and then my students print it out and bring it to class. They should never have the problem of "What notes am I supposed to write down?" I tell them that what I write, they should write. As I teach at a community college I believe that I am teaching my students "how to be a good chemistry student". So modeling exactly what they need to write down helps train them for success in a less structured environment at the university. My lecture outline has the problems and questions and headings already on the page so those do not need to be copied by the student. Here is an example of my Preparatory Chemistry Lecture outline. I used to have to make transparency copies of it when I used the overhead. With the document camera I graduated to paper copies but my hand often covered what I was writing and I had to turn around frequently to see if I was off screen. Now I just write directly on the iPad with the Apple Pencil. The iPad is connected to the projector by a Lightning to VGA cable. This saves a lot of paper.
It is very easy to take my lecture outline from my website and send it to Notability. I can hit the "upload" (export) button from any webpage on the iPad and send it to just about any app I want. I choose Notability. Then I immediately go to the Notability app and "Create a new note."
Then I can immediately start writing on the note.
It is that simple. I can import web pages, documents, pictures and write on them. It gets projected onto the screen and my students can take appropriate notes. With the PowerPoint app, although I do not use it, one can create, present and write on their presentation using the iPad, pencil, projector and the PowerPoint app. The Apple Pencil communicates via Blue Tooth. It must be charged by connecting it directly to the iPad and it charges in a few minutes. You can check the charge status very easily using the notifications screen.
Pros of 12.9 inch iPad Pro with Apple Pencil
1) Intuitive Simplicity
As I mentioned in my description it is easy to get my notes from my web page and within seconds import them to notability and start lecturing. There is only one cable to connect with. When I used the Wacom Tablet, which served its purpose well, I had to connect to my laptop with two cables and to the projector and to power. This took me several minutes. And I had to wheel a cart around. And I had to convert my web page notes from pdf to jpeg. The iPad lets you write on any format. At least I have not found a format I cannot write on.
2) Writing is easy
I can change colors, highlight, zoom in (PowerPoint has a "laser pointer"), and I can easily undo or erase. So I can highlight something and then undo it for cleaner look. The Apple Pencil is very easy to use and it flows very nicely. I am left handed so I cover what I have just written on paper and often erase with my hand as I go from left to right on an overhead. But with the iPad this is not a problem. Also I have not had a problem with my hand writing on the iPad or moving things around so I can rest my hand on the iPad as I write with the pencil.
Students often email me questions in between class time. Sure it takes time for me to help them, but it is so encouraging when students are engaged enough to ask for help outside of class. With the iPad I can very easily write a response or demonstrate a problem either as a note I email to them or as a movie that I upload to the web.
3) Organization
All of my notes are in one place. If I lose something I can easily import it from the web. I used to have to carry around cumbersome notebooks with loose leaf paper. Now it is easy to find my notes and start writing. And they don't get out of order. It is very easy to refer back to a previous page. If I feel it is appropriate I can send the notes to a student who was absent or I can send them to a student that may have a disability. It is also easy to send the notes to tutors that are helping current students so that they can see exactly how I want problems to be solved etc.
4) Making videos (screencasts)
It is very easy to record what I am writing on one of the screen casting apps such as Educreations or Showme or Touchcast. From Touchcast (the one I recommend) you can save it to the camera role and then to YouTube. Here is one of the first videos I made with the iPad:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRPMjbj4agg
5) Battery Life
My lecture and lab classes this summer went from 8 am until 1:40 pm and I rarely reached below 50% on the battery of either the iPad or the Pencil.
6) 12.9 inch screen
The original iPads are too small in my opinion to write on for a chemistry class lecture. The new size is perfect and they are the size I had originally hoped the iPad would be. It is just the right size to write on, project and yet it is not too big to store in my brief case safely. I use a portfolio that used to have a legal pad in it as my case.
Cons
The Pros far outweigh the Cons!
1) Pencil design
The pencil is expensive, somewhat heavy and it is shaped to role, I have not dropped mine yet but that is just a matter of time. The pencil has no clips on it. I would like to have a very long cord attached to it and then around my neck so that I don't lose it or drop it. There is an extra tip provided in the box. When the pencil is charging it does not fit well in the iPad. The iPad has to be slightly elevated when connected to the pencil. The pencil can also be charged with a special included connector separate from the iPad (That is a pro, not a con). When a colleague and I researched cases we did not research well enough. The cases we purchased have a pencil holder on the outside of the case. This would be fine for a two dollar pen or pencil. But I am very nervous leaving a 100 dollar pencil hanging outside especially when I shove the whole thing in my brief case or backpack.
2) Pointing
This is more a problem with me than the iPad. Because I am used to the document camera I can point with my finger at something I want my students to notice. I have often found myself pointing at the iPad and my students have no idea what I am pointing at. I have resulted in walking over to the screen and pointing directly or using a highlighter on the app. This is more an issue of my habits than a con with the iPad.
3) Showing objects
When I have used a document reader I could easily grab a plastic model of a molecule or some other object and stick it under the document camera from projection. If I am using the iPad I have to disconnect it and re connect the document camera to the projector. Again this is a minor issue. And if I have a picture of something I can easily show it so it is a trade off.
Current and Future Goals
1) Mentoring Colleagues
This summer I am mentoring my biology and chemistry colleagues on how to effectively use the iPad Pro in their lectures.
2) Apple TV
I also purchased an Apple TV. I need to figure out how to use it in my classroom so that I can go wireless and walk around the room as I lecture. This way I could sit right next to the screen if I wanted to. I could also hand the iPad to a student and have them complete a problem.
3) Organizing folders on Notability
I need to figure out the best system of organizing my classes into folders. This summer I had only one class but now I have several so I need to organize my notes. I have two sections of the same class so I need to stay on top of organization
I think the iPad Pro is going to make my teaching a lot easier and convenient.
My original intended use of the iPad was as a platform on which I could write and create chemistry videos to upload to the web. The first few generations of iPads allowed this, but using the stylus or my finger made my writing look awful. With the new 12.9 inch iPad Pro and Apple Pencil I am able to write on the iPad in a way that looks much more like my natural hand writing. I don't have the best hand writing by any stretch, but now at least it looks the same as if I had written on paper. In fact it might even be easier than writing on paper. In this post I am going to give a description of the uses of the iPad in chemistry class and then I will give the pros and cons and future goals.
Description of use of 12.9 inch iPad Pro in Chemistry class
In my career I have gone from using a blackboard to a whiteboard to an overhead to a document reader to a Wacom tablet and now an iPad as a lecture platform. I guess I have been teaching a long time. In chemistry there are a lot of formulas so it is hard to simply type notes on a computer. Most of the notes need to be hand written for efficiency. There is some recent research here and here suggesting it is important that students take notes by writing long hand rather than on a laptop. I also don't like PowerPoint because although it is a good presentation platform it is hard for students to know what they need to know and write down. I post my "lecture outline" on the internet and then my students print it out and bring it to class. They should never have the problem of "What notes am I supposed to write down?" I tell them that what I write, they should write. As I teach at a community college I believe that I am teaching my students "how to be a good chemistry student". So modeling exactly what they need to write down helps train them for success in a less structured environment at the university. My lecture outline has the problems and questions and headings already on the page so those do not need to be copied by the student. Here is an example of my Preparatory Chemistry Lecture outline. I used to have to make transparency copies of it when I used the overhead. With the document camera I graduated to paper copies but my hand often covered what I was writing and I had to turn around frequently to see if I was off screen. Now I just write directly on the iPad with the Apple Pencil. The iPad is connected to the projector by a Lightning to VGA cable. This saves a lot of paper.
Then I can immediately start writing on the note.
It is that simple. I can import web pages, documents, pictures and write on them. It gets projected onto the screen and my students can take appropriate notes. With the PowerPoint app, although I do not use it, one can create, present and write on their presentation using the iPad, pencil, projector and the PowerPoint app. The Apple Pencil communicates via Blue Tooth. It must be charged by connecting it directly to the iPad and it charges in a few minutes. You can check the charge status very easily using the notifications screen.Pros of 12.9 inch iPad Pro with Apple Pencil
1) Intuitive Simplicity
As I mentioned in my description it is easy to get my notes from my web page and within seconds import them to notability and start lecturing. There is only one cable to connect with. When I used the Wacom Tablet, which served its purpose well, I had to connect to my laptop with two cables and to the projector and to power. This took me several minutes. And I had to wheel a cart around. And I had to convert my web page notes from pdf to jpeg. The iPad lets you write on any format. At least I have not found a format I cannot write on.
2) Writing is easy
I can change colors, highlight, zoom in (PowerPoint has a "laser pointer"), and I can easily undo or erase. So I can highlight something and then undo it for cleaner look. The Apple Pencil is very easy to use and it flows very nicely. I am left handed so I cover what I have just written on paper and often erase with my hand as I go from left to right on an overhead. But with the iPad this is not a problem. Also I have not had a problem with my hand writing on the iPad or moving things around so I can rest my hand on the iPad as I write with the pencil.
Students often email me questions in between class time. Sure it takes time for me to help them, but it is so encouraging when students are engaged enough to ask for help outside of class. With the iPad I can very easily write a response or demonstrate a problem either as a note I email to them or as a movie that I upload to the web.
3) Organization
All of my notes are in one place. If I lose something I can easily import it from the web. I used to have to carry around cumbersome notebooks with loose leaf paper. Now it is easy to find my notes and start writing. And they don't get out of order. It is very easy to refer back to a previous page. If I feel it is appropriate I can send the notes to a student who was absent or I can send them to a student that may have a disability. It is also easy to send the notes to tutors that are helping current students so that they can see exactly how I want problems to be solved etc.
4) Making videos (screencasts)
It is very easy to record what I am writing on one of the screen casting apps such as Educreations or Showme or Touchcast. From Touchcast (the one I recommend) you can save it to the camera role and then to YouTube. Here is one of the first videos I made with the iPad:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRPMjbj4agg
5) Battery Life
My lecture and lab classes this summer went from 8 am until 1:40 pm and I rarely reached below 50% on the battery of either the iPad or the Pencil.
6) 12.9 inch screen
The original iPads are too small in my opinion to write on for a chemistry class lecture. The new size is perfect and they are the size I had originally hoped the iPad would be. It is just the right size to write on, project and yet it is not too big to store in my brief case safely. I use a portfolio that used to have a legal pad in it as my case.
Cons
The Pros far outweigh the Cons!
1) Pencil design
The pencil is expensive, somewhat heavy and it is shaped to role, I have not dropped mine yet but that is just a matter of time. The pencil has no clips on it. I would like to have a very long cord attached to it and then around my neck so that I don't lose it or drop it. There is an extra tip provided in the box. When the pencil is charging it does not fit well in the iPad. The iPad has to be slightly elevated when connected to the pencil. The pencil can also be charged with a special included connector separate from the iPad (That is a pro, not a con). When a colleague and I researched cases we did not research well enough. The cases we purchased have a pencil holder on the outside of the case. This would be fine for a two dollar pen or pencil. But I am very nervous leaving a 100 dollar pencil hanging outside especially when I shove the whole thing in my brief case or backpack.
2) Pointing
This is more a problem with me than the iPad. Because I am used to the document camera I can point with my finger at something I want my students to notice. I have often found myself pointing at the iPad and my students have no idea what I am pointing at. I have resulted in walking over to the screen and pointing directly or using a highlighter on the app. This is more an issue of my habits than a con with the iPad.
3) Showing objects
When I have used a document reader I could easily grab a plastic model of a molecule or some other object and stick it under the document camera from projection. If I am using the iPad I have to disconnect it and re connect the document camera to the projector. Again this is a minor issue. And if I have a picture of something I can easily show it so it is a trade off.
Current and Future Goals
1) Mentoring Colleagues
This summer I am mentoring my biology and chemistry colleagues on how to effectively use the iPad Pro in their lectures.
2) Apple TV
I also purchased an Apple TV. I need to figure out how to use it in my classroom so that I can go wireless and walk around the room as I lecture. This way I could sit right next to the screen if I wanted to. I could also hand the iPad to a student and have them complete a problem.
3) Organizing folders on Notability
I need to figure out the best system of organizing my classes into folders. This summer I had only one class but now I have several so I need to organize my notes. I have two sections of the same class so I need to stay on top of organization
I think the iPad Pro is going to make my teaching a lot easier and convenient.
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