This last two months, it seemed like every seventh grade science class I entered was studying the circulatory system! Two schools - at opposite ends of the district - took top honors for the level of engagement I saw while there. Gone are the days of Slim Goodbody and the plastic anatomy model with removable parts that came standard in science classrooms of yesteryear. They've gone digital!
Both teachers I visited had created a series of stations for students to explore. Some of those stations involved technology, others involved pencils and paper, most were a perfect blending of both. At one school, students created a replica of the circulatory system and then used Ozocodes to program the Ozobots to "be the blood" - the colors, red and blue, indicated whether the blood was leaving the heart or entering the heart. The little robots simulated blood flow. More than one student was overheard saying it helped it all make sense.
At a station at the other school, students held a heart in the palm of their hands! Using Anatomy AR and Mr. Body, and some Merge cubes, students explored the circulatory system in an entirely different way. They were able to see layers and dig in a bit more. The teacher had them capture their responses to questions and reflections in their science notebooks. Additionally, teachers in our district are using the Virtuali-tee by Curioscope to help students understand body systems. They use the app to scan the tee shirt - which is essentially a giant QR code - that launches a virtual anatomy torso like I had in the science classrooms of my youth. It even comes with a tour guide, Dr, Glover, who narrates your journey if you select that feature. My FAVORITE feature is the heart rate tracker. Students can make the heart on the virtual model beat to their rhythm. Also, this app would be awesome for EL students or even foreign language learners. It can translate and even read aloud in several images. You even have the ability to show text in one language and read aloud in another! That's pretty amazing! HERE is a guide I made for teachers in our district about those features.
So as we think about today's learners, it's important to realize that the technology has the power to engage our students. It is within our power to make sure the lessons we are teaching stick with them long after that end of the year test.
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AuthorJeannie Timken Archives
March 2023
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