Happy Friday everyone!!
Although I frequently bring you new tools and tips
on how to use technology in the classroom, this week I have elected to
highlight a tool that is frequently being underused by teaching staff. GIZMOS are online, and iPad compatible,
interactive simulations which help to make math and science concepts easier for
students to understand. Funded by the
Ministry of Education, Gizmos are available to all Ontario teachers and can be
accessed through the Explore Learning website (http://www.explorelearning.com/) as
well as via a link on UG2GO (https://www.ugdsb.on.ca/ug2go/elementary.asp). Each school board has been provided with its own password and it can be accessed
by contacting personnel at your individual school board.
Gizmos are interactive simulations designed to help
students understand key math and science concepts in a visual and active manner.
By clicking on ‘Browse Gizmos” after signing into your account, you are able to
search by Academic Standard (further separated by province curriculum), Grade
and Topic or by the textbook you are using in class. Topics range from fractions and 3D shapes to
astronomy and physics spanning grades 3 to 12.
These Gizmos can be used as examples in class to demonstrate concepts found
in the curriculum, as well you may create a ‘classroom’ where you invite your students
with a generated class enrollment code and they will be allowed to view and practice preselected
Gizmos chosen by the teacher.
Gizmos Lesson Materials include a vocabulary guide,
student exploration sheet and answer key in addition to the Gizmo itself. Further, when you click on the Gizmo tab
students are able to complete a brief assessment based upon the work they have
done and the results and reports are sent directly to the teacher so they may
monitor students learning and progress. The Gizmos actually tailor themselves
to the student’s learning patterns and use this information to optimize a
student’s learning and potential. One
difficulty I have with the Gizmos is that they are often wordy (especially the
vocabulary guides) and may prove to be a challenge to students who struggle with
language based activities.
I hope that you will take some time to revisit the
Gizmos site (and iPad app) to see if these interactive tools may be of use in
your math program.
Past Tech
Tidbits posts can be found on the blog at http://techtidbitz.blogspot.ca and if you have an idea for a
future blog topic, please feel free to pass it along to me.
Cheers,
Stace
No comments:
Post a Comment