Project 3 Outline

EDU 528 - Technology in Schools

Nirasha Premaratne

Oct 2009

Project Outline Purpose: 1. To increase students' awareness and interest in Physics and recognize it be a simple everyday part of life 2. To introduce and promote Physics with student-friendly technology (mobile phones-iphones, camera phones, flip cams, computers/ internet/ blogging) 3. To create an online social network where students are given an opportunity to apply their creativity and imagination with a focus on Physics Technology: 1. Any recordable device for audio/video recording (phone/ camcorder/ flip cam…..) 2. Computer with software to edit and create a short movie/ movie clip (pc-windows XP- Windows Movie Maker…..) 3. Online platform to upload the movie and interact with teacher and peers (Blog) 4. Web 2.0 Tools for publishing/casting/posting teacher/student work Ideas for videos/movies: 1. Interviews with carpenters/builders/engineers/technicians/athletes/……. on a simple Physics phenomena (pressure/weight.moments/speed/acceleration/levers………) – examples: a. how a painter balances himself on a small platform outside the 30th floor window and why, what happens if he does not mind his position on the platform b. the secret of the fastest swimmer in school – streamlining – swimming cap and suit, body movements….. c. why a builder uses so many different kinds of tools 2. Home-movies – examples: a. why the high chair tipped when the baby stood on it and leaned over b. why I have bad hair days mostly on less humid days c. how mom’s stilettos can be deadly d. how to cheat on the bathroom scales with pulleys and ropes 3. Nature – examples: a. why are most trees symmetrical around the trunk b. why do deer cause more damage to car than a smaller animal would in a collision c. proof that Earth is spinning around its axis 4. Experiments/demonstrations – examples: a. measuring acceleration using ticker-tape timer b. finding gravitational acceleration using a stop watch and pendulum Students post the video on the Blog where other students and teacher can make comments on it using a discussion thread and rate the video on a popular voting system. Each week the most popular video would be displayed on the home page of the Blog Other benefits of the project: These videos could be used in actual lesson introductions on the assumption that a video made by a fellow student will get other students more interested in the lesson. A library of ready-made videos would be available for future use