The Debate Between Renewable & Non-Renewable Resources Performance-Based Assessment Task
In groups of two, complete the following Electrical Principles and Technologies assignment: HERE (Google Sign In Required)
Creating a Multimedia Enhanced Student Activity
I have included an embedded version of the Google Slides presentation that I would give my students in case you do not have a Google account. There are 3 different ways I could assign this document:
- I would probably assign this project to Google Classroom and choose the “make a copy for each student” when assigning. Students when then turn in this file through Google Classroom when done.
- If I was teaching in a non-Google Classroom setting, however students still had an a Google account, I would share the document in the same way I did above which forces students to make their own copy of the document so they do not have access to the original (in the sharing link change the word edit to copy). Students would then share their completed slideshow using Google sharing settings.
- If I was not working in a Google Environment, I would probably use either a tool such as Emaze or Prezi instead of Google Slides. I would set those documents in the same was Google Slides but the instruct students to make their own copy of the template, complete it with the required information, and then email me the link to their completed project.
When publishing a Google Slide Show it allows you to choose how fast the slides progress if you use the play button on the slides I have set it to advance every minute, if you would like to move at your own pace I would suggest using the arrows instead.
There are 3 different ways I could assign this lesson:
- In my classroom, I would assign this project to Google Classroom and choose the “make a copy for each student” when assigning. Students when then turn in this file through Google Classroom when done.
- If I was teaching in a non-Google Classroom setting, but students still had a Google account, I would share the document in the same way I did above. This method forces students to make their own copy of the document so they do not have access to the original (in the sharing link change the word edit to copy). Students would then share their completed slideshow using Google sharing settings.
- If I was not working in a Google Environment, I would probably use either a tool such as Emaze or Prezi instead of Google Slides. I would set those documents up in the same way I set up the Google Slideshow but then instruct students to make their own copy of the template, complete it with the required information, and then email me the link to their completed project.
This lesson falls into the Alberta Science 9 Electrical Principles and Technologies Curriculum and it meets the following objectives:
General Outcome: Describe and discuss the societal and environmental implications of the use of electrical energy.
Specific Outcomes:
-Identify and evaluate sources of electrical energy, including oil, gas, coal, biomass, wind and solar.
-Describe the by-products of electrical generation and their impacts on the environment.
-Identify concerns regarding conservation of energy resources, and evaluate means for improving the sustainability of energy use.
General Outcome: Work collaboratively on problems and use appropriate language and formats to communicate ideas, procedures, and results.
Specific Outcomes:
-Receive, understand and act on the ideas of others.
-Work cooperatively with team members to develop and carry out a plan, and troubleshoot problems as they arise.
-Defend a given position on an issue or problem, based on their findings.
Up to this point, the pedagogy that we have been addressing surrounds the appropriate use of multimedia in relation to the teacher using it within their delivery. This assignment instead focusses on having students create a piece of multimedia therefore, the pedagogy needs to address the benefits students incur by producing multimedia.
According to Mayer (1996) meaningful learning occurs when the learner engages in appropriate selecting, organizing, and integrating during learning. In this lesson, when creating both the infographics and the debate students would be required to filter through and evaluate a variety of information about the various types of energy sources. Students would then need to organize this information based on the two energy sources they chose. Lastly, they would need to integrate what they have learned into two clear and concise graphics as well as a script for their debate.
Further investigation into the benefits of having students create multimedia led me to the United Nations document “The Futures of Learning 3: What Kind of Pedagogies for the 21st Century?” Within this document, the author, Cynthia Luna Scott (2015), “explores pedagogies and learning environments that may contribute to the development and mastery of twenty-first-century competencies and skills, and advance the quality of learning” (p.2.).
While reading through the document there were a number of references that Scott made based on the material of other scholars that really spoke to me. The first was by Barron and Darling-Hammond (as cited in Scott 2015) in which they stated that “deeper learning takes place when learners can apply classroom-gathered knowledge to real-world problems and take part in projects that require sustained engagement and collaboration” (p. 6). That is to say, that when students are given the opportunity to create unique products based on knowledge and skill outcomes they are more likely to retain the information as well as well as take ownership of the learning process.
The second came from McLoughlin and Lee (as cited in Scott 2015) who argue “the ultimate goal of learning is to stimulate learners’ capacities to create and generate ideas, concepts, and knowledge” (p. 7). Twenty-first-century tools allow students the ultimate freedom when creating and generating their own ideas. Producing media such as graphics or video give students an opportunity to take a metacognitive approach to their learning. In order to produce such materials, students need to reflect on what they already know and also recognize what they do not understand. Students then further their understanding by doing added research or collaborating with their peers or teachers.
Lastly, the key to having students create multimedia pieces is understanding what to assess. Marc Prensky (as cited in Scott 2015) states, ‘it is not the tools themselves that we need to focus on, but rather the products, creativity, and skills that the tools enable and enhance’ (p. 9). Our focus when it comes to assessment still needs to be the outcomes addressed in the curriculum. However, as responsible teachers, it is our job to “create regular opportunities for learners to select the types of experiences they want to further their own learning. This cultivates greater learner autonomy and inspires individuals to take control of their learning” (Hampson, Patton and Shanks, as cited in Scott 2015, p. 4).
Citations
Mayer, R. (1996). Learning Strategies for Making Sense out of Expository Text: The SOI Model for Guiding Three Cognitive Processes in Knowledge Construction. Educational Psychology Review, 8(4), 357-371. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/23359444
Cynthia Luna Scott. THE FUTURES of LEARNING 3: What kind of pedagogies for the 21st century? UNESCO Education Research and Foresight, Paris. [ERF Working Papers Series, No. 15].