Happy New Year! (Or something like that)

We've kicked off the new school year and I am ecstatic about the days we have ahead of us. It's science 2.0. A new look, new features, and a brand new interface. The lab is a blank slate waiting to be decorated by the things we learn and do together.
Students have heard quite a bit about what is to come but I'll explain here for the benefit of parents whose children don't run home and immediately repeat every word that Mr. Ewen said to them over the course of the week.

There are three electronic features that are different from 5th grade. The first is this blog. The blog is primarily a place for communication between me and y'all. For the most part, if it is written here students have already heard/experienced it. I'll write about upcoming events, post resources that I find, and recap highlights.

The second feature is a space that's primarily for students. In a week or so they'll be getting their laptops back and I'll provide them with student accounts for our classroom wiki. A wiki is a webpage that can be edited by members. Below is a short video by CommonCraft that explains its use better than I can.

The 3rd feature your students may not have had in a class before is access to class podcasts. Podcasts are free audio recordings that can be listened to from their laptop or downloaded from a service like iTunes. I'll be podcasting notes, directions, and other important info for students who just need to hear it one or two more times. Sometimes notes just aren't enough.

I really look forward to seeing you all at parent night and answering some of your questions about what's in store for us this year. If you have questions before then, feel free to leave me a voicemail @ ext 283, or email me at work. JE

Classroom Wiki

This week the students have been using a wiki to create a study guide for our upcoming (date TBD) test. If you haven't used on before, a wiki is a webpage that can be edited by anyone with access. In our case, only students (and I) have access to the page. Input on my part is minimal; I put up two bullet points and a video about using the interface, and they did the rest. I just check every day to make sure that what they write is scientifically accurate and Calvert School appropriate.
Some students have made lots of contributions; they're wiki all-stars. Some have made small ones, like leaving a comment. But more than half of the class has given some sort of input thus far.
Over the course of 2 days students began a process that they will be using for the rest of their lives. They're working collaboratively to create the best document possible. Sure, there have been setbacks: there is a currently a great debate raging on which color font should be used. One student mentioned that if you don't add important information to the study guide, you shouldn't get to change the color. I agree. But our students are working it out amongst themselves.

I couldn't be more proud.