Standard 2.2 - Using
"Candidates implement appropriate educational technologies and processes based on appropriate content pedagogy." (AECT, 2012)
&
Standard 2.5 - Ethics
"Candidates design and select media, technology, and processes that emphasize the diversity of our society as a multicultural community." (AECT, 2012)
Description of Artifact
In spring 2019, I took Dr. Missok Heo’s GDIT 719: Learner-Computer Interaction course. For the final project of the course we were required to design an interdisciplinary learning module that used augmented reality (AR) to enhance collaborative learning. So, I worked with a group of my peers to create a sequence of lessons about sound waves, that could be covered in both the science and music classrooms at the middle school level. The project was completed in sections. First, we submitted a lesson plan outlining the topics covered and its relevancy to the real world, lesson duration, audience, goals and objectives, standards, lesson sequence with engagement activities, and the assessment. Then a rationale statement justifying how AR and other technology resources were incorporated in the lessons to support student learning was submitted. On the right you will see the unit plan and rationale statement we created.
Reflection and Rationale
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This project was the first time I, and many of my peers, had used AR in an educational activity. So, we had to first learn how to use the AR software and applications and then assess whether it was appropriate for our learning objectives and goals. We initially decided to use Metaverse but quickly realized that it was not appropriate for our objectives. Therefore, we decided to use the HP Revel application instead. I found it to be good practice to take the time to evaluate how newer technology, such as AR, can be used to enhance my lessons and the science pedagogy.
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In science there are many abstract topics that are covered. In the past students would be shown two dimensional images or animated videos and be forced to imagine how various scientific processes; such as photosynthesis, work. However now, with the incorporation of AR and virtual reality (VR), students can get a better understanding of these abstract concept. As I begin teaching high school science for the 2019/2020 academic year, I plan on incorporating both AR and VR into my classes. For example, as students in my biology class learn about various biomes (e.g. tropical Rainforest) around the world, we will use VR headsets to go on virtual field trips to each biome. Students in my chemistry class will use AR to learn about the structures of various chemical compounds. I believe that this artifact is an example that demonstrates my proficiency in Standard 2.2 as it shows my ability to choose and then implement the best educational technologies and processes based on science pedagogy.
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As we created this lesson sequence, we considered how the science and music topics, that were being covered, related to the real world. Hence, the lesson discusses how sound waves are used to detect landmines in real life. We wanted to specifically include this example because when we first began planning the lesson sequence, we were imagining a school with a high African student population so having students who may have had firsthand experience with the topic. We planned on using these experiences in the class discussions to raise awareness to this issue. I believe that our willingness to consider potential students’ diverse backgrounds and design a lesson to raise awareness of this diversity demonstrates proficiency in AECT’s Standard 2.5 which states that “candidates [should] design and select media, technology, and processes that emphasize the diversity of our society as a multicultural community.”
Artifact 6A - Rationale paper for lesson plan using augmented reality
Artifact 6B - Lesson plan using augmented reality