Blog 5

The article of Mapping Student Minds introduced the importance of science and technology. In the classroom, students were using the mapping tool called Web-based Inquiry Science Environment (WISE). This program was used in the sixth grade classroom at Foothill Middle School, where students were given the opportunity to do research and gain a learning experience through the use of database tools. Students were in groups and would gather data from a nearby creek. With the information, they would give it to a "data master", where the information was then put into excel and organized into a Palm Pilot Data form. Then, that information was put into WISE, where the online data base that gave results that they could not do in person. This gave students to continue their field trip and science experiment without halting their project or coming to a conclusion. WISE was a wonderful opportunity to teach students the ability to use technology at the same time, learning important subject matter of science.The program also gave students the ability to create useful maps to organize their data,creating the knowledge of looking for cause and effect relationships through material found and observed. I really enjoyed this article because i thought it was great how the teacher was able to incorporate both important factors, science and technology, in the classroom. It was able to make the experiement fun, easy, organized, and meaningful. I think this would be a great opportunity for schools who have low funding, and cannot have field trips, etc. Students should be able to learn information through various forms, and if not given the opportunity to step outside the classroom, the option of simulating the experience through technology makes up for the loss to a certain extent.