tool 9

1. Why do you think it is important to tie the technology to the objective?
It is important to tie technology to the objective because this makes the objective relavent. Technology is utilized in ever other aspect of the students lives. When students enter the work force, they will be expected to be proficient in the use of technology.

2. Why should we hold students accountable for the stations/centers?
Students should be held accountable for the stations/centers so that as their instructor, I am able to summatively assess their ability to meet the objectives.

3. Visit 2 of the applicable links to interactive websites for your content/grade level. Which sites did you like. How could you use them as stations? How can you hold the students accountable for their time in these stations?
I have been interested in using PhET for sometime now. I would hold the students accountable for their time by providing a worksheet for each student to complete. A hard copy of the worksheet could be the back up plan. I do like the idea of the student using google docs to work on a digital worksheet simultaneously. 
Interactivate looks like a promising site to use for stations in the classroom. Unfortunately I'm having trouble loading the courseware on my computer. My students seem to have trouble integrating math in my physics class. I am interested in some of the courseware on this site for reviewing math concepts that will be prevalent for a new science concept being introduced.

4. List two to three apps you found for the iPod Touch/iPad that you can use in your classroom. What do you see that station looking like? How can you hold the students accountable for their time in these stations?

Flashcard+, Animation creator lite 

I use a word wall in my room. With flashcard plus, as a word from the word wall comes up in a lesson students could make a flash card for the word. This would be particularly useful while introducing a topic and for reviewing a topic before taking a test. Students would be held accountable for making a flash card for the words posted on the word wall. This activity could also be ongoing though out a unit. I could give the students 5-10 minutes either at the beginning of class or at the end of class to make flashcards for the previous lesson. As the unit comes to a close I could then allow time for students to study their flash cards as a review.

I think Animation creator lite has many possibilities. At first I would probably be very specific as to how the students should use this app, such as asking then to create a simple animation of a particular science concept. After the students have become more familiar with this app and are use to applying science concepts while using it I would probably like to have the students use it in a more open end project. For example I would pose a driving question, and the parameters would not be so limiting.

5.What about other ways to use the iPod Touch/iPad? Share another way you can see your students using the device as a station.

I would like to see the students make movies of physics concepts, then provide a physics explanation for what is happening. The Ipads can be used to video. Many of my students have Iphones that can also be used to video. The students could work together in groups using their ipads to edit their movies, add text, and add digrams to strengthen their explanations.