Engineering the Future online Teacher Professional Development (EtF otpd 101)

Transcription

1 Engineering the Future online Teacher Professional Development (EtF otpd 101) COURSE DESCRIPTION This course is primarily intended for secondary level in-service teachers and instructors of pre-service teachers, but is relevant as well to middle school teachers and informal education providers. EtF otpd 101 is a professional level, moderated, online course designed to orient and prepare participants to facilitate design- and project-based curricula promoting technological literacy. A newly published high school course Engineering the Future, Science, Technology and the Design Process (EtF) is used as an exemplar. Etf (2007, Museum of Science, Key Curriculum Press) is a full-year high school course for all students, aligned with national technology/engineering education standards for grades Each section of EtF otpd 101 runs for four weeks, structured as four week-long units, each with a scheduled start and end date. While participants have flexibility within each week, the course is synchronous, meaning that participants are expected to begin and complete the activities during the week they are assigned. Candidates will review the published student curriculum, teacher guide and digitized resources, engage in selected project-based activities offline, then participate in online threaded discussion and analysis. COURSE OBJECTIVES After participants complete this course, they will be able to: Select appropriate pedagogy for classroom management of problembased learning designed to promote technological literacy for all students. Apply content knowledge in science, technology, engineering and math to understand and solve design-based project challenges. Efficiently navigate curricular publications and select materials and supplies to conpetently facilitate a student course or project-based unit using EtF or similar curricula. Interact confidently in an electronic professional learning community of peers to access resources and share practices. INTENDED AUDIENCE This course is primarily intended for secondary level in-service teachers and instructors of pre-service teachers, but is relevant as well to middle school teachers and informal education providers. The course content focuses on 1

2 engineering, which is a multi-disciplinary blend including applied science, technology and mathematics. PREREQUISITES Participants should be familiar with middle school or high school technology/engineering education standards for their district, state or country. They should be familiar with appropriate grade level math and science concepts. They should also be comfortable using computers and must have access to the Internet and published EtF curriculum materials. METHODS OF INSTRUCTION Weekly units follow a similar format in which participants may: Interact with dynamic Flash modules that introduce key content focus Watch brief videos summarizing key content, demonstrations, or activity procedures Read published print materials Download or read selected background information online Complete offline project activites Participate in an asynchronous discussion forum (as well as an optional scheduled chat) Reflect by responding to specific prompts in an online journal INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES Lecture/Presentation (Asynchronous Online) Discussion/Questioning (Online postings) Laboratory (Offline) Problem Finding/Solving Independent Learning Discovery Peer Critiques Computer Application Collaborative Learning Groups (Online) Viewing or Listening Followed by Discussion Online Project Description Postings Reflective Response Group Brainstorming Creating Visual Illustrations of Concepts Applied Implementation Planning GRADING In order to receive credit for the course, participants must complete all assigned activities, upload required project documentation, respond to all journal prompts, and participate in the discussion forums at least twice each week. Assessment is 2

3 project-based and all four weeks are weighted equally. The units of professional development and credit offered for this course are based upon the expectation that each week will require about nine hours of work (approximately three hours for online activities including visual media, discussion forums, and the journal, and six hours for offline reading, activities and project). You will do a weekly self-evaluation to determine your score for working on EtF activities and particpating in discussion forums. The moderator will evaluate and provide feedback for your projects and journal entries. Grades will be assigned on a standard percent scale based on the following breakdown: Activity self-checks 20% Discussion forums 20% Journal entries 20% Weekly assignments 40% REQUIRED TEXTS AND MATERIALS Participants do need to purchase print copies of the following EtF curriculum components ( Engineering the Future: Science, Technology and the Design Process. Museum of Science, Boston Key Curriculum Press, Emeryville, CA Note: This text is available in audio format on request from Recordings for the Blind and Dyslexic (RFBD). Teachers Guide: Engineering the Future. Museum of Science, Boston Key Curriculum Press, Emeryville, CA Engineer s Notebooks Projects 1-4. Museum of Science, Boston Key Curriculum Press, Emeryville, CA WEEKLY SUMMARIES Week 1: Intro to EtF and the Engineering Design Process Participants are oriented to the pattern of each of the four EtF projects following the EDP cycle, providing Project Based Learning (PBL) within contexts including teamwork, problem- and design-based challenges, discovery learning, and time management. EtF overview video - web player EtF Intro Slide Show - PDF EtF Teacher Guide Intro - 20-page PDF document What is PBL? - 8-page PDF document 3

4 8-Step Engineering Design Process - rtf file EDP Cycle - icons for your classroom - printable PDF Video clip ABC Nightline "Deep Dive" at IDEO, Inc. Occupational Outlook - Engineers file - URL What is an engineering Gantt Chart? - URL View a sample EtF Gantt Chart - htm file ASSIGNMENT 1: Team Forming Strategies ASSIGNMENT 2: Team Member Roles Explain how an engineering Gantt chart for projects is similar and different from a unit schedule or lesson plan you may have used or seen before. Project 1: Design the Best Organizer in the World EtF Project 1 introduces students to the field of engineering, the engineering design process, and careers in engineering and technology. Visual Media: Sample EtF Student Organizers Resource - doc, ppt, and mp3 files Engineering Drawing Resources - Flash module, video, URLs EtF Math Connections - videos, ppt Manufacturing Processes - video, URLs, chart, PDF Materials: Alternatives, Criteria and Constraints - lists Managing Classroom Safety - list, PDF, podcast Project 1 Concept Map - PDF document Project 1 Assessment Tools - PDF, URLs, ppt ASSIGNMENT 3: Quick-Build Organizer - cell phone holder ASSIGNMENT 4: Proj 1 Implementation Plan Week 1 Activity Check Quiz How does the assumption of this course that you are interested in implementing the full year EtF curriculum fit with your intentions? Do you have a good understanding of your state grade level technology/engineering educational standards to know where and how well EtF fits? Week 2: Project 2: Design a Building of the Future 4

5 Project 2 introduces EtF students to the problems of urban sprawl, estimating area and scale, simple calculations of loads experienced by structures, testing and choosing appropriate materials for construction, structural failure analysis, and thermal energy transfer. In the culminating activity students present a scale model and their plan for an energy efficient multi-use building. Loads and Material Performance - videos Materials Testing: Concrete - video and math diagram Sample EtF Student Tower Task presentation - ppt More Math: Tower Benefit/Cost Ratio - fillable spreadsheet Interact with Structures and Forces - Flash modules Structural Failure Resource Links - URLs Energy in Building Systems - Videos Smart Green Energy-Efficient Building - URLs ASSIGNMENT 5: Zoning & Building Permits ASSIGNMENT 6: Task 2.9 Alternatives Week 2 Activity Check Share thoughts regarding criteria and constraints: making concrete, aggregates, and building a concrete tester. Week 3: Project 3: Improve a Patented Boat Design In the opening class of EtF Project 3 students view a demo of a patented toy "putt-putt boat" that is powered by a simple heat engine. Their challenge is to apply fundamental concepts of fluid and thermal power to fabricate a working boat, discover how it operates, gain insights for design improvements, and write a patent application for their redesign. Putt-Putt Boat Demo -.mov file and patent PDFs Energy in Fluid Systems - PDF Boat Hull Pressing -.mov file, videos, podcast Super Girl Makes a Boat Hull - Google video Super Girl Makes a Boat Boiler -.mov file Project 3 Assessments - PDFs, print pages Improving Boat Design - table, video Heat Engine Cycles - video 5

6 ASSIGNMENT 7: How Does the Boat Work? ASSIGNMENT 8: Super You Makes a Boat Week 3 Activity Check Jounal Prompt: Pick from several topics including Project 3 classroom contexts, safety, content, criteria and constraints, student presentations. Week 4: Project 4: Electricity and Communications In Project 4 EtF students first get a qualitative understanding of circuits using Snap Circuit kits to build, operate and test specified circuits, then design some to accomplish specified purposes. They quantify parameters with Ohm s law and learn about the function of solar cells, other power generators, and combining circuits into communication systems. Visual Media Rsources: Interact with Circuits - Flash module Communication Systems - video Communication System Circuits - PDF Energy & Charge Flow Analogy - video, PDF Students Talk: Electricity - podcast mp3 Series, Parallel, Ammeter & Voltmeter - videos Color-Code Circuit Schematics - print pages Electrical Power - Charge & Energy Flow - video, URL ASSIGNMENT 9: Binary Scoreboard Coding ASSIGNMENT 10: Project Culminating Activity Week 4 Activity Check Review the Project 4 concept map near the end of the Teacher Guide and discuss how you might make choices for course emphasis between basic circuit behavior and analysis, machine control, home wiring, consumer electronics, power generation, and alternative energy and environmental issues. 6

7 Implementation Plans Final week assignments include: reflecting and reporting on your professional development, submitting your EtF classroom implementation and assessment plan, plus your evaluation of this course. Curriculum Mapping -.doc, PDF, URLs ASSIGNMENT 11: Reflection ASSIGNMENT 12: EtF Implementation Plan Course Evaluation Survey Use the journal to record thoughts for your EtF implementation plan. 7